Shaveageddon or Shaveocalypse ? ?
- Thread starter chazt
- Start date
chazt
shave
Here’s my smarmy reply…Sorry, don't understand the question... Can you rephrase for simpler minds?
Shaveocalypse or Shaveageddon ? ?
but,,,
I’m really interested in what folks think about the recent spate of dramatic changes in the wet shaving landscape. Thinking about the last few years,,, two maybe,,, the number of legacy brands, artisans and vendors that have disappeared is staggering. Reformulations abound. That said, yes, vendors have come and gone, products have disappeared or been reformulated for many years, but it seems different now somehow. The industry seems to have been experiencing a shift of massive proportions. The snowball is getting bigger and faster. It seems the second coming of the golden age of traditional wet shaving has come and gone.
I can go on, but will stop here now and let the conversation evolve before opining further.
It is all normal in that every time there is an increase in interest in something new suppliers jump in to fill the market with new products. A saturation point is reached, and suppliers leave the market. The market won't disappear but just have fewer products to select from. We are at that point now concerning traditional wet shaving products. The sky is not falling.
Bob
Bob
chazt
shave
PLANofMAN
Retro Razor Junkie
There's no difference this year than any other year. Maybe it seems that way because it's your particular favorite vendor or product that's getting the axe this year.
As @R181 said, we've reached a saturation point. Too many vendors fighting for their slice of a slowly growing pie, and make no mistake, traditional wet shaving is still a growing industry, not shrinking.
What we are seeing is that the 'budget segment' of the market, at least for shaving creams and soaps, is vanishing, and being replaced by higher profit margin soaps and creams.
As @R181 said, we've reached a saturation point. Too many vendors fighting for their slice of a slowly growing pie, and make no mistake, traditional wet shaving is still a growing industry, not shrinking.
What we are seeing is that the 'budget segment' of the market, at least for shaving creams and soaps, is vanishing, and being replaced by higher profit margin soaps and creams.
Twelvefret
Forum GOD!
Maybe the pandemic was good for something we could do alone and inside.
chazt
shave
I’m not following..
chazt
shave
Correct. This has been happening for years. The list of etailers, artisans, manufacturers that have come and gone in just the last ten years is extensive. Consider also that such a list will continue to grow. People enter a field, make a living/profit (or try to) and eventually move on to another venture or perhaps eventually, retirement. Who will be the next major player in our niche market to close up shop? Will it be another artisan, etailer or manufacturer? It wouldn’t surprise me to see another long-standing big name fall by the wayside.
”Saturation point“ is an interesting concept here. Our little corner of the universe and the economy it stimulates and supports is quite small relative to a bajillion and one other corners of the universe. Many have postulated that there are only X number of wet shavers and “most” of them don’t give a rat’s hats about the details and general minutiae of every aspect of the hobby as those of us who comprise the now rapidly aging online forum community seem to do. Many have also suggested that younger shavers gravitate toward other forms of social media in order to interact with like-minded others.
So being that there are only X amount of shavers who can only use X amount of product in X amount of time, the saturation point is a frightening aspect for everyone who makes a living making and selling the products we use. This concept would support seemingly endless new formulations of artisanal soaps, splashes, etc.
Yes in general to most of what you say. I have many favorite shave products. Frankly and realistically, I’m quite set for the rest of my shaving days. Even if I never buy another soap, splash or blade, I’ll more than likely have enough product to see me out.
As I’ve said many times before, based on real, past experiences, my wife and I have seen so many various products we’d enjoyed and used for years changed, discontinued, etc. We tend to buy such products in bulk. This has been true for products as diverse as my guitar strings and shave products to various Mrs. chazt’s HBA and other household items.
The concept of “budget segment” is for me personally a moot point. Shave products (i.e., software and blades) are relatively inexpensive. I’m fortunate to not have to fret over the comparative costs of such goods. That said, I do draw a line with respect to certain shave hardware items, and won’t consider certain products simply because their respective price points exceed my arbitrarily defined limits.
What I will say about “budget segment” is this. Much of that market, it seems to me based on what I read here, at TSD, B&B, etc., seems to be slowly moving toward Chinese made products. Low end to mid range razors and brushes especially seem to be at the forefront of such market invasiveness. It’s just another example of how western economies have given up on product manufacturing. Yes, I’m generalizing a lot, but you must admit that it’s really quite sad that it’s less expensive to have goods made overseas and shipped across oceans than it is to make them in our own respective backyards.
I’d best shut up for now. I am however interested in seeing the conversation develop.
TobyC
Patriot
The best razors were made before I was born, and there are plenty of nice vintage razors to choose from. Same is true of brushes, and there are fantastic new aftershaves that are dirt cheap. Blades are everywhere, cheap, and better than ever. Many soaps (I use hard pucks, nothing else will do.) these days are over-priced and underperforming. All the new soaps have stolen the market from the few remaining "old" soaps, so many are now no longer being made. In the near future soap and single edge blades may become a problem, I suggest getting what you need in quantity, if for no other reason than to avoid the inevitable price increases that will come.
chazt
shave
* Regarding this, yes, I agree that the a great many of the newer, modern soaps seem to have survived while seemingly driving out the older legacy brands. Frankly, that may realistically be a convergence of multiple factors above and beyond their “newness;” i.e., changing demographics, supply chain issues, corporate greed, to name a few. I don’t necessarily agree with you that many new soaps are underperforming. Those that remain in production and remain available on the market are generally at least good to excellent, imo. Yes, artisan makers do hang up their shingle by choice for their own reasons, but the soaps they make are good soaps. Not cost effective perhaps, but good soaps nonetheless.
+ Regarding your second point, I agree completely. Let the hoarding frenzy commence forthwith.
PLANofMAN
Retro Razor Junkie
I don't think western economies have given up on manufacturing, but at the same time, it's impossible to compete on the same level as a steel razor manufacturer with Chinese companies.
The government subsidizes the steel, the guy making them gets paid $.10 an hour, and the shipping is also subsidized. Ditto for brush manufacturing.
The only solution is tariffs or boycotts, and that won't happen until China invades Taiwan, which is going to do really nasty things to the T.V., mobile phone, and toaster market in the U.S. and various allied countries. No more cheap electronic toys, hell, even auto manufacturing will be a decade recovering from severing trade relations with China.
Everyone is focused on the Russian problem at the moment, when it's China that is the real global problem, at least to those countries trying to maintain influence in Asia.
At least I'm well stocked up on MWF and popcorn, and I'd rather avoid any ringside seating to the colossal @#$_& headed our way in the next few years. Watch, when WWIII kicks off, the world discussion of climate change is going to disappear like it never existed, kind of like COVID did when the tanks rolled into Ukraine.
Chappy
Senior Member
There are many great points being made in this discussion that to me are right on the money.
However, we need to realize also that we are actually the exception to the rule I think. We "enjoy" using the hardware and software needed to do wet shaving as we know it. But to many, dare I say the majority, they look at our hobby as a utility they have to do so they just want it to be easy and fast. So how can this "majority" even find out about wet shaving as we know it? When was the last time you saw a television, magazine, or any other ad about the products we are familiar with and use like a DE razor, shave brush, shave soap, etc.? Only thing I see advertised are usually products about cartridge or electric shaving so I think this is what our society uses.
However, we need to realize also that we are actually the exception to the rule I think. We "enjoy" using the hardware and software needed to do wet shaving as we know it. But to many, dare I say the majority, they look at our hobby as a utility they have to do so they just want it to be easy and fast. So how can this "majority" even find out about wet shaving as we know it? When was the last time you saw a television, magazine, or any other ad about the products we are familiar with and use like a DE razor, shave brush, shave soap, etc.? Only thing I see advertised are usually products about cartridge or electric shaving so I think this is what our society uses.