Do You Think Wet Shaving Could Be Trending in 2020?

Thoughts and input on anything related to wet shaving or men's grooming.
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MensSoapCo
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Do You Think Wet Shaving Could Be Trending in 2020?

Post by MensSoapCo »

Current trend suggests traditional wet shaving is slowly making a comeback. Whether it's economic situations or history just repeating itself, traditional wet shaving may trend sharply in 2020, as more shavers become aware and re-educated on it.

Perhaps people are joining shave clubs to save money. In the article, the cost of ownership vs traditional shaving is broken down over a 10 year period.

Please let me know if you find any improvements I should make.

Thank you,
Omar
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Re: Do You Think Wet Shaving Could Be Trending in 2020?

Post by CMur12 »

Hi Omar -

Other than these fora, I don't know how many people are returning to traditional wetshaving. My sense of it is that people will pay for top-of-the-line cartridge razors from Gillette and Schick if they are in love with the shave they get from them. Otherwise, these tools are considered too expensive and the shave clubs make more sense. In general, however, I think most shavers are after convenience and not needing to acquire shaving skills, so they stick to these two options, which work well for most.

I think that those of us who have ended up here, as traditional wetshaving aficionados, have done so mostly for reasons of nostalgia. It's probably a minority of members within these ranks who came because of razor bumps or to reduce costs. Most who come to traditional wetshaving to save money, don't, because they get caught up in finding the perfect razor, brush, soap/cream, blade, etc. that they find themselves in a buying frenzy that costs them more in the end.

I know it was nostalgia that brought me here. When I started shaving, the choice in razors was between the Gillette DE and the Schick Injector. I was intrigued back in 2006 when I discovered that such razors could still be obtained. I found a couple of vendors and this forum, thinking that I just needed to get one good razor, one good brush, and one good all-the-rest, develop some skills and be done with it. If I had known then what I know now, I could have shortcutted the whole process, but I don't know how I would have arrived at my favored tools without all the buying and trying. I do tend to make recommendations to new wetshavers that I hope will shorten this journey for them.

- Murray
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Re: Do You Think Wet Shaving Could Be Trending in 2020?

Post by MensSoapCo »

Good points, Murray.

Procter & Gamble bought Bevel for an undiclosed amount estimated by many to be around $20M-40M. While Bevel's offering does not include shaving soaps or cream in a tub, their DE introduction to the market as one of their main selling point could be a positive step towards influencing a bigger market. Time will tell.
CMur12 wrote: Sat Apr 13, 2019 10:01 pm Hi Omar -

Other than these fora, I don't know how many people are returning to traditional wetshaving. My sense of it is that people will pay for top-of-the-line cartridge razors from Gillette and Schick if they are in love with the shave they get from them. Otherwise, these tools are considered too expensive and the shave clubs make more sense. In general, however, I think most shavers are after convenience and not needing to acquire shaving skills, so they stick to these two options, which work well for most.

I think that those of us who have ended up here, as traditional wetshaving aficionados, have done so mostly for reasons of nostalgia. It's probably a minority of members within these ranks who came because of razor bumps or to reduce costs. Most who come to traditional wetshaving to save money, don't, because they get caught up in finding the perfect razor, brush, soap/cream, blade, etc. that they find themselves in a buying frenzy that costs them more in the end.

I know it was nostalgia that brought me here. When I started shaving, the choice in razors was between the Gillette DE and the Schick Injector. I was intrigued back in 2006 when I discovered that such razors could still be obtained. I found a couple of vendors and this forum, thinking that I just needed to get one good razor, one good brush, and one good all-the-rest, develop some skills and be done with it. If I had known then what I know now, I could have shortcutted the whole process, but I don't know how I would have arrived at my favored tools without all the buying and trying. I do tend to make recommendations to new wetshavers that I hope will shorten this journey for them.

- Murray
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Re: Do You Think Wet Shaving Could Be Trending in 2020?

Post by Pauldog »

Gillette bought Art of Shaving quite a few years ago, I think before they were part of P&G. They had also bought some eastern European razor blade companies.

They finally reached a limit on blade count (and cartridge price) with the Fusion. The Mach 3 is still very popular, even though it's reached the time where it would normally be discontinued in the USA. I'm pretty sure that means that they won't be discontinued any time soon.

One interesting statistic to know would be the number of users of vintage razors vs. new models.

But I think it will remain a smallish niche market, with a bit of room for growth. My strong preference for shaving with one blade is no longer shared by that many men. (It reminds me of how diamonds became so popular, through PR tricks and advertising.) And now there are so many cartridge razors in play, subdividing the market - Mach 3, Fusion (and now Skinguard), Hydro, Quattro, Personna, Dorco (including Dollar Shave Club), Harry's, disposables, Gillette clones, etc. (Does anything else but a Gillette get cloned?) You also have some people sticking with their old twin blade Trac II's, Atras, Sensors, and Schick Tracers, and paying serious money on eBay for what they can't find in stores.
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Re: Do You Think Wet Shaving Could Be Trending in 2020?

Post by Bill_K »

CMur12 wrote: Sat Apr 13, 2019 10:01 pm I know it was nostalgia that brought me here.
Me too. That, plus the fact that I was tired of having that damned electric contraption buzzing in my face every morning. I initially thought that I'd save money but when I factor in the cost of my soaps, brushes, and aftershaves, I think I'm actually worse off. (SHHHH... don't tell The Missus!)

For wet shaving to become really popular I think we need a blockbuster movie or TV series that features a leading man who makes it look cool. Absent that, we'll remain a small (but cool and manly) minority.
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Re: Do You Think Wet Shaving Could Be Trending in 2020?

Post by CMur12 »

MensSoapCo wrote: Mon Apr 15, 2019 7:19 am Good points, Murray.

Procter & Gamble bought Bevel for an undiclosed amount estimated by many to be around $20M-40M. While Bevel's offering does not include shaving soaps or cream in a tub, their DE introduction to the market as one of their main selling point could be a positive step towards influencing a bigger market. Time will tell.
That's an interesting bit of information I didn't know about, Omar. Thanks.

- Murray
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Re: Do You Think Wet Shaving Could Be Trending in 2020?

Post by brothers »

I have two points about these comments:

First, I never stopped using DE razors since I started shaving up to now. I thought the invention of the Trac II was a sign of decadence in the market, going over to plastic razors and cartridges. Cheap and shoddy with a goal of selling more stuff. Notwithstanding the fact that I've bought and sold scores of single, double, open blade, disposable, new, old, rare, common, cheap, expensive, etc. razors, even though the General brought the whole shebang to a screeching halt. I was using the cheapest DE blades (what's on sale?) I could find at the grocery store, or the drug store. I had a Gillette Slim about the time I went into the military, and I wanted an even cheaper and simpler razor (didn't like or trust the "adjustment" gimmick) so I got a new Krona at the same drug store where I bought the Slim and it took me almost 40 years to wear it out completely, even though I still have it. The last thing on my mind was saving money or anything else. You have whiskers, you want to remove them every day, and you buy the stuff you need to do the job. I guess the guys that have full untrimmed beards might say they have "saved" money. How much money do you save when you avoid bathing or taking showers? I have learned that the only guaranteed way to avoid spending money is to be unemployed.

The local car dealerships say buy a new truck and save thousands! The big retailers are always saying the more you spend the more you save. Business is booming and folks are saving lots of money by spending it. :roll:

Second, I hope no one who is starting out will ever intentionally bypass any razor of any kind, based on my recommendation. What if the one I like is going to be terrible for the next guy? I am very glad I never paid any serious attention to anyone else's shaving forum post about what razor or blade I should avoid. I'm never hoping to steer anyone away from chasing their curiosity. I say get 'em all, use 'em all, and find the one that turns out to be your only true love. Then keep, sell or give away the rest.

PS: I'm puzzled by the concept of "saving money" when it comes to shaving. What does that even mean? That reminds me of my admission that I still don't understand women and will soon celebrate 50 years and counting with my "first" wife if she doesn't kill me first.
Gary

SOTD 99%: Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, soaps & creams, synthetic / badger brushes, Colonial General razor, Kai & Schick blades, straight razors any time, Superior 70 aftershave splash + menthol + 444
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Re: Do You Think Wet Shaving Could Be Trending in 2020?

Post by MensSoapCo »

At age 20, I was working at FedEx as a handler at 3am shift, I worked as a web developer at noontime, and was pursuing a web business as my 3rd job in the evening, all while attending university full-time. I worked hard to pay for my rent, tuition, books, etc. Ramen nuddles was my goto meals mostly because that was all I could afford. I read an article about how to save money. Switching to a safety razor was one of the recommendations. Gillette razors and cartridges were very expensive at the time. I bought a Merkur razor and a jar of Proraso shaving soap from Amazon. The amount of money I saved by switching made me feel more in control of my financial well being. When one relies on ramen nuddles at 10-30 cents per bag, even pennies matter. I believe taking these small steps add up to a good amount of savings over a few years that aren't obvious until you've seen them through. Even saving a few hundred means you can treat yourself instead of always feeling like being in a rat race and not being able to enjoy the fruits of your labor.

So, yes, we have to spend money to shave, but for those who are in similar situations as I could benefit perhaps?
brothers wrote: Tue Apr 16, 2019 3:04 pm I have two points about these comments:

First, I never stopped using DE razors since I started shaving up to now. I thought the invention of the Trac II was a sign of decadence in the market, going over to plastic razors and cartridges. Cheap and shoddy with a goal of selling more stuff. Notwithstanding the fact that I've bought and sold scores of single, double, open blade, disposable, new, old, rare, common, cheap, expensive, etc. razors, even though the General brought the whole shebang to a screeching halt. I was using the cheapest DE blades (what's on sale?) I could find at the grocery store, or the drug store. I had a Gillette Slim about the time I went into the military, and I wanted an even cheaper and simpler razor (didn't like or trust the "adjustment" gimmick) so I got a new Krona at the same drug store where I bought the Slim and it took me almost 40 years to wear it out completely, even though I still have it. The last thing on my mind was saving money or anything else. You have whiskers, you want to remove them every day, and you buy the stuff you need to do the job. I guess the guys that have full untrimmed beards might say they have "saved" money. How much money do you save when you avoid bathing or taking showers? I have learned that the only guaranteed way to avoid spending money is to be unemployed.

The local car dealerships say buy a new truck and save thousands! The big retailers are always saying the more you spend the more you save. Business is booming and folks are saving lots of money by spending it. :roll:

Second, I hope no one who is starting out will ever intentionally bypass any razor of any kind, based on my recommendation. What if the one I like is going to be terrible for the next guy? I am very glad I never paid any serious attention to anyone else's shaving forum post about what razor or blade I should avoid. I'm never hoping to steer anyone away from chasing their curiosity. I say get 'em all, use 'em all, and find the one that turns out to be your only true love. Then keep, sell or give away the rest.

PS: I'm puzzled by the concept of "saving money" when it comes to shaving. What does that even mean? That reminds me of my admission that I still don't understand women and will soon celebrate 50 years and counting with my "first" wife if she doesn't kill me first.
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Re: Do You Think Wet Shaving Could Be Trending in 2020?

Post by brothers »

Yes, but in my case, I was loving the wet shaving process handed down by my dad and his dad with the cheapest blades, razors, zero brushes, and canned Barbasol and Gillette, and was very happy while spending virtually nothing monthly and yearly for decades. The only upgrade was the luxury of an electric. Something they give for gifts on occasion. The only way I could have saved any money was by giving up shaving completely. Thus my observations about how wildly the terms and times have changed. If I'm chasing and hoarding razors that cost 300 and up, brushes that cost 200 and up, gathering hundreds of soaps that last about 3 weeks and are identical except for the fragrance, throwing away blades that cost about a dollar apiece, and perfume for men that costs anywhere from 80 to 200 or more. Yep, that's what we do and now we call it saving money . . . . :D
Gary

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Re: Do You Think Wet Shaving Could Be Trending in 2020?

Post by drmoss_ca »

Aye, Gary, madness indeed to base it all on saving money! Whatever you have spent, you spent it, at least, on products and experiences you wanted to try, rather than just pouring your cash into the gaping maw of Gillette to buy the shaving equivalent of Kraft Dinner.

As you may recall, I started with a Techmatic, and found the Trak and Sensor razors a relief after that. I had some kind of interest in shaving better but I knew no way of starting, so I decided to make a dollar a day part of my budget and use a new Sensor cartridge each day. What a waste - of money, steel, plastic and time! But Gillette was happy with me, mindlessly consuming Sensor cartridges and cans of Edge gel. Since I discovered I could go back to older and better ways of shaving I don't really want to think about how much I've spent. But I have enjoyed almost all of it, and have had the satisfaction of making choices, spending where and as I liked, and having the excitement of trying new things. Far better than letting the economic hookworm of Gillette suck a dollar's worth of blood from life each day.
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Re: Do You Think Wet Shaving Could Be Trending in 2020?

Post by TRBeck »

I have learned not only how to lather, but also how to make soap, including liquid soap (we refill old pump bottles now and buy no more wasteful plastic containers) and bar soap for the bath.

I have learned a fair bit about sharpening blades of all varieties, and I hope to become more expert at these skills when I have time to devote to that aspect of the hobby. My knives are already more useful, though.

I will soon be learning to turn brush handles and bowls, and in the process will develop knowledge of a lathe and tools that I might use for other purposes, too.

I have learned about other nostalgic/trendy/useful items favored by wetshavers, such as fountain pens and hand tools. In turn, I no longer purchase plastic disposable pens, instead using my inexpensive Lamy Safari and my slightly more expensive TWSBI Diamond with inks from small companies.

Yes, I have lost money on brushes and razors and software here and there, but in the end, this hobby has given me more than it has taken away, and Gillette has gotten only a few dollars of my money (an aftershave splash from Wal-Mart with a surprising dose of oakmoss) over the past 11 years.

Will it be trending in the near future? I don't know. But I'm grateful that my penchant for nostalgia and a chance encounter with Williams Mug soap on a store shelf led me to this hobby and to all of the useful knowledge, skills, and hobbies that have been peripheral - and in some cases, integral - to wetshaving for me.
Regards,
Tim

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Re: Do You Think Wet Shaving Could Be Trending in 2020?

Post by MensSoapCo »

Haha, wet shaving addiction, now that's a whole different issue.
brothers wrote: Thu Apr 18, 2019 6:57 pm Yes, but in my case, I was loving the wet shaving process handed down by my dad and his dad with the cheapest blades, razors, zero brushes, and canned Barbasol and Gillette, and was very happy while spending virtually nothing monthly and yearly for decades. The only upgrade was the luxury of an electric. Something they give for gifts on occasion. The only way I could have saved any money was by giving up shaving completely. Thus my observations about how wildly the terms and times have changed. If I'm chasing and hoarding razors that cost 300 and up, brushes that cost 200 and up, gathering hundreds of soaps that last about 3 weeks and are identical except for the fragrance, throwing away blades that cost about a dollar apiece, and perfume for men that costs anywhere from 80 to 200 or more. Yep, that's what we do and now we call it saving money . . . . :D
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Re: Do You Think Wet Shaving Could Be Trending in 2020?

Post by MensSoapCo »

Couldn't agree more. The process of traditional shaving branched me out to turning as well. The skills gained from traditional methods are priceless. I feel traditional shaving appeals to individuals who value taking ownership and self-reliance.
TRBeck wrote: Fri Apr 19, 2019 9:26 am I have learned not only how to lather, but also how to make soap, including liquid soap (we refill old pump bottles now and buy no more wasteful plastic containers) and bar soap for the bath.

I have learned a fair bit about sharpening blades of all varieties, and I hope to become more expert at these skills when I have time to devote to that aspect of the hobby. My knives are already more useful, though.

I will soon be learning to turn brush handles and bowls, and in the process will develop knowledge of a lathe and tools that I might use for other purposes, too.

I have learned about other nostalgic/trendy/useful items favored by wetshavers, such as fountain pens and hand tools. In turn, I no longer purchase plastic disposable pens, instead using my inexpensive Lamy Safari and my slightly more expensive TWSBI Diamond with inks from small companies.

Yes, I have lost money on brushes and razors and software here and there, but in the end, this hobby has given me more than it has taken away, and Gillette has gotten only a few dollars of my money (an aftershave splash from Wal-Mart with a surprising dose of oakmoss) over the past 11 years.

Will it be trending in the near future? I don't know. But I'm grateful that my penchant for nostalgia and a chance encounter with Williams Mug soap on a store shelf led me to this hobby and to all of the useful knowledge, skills, and hobbies that have been peripheral - and in some cases, integral - to wetshaving for me.
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Re: Do You Think Wet Shaving Could Be Trending in 2020?

Post by MensSoapCo »

Now, now...
drmoss_ca wrote: Fri Apr 19, 2019 4:02 am Aye, Gary, madness indeed to base it all on saving money! Whatever you have spent, you spent it, at least, on products and experiences you wanted to try, rather than just pouring your cash into the gaping maw of Gillette to buy the shaving equivalent of Kraft Dinner.

As you may recall, I started with a Techmatic, and found the Trak and Sensor razors a relief after that. I had some kind of interest in shaving better but I knew no way of starting, so I decided to make a dollar a day part of my budget and use a new Sensor cartridge each day. What a waste - of money, steel, plastic and time! But Gillette was happy with me, mindlessly consuming Sensor cartridges and cans of Edge gel. Since I discovered I could go back to older and better ways of shaving I don't really want to think about how much I've spent. But I have enjoyed almost all of it, and have had the satisfaction of making choices, spending where and as I liked, and having the excitement of trying new things. Far better than letting the economic hookworm of Gillette suck a dollar's worth of blood from life each day.
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Re: Do You Think Wet Shaving Could Be Trending in 2020?

Post by slackskin »

For me, it's all about shave quality. I started in about 1960 with a Super Speed and, (sadly) like millions of men, converted to cartridges. I never got a really good shave with a cart, and the electrics were even worse. Having gone back to traditional shaving means I am getting the best shaves of my life, and pretty consistently so. I don't chase BBS. DFS is fine with me. No need for scents. It's all about shave quality.
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