When (other) Adam and I started Leaf Shave, we simply set out to make a better razor. It wasn't about making the most sustainable razor. We weren't trying to make the cheapest razor. And we certainly weren't interested in producing a copycat of something already out there.
No, we wanted to make a truly unique product. Something special that brought a new perspective to the table.
It's special, but is it worth it?
To the question at hand. We need to look at what that uniqueness brings to the table, and to understand its costs relative to other options.
Maybe you use a plastic razor, or perhaps you've tried a traditional safety razor. Either way, this is going to be something new and exciting. The Leaf razor is worth it if it delivers on a truly great shave. It's worth it if it makes shaving plastic-free more accessible. And it's worth it if it has a lower cost-per-use than alternative options. It's up to you to decide which of those things are enough for you.
Sustainable-focused shaving solutions are incredibly important. Ever since the introduction of plastic razors a half-century ago, shaving has become awfully wasteful. Billions of plastic razors and cartridges are dumped into ocean and landfills worldwide each year. Sustainability goes hand-in-hand with accessibility.
But people will only make the switch to a more sustainable way to shave en-masse when it's accessible.
That means accessible via the Product
- - Easy to use
- - Safer than alternatives
- - Fast, efficient shaves
And that means accessible via the Price
- - How much does it cost me now
- - How much will it cost over time
- - How does this cost compare to alternative options
The Leaf's pivoting-head design makes safety-razors accessible to use
There's nothing out there quite like a Leaf razor, with it's multi-blade pivoting head design.
Traditional safety razors are hard to shave safely with. There is a big learning curve. And without proper technique it is quite easy to nick or cut your skin while shaving. Even if you get the hang of it, shaving with one takes longer as you must move slower, with shorter strokes.
That's where The Leaf comes in. It's swivel head safety razor design means that the razor itself holds the blade-angle steady for you while you shave. Combine that with the ability to adjust how aggressive The Leaf is, and you get a safety razor that is:
- Easier-to-use and learn
- A faster shave with
- A safer shave
Our designs allow more people to start shaving with a zero-waste plastic-free razor.
The Leaf's inexpensive blade model makes shaving plastic-free accessible by saving money
There is literally an economic business model named after shaving. Have you ever heard of the Blade and Razor model? Yes, this eponymous descriptor of billion dollar shaving brands is all around us.
Think: printers and toner; coffee machines and coffee pods; game consoles and cartridges. The idea is to sell something at an artificially low-price knowing that users must keep coming back to you for the "blades" for the rest of their time using your products.
Big Shave companies have gotten very good at keeping people in their shaving ecosystem with increasingly dubious "improvements" (Do you need your razor to be electrically heated? We contend: No).
Modern internet shave brands have also capitalized on this same model, fictitiously fronting as the underdog but deploying the same model "give 'em the handle, sell 'em the blades".
Yes, plastic disposable cartridge replacements are cheaper than The Leaf razor up-front. But if you look at the cost of shaving over time you will quickly see why you are better off economically investing in a quality safety razor like The Leaf.
I understand that making the upfront investment is not possible for everyone's specific financial situation.
Leading cartridges can cost $3 to $5 (or more) per replacement. If you use 2 to 4 cartridges a month that's somewhere in the neighborhood of $72 to $240 per year spent on throwaway plastic cartridges.
The average shaver with internet shave brands (Dollar Shave Club, Harry's, Billie, etc.) spends $7+ each month month on comparable razor blades (4 pack), that's still $84+ per year spent on throwaway plastic cartridges.
With Leaf Shave, you're buying a high-quality tool upfront (our handle is $84, and comes with 10 blades). After that, safety razor blades are so inexpensive (you can buy them from Leaf for $0.19 each) that the average Leaf Shaver will spend just a few dollars on blade replacements each year.
After your first year, you have returned your investment in blade-savings alone, and will continue to save hundreds or thousands of dollars over your shaving life.
And yes, with a twinkle in our eye, we can demonstrate a conservative investment strategy for those "shaving savings" yielding $50k+ in long-term earnings 😂.
Importantly, with Leaf Shave you won't be locked into a proprietary blade. Our razors are open. You can use any standard DE or half-DE safety razor blade. That's something you can't find in any of those overpriced plastic options.
Choice.
Yes, The Leaf razor is worth it
The Leaf razor's innovative features make it the easiest to use, fastest and safest safety razor. Even accounting for the up-front investment, shaving with The Leaf is economically advantageous over time.
And to that, I say: Take your time. Even though the most common feedback we here is that someone wished they just made the leap earlier, that's okay, because we're not going anywhere.
- Adam
