Anyone familiar with this? http://m.brookstone.com/classic-safety-razor It says it is a Pfeilring razor. $50.
An interesting development in the mainstreaming of wet shaving appears to be the total willingness to rip off those who don't do research. There are a lot of expensive lessons out there waiting to be learned by the uninformed.
Unfortunately this is an old problem plaguing those that are I'll informed and seem to be getting more common each day.
There's a little tobacco shop near me that has been promoting the fact that they now carry wet shaving supplies. Started out as an Art of Shaving vendor and is now expanding. I stopped in to see what was up. Among other things, they had a no name linen strop that I bought online for $10 shipped from China. Their price was $69. And the strop in question is in no way worth that money. Frankly, it is barely worth the $10. I have only kept mine because the hardware might be usable. But it appears that they are buying cheap Chinese shelf fillers, and mixing them in, and pricing them like, the very expensive AoS stuff. To a novice, that stuff is going to look the same. Honestly, once the AoS items are removed from their fancy branded stores, the bland packaging doesn't really scream 'quality'. They kind of look like the generic store brand 'gifts for men' you see pop up around the holidays. It is a clever and fairly insidious plan. Kind of angers me that potential wet shaving converts will be turned off.
That is true for things in general, not just safety razors. A lot of retail businesses do this. It is kind of cynical, but it is all about the money. These are the businesses that fade and die once potential customers wise up and realize online stores sell the same thing at a fraction of the price. In marked contrast are the brick-and-mortar shops that charge list, but make up for it with expert product advice, supremely good customer service and only sell top quality products. I think Art of Shaving products are overpriced, but they are very good. In that regard, they are no different than Taylor of Old Bond Street, Truefitt & Hill, Geo. F. Trumper and D.R. Harris. So why are the British products so esteemed, but AoS is frequently bashed? As for AoS turning off potential wet shaving converts, bear in mind that they have likely converted more men to traditional wetshaving than all of the wetshaving forums combined. Their marketing budget and extensive brick-and-mortar presence ensure that. What is more likely is that people will use Art of Shaving products and look online to see if they can get them for less. Discovering a wide range of very affordable alternatives, they are more likely to be stoked at their newfound bargains than to hate on traditional wetshaving.
Sorry to confuse you... I am not saying that Art of Shaving will turn off potential wet shavers... I am saying that selling cheap Chinese shaving supplies for the same price as, and mixed with Art of Shaving, will turn people off. Art of Shaving may be the best shaving product ever created. I honestly don't know. I have never used it. And as far as the esteem of British brands, all I can say is that I own some D.R.Harris soap and it is incredibly average. One of my least favorites. I have actually been debating PIFing it. YMMV, of course.
