Gillette "American" DE blades discontinued?

[JackieMartling]

I came across this site, and I noticed they are claiming that the crappy Inoxydable Stainless Gillette DE blades are discontinued. The ones they sell come in a five-pack, as opposed to the ten-packs I find at my drug store, but as far as I can tell, they are the same blades. Have they really been discontinued? That doesn't bother me, given their reputation (not to mention their price), but I do get a bit nervous whenever Gillette decides to stop production on something. I always worry about will be next on the chopping block.


Nathan

[SidSeizure]

Are these blades really that widely available anymore? I can't recall seeing Gillette DE blades in a store in years. I think if I actually saw some I'd probably buy them just see how rotten they were.

The prices at this place aren't so hot. $30 for 20 Gillette DE blades that no one seems to like? Hell, they have 30 Personna DE blades for $20 and I can literally get those same blades in a dollar store in my hometown for $1 per ten pack.

Maybe that should be a thread: Does anyone actually like US Gillette DE blades?

Scott

[JackieMartling]

Scott, the last time I actually bothered to look, which was maybe a few months ago, ten-packs of these DE blades sold at Walgreen's for something like $8.99 - an outrageous price considering how much less Merkurs cost, or even Euro Gillette Platinums. In checking Walgreen's website just now, though, it appears they don't carry them any more, so maybe Gillette has stopped making them. If so, that would explain the price hike, although from what I understand, they weren't even worth the lower price. I just hope Gillette doesn't axe the Euro Platinums. That would truly be a loss.


Nathan

[JD]

I love the Euro Gillette blades, I would be heart broken if they discontinued them. I will have to order more just in case. Haha. You have me scared now.

[rustyblade]

I am surprised that Gillette has continued to supply them up until now (if they are in fact discontinued). Like everything else, most users of these blades would be forced to upgrade to a more expensive Gillette product. Lets face it, the users of these blades would know of no other supplier, although sometimes you can find Wilkinson Sword if you look hard enough.

I can only hope in europe there is a different sort of shave culture that demands these products. This is evident in the quality of the Gillette Euro blades versus the Gillette crap available here. I don't think that those quality blades are an accident.

[JackieMartling]

I can only hope in europe there is a different sort of shave culture that demands these products. This is evident in the quality of the Gillette Euro blades versus the Gillette crap available here. I don't think that those quality blades are an accident.

My sentiments exactly, Richard. Let's hope that proves to be the case.


Nathan

[yasuo200365]

Richard & Nathan,

No, we Europeans are just as stupid as you in the New World!

Like you the vast majority of Gentlemen own a cartridge razor and use aerosole shaving cream ...,

In the UK the Swedish Gillettes are available in John Lewis stores but the big supermarkets don't hold them.

Tesco (the biggest retailer in the UK) only sell Wilkinson Sword DE blades, but I've noticed recently that they have a sign saying "line discontinued" - it might therefore not be long before DE shavers have to go out of their way to buy blades.

So it is not good news from here in the UK.

Regards
John

[lux]

Hello DE friends,

If view of their oligopoly (Gillette and Wilkinson-Schick share between them about 85 % of the market), it would surprising if Gillette and the very few other heavyweights of the wet shaving industry do anything but decide off the record to discontinue DE blade production and / or make DE blades just as expensive as cartridges for the consumer. Remember, big businesses don't want customers, they want slaves.

Hedge against Gillette et al by purchasing a lifetime supply of good, inexpensive DE blades. Those in eastern Europe who did so 25 years ago can now use the blades, whilst their monthly retirement pension revenues often suffice for a kilo of bread and little more, e.g. Bulgaria.

What is the cheapest source of Gillette Swedish DE blades (URL), please?

This would means about 100 blades years in my case if I would use only DE. With a statistical life expectancy of 25 years, that makes 2,500 blades.

Greetings,

lux

[jddj]

I'm not sure that the explanation is that Europeans care so much more about their shaves. I think it's just the fact that Swedish steel is really, really good.

[divotmax]

Hi;

Given the millions of dollars spent in marketing Gillette's "systems" with with all the upgrades, it makes perfect sense that they would move to discontinue any product lines that would conflict with their current products. If there really is a renewed interest in wetshaving and DE shaving and related equipment, they really could not afford to let lower priced, better quality, more effective products put a dent in their bottom line. Continuing to put out junk, like the present U.S. Gillette blades, to drive shavers to newer products attempts to leave the perception that the older blades are just not as good in comparison with the newer cartridges. However, as shavers discover that there are in fact DE blades out there that perform as well or better than the cartridges, well that could be a real problem. Now they have to convince shavers that wetshaving is better than electrics, and also that Gillette products are still top shelf quality. It must really kill them to see 50 year old razors going for premium prices, and other blades dominating the market.

BobS

[lux]

Hello divotmax,

Gillette and their ilk have only themselves to blame. Far too long have they treated their slave-customers like cows to be milked or sheep to be shorn, herds of dummies subject to the mass manipulation of advertising. People want value and quality, not hype.

All behaviour has a boomerang component. Respectless behaviour ultimately backfires. Like GM etc. Gillette will have to learn to treat its customers respectfully as the intelligent human beings they are. For wet shavers, nothing, absolutely nothing at all has arrived new to the market since the first third of the last century resulting in really better shaves.

Gillette and their ilk would far better serve wet shavers by bringing new series of former great products to market. One example would be the Schick injector.

Best regards,

lux

[rustyblade]

I've said this before, why oh why are there Russian made Gillette DE blades on the shelf in North American and not the clearly better Swedish Platinums ones that are sold in Europe? Russia is further away and the quality is clearly crap. Why wouldn't Gillette force these crap blades on Europe too? They have to be cheaper to manufacture than the ones from Sweden. The worst part is the price they charge (even in Wal-Mart) for Gillette Crap blades is insulting.

There is something goin' on. They would definetly like to clear a bit of shelf space for the Fusion though.

[English]

You keep calling the European blades Swedish or Swedish steel.

Nobody knows this and Gillette won't tell. I've asked in the past and been told to mind my own business.

I've researched Gillettes manufacturing in Europe and they have plants in Germany, Poland, the Czech Republic and Russia. They don't have a manufacturing plant in Sweden that I can find.

The last posting I can find says.......The company also plans to move manufacturing of stainless steel double-edge and some disposable razors to St Petersburg, in Russia, from Jevicko in the Czech Republic to keep a lid on rising costs.

So unless you know factually any different, there is a good chance the European blades are coming from Russia. Unless they are old stock from the Czech Republic or even the UK plant they closed.

Sorry to disapoint you.

Incidentally, I got so pissed off with Gillette being so rude and impolite in not answering my simple questiion about where were the blades made and what steel did the use ,that I would recommend to all forum members that they stop buying Gillette products because they are not worthy of our custom. Incidentally, a Company that has internal rules that stops its employees answering such a simple question, must be run by incompetent people. But we know that already, don't we? Gillette only care about making money. But that's life. The Chinese will see to their downfall in the not to distant future. I mean they are such a dynamic Company and with a product range of cosmetics, Duracell batteries and razors that in combination can disfigure your face, how could they possibly fail to be suuccessful.
Sorry to the members who use the old DE razors.




I

[SidSeizure]

I didn't want to try the so-called Swedish Gillette blades because I just knew they'd be really, really good, then they would be discontinued and I'd never find anything as good again.

I've probably got 90 Israeli blades, maybe 30 Personna, and 9 Merkur. On the way I have 10 Feather and 100 Derby. So I'm fixed for blades for a couple of years at least.

I know there's not going to be some sudden shortage in quality DE blades, but I'm curious to know just how long you can keep them in storage without the edge deteriorating?

Scott

[CRR]

know there's not going to be some sudden shortage in quality DE blades, but I'm curious to know just how long you can keep them in storage without the edge deteriorating?

Baring any problems with moisture, I would say indefinitely.

[JackieMartling]

It has occured to me more than once that the difference in quality between the so-called US and Euro DE blades may have nothing to do with country of manufacture, but with the process used to make the blades. The "crappy" ones are Super Inoxydable Stainless - whatever that means. The "good" ones are Platinum edged. For all we know, they could be coming from the same factory, and it's just the process that makes the difference. Merkur puts out two different blades, and yet all we talk about are the Platinums, because we like them better. We don't say their non-platinums are crap because they come from a different maker; we just don't like them as well, because of what they are, regardless of where they come from. The same goes for Feather. It is entirely possible that the Euro Gillettes (I've never called them Swedish, for the very reason English cites) come from a different factory, but the fact remains they are also a different blade. Whether or not the process that makes the Euros better can remain intact if and when it is moved to a different factory remains to be seen.


Nathan

[Dick Danger]

If anyone cares.


From the back of a pack of Euro Gillettes.

Distributed by /
Distribué par Gillette
EMB 92693 Levallois-Perret Cedex,
Espoo-Esbo, KøBenhavn,
London TW7 5NP, Oslo,
Stockholm


What's on the back of an American pack?

[JackieMartling]

Dick, I don't know what's on the back of the American packs. However, Stockholm is just one of many cities listed on the back of the Euro packs, which I believe represent the countries where the blades are distributed. I find it interesting that people have siezed on one city and thus assumed the country of that city is where the blades are made. I think English's point is very good, that Gillette contracts with several factories, most of which are in Eastern Europe or Asia. Really, the area of distribution doesn't correllate to the place of manufacture. Look at the Russian-made blades distributed in the US.


Nathan

[bernards66]

Nathan, et.al., Well, it's certainly true that we don't really know where those excellent Gillette DE blades are made. The Czech Rep. and Germany crossed my mind, because I knew they had plants there, but the also could possibly be made, under contract, by another company altogether, even in Sweden, we just don't know ( and god knows, English tried to find out! ). I just went back to referring to them as the 'Swedish Gillettes' because that's the name that's caught on here, so others know what I'm talking about when I refer to them. How it will all turn out, we'll have to wait and see. Personally, I suspect that the worm is beginning to turn. Gillette by now, is really pricing themselves out of an increasingly large percentage of the market, ( except with their disposibles ). Hopefully, these good blades will continue to be available for some time. I'll use them for as long as I can get them, and they remain as good as they currently are. If not, I'll go back to Merkurs, or whatever.
Regards,
Gordon

[postoumios]

Richard & Nathan,

No, we Europeans are just as stupid as you in the New World!

Like you the vast majority of Gentlemen own a cartridge razor and use aerosole shaving cream ...,

In the UK the Swedish Gillettes are available in John Lewis stores but the big supermarkets don't hold them.

Tesco (the biggest retailer in the UK) only sell Wilkinson Sword DE blades, but I've noticed recently that they have a sign saying "line discontinued" - it might therefore not be long before DE shavers have to go out of their way to buy blades.

So it is not good news from here in the UK.

Regards
John

same thing in Greece.
Very few supermarkets carry any kind of DE blades & the only reason the are still making/importing them is because 50% of Greece's population is over 60 years old and some of the men from this age group actually still use their old DE razors (very few though compared to the majority that has switched to plastic razors)
I asked a friend who is a buyer for a large supermarket company and he told me that they sell ONE pack of DE blades for every 10000 packs of disposable razors & mach systems!
(& I believe him since my local supermarket has the same 7 packs of Wilkinson DE blades on their stand for a year now,I bought all 10 packs of Gillete DE blades they had a year ago !!)
He also told me that they sell ONE tube of shaving cream for every 1000 cans of foam/gel!