(06-08-2016, 12:38 AM)Freddy Wrote: While the photos are striking, darkbulb, after I realized you were compensated, this razor review is simply a non-starter for me. I have truly been ticked off at Amazon doing this so freely and now here.
(06-08-2016, 01:39 AM)bakerbarber Wrote: I agree with Freddy in that I won't even read Amazon reviews with the disclaimer jargon in them even if they're neutral or negative. Bias can be subconscious. …
A pass around might have returned better equity in the long run. In the short run, somebody had to get a review out there. It would have happened organically on it's own eventually. …
Time will wash out the rest. So, if the brand lives up to its name, they shouldn't have needed to give out freebies. Praise or criticism would come on its own. Waiting a few weeks for unsolicited reviews would carry more credibility.
(06-08-2016, 04:22 AM)bakerbarber Wrote: Either way, I am still happy that someone that has the breadth and experience with a variety of different DE razors as darkbulb has got one in hand so quickly. …
I have a healthy sense of skepticism. Over recent months I've seen some garbage reviews in forums and on YouTube that I find questionable at best. Even vindictive accusations tossed about regarding black balled artisans or brands. Whether there kinds of things have veracity or not, it muddys the waters. When is a review of shaving gear just a review? It's getting harder to tell. For me at least.
Earlier on in this thread, I guess I didn’t really even pay attention to darkbulb’s disclaimer about how this razor was sent to him for review purposes. But now I understand Freddy’s and Todd’s concern here, because I, too, am annoyed by how flooded Amazon is these days with reviews that have some kind of disclaimer attached to them. (Of course, things would be even worse if people did not attach such disclaimers to their “honest” reviews.)
In my mind, though, there is a reason why darkbulb got sent this razor for evaluation. Is he a complete newbie, who is likely to be entirely uncritical of such a product? No. Does he have the experience to make a comprehensive assessment of the characteristics of such a new razor? I believe so.
Would I like to see DFS flooded with reviews that may be biased because of the relationship between manufacturer and reviewer? Absolutely not. But right now I am happier to see some information (and great photos) about this brand-new razor than to not have any information about it at all.
Like Todd said, it is likely that unsolicited reviews are on their way in due time. Until then, I at least will happily continue reading darkbulb’s observations, keeping in mind the certain guideline about how “mileage may vary” yadda yadda…
Sorry for any further derailment. Sapidus and darkbulb, I appreciate the historical aspect you have introduced to this thread. It’s nice to see some of the roots of modern razor design (and suddenly it also makes more sense why iKon chose the name “101” for one of their ShaveCraft razors).
Whenever I go to shave, I assume there’s someone else on the planet shaving, so I say “I’m gonna go shave, too.”
– Mitch Hedberg
– Mitch Hedberg