Big Razor Companies: Profit Above All Else
Until the last decade or so, the razor industry has been primarily dominated by one major publicly traded Consumer Packaged Goods conglomerate. There have been some other big players as well but one has owned most of the shaving market for decades, until recently. And most of the “innovation” has been driven by these big guys.
What has driven that “innovation”? Like most publicly traded companies, profit is the primary driver, if not the only driver. What has this “innovation” looked like? First a dual-blade razor, then “lubrication strips,” then a three blade razor, then a four blade razor, heads that twist, flex and roll, vibrating handles and the list goes on. In summary: Add more nonsense features, and charge consumers more for it. What value has this added for shavers? None. In fact, quite the opposite: worse shaves at higher costs.
In the last decade or so, there have been some new players entering the market that have also been called “innovative.” But the innovation has been to their business models, not to their products. If you look at the three largest razor brands in the market now: Gillette, Harry’s and DSC, the only real difference between them is the color of their handles. Their flagship products are all essentially the same: five-blade cartridge razors jam packed with blades and useless gimmicks.
The Shave Club that entered the market about a decade ago offered the first “subscription” shaving option. The fundamentals of their model outside of this subscription option? The exact same as other razor companies: Produce extremely cheap, low quality handles, sell them for almost nothing (which is frankly what they are worth), and overcharge for over-engineered cartridges and other cheap products in perpetuity. Their brand name would be much more accurate if it was $10 or $20 Shave Club. And all of the other companies continue to employ the same exact tactic: offer an extremely cheap entry point to get you hooked so they can burn up your face and your bank account for life.
UNO’s business model is quite the opposite of this. We will never have the lowest cost of entry. Why? Because our handle is premium. Individually CNC machined aircraft-grade aluminum handles, not crappy mass-produced molded plastic handles. And single-blade cartridges that are extremely high-quality. But NOT high priced. Why is this important to you? Two primary reasons:
It’s worth investing in a good handle. With a garbage, mass produced plastic/rubber razor and all of the other added gimmicks, you cannot feel your shave. With a precision tool like UNO in your hand, you can feel every stroke and will always get a much higher quality shave than what you get with the over-engineered products that have owned the market for so long.
Single-blade cartridges will give you the best possible outcome: save you from skin irritation and ingrown hairs AND save you money, in perpetuity.
So what would you rather have? A handle that you pay $5 for or even get for free so you can be overcharged for a lifetime of shaving? Or an honestly-priced precision handle that uses high-quality single-blade cartridges and will save you thousands over your lifetime? The answer is simple to Mike and I. Which is why we created this company. Our mission is to provide our customers what they deserve: a premium, honest and comfortable shaving experience for the right price, without the bullshit. That’s all.
