Stainless Steel Razor Blades
In 1965, Wilkinson Sword introduced stainless steel razor blades. The previous carbon steel razor blades rusted fast enough that many people used a new blade each day. Wilkinson Sword blades made rapid gains in the market, because one blade, though somewhat more expensive, could be used for a week. This very roughly cut the market for razor blades by a factor of seven. This introduction gave Wilkinson a substantive market share. Previous market leaders quickly responded by introducing their own stainless blades. The technology had been available for some time, but the market leaders like Gillette, which held a patent on stainless blades, presumably knew that any gain for them in market share would be overwhelmed by the dramatic reduction in the size of the market.
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Famous quotes containing the words stainless steel, stainless, steel, razor and/or blades:
“I stir my martinis with the screw,
four-inch and stainless steel,
and think of my hip where it lay
for four years like a darkness.”
—Anne Sexton (1928–1974)
“I stir my martinis with the screw,
four-inch and stainless steel,
and think of my hip where it lay
for four years like a darkness.”
—Anne Sexton (1928–1974)
“I will be steel!
I will build a steel bridge over my need!
I will build a bomb shelter over my heart!
But my future is a secret.
It is as shy as a mole.”
—Anne Sexton (1928–1974)
“Experience has taught me, when I am shaving of a morning, to keep watch over my thoughts, because, if a line of poetry strays into my memory, my skin bristles so that the razor ceases to act.”
—A.E. (Alfred Edward)
“And he gave it for his opinion, that whoever could make two ears of corn, or two blades of grass, to grow upon a spot of ground where only one grew before, would deserve better of mankind, and do more essential service to his country, than the whole race of politicians put together.”
—Jonathan Swift (1667–1745)