Over the 40 plus years I’ve been shaving, I have alternated between replaceable cartridge blade razors and electric/rechargeable razors. The majority of time has been using the replaceable cartridge kind.
I’ve probably bought at least 3, and perhaps as many as 4 or 5 electric razors in those forty years. Allways, after a period of time, migrating back to the replaceable cartridges for some reason. Sometimes, due to the rechargeable razor no longer holding its charge, or some other reason.
With disposable cartridges, I always cringe at the grocery store when I need to buy another set of 4, or 8 cartridges, since it seems like it’s costing me an arm and a leg at the time. Yes, I know, you take the $32 cost, and spread it out over 6 months and it’s really only $5 a month (I’m just making up these figures, so don’t quote me). I just hate seeing that price tag of $32 (or $16), since everything else at the grocery store costs an average of $3-4, right? I mean (not to go off on a tangent, I also cringe when I’m buying one of those 18 pack rolls of toilet paper for $20, or $16 for a 96 count container of laundry detergent pods – it just makes me steam).
Ok, going back to the razor situation.
Since I quit USPS almost two yrs ago, I’ve been pretty lax in shaving, sometimes going a week without putting on the lather.
(you might have noticed…)
Next week, it seems I now have to get back into shaving on a daily basis (apparently something to do with my getting a job).
So, I decided to try out the electric razor alternative again.
Went to Tar’get this morning.
To make things simple, I’m just going to focus on just one brand (they had at least two brands, maybe three). I’ve always been a “Norelco” person myself and decided to look at what they had.
Before I tell you the number of different Norelco models, take a second and guess.
====
====
====
Got a number in mind?
Tar’get had eight (8!) Norelco razor models, ranging in price from $40 to more than $200.
I knew my price point, before even going into the store, was going to be somewhere between $50 and $100. There was no way, I am spending $150 (not to mention the over $200 model).
Here are the (non-sale) price points:
40, 50, 70, 90, 110, 150, 180, and 210.
I mean, how can you choose between all those different models??
To make it easier on myself, I threw away the top three models (too expensive), and then focused on the remaining five.
Let’s leave off that bottom ($40) basic model since it probably has the least “features”.
And this is where they get you. You are now trapped: four models with only a price differential of twenty bucks. I mean, if I say, I’m going to buy the $50 model, and I see the next model (with more “features”) is only another twenty, then I should probably get the $70 model.
Oh, look, the next model is only $20 more, what’s another twenty (among friends), so now, you’re looking at the $90 version.
And, so it goes.
Until you have the $110 model in your grubby little hands (especially since it’s on sale is now $99).
Why does any company need to make eight different version of the same thing???
Yeah, I get it, I’m not that stupid, and the question was rhetorical.
Manufacturers know everyone has a different price point when it comes to buying things. And, they want to sell to every man, not just the guy who can only afford the $50 model. If they can find a sucker to buy a $210 razor, they will do that, even though, we all know the $210 razor really is just the $50 razor with probably only another $50 in enhancements/features, etc. Do we really think, Norelco actually added or changed enough “stuff” on that $50 razor that raised their cost by another $100-150??
No.
Of course not.
So, I’m sitting here right now, running my hand over my freshly shaved face, and…
Kicking myself for not getting the next model up from the version I bought.
(Just kidding)
=============================
What’s that?
Oh, you’re curious which model I bought?
I was going to choose the $90 model in the middle, but the $70 version was on sale for $60, so I ended up with that one.
Norelco says to take at least three weeks to try this out – it takes that long for your face/beard to adjust going from a bladed razor to a electric spinning rotary type.
I’m sure I’ll use this for about a year or two, before I once again, go back to using cartridge razors.
(to be filed under: “everything you wanted to know about razors but were afraid to ask.)
