Friday’s Rants from the Soap Box in my Living Room

Welcome to my Friday’s Rants from the Soap Box in my Living Room. A small space in the week where I can have a chunter about things that have made me twitch with annoyance or made me question if the world has gone mad or not….
I also linked up with MummyBarrow for her Ranty Friday. You can find her blog and link up if you’d like to join in. A good rant can be therapeutic. Click on the link at the end to join in!

This week, it is LSH’s turn to have a rant, about something that has got his goat. I will hand over to him, and let him loose. He has a bee in his bonnet about razor blades, and he doesn’t often get irritated by adverts and marketing, but increase in expense and how “multifunctional” razor blade have become, has got him mad, and I am letting him loose here to tell you about it! 

Well I am honoured to have been let loose once again on my wife’s blog, apparently my last piece was well receivedJ.

The rant for this week is razor blades and the manufacturers thereof.  I guess we should start at the beginning, as humans we have been using razors for thousands of years.  Over this duration of time the concept of blade over skin removing hair has been enhanced by the availability of running hot water, soap and the swivel head.  So some hot water, a single quality (note!) blade on a swivel head and some decent soap should suffice, you would think?

According to the shaving industry absolutely not and hence we observe the steady if somewhat laughable procession of new razor offerings accompanied by enormous marketing campaigns.

To follow one product line we started out with dual blades and a swivel head about 30 years ago since then we have incorporated the following:  various types of lubricating strips (apparently shaving foam is just not good enough), spring loaded blades (maybe I’ll go easy on this one), vibrating razors (really!? If you want an electric razor go and buy one), 3, 4 and now 5 blades (totally incredulous here).  I truly believe that there is no life changing difference in shave quality once we get above three blades although I do wonder if we made the two blade option really well if they would not suffice?  Year after year we are told that the ultimate shave can only be obtained with the newest product with yet ANOTHER blade, where is it going to stop, 10 blades, 20 blades?

Cost wise it’s clear we are being taken for a ride.  Looking at a well-known chemist the top end multi-blade heads go for £2.80 a piece whereas a good 2 blade, spring-loaded head will set you back £1.16 (personally I still think that is a bit steep).  So assuming a blade lasts a week on this basis the top end blade will set you back £150 a year (including £5 battery costs) whereas the bottom end weighs in at £60.  Personally I’m a £90 per year shaver with a 3 blade razor. If you buy into the branded shaving experience with the top end razor including specialized shaving foam, aftershave balm etc. your shaving experience is well up above £200 a year.

Whilst the manufacturers insist that we need all the numerous blades and other features it should be noted that the blades made a generation ago are still selling well!   As for me I will be happy with my 3 blade razor for many years to come and maybe the presence of these ever more advanced offerings will end up reducing the cost of my own razor.

So, do you agree with LSH, or are you or your spouse a five blade, lubricator strip, all singing all dancing type of shaver? Don’t forget to link up below to read more rants or join in, if you feel like it!