Thread: question about safety razor pricing

Can someone explain to me why there is a 300$ safety razor and a 20 dollar one? all they do is hold the blade, I can understand regular straights more quality blades better material, makes sense. but a double edge razor is only a blade holder the shave depends on the sharpness of the blade and safety razors dont have one, you put it in. I bet the 20 dolar one will give you the same shave as the 300 dolar one.

I would not go as far as saying a $20 one will shave as well as a $300 DE. A DE may only be the blade holder but the better ones hold the blade more precisely where they should be. Then there there is the use of better materials and better fit and finish in the manufacture of the razors. Personally I would never buy the cheapest new DR or the most expensive DE because I think you will find the best performance to cost ratio in the $50 to $100 range or there abouts. With vintage NOS DEs that is a whole different ball game just as it is with vintage NOS straights. With those you are in collector territory not necessarily user territory.

Bob

I agree that the 300 dollar one will give you a better shave but I doubt it will be 280 dollars worth the differnce. It must be better but not that much better.

I think some of the prices are just absurd.

I have a Wilkinson Classic, and it's the most inexpensive razor in my collection. And it tells... there's a tiny stub of plastic somewhere along the head surface... just enough to not give a smooth feeling when I'm using it.

Build quality and materials come into the price, as does brand name. Also, a "limited edition" can bump the price up more.

Finally, it's a case of personal justification. Some people have no qualms in handing over hundreds of pounds/dollars/zorkmids.

Originally Posted by Spasoje

I agree that the 300 dollar one will give you a better shave but I doubt it will be 280 dollars worth the differnce. It must be better but not that much better.

A higher price does not necessarily indicate automatically better performance over a less costly item.

Bob

All I can say from personal experience. I bought a Shave Factory TTO real cheap from a local beauty supply store. My first use the lil pin that holds the butterfly door on popped loose mid stroke allowing one corner of the blade to lift an 1/8 th of an inch and digging a huge furrow from mid cheek to jowl under my jawline. I ordered a Razorock with a screw down handle and haven't looked back since. Any ding or dent using that DE comes from my lack of skill, not equipment failure.

Always remember the law of diminishing returns. Usually, when you spend more the quality increases but the degree of increase decreases with the higher price. Buying a $300 razor may not buy you a better shave but it will buy you the knowledge you have the most expensive DE in the world. Really, what you get is a low production expertly designed chunk of machined stainless steel that might be found in the Museum of Modern Art in NYC.

It's no different than buying a car. You can buy a Toyota Corolla which will get you where you want to go safely and with decent comfort or you can buy a top of the line Mercedes which will exude performance, safety and comfort.

It's you choice.

Right! I've actually had some of the more expensive razors ($200-300), and I have some of the cheap ones.

As with straights, the difference in price does not guarantee a better shave. People pay more for some razors because they may be rare, collectible, or they're a special set. The more expensive current-production razors are really well-made and fill a niche market.

To my mind, people are going to pay what they wish for items that they want - whether it is because of efficacy, styling, or just because they want to say that they have a $300 razor. That's their prerogative.

For me, I found that I was looking for a better shave. The $20 Cadet razors give me a shave that's as good or better than some of the rare razors that I paid a lot of money for. I sold the expensive ones and kept the cheap ones.

Typically the really expensive razors tend to be small production runs, CNC produced stainless steel products, whereas less expensive razors tend to be brass or zamak cast and then plated in chrome (usually), which are produced in far greater numbers, sometimes with a little less care to the fit and finish.

You'll pay something of a premium for a razor produced in Germany, the US, or the UK vs one made in India or China, as well.

My preferred DE razor is a Merkur Futur, which isn't a $300 razor, but is certainly on the higher end of razor prices, but I have gotten a surprisingly decent shave out of an all plastic razor I bought for under $2.00.