The Heritage DE razor by Gillette will ship 1 November. Yes, I did pre-order one. Sharpologist has more info. Note that the “stainless steel” in the description refers to the blade, not the razor, which is probably chrome-plated zinc alloy (like the Edwin Jagger). It might be brass (like the old Gillette razors), but I doubt it.
I would say that this is a strong indication of the growth of the traditional shaving movement. In the various prefaces to the Guide, I list various indications, most recently in the preface to the 7th edition:
I’ve seen considerable change over the years of writing and revising the book: more vendors, more forums, more new razors, more men using a double-edge (DE) razor and true lather. The remarkable growth in traditional shaving with a DE razor gets its energy and impetus from a promise fulfilled: DE shaves really are better, and cheaper, and actually enjoyable.
The rapid growth of the wet-shaving movement, using single-blade razors—double-edge (DE) safety razors, the focus of this book, and also straight razors (SR) and single-edge (SE) safety razors—is due to several factors:
- Increasing awareness by men of their skin’s health and health issues.
- Increasing visibility and availability of traditional shaving tools: more vendors and more products, including razors.
- Increasing prices of multiblade cartridges and canned foam, coupled with an economy that has required many to find cheaper lifestyles.
Over the past couple of years the third reason has come into high relief as the global economy stuttered and faltered, and in this edition I identify many good low-cost options for razors, brushes, soaps, and shaving creams.
I would add that using a DE razor and true lather is more enjoyable than using a cartridge razor and canned foam, a reason I explore in this comment from earlier this morning.