RetroRazor is spreading the gospel of Classic Shaving:
RetroRazor wants to change our daily shaving routine.
We want to turn it into a ritual that is enjoyable, healthy, ecologically and economically sound. We embrace a simple shaving ‘technology’ that has been field tested by gazillions of men and women across the globe over the past century.
Old School Safety Razors are:
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…
Razor Renaissance!
As the groundswell of nostalgists and frugalistas are rediscovering the razors used by their grandparents. Platinum and teflon-edged “Punk-Rock” razor blades 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? Follow @RetroRazor on Twitter and tell us your top frust-razor-tion with modern shaving, or why you are interested in old school shaving and be sure to add #HARO. We are randomly giving 10 starter kits aways to HARO readers!
Interested in a story about shaving or old school razors, email
[email protected] or call 206.569.4461 to schedule an interview with Chadd Bennett, Founder and Chief Lathering Officer, RetroRazor.com (bio below)
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 American 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 and resulting cost bubble. Proceed at your own risk…Two blades, three blades, four blades, five…
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
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