Gillette to release NEW DE razor for the holidays

And this surprises you?

Actually no, I'd have been surprised it the quality had been better and it had the brand on it.  The quality of the box surprised me a little.  Its pretty good.  If you're a collector of Gillette items you'd pretty much have to get this ite,. if only to serve as a comparative example of declining quality and workmanship.

That being said, if somebody buys this as their first DE razor and assuming the head is made by a reputable company and the geometry is correct, they should be able to get a decent shave out of it.

I received my razor yesterday. Nice box. Seriously cheap handle. Looks a lot like an EJ head. I’m disappointed that the razor bears no Gillette mark if any kind. Only the box has the Gillette logo. So if the razor were ever separated from it’s box it would be just another cheap EJ/Muhle clone. EJ has much nicer handles.

Mark, my guess is this was a relatively inexpensive way for Gillette to test the waters of bringing back the DE razor in a bigger way.  We dedicated DE and SE wet shavers still make up a small portion of shavers in general, at least in North America, Europe, Australia, and New Zealand, I’m guessing.  The fact that our small dedicated group has an interest as wet shavers/collectors wouldn’t really be enough to put the kind of effort into this that they have.  My very first DE razor was a cheap Chinese Weishi and while I no longer use it, it did lead to the razors I have today, from 110+ year old lather catchers to a Rex Ambassador.

Again, I think, and it’s just a guess on my part, this is Gillette’s way of testing the waters without there being a humongous expense.

i agree with you i have said the whole time this was a great way for them to "test the waters" and see if there would be interest in another "true" de razor by gillette. they release this and if its a hit then great maybe they will release more but if it wasnt then they say it was for "anniversary" or "holiday" only and bow back out or just do things for like holiday or fathers day or anniversary reasons.. the fact that we as a group were recognized by them is a big step in the right direction and i think should thrill the community. Gillette did NOT have to do anything and could have very well left the wet shaving community to the Artisan makers but they didnt, and the fact that if im not wrong this is already the 2nd or 3rd run of the heritage edition should make them take notice..... I hope all of you enjoy your new razor, Let's hope for many more.............

And this surprises you?

Actually no, I'd have been surprised it the quality had been better and it had the brand on it.  The quality of the box surprised me a little.  Its pretty good.  If you're a collector of Gillette items you'd pretty much have to get this ite,. if only to serve as a comparative example of declining quality and workmanship.

That being said, if somebody buys this as their first DE razor and assuming the head is made by a reputable company and the geometry is correct, they should be able to get a decent shave out of it.

Since this is the first Gillette DE razor since 1980 for the US market this would definitely be an item to put in any collection especially if you were to have the previous ones made. and i have felt this whole time that it would be a great way to bring in new shavers to the wet shaving community that may not recognize the artisan names but would recognize the name Gillette....

And this surprises you?

Actually no, I'd have been surprised it the quality had been better and it had the brand on it.  The quality of the box surprised me a little.  Its pretty good.  If you're a collector of Gillette items you'd pretty much have to get this ite,. if only to serve as a comparative example of declining quality and workmanship.

That being said, if somebody buys this as their first DE razor and assuming the head is made by a reputable company and the geometry is correct, they should be able to get a decent shave out of it.

Since this is the first Gillette DE razor since 1980 for the US market this would definitely be an item to put in any collection especially if you were to have the previous ones made. and i have felt this whole time that it would be a great way to bring in new shavers to the wet shaving community that may not recognize the artisan names but would recognize the name Gillette....

Except....it's not a Gillette razor.

Actually no, I'd have been surprised it the quality had been better and it had the brand on it.  The quality of the box surprised me a little.  Its pretty good.  If you're a collector of Gillette items you'd pretty much have to get this ite,. if only to serve as a comparative example of declining quality and workmanship.

That being said, if somebody buys this as their first DE razor and assuming the head is made by a reputable company and the geometry is correct, they should be able to get a decent shave out of it.

Since this is the first Gillette DE razor since 1980 for the US market this would definitely be an item to put in any collection especially if you were to have the previous ones made. and i have felt this whole time that it would be a great way to bring in new shavers to the wet shaving community that may not recognize the artisan names but would recognize the name Gillette....

Except....it's not a Gillette razor.

Of course that leads us down the path of which brands do or don't make their own product?  If a product is made under licence/contract to the brands' specifications, is that sufficient? Is there anything wrong with the practice?  Would it have made a difference in this case if Gillette had stamped their name on the razor? Is a VW manufactured in Germany better than a VW manufactured in Mexico?

Since this is the first Gillette DE razor since 1980 for the US market this would definitely be an item to put in any collection especially if you were to have the previous ones made. and i have felt this whole time that it would be a great way to bring in new shavers to the wet shaving community that may not recognize the artisan names but would recognize the name Gillette....

Except....it's not a Gillette razor.

Of course that leads us down the path of which brands do or don't make their own product?  If a product is made under licence/contract to the brands' specifications, is that sufficient? Is there anything wrong with the practice?  Would it have made a difference in this case if Gillette had stamped their name on the razor? Is a VW manufactured in Germany better than a VW manufactured in Mexico?

It makes a difference to me whether the head - wherever and by whomever it was manufactured - is uniquely Gillette or not.  In this case it appears not  even close to unique.  I've seen people whom I respect say - in this very thread IIRC - that Gillette contracted out production back in the day too.  But I have not heard it said that back in the day, the same thing as a contracted out Gillette razor was also produced under other brands.  Granted, I am no expert at Gillette history, so maybe I am missing the boat in some appreciable way. 

But nevertheless, and keeping that caveat in mind, the current situation is something like this to my way of thinking:  If I buy a Lamborghini (in my dreams of course lol), I don't care where the leather in the seats came from.  There can be many things contracted out, but they won't add up to even a reasonable facsimile of a Lamborghini, unless you get the Lamborghini.  OTOH, if I buy a can of corn, I don't care if it has the Green Giant brand or the supermarket brand.  The nutrition labels are identical or very, very nearly so.  The corn is a commodity.  The Lamborghini is not.

So IMHO Gillette is selling cans of corn.  We can argue over details of the supply chain, but a can of corn is a can of corn.  Instead of putting lipstick on a pig, you pick some label you like, and you put it on the can of corn.  In and of itself, my personal reaction is Big f***ing deal, which is part of why I have not purchased the Heritage.  What I am waiting to find out, is whether Gillette will produce anything innovative, will they license and produce a copy of some innovative contemporary design (s), or will they mass produce faithful reproductions of one or more classic Gillette designs? (I doubt the last possibility for a variety of reasons.)

And yes to two things.  First, Gillette arguably was not the Lamborghini of the razor world.  I know that.  Nevertheless, they still have room for improvement over a non-stainless, cobbled together frankenrazor with a sloppily made handle.  And second, yes, the current can of corn frankenrazor appears to be a serviceable razor in good working order, meaning it is adequate both to give a lifetime of yeoman service (if not dropped), and to grow the practice of traditional shaving.  Gillette deserves wholehearted props for that much.  Just please do forgive me if I don't break out in a cold sweat at the sight of it.

And this surprises you?

Actually no, I'd have been surprised it the quality had been better and it had the brand on it.  The quality of the box surprised me a little.  Its pretty good.  If you're a collector of Gillette items you'd pretty much have to get this ite,. if only to serve as a comparative example of declining quality and workmanship.

That being said, if somebody buys this as their first DE razor and assuming the head is made by a reputable company and the geometry is correct, they should be able to get a decent shave out of it.

All reviews I have seen so far put it as a decent shaver. Not overly aggressive and probably perfect for the beginner at a beginner price point. I'm a fan of the marketing on this.

...I'm a fan of the marketing on this.

What marketing? All I ever saw was a link to the Amazon page. There was/is nothing on Gillette's website nor AoS website. Was there more?  

...I'm a fan of the marketing on this.

What marketing? All I ever saw was a link to the Amazon page. There was/is nothing on Gillette's website nor AoS website. Was there more?  

Most likely a lot more we didn’t see. To me marketing includes more than just the parts you see.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

...I'm a fan of the marketing on this.

What marketing? All I ever saw was a link to the Amazon page. There was/is nothing on Gillette's website nor AoS website. Was there more?  

Most likely a lot more we didn’t see. To me marketing includes more than just the parts you see.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

You must be psychic.