Thread: Has anybody heard anything more about Hart razors?

Thinking about the discussions re: Hart Razors, reminds me of an old joke where a man asks a woman if she would sleep with him for 10 million dollars. She says yes. Then he asks if she would for $50 and she says "Never, what kind of a woman do you think I am?" He says, "We've already settled that. Now, we're haggling about price."

I think we have settled that most here would like to try/have a Hart Razor and we are really haggling about price. it might be interesting to have a poll on the question "considering everything you have heard about the Hart Razors, how much would you be willing to spend on one?"

The thing is, some people are still trying to answer the 1st question. IOW, "Is the Hart razor worth having and what have been the experiences of people who have this razor?"

We have spent a lot of time on the first question and perhaps not enough on the second. I have already made my decision about the $, but am still interested in more input regarding the quality of the product. This would be best addressed by people who have experience with the razor, wouldn't it?

I would like to see the poll results as well. I also agree that most, if not all, would like to try the razor. We are discussing price:feature ratio more than anything else.

I am still standing by my statement in one of the other Hart razor threads...

Marketing 101 = TEST the product first...

Sending out 10 test razors first would have eliminated all the bad "press" before it ever happened....

JMHO

Originally Posted by Pyment

Thinking about the discussions re: Hart Razors, reminds me of an old joke where a man asks a woman if she would sleep with him for 10 million dollars. She says yes. Then he asks if she would for $50 and she says "Never, what kind of a woman do you think I am?" He says, "We've already settled that. Now, we're haggling about price."

I think we have settled that most here would like to try/have a Hart Razor and we are really haggling about price. it might be interesting to have a poll on the question "considering everything you have heard about the Hart Razors, how much would you be willing to spend on one?"

The thing is, some people are still trying to answer the 1st question. IOW, "Is the Hart razor worth having and what have been the experiences of people who have this razor?"

We have spent a lot of time on the first question and perhaps not enough on the second. I have already made my decision about the $, but am still interested in more input regarding the quality of the product. This would be best addressed by people who have experience with the razor, wouldn't it?

While I see your point in that it would be interesting to get a general consensus regarding perceived value, the fact is, the razor is $240. If you want one, then you have to pony up the dough. Add another 2 bucks and, after you shave, you can get a cup of coffee. The price is the price. End of story.

Starting a new business in the US is tough. US wages are high. US infrastructure (building space, machinery, etc.) is high. I would speculate that the cost of doing business in the US is what is driving such a high price for what is perceived, for the most part, as an entry level razor.

Originally Posted by radaddict

While I see your point in that it would be interesting to get a general consensus regarding perceived value, the fact is, the razor is $240. If you want one, then you have to pony up the dough. Add another 2 bucks and, after you shave, you can get a cup of coffee. The price is the price. End of story.

Starting a new business in the US is tough. US wages are high. US infrastructure (building space, machinery, etc.) is high. I would speculate that the cost of doing business in the US is what is driving such a high price for what is perceived, for the most part, as an entry level razor.

Sorry but this just doesn't compute. Dovo and TI aren't making their razors in China - France and Germany aren't known for their low labor and overhead rates either, and the currency exchange rate is *not* acting in their favor. Yet their razors that are most comparable to the Hart are considerably less expensive.

Originally Posted by gssixgun

I am still standing by my statement in one of the other Hart razor threads...

Marketing 101 = TEST the product first...

Sending out 10 test razors first would have eliminated all the bad "press" before it ever happened....

JMHO

It could have been done in a more high profile way, but he did have Chris Moss at SMF test it, and Chris has been doing this forever. And I believe he tested with others.

Originally Posted by loueedacat

It could have been done in a more high profile way, but he did have Chris Moss at SMF test it, and Chris has been doing this forever. And I believe he tested with others.

I would bet that Tim Zowada tested a few as well. The point that radaddict made about Hart being a start up company as opposed to an established razor manufacturer with over a century of operating behind them is also a good one. I still say it is a semi custom based on the mode of operation.

Whether the final product merits the price is up to the end user. It seems some think it is and others think it isn't. I'll reserve judgment until I have one in hand. It costs more than an entry level Dovo but it wasn't stamped out in cookie cutter fashion and run down an assembly line with various hands fashioning the finished product. The last TI I bought cost $370.00 USD here. Quite a razor BTW.

Originally Posted by JimmyHAD

Whether the final product merits the price is up to the end user. It seems some think it is and others think it isn't. I'll reserve judgment until I have one in hand. It costs more than an entry level Dovo but it wasn't stamped out in cookie cutter fashion and run down an assembly line with various hands fashioning the finished product. The last TI I bought cost $370.00 USD here. Quite a razor BTW.

According to Tim:

These razors are “hand made”. No jugs or fixtures used during the grinding, or honing. The only automated part of the whole process is the profile cutting of the blanks. After that, the AT's rough grind the bevels, spines and tang tapers on a belt sander. The blades then go out for heat treating at a very high-tech heat treat facility. The AT's then do the finish grinding on their belt sanders

So the blanks are stamped out by machine. Then they are rough ground. Then sent out. Then ground again. How is this all "semi-custom" "hand-made" by "one" person...?

They ARE stamped out in cookie cutter fashion, then rough ground, then shipped out to a heat treat plant, where I can guarantee you there is an assembly line procedure, then shipped back for final grinding....

Originally Posted by khaos

According to Tim:


So the blanks are stamped out by machine. Then they are rough ground. Then sent out. Then ground again. How is this all "semi-custom" "hand-made" by "one" person...?

They ARE stamped out in cookie cutter fashion, then rough ground, then shipped out to a heat treat plant, where I can guarantee you there is an assembly line procedure, then shipped back for final grinding....

How do you like your Hart razor Karl ? Does it shave as well as you had hoped it would ? Is the workmanship up to your expectations ?

Originally Posted by mparker762

Sorry but this just doesn't compute. Dovo and TI aren't making their razors in China - France and Germany aren't known for their low labor and overhead rates either, and the currency exchange rate is *not* acting in their favor. Yet their razors that are most comparable to the Hart are considerably less expensive.

Hart is a startup. It ain't cheap to start up a new company. TI and DOVO are well established and their startup costs were long ago written off the books. They also have other products that bring money into their companies. That helps pay their overhead and distribute costs and profits over a wide base. An oversimplification, but... if you're trying to make a million dollars, you can sell one thing for one million or you can sell one million things for one dollar each. My point is that, provided you have demand for your product, it is easier to sell a lot of things with a little profit for each than a few things with a lot of profit for each. The key (and the art and the science) is to find the right balance.

I have no idea (nor do any of us here) what Hart's business plan looks like. Nor do we know how deep their pockets are. If they have shallow pockets, they may need to try to turn a profit more quickly than is wise. We don't know their rationale for pricing this razor where they have. I'm merely speculating that the costs involved with starting up a new company in the US is a contributing factor in this razors high price.