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How Harry's Bought a German Razor Factory

businessinsider.com

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Re: How Harry's Bought a German Razor Factory

#11

Post by swampthinker »

scubadude wrote: post #9
blinkingled wrote: post #5

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I have long pondered using old fashioned blades - but the ones I used in my time were all very much inferior to Gillette or Harrys which is what I am using right now ( they are cheaper, are good quality and last far longer than Gillette btw.). If you don't mind answering - what blades/razor combo you're using and are there any downsides (ex. easy to cut yourself, shave quality etc.) that you choose to live with?

Take a look at http://reddit.com/r/wickededge Many believe that shaving technology reached its peak quite some time ago.

http://www.reddit.com/r/wicked_edge Fixed it for you.

Re: How Harry's Bought a German Razor Factory

#12

Post by seanlinehan »

jessaustin wrote: post #3

It's cool what they're doing with vertical integration, but this whole product category seems silly to me. I can see why a 15yo who has never shaved before would buy these. Once one has shaved for some time, however, what's the problem with the good old-fashioned safety razor? I'm currently on a box of 100 blades (conveniently subpackaged into packets of 5), and it cost me $10 on Amazon. How do Gillette and the rest…

The razor industry is a primarily marketing driven market... And it's a tremendous one. One of my favorite acquisition headlines: "P&G to buy Gilette for $57B" [0]. I think Harry's strategy plays well into both what you're describing, though targeting the profitable, high-end sector of the market (as opposed to the ultra-cheap commodity razor market).

They recognized that the existing players on the high end were reaping above-average profits from their brand + distribution, but without strong product differentiation. If they could (and it seems they are) launch a strong brand with good quality products at substantially lower prices, they could earn a sizable chunk of the market. Cutting out retail margins and owning their factory should let them keep pretty strong margins even on the reduced price. Pretty epic.

[0] http://money.cnn.com/2005/01/28/news/fortune500/pg_gillette/

Re: How Harry's Bought a German Razor Factory

#13

Post by tekgo »

cmbaus wrote: post #2

What kind of blades does the company make? Are they multi-blade? Harry's is a great idea, but I've been happy with double edge razors for a while now: http://baus.net/shave-kit

5 blades with a lotion strip similar to other multi-blade razors. They're sold in 4 packs with their main selling point being that they are half the price of gillette razors while being the of similar quality with a much nicer/weightier handle.

Re: How Harry's Bought a German Razor Factory

#14

Post by nostromo »

Pro tip: just get an old fashioned safety razor.

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B003LW4L2W/

It will last longer than you do and gives you a perfect shave. A box of 100 blades will last for years and will cost you almost nothing.

All disposable razors, including Harry's, are overpriced.

Re: How Harry's Bought a German Razor Factory

#16

Post by morgante »

vnchr wrote: post #10

Harry's right now has their biggest advertising push of the year, leading up to Father's Day. I admit some suspicion of this being an advertorial--as I write this, most comments here are discussing Harry's from a consumption PoV--especially since we are one week from Father's Day. The content doesn't look atypical for the author Maya Kosoff--does anyone know Business Insider's advertorial policy?

Sponsored content is designated as such with a "SPONSORED" message in the top left.

Like so: http://www.businessinsider.com/sc/value-proposition-for-cust...

This Harry's piece isn't an advertorial. Money isn't changing hands. Rather, Harry's is probably doing a big PR push right now and PR makes it easier for writers to create pieces quickly.

Re: How Harry's Bought a German Razor Factory

#17

Post by JesperRavn »

nostromo wrote: post #14

Pro tip: just get an old fashioned safety razor. http://www.amazon.com/dp/B003LW4L2W/ It will last longer than you do and gives you a perfect shave. A box of 100 blades will last for years and will cost you almost nothing. All disposable razors, including Harry's, are overpriced.

I'm happy to pay extra for a razor that gives a close shave without cuts or skin irritation, and that doesn't require extensive training to use.

Re: How Harry's Bought a German Razor Factory

#18

Post by tacticus »

nostromo wrote: post #14

Pro tip: just get an old fashioned safety razor. http://www.amazon.com/dp/B003LW4L2W/ It will last longer than you do and gives you a perfect shave. A box of 100 blades will last for years and will cost you almost nothing. All disposable razors, including Harry's, are overpriced.

The annoying thing with these is flying :( they are prohibited from carry on.

Re: How Harry's Bought a German Razor Factory

#19

Post by steadicat »

blinkingled wrote: post #5
jessaustin wrote: post #3

It's cool what they're doing with vertical integration, but this whole product category seems silly to me. I can see why a 15yo who has never shaved before would buy these. Once one has shaved for some time, however, what's the problem with the good old-fashioned safety razor? I'm currently on a box of 100 blades (conveniently subpackaged into packets of 5), and it cost me $10 on Amazon. How do Gillette and the rest…

I have long pondered using old fashioned blades - but the ones I used in my time were all very much inferior to Gillette or Harrys which is what I am using right now ( they are cheaper, are good quality and last far longer than Gillette btw.). If you don't mind answering - what blades/razor combo you're using and are there any downsides (ex. easy to cut yourself, shave quality etc.) that you choose to live with?

Check out https://getbevel.com, another modern startup with a polished brand and service that focuses on double-edge razors instead.

Re: How Harry's Bought a German Razor Factory

#20

Post by jessaustin »

blinkingled wrote: post #5
jessaustin wrote: post #3

It's cool what they're doing with vertical integration, but this whole product category seems silly to me. I can see why a 15yo who has never shaved before would buy these. Once one has shaved for some time, however, what's the problem with the good old-fashioned safety razor? I'm currently on a box of 100 blades (conveniently subpackaged into packets of 5), and it cost me $10 on Amazon. How do Gillette and the rest…

I have long pondered using old fashioned blades - but the ones I used in my time were all very much inferior to Gillette or Harrys which is what I am using right now ( they are cheaper, are good quality and last far longer than Gillette btw.). If you don't mind answering - what blades/razor combo you're using and are there any downsides (ex. easy to cut yourself, shave quality etc.) that you choose to live with?

These are the ones I use:

http://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B001QY8QXM

They are quite well-reviewed, so I'm not the only person who likes them. I have a no-name butterfly-style handle, for which I think I also paid about $10. I splurge a little to get the gel-style rather than the white-foam shaving cream, although I always get store brand so I don't splurge too much. b^)

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