Prestige Pricing and the effect on Wet Shaving...

Discussion in 'The Chatterbox' started by Primotenore, Mar 13, 2019.

  1. brit

    brit in a box

    i agree , what makes a $300 simpson so special, one of our fine craftsman here can make a handle and fit a good knot.. all in stride i guess,i love my omega 10005..and my $80 dollar simpson..
     
  2. RyX

    RyX DoH!

    I can't imagine what arrangement of chemicals, naturally derived or lab created, justifies a $375 bottle of juice. Not even the fancy bottle as that will be empty one day. Good luck to the purveyor turning merch at those prices. Hope the product has a long shelf life. Did they gauge their market and purchasing such that they can recover their investment before tossing it out?

    Those '59-'61 Gillette #195's have increased in dollars needed to purchase one. Inflation may have eaten up the "value". I've got a fully functional Stahly DE that cost $24.95 when the Fat Boy was only a buck ninety five. It never was as good of a razor IMHO with the vibrating handle, but it was marketed as the Cadillac of it's day. Sixty years later folks really want the Gillette and will pay inflated prices because it's a good product. Stahlys still sell for around twenty five bucks.
     
    BigMark83, ob1page, Keithmax and 5 others like this.
  3. Paul Turner

    Paul Turner outside the quote(s) now

    I take it you're a "Clubman-er"?
     
    ob1page, RyX, Frijolero and 2 others like this.
  4. ordinaryshaver

    ordinaryshaver Well-Known Member

    At some point in time you reach the law of diminishing returns.
    I've seen this in the fire arm "world"
    as well as the fishing and hunting "worlds"
    Everyone is sold a line that this product or that product is superior to another brand. It's simply not true.
    At what point in time do you get the the higher performing product with still having a good value? I just don't know that answer.
     
  5. wchnu

    wchnu Duck Season!

    Veddy much so!
     
    ob1page, Paul Turner, RyX and 3 others like this.
  6. wristwatchb

    wristwatchb wristwatch "danger" b

    Spend as much or as little as you want...you can't buy solid technique, though, which is the true gateway to excellent shaves. A vintage Gillette, an Omega boar brush, a 10-cent DE blade, and a stick of Arko will get the job done as well as anything you can find.

    I don't give much thought to high-end items, pricing, etc. affecting the wet shaving hobby. Every hobby that I've been involved with has high-end stuff and folks that must have it. I'm cool with that (and I've fallen down that hole myself more than I'd like to admit), but I don't accept that high-end/premium price necessarily equates to better performance/happier lives/smarter kids/more hair/whiter teeth...
     
    Last edited: Mar 13, 2019
    ob1page, Hembree, Paul Turner and 6 others like this.
  7. Primotenore

    Primotenore missed opera tunity

    Article Team
    I think there can be a case made for a Wolfman's cost (I am referring to the MSRP, NOT the after market). A Simpson Brush, A Mastro Livi Straight, even because of supply and demand, a tuck of Wilkinson Light Brigade DE blades. However, when we get to shave soap and shave "serum" and shave "caviar" (real names, btw) THIS is when it gets over the top vis-a-vis "premium pricing". The article above comparing Williams (and I must assume modern Williams) vs. MdC was fascinating and down to earth. Let's forget the $375 designer package and focus on 5oz of "serum" for $125. This is an egregious example of "premium pricing" and when the vendor marks this product down to $75 for a VERY SHORT TIME, I am immediately suspect. I won't even get into the "shill" factor, which is RAMPANT on other Fora.
     
    ob1page, Frijolero, Keithmax and 5 others like this.
  8. oscar11

    oscar11 Well-Known Member

    Human nature, you just can't escape it. A few years ago I seen a cartoon on a coffee cup with a picture of an old broke down cowboy and the caption said "I spent all my money on whiskey and women and just wasted the rest". I get a kick out people that have multiple tiers of soaps. I have 2, those that work and those that don't. Life is short enjoy it. Don't get bogged down with the dorks you run across, ignore them. I have to admit to trying some top end soaps, etc. it's more of a curiousity than anything else. I'm simply not discriminating enough to tell the difference and sometime the difference I save could be another straight razor to play with.
     
    ob1page, Frijolero, Keithmax and 4 others like this.
  9. SparrowPoint

    SparrowPoint Active Member

    Some forums attract a lot of users that are caught up in the sunk cost fallacy or believe that gold plated crappers work better then porcelain ones. You have some that spend more time and money composing their SOTD and lather shots then shaving...YMMV

    Caveat...I do pay a premium for things that are steeped in tradition or "I" feel are healthy for the hobby. European hand tied brushes, current Solingen straights and certain vendors (over Amazon, Etsy and Ebay).
     
    Last edited: Mar 15, 2019
    ob1page, brit, Frijolero and 3 others like this.
  10. Preacher

    Preacher Well-Known Member

    This is the case with almost any hobby. You have those with money who will buy the most expensive product because they think it's better. In a lot of cases, even if they don't like the product, they won't admit it because. After all, no one likes to admit that they spent that much money on a mediocre product. I'm another who was kinda met with derision when I thought that the serum was way too expensive for me. Even though I plan to try the soap (it's a good value). I guess the pricing strategy really is effective. Those who spend $375 for 5 ounces of product believe it is the best of it's kind available. I wash my face after I shave, use Thayers, and a $10 moisturizer. My skin feels great and my wife loves it. I can't imagine a product offering me $365 more. For those who love it and can afford it, enjoy it! But not for me on price alone.

    This is so true! I have lots of soaps and the collection is growing, but I can't separate them into tiers (I tried, it just didn't work for me). I choose what soap I want to use on the scent. They all work.

    In my humble opinion, brushes and razors are hardware. The expense of razor or brush is made one time and enjoyed for life (most time). Soap and creams and serums are consumable. If you buy a $300 razor when you are 25, you can use it for the rest of your life. The expensive serum in the OP means that you have to spend that money every time you consume 5oz of it. I would much rather spend that money on hardware.

    Since everything in this hobby is YMMV, his "scientific" test only applies to him. I have used both and see no comparison. No one has to justify what they buy or use (although some try). For the folks on other forums who use and love the very expensive serum, great for them. My problem is when they begin to look down on the folks who don't agree with them. If Williams soap works well for you and you see no need to spend more money than it cost, then great. I, for one, love to experiment and try new things (as long as they don't break the bank). This is the opposite of the folks who use very expensive products justifying their product: it's people who love low-priced products implying that folks who like something better are uninformed.
     
    Robert1955, ob1page, brit and 8 others like this.
  11. SparrowPoint

    SparrowPoint Active Member

    Funny thing is to look up a poster's history. If 90% of their posts are on software ABC or razor DEF take it with a grain. Their is no software or hardware that I love to the point that I will spend 80% of my forum time posting about it.
     
    Keithmax, ob1page, brit and 3 others like this.
  12. ob1page

    ob1page Frozen in Phoenix

    This is a very interesting topic and one that I believe on some other forums would have been closed by now because of the way that certain members act. One of the reasons why I love it here. On to the topic. I think this is more of a human nature problem which is played out daily in all aspects of life. Is that cup of Starbucks worth the additional cost over the coffee you get at the gas station? Is that designer shirt 10x better than the one from Walmart?
    In most cases the "perceived" superiority of the upscale product has more to do with what other people think over the actual value of the product. Some people's thought processes run towards "if I have the Starbucks cup then I'll be looked at as being better". I remember in grade school if you didn't have the Polo horse on your shirt you were looked at as less than.
    This thought process of course trickles down to our hobby and in many ways perhaps more. We can all shave with a dollar store razor and a bar of Dial soap but most of us choose not to. As for artisans inflating their prices I say good for them if they can get it. If someone is willing to pay $400 for a soap then good for them. I won't.
    What irks me about this is if I were to be one of those that purchased the item at the inflated cost then once the manufacturer lowered the cost, my initial purchase isn't worth what I paid.
    The bigger problem I see, and I'm not meaning to derail this topic, is those artisans who create a false demand by only releasing a couple items at a time creating a fury when their items are released. I'm perfectly aware that for some artisans this is a part time gig and necessity dictates such. I'm talking about those artisans who do a limited run of a product/scent/packaging only to turn around in 6 months and do another release. To do so diminishes the value of the previous release and, in my opinion, cheapens the brand.
     
    Frijolero, brit, Primotenore and 4 others like this.
  13. RyX

    RyX DoH!

    TSD is populated by Gentlemen of many socioeconomic levels. Given time and PIFs there's a leveling of quality to the gear each Member owns. There are the exceptional Newbies that have the resources to purchase high end gear and minimalist Veterans who choose to use vintage razors and economical software. We are here to discuss the hobby that makes "Your Opinion May Vary" a standard for everyone. Lively discussion is great and I applaud the participants for allowing others to have their opinions without argument.
     
  14. Hembree

    Hembree Not as pretty smelling

    Well said!:happy096:
     
    Frijolero, brit, Primotenore and 3 others like this.
  15. MR41

    MR41 Well-Known Member

    My thoughts are varied:

    1. Someone can ask whatever they want.
    2.Laissez faire
    3. Some people want a giffen good. Something they pay a lot for, so people know they paid a lot for it.
    4. A fool is quickly parted from his money( already said in this thread).
    5. It is JCPenny’s pricing model and happens every day on EBay on a smaller scale. Someone asks a price then reduces the price until it sells.
    6. I do agree that doing this is not inline with the collegial atmosphere that surrounds our hobby.
     
    Last edited: Mar 18, 2019
    Frijolero, brit, Primotenore and 4 others like this.
  16. Keithmax

    Keithmax Breeds Pet Rocks

    My best example to straight razors. Assuming the steel is good and they are properly honed a $25 razor will shave as well as $500 razor. So why buy the expensive straight razor? Because it looks cool, well $25 razors can look cool too. But I enjoy about this place is that we focus on the technique and the joy of shaving now matter what the gear, even a popsicle stick razor.
     
    Hembree, Frijolero, brit and 4 others like this.
  17. ob1page

    ob1page Frozen in Phoenix

    I had pushed those popsicle stick shaves down into the deep recesses of my mind. The nightmares are going to start again
     
    Hembree, Keithmax, Frijolero and 4 others like this.
  18. Robert1955

    Robert1955 Well-Known Member

    I have been an Angler since I was 7 years old, I fished from piers with a weight and line at first until I got my first rod...now...many years later I must admit the high end stuff was far superior to the cheaper stuff and held a much better resale value, so in some respects the "get what you pay for" idea does indeed work, this may not seem to carry over well to a shaving hobby but there are similar instances...for one, being a newbie I bought cheap to see how things were going to go, that worked out well for me... But as I have progressed I have spent more on most items and recognize the differrence in quality, for instance my first shavette was around £4, it was pretty rough...but I stuck with it for a while and I read more and more on shavettes, so I invested in a Dovo which was night and day to my first..it cost £30 and money well spent, having the bug..my next was a Parker and finally today I received a feather club DX which is a superb tool imo...but at £130 it really is expensive for what it is...a chunk of stainless steel and plastic, but..it has a following and good reviews and obviously sells well...I imagine the sell on price would be decent too, I know I will not buy any more shavettes and will never pay that kind of cash again on any shave related item. It is "nice" to have quality items...wether it be golf clubs or baseball bats the main thing is that you get some pleasure from them... I don't want the cheapest but I also don't want the most expensive because it IS the most expensive...everyone has a level they operate at and if something is financially out of reach then just get the next best thing...it has been said a few times already on this thread but it really is all about human nature... Bottom line (at last I hear you say ) is that everyone wants your $$ and ££ and will tell you what a bargain a £200 bottle of juice is...only you can really decide on that...
     
    Hembree, RyX, Edison Carter and 3 others like this.
  19. RyX

    RyX DoH!

    If you had purchased the last one first it might have given you a negative opinion about all shavettes. Now that you have the technique to use it effectively you better appreciate the difference in quality and can justify the added expense. Fortunately it is hardware that doesn't get used up. If you should choose to sell it one day there's a better chance of recovering your investment though you do take a retail versus used hit if you purchased it new.
     

Share This Page