Designing the Pitbull Shaver: A Behind the Scenes Inside Look

We here at Skull Shaver continue to pursue some of the best possibilities for products that leave our customers satisfied with their purchase. Their trust is paramount to our success, and that's why we want to give you a sort of behind-the-scenes look at the making of our newest product: the Pitbull Shaver.

The story of Pitbull began in the winter of 2015.

While evaluating customer feedback, one thing was clear: our patented design was great, but our manufacturing partners were not of the quality we wanted. In the past we had to settle for mediocre manufacturers, but now it was time for a change. Right then and there we decided it was time to take the next step.

We set out to design a new shaver which was far superior. Something that looks great, and works even better. Something customers will rave about for years.

In early January 2016 we traveled to Los Angeles to meet some manufacturers. We did not come from a manufacturing background, which turned out to be good and bad.

It was good because sometimes when you are familiar with a field, you have preconceived notions of what is and isn't possible, and you don't push the limits.

It was bad because we didn't realize some of the common tactics used by manufacturers to improve their own financial sheets at the expense of us, the client. We found that manufacturers would produce excellent batches with high quality. Then after some time they would slowly start using sub-standard, less expensive components to grow their margins. Our inspection and testing processes were not very strong, and we were hurt in the market after a few bad batches.

The best manufacturers often overlooked us because we were small in size and capital. We ultimately had to chase a few who were willing to work with us AND who were willing to meet some very tough standards. They never heard of some of the standards and requirements we demanded. We have learned as we've grown, and now we know what it takes to make a premiere shaver with premiere parts.

We found one manufacturer we liked and completed our due diligence. They were not the biggest, but their manufacturing facility and their QA processes were very impressive. We were willing to pay more than market rate to get better than ever results. We saw fire in their eyes to build something that they have never seen before.

They had everything we needed: proven high quality manufacturing experience, an ability to scale, and impressive quality control testing. They were the one.

With the manufacturer selected, it was time to work on the specific features and quality we wanted in the next dream shaver.

It was a long process. It took almost a year to finalize the design, quality control, legal, and capital challenges. We did not want to rush and come up with a mediocre product.

We wanted the new product name to indicate stability, strength, and uniqueness in the world of shavers. After 6 months of discussion finally the name was settled. The Pitbull Shaver was born.

An early Pitbull sample from the factory. This was a proof of concept for the top panel finish and the invisible LCD readout on Pitbull Platinum.

One area we knew that we needed to improve was our quality control and inspection processes. Our new manufacturer has a proven track record of excellent QA processes and was already doing design and stress testing.

We consulted with quality assurance experts in the USA, Europe, and China. The consultations resulted in a new manufacturing policy: nothing will leave the factory until a thorough inspection of each and every batch is done. Every. Single. Batch.

One of the final inspections performed by our manufacturer.

With our focus on improved quality and durability, we also wanted to be able to conduct internal testing on shipments when they arrive at our warehouse. We needed to know that the shavers were good when they leave the factory, and know they are still good when they arrive.

We contracted a firm in Philadelphia to help us make a testing machine that will simulate the life cycle of a shaver. It is a simple, but effective device that powers each shaver on and off hundreds of times. When a new shipment arrives, we randomly select shavers and ensure that the batch is up to our quality expectations.

Proof of concept demo for the internal testing machine we use for quality assurance.

Another area for improvement was the blades. With Bald Eagle Shavers, we only had one type of blade. It was pretty good. But we weren't going for pretty good. Pretty good wasn't going to cut it.

We made the choice to offer three styles of Pitbull blades. All of them are designed to be sharper and smoother than the Bald Eagle blades. Our testing also shows that Pitbull blades last 30% longer than Bald Eagle blades.

The three blades are the Carver, Forte, and Baron. Each Pitbull blade has its own characteristics. Some blades are more expensive than others, but different people will prefer different blades. Every Pitbull blade is compatible with every Pitbull model, so customers can choose the blade that suits them best.

One of the first manufacturing samples we received. For many employees, this was the first look at Pitbull.

We also redesigned the way that Pitbull Blades attach to the handle. Pitbull Blades attach with a twist lock instead of being pressed on and pulled off. They are much easier to attach and remove. We have noticed that long time customers, out of habit, try to pull the new Pitbull blades off instead of twisting. Please don't do that! Also note that because of the new twist lock design, Bald Eagle and Butterfly attachments are not compatible with Pitbull shavers. In time we will have comparable Pitbull compatible attachments.

We have a few fantastic attachments ready to go with these new shavers. The CR-3 is the latest blade innovation from Skull Shaver. Individually floating blades align to the contours of your skin, allowing for our closest, smoothest facial shave yet! Perfect for shaving your body or head as well. The CR-3 provides a smooth, quick shave with no nicks or cuts. Quick-twist locking mechanism for fast and easy blade replacement. Blades pull hair inwards for a no-mess shave. Compatible with Pitbull, Palm and Butterfly Kiss shavers.

We have added these fantastic 3 Head Blades as a unit with the Pitbull Silver, Gold, and Platinum. You can now get the original 5 head and the 3head CR-3 Blade for a great price as a bundle if you look for the listings with the bonus blade.

But we haven't stopped there. In our quest to always improve and continue to develop better products we have also created PRO blades. Skull Shaver PRO blades let you shave faster than our previous designs. Multi directional rotary shaving heads let you shave in any direction. Shave up, down, left, right, whatever works best for you. Skull Shaver PRO blades have more blades per shaving head than our previous generation blades, giving you 20% more cutting action per rotation. All this means a faster shave so you can get on with life. They are made from premium hypo-allergenic Japanese stainless steel and offer deeper cleaning and less irritation.

As you can see, creating the best Skull Shaver product - the Pitbull Shaver - wasn't easy. And we're not going to get lazy in our approach to make even better products in the future. We carried over our lessons to the latest production of the Bald Eagle Smart line, and we are committed to creating Grade-A products for our customers and continually advancing in the industry.

It is an ongoing and exciting journey. We have so many great people to thank for the bridges they have built and connections they have made. The result will speak for itself as the quality, durability, and performance of our Pitbull Shaver is second to none. It is with great pleasure that we present three models of Pitbull: Silver, Gold, and Platinum.