Is your razor too dumb? Well new razor "Phi Razor" to the rescue ;)

Moving away from the handle, I'm curious about the blades. Any info you can give us about who makes your blades? I'm particularly curious as to where the Diamond Black DE blades come from. Also, is the 3-blade cart a Mach3 or some other brand?

 

Something started bothering me this morning, so I took another look at the Kickstarter page. Consider the rest of this post as reflections on a drive-by view:

For a razor project, it seems light on any discussion of actual shaving technology. Phi has said in a previous post that they designed their own DE head and have lined up OEMs for both carts and DE blades, but no details are provided. At this price point, I would assume that one would want to target the wet shave aficionado with decent disposable income (i.e., the sort of person who can afford a Wolfman or Blackbird razor), but that means lots of details beyond the flashy handle. If people have no other choice of head, then you need to sell them on it.

(Regarding the lack of info on the cart compatibility- The $40 pledge point includes 4 3-blade cartridges, but are they even usable without the Phi razor?)

Speaking of which, there is almost no discussion of features/benefits. Why, for instance, do I need Active Shaving Assist illumination? I usually shave in the morning in a well-lit bathroom and can usually see what I am shaving. Same for the vibration motor... What is the benefit? (Has anyone ever even proven a benefit?)

There is actually more discussion of the technology in the handle (including links to the data sheets for the embedded processor) than there is about the shaving systems. Unless your building a open shaving platform, though, it seems out of place. (Having written that, I almost feel like the Phi razor is something Adam and Jamie would build for a Mythbusters episode on shaving myths.)

JR

 

Hi John,
We are planning to go OEM on the blades. On the 3 blade cartridge we are adjusting the blade angles and edge grind angle, and on the DE safety blade we are changing the grind angle and trying to add a titanium aluminium carbon nitride coating which will increase the blade hardness, also producing the black color that we mentioned. In line with our philosophy of giving you the choice and customizability in the PHI Razor™, the 3 blade adaptor will fit our blades and any standard Mach3 style blade. We have a 5 blade fusion adaptor in development that will accept the fusion style blades. We would like you to switch over to our blades, but if you prefer what you are currently using, no problem. DB

 

Wow! Interesting glimpse into the state of razor blade manufacturing.
I definitely wasn't aware of the fact that one could even legally make/sell Mach 3 clone blades. Nor was I aware of the fact that existing DE blade OEMs would allow for such levels of customization.

 

Hi John,

Further to your next post; I just posted more info regarding our blades. Both the DE safety blades and cartridge blade will fit standard heads, not only the PHI Razor.
Our target market is the cartridge user that is looking for something new. Perhaps he wants a better cartridge razor, or wants to move up to a DE razor. We are offering the ability to go to both all in one razor.
We thought the features/benefits would have been self explanatory; not everyone always has a brightly lit bathroom. Many people shave in the shower where the lighting is not ideally suited to shaving. The vibration motor produces a much finer shave by allowing the blade to float over the surface while cutting the hair, not your skin on your face. You can see the difference it makes with any current vibrating razor.

Regarding open platform, I guess in a way it is. We let you choose which head you want to use; DE safety or cartridge. We let you use our blades or the standard 3 or 5 blade cartridges that are already on the market. We let you choose the color of the razor, and you choose your custom grip. We are even looking at offering 1 off totally custom grips in the future.

We are trying to offer something that will improve the shaving experience for both the DE safety razor user and the cartridge blade user. When we mentioned 'boring razor' in our video, it referred specifically to the razor we were showing; a plastic cartridge razor. We are not trying to insult any users razor and if you are totally happy with your current razor then we are happy for you. But we believe that there are many out there that are not.

We both switched to the PHI Razor™ from our previous cartridge and safety razors and would not go back.

Just saw your next post: The cartridge blade that we are coming out with will not infringe on any patents. Regarding coating of DE blades, coating of various types of blades with Titanium Nitride has been available for years. I'm not sure why this is a surprise.

DB

 

Glad you cleared that one up.

I confess that I'm not a good one to comment on this part. Before I went back to traditional DE shaving, I was mostly using multi-blade disposable razors. Cartridge shaving, to me, seems more about system lock-in. That is, the consumer buys into a system until he either gets fed up and tries a different one or else moves up to the new hotness that the manufacturer offers (flex balls, proshields, etc.). I actually admire your plans to offer multiple cartridge head adapters as it would somewhat normalize the field.

Actually, I've understood that the benefits of a vibrating razor have always been controversial and, in fact, Gillette lost a class action suite over claims it made with regard to the M3Power razor. As for the light, I'll say the same thing I've said about vintage flashlight razor handles; show me a video of someone actually shaving with one in a darkened room.

I think you misunderstood my "open system" comment. I probably read too much MAKE:Online and Hack-a-Day, but the level of detail regarding the controller and motion sensor reminded me of a project writeup and/or encouraging people to write custom firmware for the razor. (Something that I am sure was not your intent.)

I've never taken any offense to any comments about other razors- "boring" or otherwise. I understand that you are trying to offer an alternative. I might be going on a limb, but I suspect that most of us found our way here because of some dissatisfaction with the current shaving status quo.

The surprise, for me, was not the coating itself. It was the fact that one can actually walk into a DE blade manufacturer and say "I want a blade with this bevel and this coating." I just never thought about the idea that specialty manufacturers of DE blades might exist.

For the record, I wish you much success. If I seem critical, it is only because, as a traditional wet shaver, I really want to understand the important details.

 

Hi John,
I really appreciate your honest comments. It's a tough market to introduce a new product to.
We think we created a razor that will contribute to the enjoyment of shaving; the hard part is getting that message to the right backer.
It's not something that everyone will support.
DB

 

Interesting... I was thinking that we hadn't heard anything recently about the Phi Razor, so I decided to peek at their Kickstarter page. Apparently, funding for the project was cancelled by the project creator on 29 February.

Nothing on their Twitter feed about it (or anything after 26 February when the Kickstarter went live).

Demetrius, what happened?

 

I have no faith in this razor

 

Hi John,

There have been some amazing developments since the launch.
I can't disclose details at this time but stay tuned.

DB

 

I'm inclined to agree with you. I think the original (pre-launch) vagueness was, in part, to spur speculation (which it certainly did). Based solely on Demetrius' vague statement, I'd be inclined to assume one of a couple of possibilities exist now:

1. Some kind of manufacturing deal/breakthough which reduces the razor cost, requiring a rethinking of the Kickstarter.
2. A (possibly pending) deal of some sort with a major backer, vendor, etc., again requiring a rethinking of the Kickstarter. (Perhaps Mark Cuban or one of the other Sharks decided to buy in.)

Of course, it could be that Gillette or another company whipped out some obscure patent and shut the whole thing down. Of course, that could also go both ways and perhaps Phi stumbled on the shaving equivalent of a 100mpg carburetor.

BTW, if you really want to see a community scathe the Phi Razor, try the Reddit thread: https://www.reddit.com/r/shittykick...razor_worlds_first_universal_smart_razor_by/?

 

Reddit threads are always a good read. It's like driving past a car accident. You really don't want to look, but you always do.

 

This ^^^. Especially when you consider that we were kind of a tough crowd to play to in the first place.

 

Agreed. I think that the people in the market for a high-end razor are like any connoisseur group (audiophiles, etc.). We tend to see easily through the hype and take a lot to be impressed with what purports to be a premium product.

As far as the Phi Razor goes, there is always a market for premium handles, but I think the features are a mixed bag:

• Vibration (Nothing new here; back in my day we had to wind up our razors to make them vibrate. Also, dubious effectiveness)
• Shave Assist Illumination (Again, nothing new. Flashlight handles existed since at least the 40s.)
• Microprocessor control (Arguably, this is overkill just to run the motor and LED.)
• Motion-sensitive (Why we need the microprocessor.)
• Aircraft-grade aluminum and titanium (By not using Zamak, we almost automatically enter premium status.)
• Interchangeable decorative inserts (Points for innovation here. I'm not sure about continuing sales, though. (i.e., How many people would buy, say, the flag insert today and then decide later to replace it with the burl wood insert or, at an extreme, replace the insert for their SoTD.)
• Compatible to carts and DE with Phi-Click system (I actually kind of like the idea of using the same handle with multiple cart systems. I think the problem is that such a feature probably means more going forward (i.e., supporting the next great system) and that is probably not a supportable goal. Phi-Click, itself, seems a bit overkill. Personally, I'd prefer to see a family of cartridge mounts threaded to fit a standard handle and then pair them with a premium handle.)
• Proprietary DE head (Because of the Phi-Click system, one can't use an off-the-shelf DE head. Instead, Phi has designed their own. Personally, I think this is a risky move comparable to launching something like the Blackhand Blackbird.)

And I'm not even part of the "tough" crowd.

JR

 

For me, and I am not a potential buyer of this, the ultimate downfall in the DE market aspect is going to be the proprietary head. I have shaved with dozens upon dozens of DE razors. While most of them gave a decent, comfortable shave, I can probably count on the fingers of one hand how many I really really liked. Stand outs.

If I was in the market for a high end techno handle, one whose wardrobe I could change, I would perhaps consider it if I could use my own preferred head. Without that? No way. I don't think I am in the minority amongst DE shavers with that train of thought.

This might make a go with cart shavers. God knows, bells whistles, gadgets and more blades seems to be the idea nowadays. I just wonder if there are enough high end cart handle shoppers to prop up the venture.

Either way, good luck to them.