A Look Behind And A Look Ahead To 2021

mantic59
July 13, 2021
Shaving

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Well…that was an interesting year, wasn’t it? Let’s take a look back at 2020 and see what may be ahead in 2021 for wet shaving and Sharpologist.

What And Where In 2020

The most popular articles (by page views, in order) on Sharpologist in 2020 shouldn’t raise too many eyebrows, though there were a couple that surprised me:

The ‘best double edge razor’ and ‘best shaving soap’ articles are popular in search engines such as Google, with several “keywords” ranking very highly.

The teenage skincare, hair tonic, and pomade articles may not be closely tied to wet shaving but they have been featured on Google search results and brought in a lot of visitors.

Search Engine Queries Leading To Sharpologist

Here are some search engine keywords that lead to Sharpologist and their average ranking (relative to traffic “impressions”) from Google:

sharpologist: 1
best adjustable safety razor: 2.3
pomade vs wax: 2.4
how to use hair tonic: 3.8
best synthetic shaving brush: 4.1
gillette heritage razor: 4.2
gillette skinguard review: 5.1
supply razor review: 5.4
best double edge razor: 6.4
best shaving soap: 7.9

Most Popular Products

[Note: Amazon, Geni.us, PAA, and West Coast Shaving links may be affiliate.]

In addition to article/topic interest, there is also a metric measuring the products actually purchased through links coming from Sharpologist. Here are the top results (sorted by popularity):

The Parker adjustable Injector razor and the PAA Peregrino brush are particularly noteworthy here given how late in the year they were launched.

Geni.us Links

Sharpologist uses the Geni.us link shortener to offer readers a variety of vendors to buy some products from with “choice pages.” Looking at the traffic from these pages may not translate into actual purchases but can show relative interest in a product. Here are the top links (sorted by the number of accesses):

Crunching The Data And Looking Ahead

So, what may all this data mean? I think I can make some reasonable inferences from it.

Clearly, classic, traditional products like the Merkur 34C razor and Taylor Of Old Bond St. Sandalwood shave cream are still enormously popular. But there is also a lot of interest in “variations on the theme” with things like adjustable razors and single-edge razors.

Interest in other “old school” grooming products like pomade and hair tonic is also solid.

Conclusion

As Sharpologist enters its tenth (!) year I plan to “keep on keepin’ on” with old school, single blade shaving content. But I think I’m going to widen the subject matter a bit to include more content to bring in the cartridge crowd for assimilation and to offer a little more general grooming content as it relates to classic products like hair tonic and pomade. Straight razor topics should get more love, too.

Over to you. Given the data here what are your suggestions for Sharpologist content in 2021? Leave a comment below!

Shave tutor and co-founder of sharpologist. I have been advocating old-school shaving for over 20 years and have been featured in major media outlets including The Wall Street Journal, The Washington Post, and Lifehacker. Also check out my content on Youtube, Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest!View Author posts

11 thoughts on “A Look Behind And A Look Ahead To 2021”

Ted Wolf January 6, 2021 at 12:09 pm

Happy new year and happy 10th anniversary. Since I got back into DE shaving you have been one of the best voices for rational advice and new products. Keep up the good work.
1. Mantic-59 January 6, 2021 at 12:57 pm
  
  Thank you Ted!
TeraTelnet January 5, 2021 at 5:07 pm

Mark, given your love of OneBlades I wonder if you will be taking a look at their upcoming Hot Lather Machine? I’m intrigued but a bit leery of pre-ordering.
1. Mantic-59 January 6, 2021 at 9:25 am
  
  Probably!
Steve Riehle January 5, 2021 at 12:24 pm

Hi, Mark

I’m an avid reader and I appreciate your work, efforts and wisdom.

During 2021 I would suggest reducing podcasts. It takes much longer to listen to a podcast than to read the identical information in written form especially if the speaker rambles.

We live in a busy world, and many of us are busy and are time conscious.
Maury Marcus January 4, 2021 at 11:33 pm

Look forward to more info for cartridge lovers.
Sean V. January 2, 2021 at 7:33 pm

Thanks for all the good articles, reviews and info on shaving. I have become reacquainted with you and this site after I was originally introduced to DE, wet-shaving by my brother-in-law about 10-yrs ago (via Reddit). Since then I have found some new vendors thru your reviews and have been very happy. PAA (oenixartisanaccoutrements.com) CK-6 formula shaving soap is AMAZING in scent but moreover with the thick lather, cushion and post shave feel. Plus the soap seems like it is going to last a looooong time as it doesn’t take make to load my brush up enough for 4-5 passes. I also have their cube (mentholated pre-shave soap), ingenious alum air dock & grip band. I also discovered shaving scuttles via PAA and highly recommend their travel scuttle. I can no longer imagine not having hot lather for my shaves. And I am now hooked on the One Blade! I tried the Core Razor based on your review and their huge sale. I didn’t expect a $20 single edge razor with a pivoting head to be that amazing and give me a BBS every time without razor burn, even on my sensitive neck, ATG! I also found Razorock (soaps, haven’t tried the adjustable razor yet), and other great vendors from this site. So keep up the great work and thanks for all you do and this community!
Saul Nathanson January 1, 2021 at 2:03 pm

Very interesting article. As a dedicated cartridgenian I have long wandered alone in the shaving world. I have tried several DE devices and have wondered why they still exist. Perhaps it is a mindless obsession with an idealized nostalgia. I will always use the cartridge because I almost never draw blood and always get a BBS smoothness. I read about 2 and 3 pass shaves with a DE gadget and scoff as I normally take a 12-16 pass until I am satisfied that not a stubble remains. The DE is 120 year old technology. Might as well use a straight razor or broad sword. I’d like to see a comparison of all the leading cartridges.
1. The Sharpologist January 1, 2021 at 2:06 pm
  
  You’ll be seeing more cartridge-related content.
Olde Hound January 1, 2021 at 12:32 pm

Nice roundup, Mark! Perhaps, this year you could look at the changes in Dollar Shave Club, where nothing costs a dollar. Its products are not at Wegmans, Walmart, Walgreens, and I’m sure others will come. I bought DSC’s new 4-blade razor, and has been redesigned, as has its 6+blade version. They are no longer Dorcos, and the blades are made in Israel. I have gotten two very good shaves. The previous “Lather” cream, which I could not get to lather, is now called Shave Cream, and it lathers beautifully for me in a lather bowl. About 30 seconds for a rich, stable lather, which to my aged sniffer, smells much better than Gillette Pure, and lathers much better. For $7.00 for a 6 0z tube, I believe traditional wetshavers will like this product. DSC’s post-shave products are excellent. Seems the purchase by Unilever is a win-win. Sorry, for the long post, but one more issue: When Edgewell tried to buy Harry’s, the bid was legally stopped because Harry’s already had an online presence and one in Target. Now Unilver is allowed to sell its products in other stores and has had an online presence for 10 years? Happy New Year
1. The Sharpologist January 1, 2021 at 12:34 pm
  
  Yes, as a matter of fact I have several Dollar Shave Club articles planned!

Comments are closed.

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