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Moore's Law For Razor Blades?
Posted by
Zonk
on Thu Oct 26, 2006 03:05 PM
from the slownewsday dept.
from the slownewsday dept.
BartlebyScrivener writes "An article in The Economist examines Moore's Law as applied to razor blade technology: 'For the most cynical shavers, this evolution is mere marketing. Twin blades seemed plausible. Three were a bit unlikely. Four, ridiculous. And five seems beyond the pale. Few people, though, seem willing to bet that Gillette's five-bladed Fusion is the end of the road for razor-blade escalation. More blades may seem impossible for the moment — though strictly speaking the Fusion has six, because it has a single blade on its flip-side for tricky areas — but anyone of a gambling persuasion might want to examine the relationship between how many blades a razor has, and the date each new design was introduced'" I'm legally obligated to mention the Onion article that predicted this.
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Moore's Law For Razor Blades?
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Damned liars ! (Score:5, Insightful)
(http://www.irishdrumandbass.com/)
Here's my favourite parody of the gilette ads:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wd6BjAj9Zag [youtube.com]
Re:Damned liars ! (Score:5, Interesting)
(Last Journal: Sunday October 22 2006, @10:27PM)
Damn shaving cream marketers!
Re:Damned liars ! (Score:5, Funny)
Re:Damned liars ! (Score:5, Funny)
Re:Damned liars ! (Score:5, Funny)
(http://slashdot.org/ | Last Journal: Monday March 05 2007, @10:11AM)
Re:Damned liars ! (Score:4, Interesting)
(http://theravensnest.org/ | Last Journal: Sunday October 07, @07:05AM)
I have found, however, that shower gel (including the cheap supermarket own-brand) gives a closer shave than shaving gel or cream. I actually used it instead of shaving gel the first time I tried wet-shaving, since I didn't have any shaving gel (the razor was a free promotional one from Gillette, who sent one to pretty much everyone in the UK, on the voting register, when they reach 18). I then moved to shaving gel since it's the 'correct' thing to use, and now I'm moving back, because it doesn't work as well. The after-shave cream, however, does seem worth using.
tell your girl... (Score:5, Funny)
(http://kill-9.hobbiton.org/)
Re:tell your girl... (Score:5, Funny)
(http://www.blackholeserver.com/)
Re:tell your girl... (Score:5, Informative)
Seriously. I know this is Slashdot, but I know I'm not alone here on that.
Re:tell your girl... (Score:4, Insightful)
(http://obruo.com/ | Last Journal: Wednesday November 22 2006, @06:34PM)
Shaved absolutely beats jungle-jane any day however.
Re:Damned liars ! (Score:4, Funny)
(http://slashdot.org/)
You sure it was the cream and not Moore's Law turning into Murphy's Law?
The odds of any blade being defective... multiplied by the ever increasing number of blades....
Re:Damned liars ! (Score:5, Funny)
The odds of any blade being defective... multiplied by the ever increasing number of blades....
Ah, but this is where the next generation of razor blade technology comes into its own - RAIB! Redundant Array of (Incredibly)Expensive Blades)
A mirrored array enables you to shave in half the time, whereas a RAIB-5 array just puts stripes on your face.
You could say that it's the cutting edge of razor blade technology.
Har har.
Re:Damned liars ! (Score:5, Funny)
> around your chin and mouth makes everything a lot easier.
Yeah, but the downside is that you look like a bit of a dick.
Re:Damned liars ! (Score:5, Interesting)
(http://obsidianrook.com/ | Last Journal: Tuesday October 16, @01:48AM)
Yeah, Shaving Cream is a scam. I found the trick a long time ago: you wash your face first to strip off the natural oil, then put another layer of soap on... if you do it that way, I doubt it will ever feel "rough". I just shave with the same bar of soap I clean up with (I'm not sure if it matters, but I use an odd Aloe Vera soap, put out by Grisi, a Mexican company).
There's another small point I figured out recently though: I need to make sure I've rinsed off all of the soap afterwards. I'd thought I was having occasional problems with in-grown hairs under my chin, instead I think I was leaving behind little smears of soap every once-in-awhile.
But perhaps I digress.
Re:Damned liars ! (Score:5, Funny)
(http://www.livejournal.com/users/gilmoure/ | Last Journal: Saturday November 16 2002, @05:41PM)
Re:Damned liars ! (Score:5, Funny)
(http://www.christopherculver.com/)
Mr Stallman, is that you?
Re:Damned liars ! (Score:5, Interesting)
Any way
I shave my entire head (seriously). A close, safe shave is very important to me. Mach3 is one of my all-time favorite razors. the "powered" razors don't make a difference. But sharp blades and enough surface area to prevent razor burns is a must.
I won't really recommend a no-lather shave. Sure, it will work for some. But soap does provide some lubrication for the razor to glide more easily across the skin. But soap in stead of thick creams makes a considerable difference.
Re:Damned liars ! (Score:4, Funny)
Re:Damned liars ! (Score:5, Funny)
(http://www.unity08.com/)
I don't think they're allowed to run that commercial here in the States.
Re:Damned liars ! (Score:4, Funny)
(Last Journal: Tuesday January 16 2007, @10:33AM)
Who needs (Score:5, Funny)
Prior art (Score:4, Informative)
Re:Prior art (Score:4, Informative)
Re:Prior art (Score:5, Interesting)
(http://obsidianrook.com/ | Last Journal: Tuesday October 16, @01:48AM)
Yeah, back in the quaint old days when three blades seemed like an absurdity.
Nit: I think the slogan was "For you.... Because you'll believe anything."
I use single-bladed Bic disposables myself, which are great except that you have to keep track of how sharp they are and adjust your shaving style accordingly. Presumably this is because they're made of intentionally corrosive metal, razor blades being one of the classic examples of planned obsolescence in action. I keep wondering if it might be possible to hack my own razor blades: stainless steel isn't terribly easy to sharpen, but I bet it would hold an edge forever. I'd prefer some sort of "saftey" arrangement, rather than the old fashioned straight-edged razor. Has anyone out there looked into this?
Funny, I just remembered that once I tried a different approach: it seemed to me that if I stored a disposable razor in oil, I might be able to prevent it from corroding... I quickly discovered the obvious problem: if I wanted to use soap for lubrication, I was going to have to completely clean off all of the oil before each use. I don't remember if I looked into using oil as a shaving lubricant, that seems like an obvious thought to me now, but I might've missed it back then. Why not stash your razor in olive oil, and wash your face after shaving rather than before?
Though what would be really nifty is to figure out a way of using an electrochemical effect to suppress corrosion... how hard could it be to nickle-plate a "disposable" razor? Hm.
Re:Prior art (Score:5, Interesting)
(http://www.elflord.net/ | Last Journal: Monday March 19 2007, @10:35AM)
It would never break. You could make it now, shave your face for thirty years, and still accidentally slash your wrists with it.
Re:Prior art (Score:4, Interesting)
Holey Wars (Score:4, Interesting)
(http://www.foobarsoft.com/)
Sounds a bit like the "Holey Wars" I once heard of. A quick check of Wikipedia and Google didn't turn it up. The idea is that the first steam irons for homes had one hole in them. Some other manufacturer topped this with 2, then 3, etc. This continued until we ended up with irons with tons of holes like we have today.
And that was the Holey Wars.
Now at 5 the blade density is already getting up there so I'm not quite sure how much higher they can go (without pointless tricks like splitting the blades in half and calling it "10 bladed").
Obligatory (Score:5, Funny)
(http://www.tanningbeds4less.com/ | Last Journal: Sunday November 05 2006, @07:23AM)
(Sorry, got caught up in the Onion article, and I *DO* work in marketing for a living...)
Re:Holey Wars (Score:5, Funny)
Now at 5 the blade density is already getting up there so I'm not quite sure how much higher they can go (without pointless tricks like splitting the blades in half and calling it "10 bladed").
Sir, if you don't patent that - and I mean right now - you're an idiot.
Re:Holey Wars (Score:5, Funny)
"With our new nanotechnology we have been able to create a blade with billions of discrete cutting components per millimeter of blade! Batteries? We don't need no stinking batteries. Our blades are internally powered by atomic quantum energy. But wait, there's more, they contain. .
KFG
Meh. (Score:4, Funny)
(http://robvincent.net/ | Last Journal: Tuesday October 09, @01:55PM)
Forget the year 2100 (Score:5, Funny)
Re:A little late (Score:5, Funny)
You're new around here aren't you?
This is silly (Score:4, Insightful)
Ok, I admit it, I got suckered in by the new one. (Score:4, Informative)
It didn't make a noticable difference.
SO
Well, it sucks. Completely useless.
I can only imagine that the were afraid to sell an actual sharp blade that you might be capable of cutting yourself with given today's litigeous environment. It doesn't protrude far enough out of the cartirdge to be usefull.
- Roach
They wouldn't even need the sixth blade... (Score:4, Interesting)
Oh, and don't shave unless you're wearing slippers. Drop your Fusion, and that sixth blade can do one heck of a number on one of your toes (ouch).
It's a scam! (Score:3, Interesting)
Just like SUVs are a scam to get you to pay for the equivalent of two cars when you only need one.
I remember when people had one blade with two sides, and you could just replace the blade and not have to buy a whole new plastic razor. (before disposable razors) You realize that a pack of blades and a non-disposable razor fits in your luggage much better than a 5-pack of disposables. And when the razor gets dull you just flip it over and use the other side, then throw it away after that.
I prefer electrics, since I can shave but leave things stubbly. perpetually maintaining that "hasn't shaved in 2 days" look, plus you can get them with a beard trimmer which is nice. otherwise any old razor and some hot water does better than all the creams, gels, lubricated strips and polybladed devices.
I refuse to shave! (Score:5, Funny)
-Richard Stallman
Double Edged Safety Razors (Score:3, Interesting)
(http://cyocum.blogspot.com/)
Try Gillette's new "Occam's Razor"... (Score:5, Funny)
Shaving without shaving cream (Score:5, Informative)
(http://www.nasw.org/users/nbauman/ | Last Journal: Thursday May 03 2007, @02:50PM)
You don't need shaving cream to shave.
I once read an interview in the Wall Street Journal with a scientist from Gillette. He said that a razor blade can cut a wet beard much more easily than a dry beard. It takes a minute or two for your beard to be soaked through. The only purpose of shaving cream is to hold the water to wet your beard for a minute or two while the hairs gets saturated.
I thought, "When I step out of the shower in the morning, my beard is soaked. I should be able to shave without any shaving cream."
I tried it next morning, and I got the smoothest, cleanest shave I ever got in my life.
I haven't used shaving cream for 30 years.
(Conversely, if you just spread shaving cream on your face and don't give it a minute or two to wet your beard, you'll get a rough shave.)
Re:Shaving without shaving cream (Score:5, Funny)
Keep your new-fangled gadgets! (Score:5, Interesting)
I threw away my Gillette Mach 3 and bought a good old-fashioned safety razor which takes good old-fashioned double-edged razor blades. I pay less than 1/10th the prize for blades now, and they last just as long as the Mach 3 cartridges did. Reading the Shave My Face site [shavemyface.com] helped me find the good stuff.
I have great respect for the late King Camp Gillette, who invented the cheap mass-produced double-edged razor blade, and no respect at all for the Gillette Company who seem to have turned into a marketing machine.
Ideally, I would shave with a straight razor, but I'm kinda scared...
Dumping cartridge razor was definitely one of the best decisions I ever took, though
A 4 blade razor was predicted in 1990 (Score:3, Insightful)
(http://www.pctools.com/ | Last Journal: Thursday June 09 2005, @06:08PM)
From the skit:
Announcer 1: The first blade cuts, The second blade trims, The third blade shaves...
Announcer 2: What does the fourth blade do?
Announcer 1: *thinks* It just sits there and rusts.
As an insider... (Score:5, Informative)
(Last Journal: Thursday July 29 2004, @07:56AM)
A lot of the 'shaving comfort' is anecdotal, too. I remember one test that I ran while I was there and I found that a certain coating significantly reduced the force required to cut a hair, so we produced a bunch of razors with that coating for a test. The testers are just people off the street, and in the double-blind trial of the new coating vs the traditional one, the testers overwhelmingly preferred the old coating. My point is basically that the best technical ideas don't necessarily produce the most consumer satisfaction, and maybe 6 or 10 blades will draw a larger market share.
Re:As an insider... (Score:5, Funny)
(Last Journal: Thursday July 29 2004, @07:56AM)
Old methods best? (Score:5, Interesting)
(http://www.baudbarf.com/)
It's always seemed sufficient, but I've never been happy with the red irritation that seems to perpetually inhabit my neckal region.
I stumbled across this article a while back, which convinced me that razor technology has been pointlessly nursing a fatal blunder made 50 years ago rather than admitting defeat and going back to the way it used to be.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/6886845/ [msn.com]
On the other hand, you might just view disposables as a parallel market - one for people who value a few extra minutes of their time high above comfort, psychological satisfaction, and a smooth babyface.
I, for one, intend to invest in a nice quality old-school shaving kit very soon rather than pay the 3-blade racketeers their outrageous replacement fees any longer.
great marketing idea: (Score:3, Funny)
Metrodot (Score:3, Funny)
(http://slashdot.org/ | Last Journal: Monday October 29, @07:20AM)
Shaving as science (Score:3, Interesting)
(http://4sure.co.nz/)
It wasn't until I discovered that blade shaving was actually better for my acne than an electric shaver that I began experimenting. I will describe my shaving process, because I believe it is superior to all other methods.
Firstly, I shave in the shower, and this saves having to clean up any mess. If you have a female partner, then it;s likely she insists you spend more time cleaning up after yourself than the time you spend actually shaving.
The process is this:
1) In shower, first thing, wash face with soap and water. A face cloth helps to generate enough friction to properly clean behind ears (big place for blackheads) and alongside the nose (another blackhead area) and to ensure that eye sockets and forehead and properly cleaned.
2) Wash rest of body.
3) Wash hair.
4) Rub soap directly on face and then lather some in my hands. Rub soap into a thin lather across the face, neck and cheeks.
5) Using Gilette M3 Power, shave with AND against the grain of the hair. Clean up any remaining bristles so none can be felt with the hands against the skin. (I mean NONE!)
6) Rinse WELL. Rinse hair again.
7) Exit shower. Dry face, body and hair.
8) Dispense pure cold tap water into clean basin. Splash pure cold water on face. This closes the pores.
9) Put on Nivea face firming moisturizer, liberally, all over face, including areas not shaven.
10) Place a little aftershave in the nape of the neck - NEVER on the shaved skin.
There you go - you now have a perfect shave, and you're skin is smooth, moisturised and you feel and look great.
I have evaluated different razors very methodically, and can confidently assert the following:
Gilette M3 Power with the Green Blade is the finest razor and blade combination in the world today, bar none. However it is NOT a razor for beginners, and neither is it a razor for those with acne, or other facial blemishes, dips, or risers. The M3 Power requires quite some skill to use correctly, particularly for the first shave when the blade is brand new. (On my heavy growth, I take 10 days of shaving before I replace the blade).
For those people who are less proficient (or simply can't be bothered concentrating that hard) or those who do no thave very smooth faces, I recommend the quadruple bladed Schick Quattro, with the hair-like wires over the blade. Even when brand new, they are extremely unlikely to cut you, even with ham-fisted use on a nobbly face.
HOWEVER, the Quattro requires more strokes to remove the same amount of hair as the M3, and the cutting angles are more critical than the M3.
After 30 years of blade shaving, I can tell you that my system is perfect for ME - but it may not be perfect for YOU. What I can say is that there are several things which absolutely must be true in order to have a goo dshave, and to avoid rashes, pain, blood etc.
1) ALWAYS shave after a shower.
2) ALWAYS wash your face thoroughly BEFORE preparing to shave.
3) When the blade fills, make sure it is COMPLETELY clean and empty before starting more strokes. Wash blade in fast running water, not a basin.
4) ALWAYS rinse well after shaving.
5) ALWAYS use a moisturiser after shaving. Non fragranced is best.
6) NEVER apply aftershave or eau de toilette to shaved areas.
7) Battery operated vabrating razors are a MUST HAVE.
In summation, yep - I agree, razors are going to continue to develop, and the best razors genuinely ARE a quantuum leap ahead of el cheapo rubbish. The TCO of owning the latest and greatest razors is only marginally higher than cheap razors: you use less strokes, so the blades last longer.
I dispute that