P&G’s Gillette Sues Dollar Shave Club • Hacker News Board

Re: P&G’s Gillette Sues Dollar Shave Club

#31

Post by pc86 » Thu, Dec 17, 2015, 6:34 PM UTC

Someone1234 wrote: post #24

cfcef wrote: post #10

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> rather the service is about the delivery and cost mechanism, not the actual product received. Presumably they are purchasing the razor blades from Dorco and importing them. http://www.uspto.gov/patents-maintaining-patent/patent-litig... > Patent infringement is the act of making, using, selling, or offering to sell a patented invention, or importing into the United States a product covered by a claim of a patent wi…

You can buy directly from Dorco in the US.

Serious question: Does this do anything to lessen the infringement claim against DSC?

Re: P&G’s Gillette Sues Dollar Shave Club

#32

Post by epimetheus » Thu, Dec 17, 2015, 6:35 PM UTC

Someone1234 wrote: post #23

reitanqild wrote: post #7

Tangentially related: I moved to old fashioned razor blades a few months ago and have actually hurt myself less since then. Bonus: It cost like a fraction of the price and you don't look like a teenager when shaving :-P

I assume by "old fashioned" you mean a safety razor, not a straight razor. Safety razors are indeniably cheaper long term (although expect to pay $100 ish to get a good handle, brush, bowl, blades, and soap). You'll likely break even after ten years (assuming $1.50 cartridges Vs. 10c blades). You'll also likely receive a closer shave with a safety razor. That being said... I did the whole safety razor thing. It was f…

I just use a gel with my safety razor and haven't had any issues. I shave my whole head daily too. I've been using a safety razor for more than 5 years now, and shaving my head for about 15 years though, so maybe it's just skill by rote.

That said, I always have some disposable ones handy for quick work, misses, or for shaving in the shower.

Re: P&G’s Gillette Sues Dollar Shave Club

#33

Post by Shank » Thu, Dec 17, 2015, 6:35 PM UTC

mistermann wrote: post #22

burnte wrote: post #9

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I used DSC and regretted it, the razors are quite weak. I tried Harry's and was quite happy in the end. Much higher quality.

What is the pricing like on Harry's? Do they have any razors that you tend to hold more perpendicular to your face like the older 2-blade Gillette razors, rather than the 3+ blade razors that you tend to hold parallel to your face?

$1.88/cartridge, 4 blades on each cartridge

They're somewhat flexible, so you could probably do either approach (I tend to vary and just remove all hair). I like Harry's quite a bit.

Re: P&G’s Gillette Sues Dollar Shave Club

#34

Post by Someone1234 » Thu, Dec 17, 2015, 6:35 PM UTC

processing wrote: post #14

Someone1234 wrote: post #8

It is extremely telling that Gillette is suing Dollar Shave Club, a direct competitor, rather than Dorco the actual manufacturer of the blades themselves. DSC is actually just a blade reseller, so suing them for patent infringement seems odd. Until you consider that this whole lawsuit may be part of a larger drive to either push DSC out of business or buy them out of business, in either case the cost of the lawsuit w…

This looks like their last line of attack they created https://www.gilletteshaveclub.com (Whois shows this site was created 23rd April 2015).

The most expensive way to buy blades ever...

Mach3 Turbo: $3.50/blade ($2.09 on Amazon S&S).

Fusion: $4.50/blade ($3.17 on Amazon S&S).

ProGlide: $4.90/blade ($2.61 on Amazon S&S).

And since I am comparing it to Amazon's Subscribe & Save, both include delivery and the same level of convenience.

Re: P&G’s Gillette Sues Dollar Shave Club

#35

Post by balls187 » Thu, Dec 17, 2015, 6:36 PM UTC

Someone1234 wrote: post #23

reitanqild wrote: post #7

Tangentially related: I moved to old fashioned razor blades a few months ago and have actually hurt myself less since then. Bonus: It cost like a fraction of the price and you don't look like a teenager when shaving :-P

I assume by "old fashioned" you mean a safety razor, not a straight razor. Safety razors are indeniably cheaper long term (although expect to pay $100 ish to get a good handle, brush, bowl, blades, and soap). You'll likely break even after ten years (assuming $1.50 cartridges Vs. 10c blades). You'll also likely receive a closer shave with a safety razor. That being said... I did the whole safety razor thing. It was f…

> Cartridges are quick and easy. They're the ultimate lazy man's solution.

They're the penultimate solution.

Not shaving is the ultimate in laziness.

Which I adopted, both to saves time, and because it makes me look closer to my age.

Re: P&G’s Gillette Sues Dollar Shave Club

#36

Post by hughes » Thu, Dec 17, 2015, 6:36 PM UTC

blueatlas wrote: post #28

I use two blades to shave - start with a "quality" blade (not Gillette) and finish with a cheaper disposable. It extends the life of both and gives me a very clean shave. I estimate that it's cut my blade costs in half since ditching Gillette. Oh, and don't forget the inexpensive Barbasol.

Have you ever tried using a safety razor? The blades cost pennies. I also find I get substantially less razor burn. Switching to shaving soap instead of aerosol cream keeps my total shaving cost to <$10/year.

Re: P&G’s Gillette Sues Dollar Shave Club

#37

Post by NoGravitas » Thu, Dec 17, 2015, 6:37 PM UTC

reitanqild wrote: post #7

Tangentially related: I moved to old fashioned razor blades a few months ago and have actually hurt myself less since then. Bonus: It cost like a fraction of the price and you don't look like a teenager when shaving :-P

Just to let people know what 'a fraction of the price' means here, good brand double-edged safety razor blades can be had for about 10 cents a blade.

Re: P&G’s Gillette Sues Dollar Shave Club

#38

Post by iamleppert » Thu, Dec 17, 2015, 6:39 PM UTC

All of this would be moot if people would just grow a beard and discover all the awesomeness that comes with it! Most of all you don't have to shave anymore!

Re: P&G’s Gillette Sues Dollar Shave Club

#39

Post by [deleted] » Thu, Dec 17, 2015, 6:40 PM UTC

marme wrote: post #26

swang wrote: post #5

Anyone shed some light on whether there is any validity, or is it just Gillette trying to scare DSC and their customers?

it is valid but it is just being used to run them out of business. The actual patent violator is Dorco but they are a foreign company and it would be pointless to sue them. Dollar shave club is merely importing patent infringing razors into the US. But patent law allows you to sue anyone who imports patent infringing materials which makes sense because it can be hard to identify the factory doing the patent infringin…

[deleted]

Re: P&G’s Gillette Sues Dollar Shave Club

#40

Post by adoming3 » Thu, Dec 17, 2015, 6:40 PM UTC

I find it slightly amusing when journalists call companies like Dollar Shave Club an "upstart". It paints this picture that they're this small scrappy startup when in fact they've raised $163M, founded in 2011 and air prime time commercials. But as compared to P&G's market cap of $220B, I get it, they're small potatoes.