I've been thinking about doing this for a while, but finally purchased some Atra razor blades for the old Atra razor I got as a freebie in college (surprised it's not fallen apart with age!). The Atra is a (gasp!) 2-blade razor. I've been using the Mach 3 which is a, unsurprisingly, a 3-blade razor. Believe it or not, the difference between the two is tremendous. (Not so much the difference between 3 and 4.) Because I have an entire head to shave (and pumpkin-sized, to boot), I am concerned about the quality of the shave, and the Mach 3 blows Atra out of the water. But...the blades are at least twice the price. So, I opted to go back to Atra for at least a little while.
I thought I'd drop that information out on the interwebs, so I tweeted this:
I included a shout-out to Gillette in there just to pass along the frustration at the cost. A little while later I got this response from Gillette:
Well, now. Yes, your new ultra-fancy 4-blade razor with extra batteries and gold plating and diamond-encrusted handle may be the new standard in head shaving, but you missed the point. I'm sacrificing the quality shave in favor of the price.
Let's look at the price, just for kicks.
As you can see, instead of sympathizing at my cost issues, Gillette wants me to buy blades that cost almost twice what I was using, and almost 4 times what I switched to. Of course, they are a business, and their job is to make money, so what else are they going to suggest? But I was a little ticked. Although this isn't why I was tweeting this information, what I think Gillette should have done (what I would have done if I was in Gillette customer relations) would be to offer to me:
And yes, I've tried the 4-blade Fusion. While it's nice, I don't see a huge difference between that and the Mach 3. Certainly not worth the price.
I thought I'd drop that information out on the interwebs, so I tweeted this:
Just switched back to Atra from Mach 3 - blades are half the price. With a whole head to shave, that adds up!! @gillette
Bill Joseph
billjoseph
Bill Josephbilljoseph
I included a shout-out to Gillette in there just to pass along the frustration at the cost. A little while later I got this response from Gillette:
@billjoseph fair enough, but have you tried the #ProGlide? I hear constant headshaving testimonials for the new #ProGlide, give it a shot :)
Gillette
Gillette
GilletteGillette
Well, now. Yes, your new ultra-fancy 4-blade razor with extra batteries and gold plating and diamond-encrusted handle may be the new standard in head shaving, but you missed the point. I'm sacrificing the quality shave in favor of the price.
Let's look at the price, just for kicks.
- Atra Plus - 10 blades - $11.49 - $1.15/blade
- Mach 3 - 5 blades - $12.99 - $2.60/blade
- Fusion - 8 blades - $26.99 - $3.73/blade
- Fusion Pro Glide - 8 blades - $33.99 - $4.25/blade
As you can see, instead of sympathizing at my cost issues, Gillette wants me to buy blades that cost almost twice what I was using, and almost 4 times what I switched to. Of course, they are a business, and their job is to make money, so what else are they going to suggest? But I was a little ticked. Although this isn't why I was tweeting this information, what I think Gillette should have done (what I would have done if I was in Gillette customer relations) would be to offer to me:
- Coupon for Mach 3 blades
- Coupon for ProGlide blades
- A ProGlide razor
And yes, I've tried the 4-blade Fusion. While it's nice, I don't see a huge difference between that and the Mach 3. Certainly not worth the price.
