Should it matter?

The simple solution is to not buy anything that is not a good value. Doing one's homework is part of that, and helps minimize bad purchases.

If the seller knowingly makes false statements about a razor, that could be considered fraud. To which razor are you referring anyways? A Chinese copy of the Gillette Fatboy?

Not so easy for a newcomer to do.

I won't name the vendor, but the razor is a popular seller on Amazon. The razor is a halfway decent PRC-made copy of the Tech. The design is public domain now, so no one can legitimately claim that it's proprietary, patented or that patents are pending. FYI, a patent term is either 17 years from the issue date or 20 years from the filing date of the earliest U.S. or international (PCT) application to which priority is claimed. Design patents have an even shorter term - 15 years. The original Gillette patent ran out decades ago.

The simple solution is to not buy anything that is not a good value.  Doing one's homework is part of that, and helps minimize bad purchases.

If the seller knowingly makes false statements about a razor, that could be considered fraud.  To which razor are you referring anyways?  A Chinese copy of the Gillette Fatboy?

Not so easy for a newcomer to do.

I won't name the vendor, but the razor is a popular seller on Amazon. The razor is a halfway decent PRC-made copy of the Tech. The design is public domain now, so no one can legitimately claim that it's proprietary, patented or that patents are pending. FYI, a patent term is either 17 years from the issue date or 20 years from the filing date of the earliest U.S. or international (PCT) application to which priority is claimed. Design patents have an even shorter term - 15 years. The original Gillette patent ran out decades ago.

that's why these forums exist as well as google.com....people need to do their research if they don't want to feel like they're getting ripped off. as much as it would be nice, we can't hand hold everyone.

I tend to ignore freebie reviews based on my personal experience from the other side. I did those reviews on high end products for a known website year back, not shaving related at all. I was burned. In those circumstances you have a personal relationship with the vendor or manufacturer. Any issue that crops up you can get on the phone and have it resolved almost immediately with a thorough explanation. On one product I gave a glowing review as did most "pro reviewers". In the end it sucked for the consumer because the issues that cropped up for us were not a beta or prototype issue but a genuine QC and materials issue that was never addressed in production. The consumer never received the one on one service that the reviewers did which left a lot of unhappy campers. I got out of the reviewing business shortly after

I tend to ignore freebie reviews based on my personal experience from the other side. I did those reviews on high end products for a known website year back, not shaving related at all. I was burned. In those circumstances you have a personal relationship with the vendor or manufacturer. Any issue that crops up you can get on the phone and have it resolved almost immediately with a thorough explanation. On one product I gave a glowing review as did most "pro reviewers". In the end it sucked for the consumer because the issues that cropped up for us were not a beta or prototype issue but a genuine QC and materials issue that was never addressed in production. The consumer never received the one on one service that the reviewers did which left a lot of unhappy campers. I got out of the reviewing business shortly after

Thanks for sharing your experience! Yes, you did say that this experience was not shaving related, but I think parallels can be drawn, regardless. I think this is from a point of view that has been missing from this conversation.

I tend to ignore freebie reviews based on my personal experience from the other side. I did those reviews on high end products for a known website year back, not shaving related at all. I was burned. In those circumstances you have a personal relationship with the vendor or manufacturer. Any issue that crops up you can get on the phone and have it resolved almost immediately with a thorough explanation. On one product I gave a glowing review as did most "pro reviewers". In the end it sucked for the consumer because the issues that cropped up for us were not a beta or prototype issue but a genuine QC and materials issue that was never addressed in production. The consumer never received the one on one service that the reviewers did which left a lot of unhappy campers. I got out of the reviewing business shortly after

Thanks for reviewing the Oneblade CORE. I'm still waiting for the SS version to be at a $200 price point. Until then it is a total ripoff

Price gouging isn't just of needed stuff like food or water. If say a company continues to make product A, but during panic buying people buy lots of it, but they keep trucking along making it, so it's not going run out and the panic will pass. Meanwhile store A jacks the price to 5 times normal for product A to take advantage of the panic. Say tomorrow some politician wants to ban the import of foreign shave stuff, but it never happens cause others won't back it. But people being people rush out and buy any foreign shave soap they can. If a store started charging $100 for a tub of prorasso, that'd be price gouging. To me price gouging is simple to see, if the manufacturer prices the item at $20 and a store sells it for a lot higher then it's probably price gouging l exceptions for stuff brought in from overseas with shipping and import fees. As a gun guy I still remember the days of $20 mags going for $120 despite the manufacturer saying not to. I hope such days never come to shaving.

If you choose to pay higher than reasonable prices, you have made a choice, you have not been gouged. If you choose to participate in the Black Friday chaos of ultra-premium prices and unobtainium "toys", you have CHOSEN to be a part of that...you have not been gouged.

If you are in the desert, dying of dehydration, and a man walks by with a case of bottled water and sells you a bottle for $50, you have been gouged.

If you are in the desert dying of dehydration, and a man walks by with a tank of tepid, yet potable, water and a hose for $1, or a bottle of ice cold water for $50, and you CHOOSE to spend $50 on the bottled water...you have not been gouged.

At the end of the day, if you CHOOSE to spend premium prices on a premium product, there is no gouging.  Make no mistake about it, everything that we discuss here is a choice, from the soaps and blades, to the methods and techniques.

Also I disagree shave stuff is a luxury item. It's in the same category of toilet paper and deodorant. Lots of people have to shave it's not an option.  So I guess if it's a luxury item would depend on the person. To someone like me or you with 30+ soaps I suppose buying another soap is a luxury. To that guy or lady who uses one soap it's not a luxury item. It might be the soap that works for them. I for example could never use canned stuff.

The products and methods we use are ALL optional. They are ALL luxury items, because they are not necessary to accomplish the task of shaving. You might PREFER these products and techniques, but preference does not equal necessity. You CAN get a clean, close, and comfortable shave from foam in a can, and a disposable. $3 out the door. If you CHOOSE to spend $50 on a soap, $200 on a brush, and $400 for a Wolfman...you have not been gouged, you have have made a choice.

Just because I enjoy an artisan soap, a vintage straight, and a badger brush does not mean that I cannot shave my head without those items. I can. I may not ENJOY it as much, but I CAN accomplish the task.

Couldn't disagree more. One in America and Europe. Bottle water isn't needed, nor is the guy who owns the water required to sell it to you, by your logic it's not price gouging then. It based on pov. The water guy doesn't think he's gouging, he's just doing supply and demand. He has the supply you have the demand.

When the company says my product is not to be sold above $10 every it doesn't cost that much to make we sell the product to stores at half that price, then store jacks the price up, that's price gouging.

"Price gouging is a pejorative term referring to when a seller spikes the prices of goods, services or commodities to a level much higher than is considered reasonable or fair, and is considered exploitative, potentially to an unethical extent."

I can't shave with canned goo or a disposable razor. So without a de,  soap and brush I couldn't shave. It's not a premium product for me it's the only way I can get a clean shave. Cool that you can. My friend shaves in shower with just water. To him and people like him canned goo isn't needed there a premium according to you. You need to remember that to some people this is the only way we can shave. It's not some gentleman hobby or luxury. I'll give having multiple soaps and brushes is a hobby. But many just use a one soap and brush cause it's cheape or the only way they can shave and not shaving isn't an option.

So if tomorrow there's a rush on astra blades(only blade that works for me) and a store decided to charge $200 for a $10 box that'd be price gouging. It's an artificial demand, a week later it be gone and their drop the price cause they didn't get gouged when they bought it wholesale. It's highly unethical in my opinion to artificially jack the price of an object up and very much fits the definition of price gouging to me.

Mdc is premium product. Prorasso isn't even if some store charges the same price as mdc, won't make prorasso premium product. Premium just means high quality. BMW likewise is a premium product. Honda Civic isn't. not all cars are premium or are all shave soaps or razors.

Last I'll reply here though . I've spoken my opinion which is strong on this subject, but we won't agree and see wet shaving in different views due to our situations.

Price gouging is a legal term. It has legal ramifications, and a legal definition.

Raising the price on a necessity more than about 25% of the average cost for the previous fiscal period during or just after a State of Emergency is declared, is called price gouging. It is illegal in many states.

Now...you might have to use a de and brush out of necessity. That's fine. You don't "need" to use MdC, Paladin, and a Wolfman.

Or whatever high end gear people are being accused of price gouging over...

[edited to add]I realize there is a difference between legal terms and colloquial usage. I tend to dislike colloquial use of legal terms. It's a personal issue of mine.


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This is starting to sound like one of those"How many angels can fit on the head of a pin?" debates.

I just want to add my $.02 on this. Do we sometimes comp products to reviewers? Yes, of course, however, it is always with the understanding that we expect an honest review - good or bad. We believe in our products and are not afraid to open ourselves to critique. Actually, we have used that feedback to better our products.

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Interesting thread. I've read a lot of it, but admittedly not every single post and it seems that there is another phenomenon that is playing a significant role, hype/fanboyism, whatever you want to call it. There are certainly artisans through no fault of their own that simply cannot be criticised lest the torches and pitchforks come out. I feel that the fanboyism causes a lot of the negative things being discussed in this thread.

Personally, I have very few artisan products because of it, and have a personal 'rule' that I will not buy a product that I cannot critcise, or that I have to set a calendar/timer to get. This 'rule' is undoubtedly not the right one for everyone, many people enjoy the chase and the thunder and lightening, and that's fine but just not for me.

Cheers, Steve