Thread: Wondering why these brand are expensive?

Sorry, but the numbers just don't lie,, You can talk all ya want about Popularity, Flavor of the month, taste, value, and perception and I will call BS every time...

There are simply certain brands that are better then others, they consistently deliver the goods, There are many more Brands out there than those 3, but those 3 are without a doubt on the list, and have been long before this forum, or even the Internet existed...

Again with the qualifier "In good Shape"


Don't mis-understand and think I am saying that these are the only "Good" brands and that other brands are "Bad" that is not what I am saying at all, in fact out of the over 10k razors that I have honed, I have never seen a Vintage razor in good shape not shave well, but there are certain brands that are just better...

Originally Posted by crouton976

I'm with Glen and Pfries on this one... Glen because of the tried and true brands and Pfries because of the Genco...

Tried and true doesn't always mean expensive, but it does mean consistent quality and shaves. The brands the OP mentioned used to, as Glen noted, fall into the category of tried and true while inexpensive. The Genco mentioned by Pfries is definitely tried and true but still falls (for now) into the inexpensive category... though I have to admit, the last few Genco's I've bought have come up in price a bit from my first few.

There are other great brands of razor out there which I'm sure shave well and smooth, but do they do it consistently from one razor to the next? That is the million dollar question...

If tried and true Gencos were well acknowledged they would be the same price as those other brands both then and now but they weren't and aren't now. So there must other reasons to explain the differences. I agree now that Genco has been talked up a bit more the prices are increasing too. That is not a reflection on Gencos quality which they always had.

The price is based on what the market will bare and what the "perceived" value is.

Bob

Originally Posted by BobH

If tried and true Gencos were well acknowledged they would be the same price as those other brands both then and now but they weren't and aren't now. So there must other reasons to explain the differences. I agree now that Genco has been talked up a bit more the prices are increasing too. That is not a reflection on Gencos quality which they always had.

The price is based on what the market will bare and what the "perceived" value is.

Bob

You're arguing the Chicken and the Egg Bob

In this case however the Reputation was built way before the Internet These razors were sold originally with very little price difference between them all, only the scales etc: had a value difference, but over time certain brands rose to the top of the heap..

Originally Posted by BobH

If tried and true Gencos were well acknowledged they would be the same price as those other brands both then and now but they weren't and aren't now. So there must other reasons to explain the differences. I agree now that Genco has been talked up a bit more the prices are increasing too. That is not a reflection on Gencos quality which they always had.

The price is based on what the market will bare and what the "perceived" value is.

Bob

I dunno... I would think that, to at least a certain degree, the sheer numbers of Gencos in existence helps lend to a lower price tag, both then and now... after all, they were at one point the largest razor manufacturer in the world. Also, the fact that while they give fantastic shaves and are made from great steel, they weren't very ornamental, again reducing costs to make and to buy.

DD's are usually VERY ornamental, so people think "OOH! SHINY!" and immediately attach a particular value (not saying that DD's don't deserve to be considered top quality). W&B's age lends to their reputation, in terms of perceived value (again, not saying they shouldn't be in the top tier of razors), so people tend to flock to them.

Genco's, while plain in nature, are made from a consistent quality of fine steel (like Sheffield steel) from around the northeastern US and are great workhorses in general. The fact that they were so abundant on top of being inexpensively made and made with consistently great quality, by comparison to some manufacturers, means they are less rare than W&B, DD or Filly's, which can drive down their perceived value...

Originally Posted by crouton976

I dunno... I would think that, to at least a certain degree, the sheer numbers of Gencos in existence helps lend to a lower price tag, both then and now... after all, they were at one point the largest razor manufacturer in the world. Also, the fact that while they give fantastic shaves and are made from great steel, they weren't very ornamental, again reducing costs to make and to buy.

DD's are usually VERY ornamental, so people think "OOH! SHINY!" and immediately attach a particular value (not saying that DD's don't deserve to be considered top quality). W&B's age lends to their reputation, in terms of perceived value (again, not saying they shouldn't be in the top tier of razors), so people tend to flock to them.

Genco's, while plain in nature, are made from a consistent quality of fine steel (like Sheffield steel) from around the northeastern US and are great workhorses in general. The fact that they were so abundant on top of being inexpensively made and made with consistently great quality, by comparison to some manufacturers, means they are less rare than W&B, DD or Filly's, which can drive down their perceived value...

Supply and demand effects prices as much as perceived quality/value; if Ferrari's were overflowing the lots they wouldn't cost more than a middle class American house.
But that could also be, as Glen put it, chicken and egg; the perceived value drops if it seems no one wants them.

Originally Posted by DarthLord

Supply and demand effects prices as much as perceived quality/value; if Ferrari's were overflowing the lots they wouldn't cost more than a middle class American house.
But that could also be, as Glen put it, chicken and egg; the perceived value drops if it seems no one wants them.

That's exactly my point... there are WAY more Gencos than DD's available, so that could be a factor of why the high price tag for DD's and not Gencos... Not saying DD's haven't proven themselves to be world class (they have). The same is true of W&B and Filly's...

Again, this is all just speculation on my part...

Originally Posted by crouton976

I dunno... I would think that, to at least a certain degree, the sheer numbers of Gencos in existence helps lend to a lower price tag, both then and now... after all, they were at one point the largest razor manufacturer in the world. Also, the fact that while they give fantastic shaves and are made from great steel, they weren't very ornamental, again reducing costs to make and to buy.

DD's are usually VERY ornamental, so people think "OOH! SHINY!" and immediately attach a particular value (not saying that DD's don't deserve to be considered top quality). W&B's age lends to their reputation, in terms of perceived value (again, not saying they shouldn't be in the top tier of razors), so people tend to flock to them.

Genco's, while plain in nature, are made from a consistent quality of fine steel (like Sheffield steel) from around the northeastern US and are great workhorses in general. The fact that they were so abundant on top of being inexpensively made and made with consistently great quality, by comparison to some manufacturers, means they are less rare than W&B, DD or Filly's, which can drive down their perceived value...

Not all DDs are "ornamental", consider the DD Special No 1. My guess would be same quality steel as the fancy Goldedges and such. Ornamental has nothing to do with the quality of the shave. Yes they are more expensive to produce because of the ornamentation and eye candy rightly is priced higher. Again nothing to do with the ability to take and hold a fine edge.

Yea the scarcity of certain razors naturally increases the price over similar more commonly encountered ones. That adds to the wow factor but speaks nothing of the ability to take and hold a fine edge either.

Bob

Originally Posted by gssixgun

You're arguing the Chicken and the Egg Bob

In this case however the Reputation was built way before the Internet These razors were sold originally with very little price difference between them all, only the scales etc: had a value difference, but over time certain brands rose to the top of the heap..

Yea, no doubt reputations were made before the internet. Just how reputations are made consists of a few factors not just performance of a certain task alone. There is good advertising/marketing that may enhance a products reputation beyond what it really deserves in relation to performing it's primary function. If it is hyped enough and the hype is repeated enough it becomes a almost fact. The whole thing is much more complicated than the reputed ability to perform a single function well.

The older you get the more jaundiced you get toward hype but still buy hyped products because what the hey, you can treat yourself. Been guilty of that myself but can separate the wheat from the chaff while doing it.

Bob

Originally Posted by BobH

Not all DDs are "ornamental", consider the DD Special No 1. My guess would be same quality steel as the fancy Goldedges and such. Ornamental has nothing to do with the quality of the shave. Yes they are more expensive to produce because of the ornamentation and eye candy rightly is priced higher. Again nothing to do with the ability to take and hold a fine edge.

Yea the scarcity of certain razors naturally increases the price over similar more commonly encountered ones. That adds to the wow factor but speaks nothing of the ability to take and hold a fine edge either.

Bob

Oh, I'm not saying that ALL DD's are ornamental, but the majority are. Just like not all Genco's were plain. My main point was simply the abundance of one vs. the other.

Like I said before, this is speculation on my part, having only shaved with one semi shave ready W&B, and no DD's or Filly's... I have, however, shaved with 13 Genco's, and all have given fantastic shaves once brought to shave ready. I have no doubt whatsoever that the brands mentioned by the OP belong in the world class list, though. But, my point is I haven't heard, yet, of someone saying they got a bad shave from a properly shave ready Genco either. For an inexpensive yet consistently good quality razor that always performs as it should, it's a win-win.

I guess what I'm saying is that if a Genco isn't up to par with one of the brands the OP mentioned, what makes it so? Obviously, they were well enough received to become the largest razor producer in the world, so something had to be going right... If not, I imagine they would have folded and closed up shop or at least never gotten as big as they did.

don't forget George wostenholm razors. They generally go for some bucks as well and have been around since around same time frame as w&b and mine shaves great! otto deutsch razors seem the same at least in my marketplace go for right below what a w&b goes for and once again one of the best quality shaves I haveever received from any of my razors. I also have a hibbard spencer and Bartlett that is one of my older razors and is built like a tank extremely high quality steel... It isn't honed yet so haven't shaved with it but I would argue it would probably shave as good as a w&b or a wosty. Really wanna get it honed lol...