What is the status concerning "Shaveapocalypse"?

Discussion in 'General Shaving Talk' started by Shave Fu, Apr 6, 2017.

  1. Shave Fu

    Shave Fu Shavette Sensei

    Why, us Europeans are perfectly educated on american table manners! Myself, i have read entire books on the argument and i was fully aware that you use holsters! Proof:

    [​IMG]

    :happy097:
     
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  2. Shave Fu

    Shave Fu Shavette Sensei

    Ah, some good news about soap hoarders, since it was mentioned earlier in this thread. The Proraso creams, have no expiration date. They have the 12M sign on them, meaning they expire 12 months after one opens them. So as long as they are sealed, they have no "official" expiration date. Contrary to Derby and Arko stick, which both have 5 years from manufacturing. Probably Proraso uses different preservatives.
     
  3. Bookworm

    Bookworm Well-Known Member

    Perhaps the creams are UHT pasteurized?
     
  4. Shave Fu

    Shave Fu Shavette Sensei

    Could be...I haven't the faintest idea of how these things are manufactured.
     
  5. Bookworm

    Bookworm Well-Known Member

    English is a language developed by the Angles to chat up Saxon barmaids.
     
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  6. Shave Fu

    Shave Fu Shavette Sensei

    I just found my last "hoarding" blade. Ordered 400 SuperMax-Super Stainless (blue box), 1 Weishi F (chrome short handle), before they disappear (so i will have 1 long handle and 1 short handle as spare Weishis) and 1 EJ DE89 Chrome smooth handle, for spare for when i break the head of my EJ DE89 knurled handle. The smooth chrome EJ DE89, goes for 16 EUR on my Amazon, so i may as well buy it now that it's on -permanent-sale, in case they change their mind and start selling it for 28 EUR again. I am done with blades and razors. I have enough blades probably for all my life, unless i live up to 100 yeas and i think that i can go a long way with 5 razors. I think the 3 Weishis, will be much harder to die than the EJ DE89, if i take care of them.

    Total blade count now:

    700 Astra SP + 400 Derby/Bluebirds + 300 Dorco ST301 + 300 Shark SS + 400 Vidyut Super-Max blue + 10 Personna Red + 10 Treet Platinum + 10 Croma Diamant.

    I will probably increase the Dorcos a bit more in the future, just because it's supersmooth and very sharp. Otherwise, that's it. A nice variety, all cheap, no reason to pay 3 times the price for Gilettes, these one shave me just fine (except the Derbys).

    I also grabbed another Proraso Blue and another Proraso Red cream from a small neighbourhood shop. They didn't have any more. 1.90 EUR each. I couldn't resist. Not even in the internet can you find such good price.
     
  7. JBSharp

    JBSharp Well-Known Member

    I agree that supporting shave vendors keeps the market growing, but what if the shaveapocalypse happens because we're all so over-stocked that we fall out of the market? Or our goods fall to our heirs and the bubble bursts because they don't have to buy anything, even if they do have interest?
     
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  8. Bookworm

    Bookworm Well-Known Member

    I really doubt that people will quit buying when they have enough. "I already have 9,000 blades. Oooh, that's a good deal on PolSilver Iridiums. I'll order another pack." Also, there are folks like me, that give them away as well. I've already given out at least 75 blades, and not in that long of a time.
     
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  9. Shave Fu

    Shave Fu Shavette Sensei

    That's a good question and it's so funny! :happy097: Well, as long i am ready for it, let it come! :happy097:

    Myself, unless i see some amazing and cheap blade, i don't plan on buying anymore blades, unless it's a 5 or 10 tuck. Hey, i am not a hardcore shaver! I started this out of sentimental reasons, not because i suddenly woke up one day saying "I will start wetshaving as a hobby". But by nature i am a hoarder of things i like and may have trouble finding. I am going to give some Derbys if i find someone interested (which i haven't yet), but yeah, i am pretty settled now. I have a good high-low mix and frankly, i am not paying 20 EUR for a blade pack, when Astra does the same or almost for 7.70. Call me cheap, but i just can't. My only worry is that that while the short handle Weishi is already ready to be sent, my long handle Weishi (which is no longer visible in Amazon) is still stuck...

    So, i am sure, you hardcore wetshavers, will continue buying, but, unless somethin happens and suddenly i start finding uberblades to prices comparable to Astras, i don't think i am buying anything else, except some small tuck.
     
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  10. JBSharp

    JBSharp Well-Known Member

    That's all well and true, but many of us have more than we'll use in our lifetime, and that surplus will go somewhere when we, um, can't use it anymore. I hope new users continue to sustain the market, but it feels like a bubble.
     
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  11. Bookworm

    Bookworm Well-Known Member

    Not so sure. I think most shavers that AREN'T on these forums are buying what they need to use. There's also a huge amount of the razor sales that's going to the coiffure industry for hair shaper blades. That's the main support for Derby and Dorco, I suspect, as I was told that those were the most popular ones sold by a guy that owns a beauty supply shop.

    If people had reasonable supplies nearby, I doubt there would be as many 100/200/1000 blade purchases. Might be worth asking, for those who live near one of the retail shops.
     
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  12. Shave Fu

    Shave Fu Shavette Sensei

    Well, we will have maybe a good reason to tell the Grim Reaper that we want a delay for the departure. "Hey, look at all my blades stash! I am not done yet! Come again after 20 years!" :rofl:


    Yeah, my father, was a wetshaver, but not a hobbyist. In fact, he never tried to pull the kids over to wetshaving, as we were too happy with our Gilette Sensors. All his life, as i remember, used only 1 blade brand. A Gilette in white package, with Blue letters i think? I don't know, it's Gilette silver blue or something? And as far as i remember, he never had some gigantic stash of blades. And whatever that stash was, my mother threw away together with his razor. So, here i am, sustaining the wetshaving industry. :D

    Frankly, here i don't think wet shaving is going very well. It's just 2 shops that sell blades and 1 of them is in Amazon too and the other one in Amazon is someone from Sweden. There is also the occasional german who sells Sharks and oh yes, there is Rapira in Amazon (100 Swedish supersteels for 18 EUR). Basically i 've read in an article that the vast majority of "non hardcore hobbyists" here , just use AstraSP and that's it (7.70 for 100, no brainer). I read many hardcore hobbyist wetshavers here have to resort to Bulgarians, Turks and Poles from ebay to get the "more exotic blades" (like the russian ones at decent price).

    The best shop for me (it has best prices and shipping drops proportionally to the amount of order), has a quite limited blade selection. Basically, if you order from the italian Amazon, you either order from them, or from a guy in Sweden...Plus, even those who know about the other shop, also order from the one below, simply because it has better prices:

    Show Spoiler
    [​IMG]


    ^ They are very pro-Derby as a shop,as they are a union of barbers from what i understand and as @Bookwork said, Derby seems very popular for barbers. So they really push many Derby products (creams too, not just blades).

    Frankly, myself, i hate shipments without tracking. Even more so international packages. Too much frustration. So no Ebay. So i just pick what's locally available at good prices.
     
    Last edited: Apr 26, 2017
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  13. JBSharp

    JBSharp Well-Known Member

    That's true, I hadn't really considered the salon industry. And I'm not truly a hobbyist shaver, although my main interaction with the shaving world is forums like this, and I'm sure that's not an accurate picture. Aside from mass-produced consumables like blades and staple creams and soaps, items like premium and artisan goods (razors, brushes, soaps, etc.) are serving a hobbyist niche which seems fragile, although that would always be the case in any field. Like I said, I'm not the target audience, so I'm interested but not invested. I enjoy those things but I buy more like a consumer, not a connoisseur.
     
  14. Shave Fu

    Shave Fu Shavette Sensei

    New family photo (although i have 400 Vidyut SuperMax Super Stainless yet to arrive from Amazon):

    [​IMG]

    It does give a warm, fuzzy feeling knowing you are safe from Bladeapocalypse, doen's it? :) HOWEVER! Like @Col C , a man can never be too careful! Overkill is good! I did an accurate calculation!

    - 300 Shark SS x 3 shaves each = 900 shaves.
    - 400 Derbys x 2 shaves each = 800 shaves.
    - 700 Astra SP x 3 shaves each = 2100 shaves.
    - 400 Supermax x 2 shaves each = 800 shaves.
    - 300 Dorco x 3 shaves each = 900 shaves

    Assuming i will continue shaving every other day, this gives: 30 years or, if we exclude the Derbys (which i may just pass to others if i find someone to convert to wetshaving), 25 years.

    Considering i am 37 now, i am not out of the woods yet! Bladeapocalypse may still hit me, when i will be older and slower to react! :shocked003: With an average life expectancy of 76 for males, i am still 9 years short if i count Derby in or 14 years short if i don't count Derby! :eek: And the gap grows bigger ,if i hopefully go over 76! :signs131:

    So i must withdraw my previous statement! I am not done with buying blades! But, i must shave more with the blades i have now, before deciding what else to buy. So @JBSharp, don't worry, i am not yet done supporting the blade industry! :scared011:
     
    Last edited: Apr 27, 2017
  15. Shave Fu

    Shave Fu Shavette Sensei

    I have yet to try Dorco Prime STP301, Treet Platinum and Croma Diamant. Unless i like one of these, considering everything else, i think i will just order 200 Personna Reds, 100-200 more Dorco ST301 and 100-200 more Shark SS. Or throw in some Treet Platinum if i like them. The choice i have given the fact that i hate international packages without tracking and price, is rather limited.

    If you search in https://www.amazon.it , you will see that the 2 consistent sellers of blades is "barbieri uniti" , which is the shop i usually buy from and has a limited selection (i posted above) and another one called "RazorsWebClub", who is supposed to be an Italian residing in Sweden and sends the blades unboxed (individual tucks) through normal mail and without tracking. This is a nightmare for me. I don't want single tucks either, i want full box packaging. Same goes for Ebay as far as lack of international tracking goes. There is also a german in my Amazon who apparently sells only 50 packs of Sharks divided in 25 SS and 25 SC.

    The other local shop is this one:
    https://www.barbaebaffi.it/web/elenco_prodotti.php?c1=lamette&order=P.prezzo_vero+ASC&pag=7

    Which has some Rapira blades in OKish price (of course still bad compared to Astra) and has Gilettes, with the cheapest starting at 24 EUR for 100 and going to Polsilvers iridiums for 35 EUR for 100 blades. Plus 9 EUR for shipping (whereas barbieri uniti are either free through Amazon or something like 2 EUR if you order above 30-40 EUR). Frankly, when 200 Personna Reds cost 22 EUR, i can't find any reason to pay 24EUR for 100 Gilettes. I don't care how good they are. Yeah, i will stick with the brands i have plus Personna Red and there are open slots for Treet Platinum, Croma Diamant and Dorco Prime Platinum. That's it.

    So, the situation here is pretty dire, i am not optimistic at all. Basically the local blade market is based on 2 shops and the Amazon market is based on 1 local shop and the guy from Sweden. Amazon itself, seems to be selling directly only the Vidyut Super Max Super Steel and the Dorco ST301.

    Should the 2 local shops go out of business, only the guy from Sweden remains and Ebay... That's not good at all... This is like 2 steps before bladeapocalypse.

    Plus, Shark Super Chromes, seem to be in extinction even in Ebay. This is what you get from searching about there here:

    http://www.ebay.it/sch/Lamette-per-...=R40&LH_BIN=1&_sop=15&_nkw=Shark+Super+Chrome

    Basically the only way to get 100 pack of Shark SC is either from US or Australia! No wonder my fav shop is out of stock after someone swept them all!

    On the bright side, i just got email from Amazon, both the Weishi F and the FL , as well as the 2nd EJ DE89 were shipped today.
     
    Last edited: Apr 27, 2017
  16. Bookworm

    Bookworm Well-Known Member

    Have you attempted to contact the guy in Sweden and ask how much to have the package tracked?

    Edit - you could also invest in opening a shaving supplies company :)
     
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  17. Shave Fu

    Shave Fu Shavette Sensei

    No. I think if it was convenient enough, he would have an option about it in his website (i 've visited it directly). Here, pretty much any national shipment with tracking, is 8-9 EUR at least. So logically, to have tracking from Sweden, will be much higher. At this point, i may as well order Rapiras from the "barbaebaffi" and just pay 9 EUR and have 1 day delivery with tracking. Thing is, i read Rapiras are very sharp (i don't want very sharp) and not particularly smooth. So why bother at this point, when Personna Reds cost less and are more balanced... Or, if i order from "barbaebaffi", i can also get the Trig Silver edge 200 for 15 EUR. Or i can just order Personnas, more Sharks, Dorcos, Treet Platinums and Dorco Prime for my fav shop which has better prices than "barbaebaffi" and much less shipping costs... Tomorrow i will shave with Dorco again, just to see if i get weeper and irritation. Just to be sure. Then i will see... "BarbaeBaffi" has a lot of blades "on arrival", but this "on arrival" has been going on since at least last Friday that i discovered the shop, so it might be the usual "permanent on arrival and never really arriving". Frankly, barbaebaffi has more selection, but worse prices in everything and higher shippin compared to "Barbieri uniti". The only better thing is the Trig which seems a good deal and a bit lower Dorco Prime price. And that it has Rapiras and the Gilettes, albeit very costly.

    Decisions, decisions...Maybe i will just take my time and shave with the other blades and see what i want to do. Maybe Super Chromes will reappear too in the meantime ( i am just curious to try, because every time i tried to order, someone took them all before i could order any).

    About the shaving company: Alas, at this point, i am afraid there is a good reason why only 2 local shops deal with blades: Not big enough customer base! :( The end is nigh!!! :shocked003: I must hoard more blades, that's for sure!
     
    Last edited: Apr 27, 2017
  18. Bookworm

    Bookworm Well-Known Member

    The Rapira Platinum Lux was, to me, an exceptionally good shaver; I used it for four shaves, in three different razors.

    Personally - shave with the ones you have for now, and put off buying more until you've used up at _least_ three of each type of blade :)
     
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  19. MR41

    MR41 Well-Known Member

    @ OP-I realize that traditional shaving is a small subset of the shaving whole. I notice that more and more artisans producing razors, brushes, and accoutrements that go along with it are coming on the scene and thriving. That can only be because traditional shaving is thriving.
     
  20. Bookworm

    Bookworm Well-Known Member

    I think that there's also a chunk of people using brushes and soaps with cartridges.
     

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