Phron
‹ The pattern library

Razor and blade

Sell the durable near cost to lock in a stream of high-margin consumables or services the durable requires.

The question that settles it

Does owning the durable force repeat purchases the seller controls the price of?

When it breaks

When third parties can supply the blade (compatible consumables, independent service), the installed base stops being captive and the model collapses to selling cheap razors.