Flash Drives vs. Razor Blades

March 15th, 2008

I just returned from Costco, and felt the need to write this before I  lose all of my righteous indignation.  Ahh, righteous indignation….the fuel for so many fires.

Here’s my question to you all:

How is it possible that I can purchase a 4GB personalized flash drive for $35, (a freaking FLASH DRIVE!!!!) and yet it also cost $35 for the 16 pack of Mach 3 razor blades?

I’m not even buying the Mach 5 people.  Just the Mach 3. I’m two machs short of being top of the line. Three little strips of metal blades, covered in an advanced anti-friction coating, along with soft protective microfins and an enhanced indicator lubricating strip.  That’s it.

Four GB of memory cost of same as 16 razor blades.

How is this possible?

(My pet theory is that those microfins are so damn tiny and elusive that they must have been a nightmare to engineer…)

  • Rickshaw Driver

    I, like you, am not up to Mach 5 yet either and cringe every single time I have to buy a pack. Those things are so expensive that I scrape my face with blades that should have long since been thrown out. I think the oil industry and government are running this arena of grooming. I kid, I kid.

  • Jim

    Mach 3′s (and most razor blades) are a pure rip-off priced to pad the bottom line of the corporation and not related to cost of manufacturing.

    I have an alternative for you… Mach 3 disposeables. They are under 6 bucks for a 4 pack and seem to have almost the same life as the replacement heads.

  • http://blog.perfectapi.com Steve Campbell

    Electric razor. They’re just as good, and much cheaper in the long run. (Pros: quicker shave, no cuts, limited ongoing costs. Cons: Probably not as close a shave).

  • B Ready

    I am getting a straight-blade cause every time I use Mach 3, I think they downgraded it by changing the alloy so it gets dull faster… What better way to get you to buy the latest greatest vibrating mach- what-ever? A way more mach-o product was my first Braun shaver model 555- hands down the best gift I ever received!!. I went from looking like a stuck pig to – a MAN – It had a great book style case- great for travel- that zippered shut that you could drop from a few feet without breaking the shaver. Also,
    the case was vinyl so whisker bits wouldn’t stick. The latest case is ??felt lined?? What where they thinking? It doesn’t even zip shut. and even more disappointing it comes with a plastic charger that holds some special fluid in it that cleans the head automatically… what next? I’ll take my vinyl case that looks like dad’s shaving book any day. Who needs all this plastic? It only took me an extra minute to clean the thing under the tap. I have also wondered whether Braun messed with the alloy of their shaver heads in some effort toward “improvement” that would also save them a bit of money by getting rid of some more expensive exotic metal in the alloy and changing the thickness… however they do it. The first shaver cutting head must have lasted me a good year and a half ! The electric gives me a pretty good shave. I do, however, get the best shave with a razor but I need to give my face a rest and let the stubble grow before I use it.