I agree. I suspect Personna will be bought by a Chinese manufacturer (just my speculation) as there is now a Gillette blade made in China. But for Mostochlegmash to sell to China...well with the history of those two countries, not much of a threat.
I believe so. The article said it would effect the Verona plant as well as two international locations. I assume that includes the Israeli plant.
So far, I'm covered for the short term with the SE and injector blades, and I like the Russian and Turkish (Derby Extra) for DE, so I think I am safe at the moment.....
As far as the UN and Canada.... we just quietly go along.... kicking butt when it needs to happen..... but then I'm prejudiced. You know how to spell Canada.... C eh N eh D eh
I suspect that the DE razor blade making equipment will be sold to India. It has the largest consumer market for DE blades. SE and Injector blade lines, though...who knows where they'll end up. It's times like this that I wish I was a rich industrial Baron. Edit: Gillette does have a habit of purchasing razor companies and moving their blade production facilities to their plant in Petersburg, Russia, so Persona blades might not be off the market for very long if that happens.
To each his own I guess. To me shaving is not more important than not supporting those who wish us harm. Like many others on here, I spent nine of the best years of my youth keeping those who wish us harm away from our shores and I'm not about to send them support in any way now, not even through a simple pack of blades.
I don't think there is a phone, computer televison or automobile made today and sold in the U.S. that doesn't use Chinese parts. Even the bolsters of the rail cars I build are made in China, albeit with American steel. America has turned into a nation of consumers, rather than builders. I choose to be a builder. If we as shavers do not support global wet shaving, the wet shaving industry is doomed. Since I started wet shaving, I've seen too many good, old, established brands fall by the wayside, due to lack of business. If America produced top quality shaving stuff, I would buy it. I've yet to find an American shave cream that compares to the shave creams of Britian and Eastern Europe (though TSD creams come close). American made brushes universally use Chinese sourced knots, and I've tried Persona med prep blades. They were very sharp and very harsh. I prefer milder blades, and those are not made in America.
Well said. We're global now folks. It's time to deal with it. I really have no Personna favorites except their injector blades and Blue Star SE blades. It would suck if those were scarce.
I don't care who makes them, I just hope the Gem blades keep being manufactured. They work very well for me, I don't have the money to buy a "life time" supply =P
Well, I just received my 400 lab blues I ordered a few days ago. I'm set for a while either way. There's no escaping globalization nowadays no matter where you are on this planet. Manufacturing moves to the lowest cost provider and knows no boundaries. Welcome to the 21st century.
In my opinion, stocking up on Personna or Wilkinson blades is a waste of time. At best, it will only delay the inevitable. People who hoard discontinued products typically ration them to some extent, and so don't get full enjoyment from their stock. Better to simply not worry and just move on to plan B if the worst happens. It is not like this is the first time it has happened in the traditional wetshaving world. The world didn't end. My all-time favorite blades by a long shot are CVS store brand Personna blades, made in Israel. I would hate to see them go, but won't lose any sleep over it. Life is to short for that. From the article: I am quite sure the Energizer bunny would much rather make a profit from the sale than take a $45 million hit. They would not have gone to the trouble to create Edgewell if that were not the case. That is precisely why it makes sense to try different blades to find a small group that work particularly well. If one or two become unavailable, all is not lost.
You're right... life is too short and I've got nothing to worry about. I've got plenty of my favorite blades to keep me happy for some time to come regardless.
I guess she can't comment on any closure or possible purchase at the moment. It is a bit vague cos does it mean Gem blades will still be available. ...until we shut down the plant. I hope not. I think we should do another bulk buy of Gem blades sooner rather than later.
I bought a 100 pack from Connaught "just in case" - and its not as if the shelf life on these is particularly short...I'll use hem for one reason or the other over the next few years.
Well, looks like I'll be trading or selling off my Gem SE blades for some Personna Labs since I used 5 of them and decided I didn't like SE'S. It sucks that companies like this are going away.
