Welcome HARO readers

RetroRazor is spreading the gospel of Old School Shaving:

RetroRazor wants to change your readers daily shaving routine.

We want to turn it into a ritual that is enjoyable, healthy, ecologically and economically sound. We embrace a simple and inexpensive shaving ‘technology’ that has been field tested by gazillions of men and women across the globe over the past century.

Old-School Safety Razors:

Safety Razor, with Turkish, Israeli, and Korean blades

  • Greener: 90% less material waste, no blister packaging
  • Cheaper: $36 for a starter razor handle, $15-25 for 100 platinum blades
  • Closer: Less irritation & razor burn; one blade = less friction against the skin
  • Fun: Start the daywith a ‘choose-your-own-blade, soap, and scent’ adventure
  • Moxy! The Chrome razor and shaving brush look cooler than a plastic disposable razor: Mad Men, the NYTimes Style magazine, Esquire, the list goes on…

So why are you here?

Razor Renaissance!

A groundswell of nostalgists and frugalistas are rediscovering the razors used by their grandparents. Are these your readers? They are discovering the platinum and teflon-edged “Punk-Rock” razor blades that cost less than a quarter each and last just as long as the fancy-schmancy multi-blades. And those with sensitive skin, prone to razor burn or bumps, are finding relief in one single blade. Testimonials abound on the effectiveness of old-school shaving.

The humble, yet cool, safety razor has since been recently spotted:

Scenes on Heroes, Iron Man, and Don Draper wields a classic Gillette in a wholly depressing scene in S02, a Shave-Off on the Seattle NBC affiliate, and other earned publicity.

Interested in trying out a razor yourself?

We are randomly giving 10 starter kits away to HARO readers…a few ways to win:

    Fill out the entry form on the bottom of this page. Your information will not be shared with anyone!
    or follow @RetroRazor on Twitter and tell us your top frust-razor-tion with modern shaving or what piques your interest in old school shaving, and add #HARO.

Interested in a story about shaving or old school razors?

Email PR@RetroRazor.com or call 206.569.4461 to schedule an interview with Chadd Bennett, Founder and Chief Lathering Officer, RetroRazor.com.

Prophet over Profit:

In 2002, Chadd Bennett, a Seattle-based tour guide for Rick Steves found an 1960′s Gillette Superspeed in the Cinque Terre. He was looking for replacement Sensor blades, but stumbled upon a razor revelation:

“Why have these ‘open-source’ razors disappeared from the US market?”

It started with a razor collection, then moved to selling and trading with friends. The company was bootstrapped – with less funding than the average family of four spends on razors annually-  to lead the revolution towards a more sustainable, less expensive, and damn cooler way to shave for men and women.
Our primary mission is raising awareness of the alternatives to wasteful shaving. We also have a small webstore that funds our community outreach projects, including Teens Turning Green, but as they say, margins are ‘Razor Thin’ in the safety razor world!
Warning: below are the tinfoil hat mumblings about grooming cabals leading to the exponential rise in blades andresulting cost bubble. Proceed at your own risk…Two blades, three blades, four blades, five…

A simpler, gentler way to shave

We have bought into a sinister plot to inflate the cost & complexity of shaving

The market has moved us from ‘open-source’ blades to expensive proprietary cartridges. They convinced us that multiple blades give a closer shave; that they ‘lift and cut’ – a US District judge ruled this as ‘literally false’ in a cut-throat case between Schick and Gillette! Is this shaving bubble about to burst?

The simple ritual of hot lather and an inexpensive razor has (d)evolved
Five-bladed vibrating behemoths with lubricated strips, rubber fins, $4 replacements, and celebrity athlete endorsements.
Shaving is an $8 billion industry, and the humble safety razor was quietly shuffled away to the bottom shelf at the drugstore. It must be easier to build bottom-line profits with expensive blades than only fit one brand, than with $.25 cent blades from across the world; Our collection includes ‘open-source’ blades from over 15 countries and 30 manufacturers…and growing!

Here are a few links to find more information on our news!

For Press and Media

Reviews of RetroRazor

{ 1 comment… read it below or add one }

djchai April 16, 2010 at 7:48 am

We will see what the magic 8 ball tells…but a Rodeo Princess deserve a great razor!

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