How Harry's Bought a German Razor Factory

http://www.businessinsider.com/how-harrys-bought-a-german-factory-2015-6?a=2

by throughnothing • 11 years ago

48 46 11 years ago

businessinsider.com

cmbaus• 11 years ago

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

tekgo• 11 years ago

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.

venomsnake• 11 years ago

It is hard for something to be of lower quality than Gillette.

Disposable razors just don't shave well.

jessaustin3• 11 years ago

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 sell these overpriced things?

gregd2• 11 years ago

One of the biggest issues for me, with the safety razors, is just how easy it is to nick yourself. However, there are other parts of one's body, that are impossible to shave with a safety razor.

toomuchtodo• 11 years ago

I shave those areas with a safety razor! (I'm a dude)

I suggest using hair conditioner as a lather to prevent nicks.

baby2• 11 years ago

dude here, no problem shaving everything with a safety razor.

blinkingled• 11 years ago

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?

scubadude• 11 years ago

Take a look at http://reddit.com/r/wickededge

Many believe that shaving technology reached its peak quite some time ago.

steadicat• 11 years ago

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

jessaustin3• 11 years ago

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^)

crdb2• 11 years ago

I've tried probably a dozen brands. Counter-intuitively, I found that the sharpest were the ones least likely to cut, because you apply so little pressure (and maybe because they notch the hair immediately, instead of sliding down to the skin). Feathers are easily the best at least in my experience, beating even the "premium" offerings from Gillette and Wilkinson and making it easily worth the (rather large) premium; not only are they sharp but they stay sharp almost forever - I've occasionally had several weeks' use on a single Feather.

I cut myself all the time with the cheap no-name Israeli blades (rebranded Personna?), so called it a false economy. Not impressed with Astra either. YMMV - softer hair doesn't require as much cutting.

seanlinehan• 11 years ago

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/

douche• 11 years ago

I bought a bunch of single-edge blades for the old fashioned (probably 1940s or 50s) Gillette safety razor that I inherited from a great uncle. Granted, I keep my beard growing and trim it with an electric trimmer, so I will probably never need to buy any more blades the rest of my life...

vnchr• 11 years ago

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?

morgante• 11 years ago

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.

ovi256• 11 years ago

This is called a "submarine" piece.

nostromo• 11 years ago

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.

JesperRavn• 11 years ago

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.

ChrisGranger2• 11 years ago

If you can use a disposable razor, you can use a double-edged safety razor. You absolutely don't need "extensive training" to shave with one of these.

tacticus• 11 years ago

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

crdb2• 11 years ago

As a frequent flyer, here's my 2 cents:

- transport it bladeless, put it at the top of your bag. In Asia and Europe it gets asked about 1 out of 5 times. You can then take it out, and apart in 10 seconds.

- stock up blades at your frequent destinations (in my case, both in-laws and family have 3 packs of Feathers in a closet).

- if all else fails, buy blades locally - a 5-pack is still cheaper ($2-5) than a Gillette ($10) and can be found in most decent sized supermarkets all over the world. Won't be feathers, but enough for a week.

- if you are somewhere with no blades, which is rare, then there's always the throwaway option. In many countries (e.g. Japan) even the cheaper hotels include a throwaway razor. Otherwise you can buy it at the 7/11 with the toothpaste that you also couldn't carry-on. Some prefer the electric option.

- buy soap rather than cream so you can carry-on. E.g. Tabac Original screw soap. One will last you for years.

kriro• 11 years ago

I've switched to this setup a couple of years ago. The biggest improvement, even if you stay with disposable razors: get a good brush and whip up your own lather from soap or shaving cream and use a preshave. It's a massive improvement over the standard goo imo. I've experimented with a lot of them and settled on the relatively cheap Proraso shaving cream (green) and pre/postshave. Warning: you can spend tons of time and money tinkering :P

Finding the right blades also takes some time. I've tried some that are highly rated (Feather) but they didn't work for me. I'm using Personna Reds now and am very happy with them. I got a 200 pack and it usually last quite long (2-3 shaves per blade, you could get more but I prefer taking no risk)

baby2• 11 years ago

That's what I do, but the bad thing is that they get "rusty", maybe because they stay wet?

Also I use these blades: http://www.amazon.com/Derby-Extra-Double-Razor-Blades/dp/B00...

They are pretty cheap but I feel like they are not well made sometimes. Any tips on what blades to buy?

furyg3• 11 years ago

I shaved for at least two weeks each with Timor, Astra, Derby, Feather & Merkur blades. Everybody has a different experience, but I wasn't happy with Timor or Astra. Derby does the job, but I settled on Merkur and Feather (they're much, much better).

They're also a bit more expensive but since I can get so much use out of them and they're so, so much cheaper than the Mach 3's I used to use, I'm cool with that. :)

felixvolny• 11 years ago

Yes, you always have to dry your razor after use. Disposable or not, the hour or so it needs to dry is actually enough for razor blades to noticeably loose their edge. This is part of what makes razor blade manufacture hard - you have to use very hard steel that can hold an edge, but the harder the steel the more prone it is to oxidation aka rust.

juliangregorian• 11 years ago

Since I've got sensitive skin, I've been happily using a beard trimmer to "shave" my face down to a fine stubble for years. Can't see what additional benefit perfectly smooth face skin would buy me. It doesn't even last a full day.

zaroth• 11 years ago

I'll second this. If you can get away with a bit of stubble this is faster, easier, and way cheaper than shaving. A decent trimmer is cheaper than an 8-pack of the "latest-gen" cartridges. And to JG's point, no blades ever contact your skin.

As a bonus, you don't need to find those silly miniature cans of shaving gel just to get through security with your shaving kit when traveling. It just would be nice if they took power from a USB-C cable though.

Coworkers might not even notice if you miss a day.

Animats• 11 years ago

If you have dark hair and light skin, consider laser hair removal. Do the job once and be done with it. (The process requires contrast, and doesn't work well on blonds or black people.)

rdlecler1• 11 years ago

The article starts off by making it sound that a couple of random guys just raised $100m. The. You find our it was a cofounder of WP.

reagency• 11 years ago

WP?

underwater• 11 years ago

Warby Parker.

discardorama• 11 years ago

I tried Harry's when they first started. I was excited at the prospect of ditching Gillette. For some reason, I get nicks and cuts when I shave with a safety razor (the last time I tried). I do shave after showering, to keep the hair soft.

But Harry's just didn't cut it (no pun intended). I got many more nicks and cuts with Harry's than I did with Gillette. Plus, their shaving cream gummed up the razor, and cleaning was a pain. So after a few days, I had to go back to Gillette, and Harry's is sitting in the corner somewhere. Maybe it's their 5-blade monster; I don't know.

sliken• 11 years ago

Yeah, I tried Harry's as well. Seems like they have a couple of serious faults: * head doesn't easily pivot so it follows your face less well. * they back too many blades into too small a space, so it packs up easily. Even strong stream of water doesn't clear it. * their shaving cream stinks to high even, for a long time.

Generally it seems like Harry's requires twice as much cleaning and twice as manys strokes to match the normal gillete or similar brands.

tomcam• 11 years ago

Tried it, and learned to my chagrin that for my purposes the brand with the condescending ads and expensive consumables was still noticeably better, perhaps due to the pivoting head. Binned the Harry's, reluctantly.

halayli• 11 years ago

tried it but found Gillette to be much better.

mjcohen• 11 years ago

I just use a $40 Remington electric, and buy $20 blades when the current one wears out. Not that great a shave, but it's easy and I can shave my nose and ears with no problem.

wink• 11 years ago

What I found most baffling is that they don't sell in Germany when they manufacture here, I would've tried them as I've never been happy with my Gillette razor (using a newer electrical one now again).

How Harry's Bought a German Razor Factory

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