PNaw10 | 
May 8th, 2009 | 
3 comments
What the hell is the deal with razor blade “cartridges” costing so much money? Seriously! The Gillette Fusion Power Cartridges pictured at left, a box of eight, retail for $23.99 at Walgreens (apparently the only retailer brave enough to post its prices online). What justifies that outrageous cost??
It’s five tiny pieces of metal, a rubber thing around the outside edge, and a piece of plastic holding it all together. It probably costs less than a dollar to make, so where the hell does Gillette get off charging about three dollars EACH for these?
It would be one thing if they were “perfect” but after giving them a pretty fair chance, I can attest that they inflict pain on my face every time I shave, and they do a pretty crappy job. These blades leave stubble across most of my neck, requiring a second or even third pass — and even then, it’s still not quite perfect, but I don’t have all day to stand at the sink shaving… I gotta get to work sometime today.
I think it might be time to downshift back to the old razor I had before this — the Mach 3. Their cartridges are much cheaper, and I don’t seem to recall any major problems.
But seriously, I’d like to hear from someone at Gillette and know what in the hell they were smoking when they came up with the prices for those Fusion cartridges.
I’ve been using the Mach 3 for years and I still love it. I still think their blades are expensive though.
Okay it’s not just Fusion blades. Which I’ve tried once and wasn’t impressed with. I never liked the Mach3, the head is too big for anything but whole-face clean shaven. I know Fusion has an opposing 6th blade for grooming. I’ve stuck with a nice Sensor handle a “Sport” model from the 90′s. I like the Sensor Excel cartridges, and really like the 3 blade sensor on the same size cartridge. But they’re all outrageously priced. Seemingly the last year or so they’ve really gone off the rail. And non-name brands are trending the same way.
So, other than not buying at the local store, buying in bulk, any other answers?
I can’t help but throw in my disbelief here too. I just paid $42 to Costco for a 15-pack of Fusion blades for my college-age son, who certainly could not afford to purchase them on his own. I am blown away by the expense! You practically need a loan to afford them. And I agree with the Pnaw10 – this is a razor blade. A RAZOR BLADE. We are not talking about aircraft engine technology here.
And later in the same day I paid $20 for a 10-pack of the Gillete Sensor XL blades, which I have used for several years now. I thought THAT was expensive, but the Fusion tops it easily. If Gillete and friends continues on their push to raise the cost of “safety razors” I will contemplate learning how to use the really old fashion single-edge blade, or else let it grow and see the barber every few months.