The Dollar Shave Club commercial intrigued many. [Warning: some strong language bleeped out and one unbleeped dirty word].
It’s hilarious. Ridiculous. Completely over the top and worth talking about. As Seth Godin would say, it’s remarkable.
I was tired of paying over $3 per cartridge (and many times closer to $4) for a 5-blade Gillette Fusion razor. It’s expensive because they market the Fusion as if it is the only solution to caveman-like beards. Guys, it’s not! It’s not the only way!
Enter our friends from Dollar Shave Club. Their marketing alone sold me on the worthiness of trying it, at least for a month. This is a comprehensive Dollar Shave Club review in every sense of the word, so grab tightly to your can of shaving solution and get ready to nix your neck hair.
(Here’s a quick synopsis of my Dollar Shave Club review: it rocks. Their blades rock, their service rocks, and I’m a believer. If you want to buy your next razor from them right now, here’s an affiliate link that gets me a month of free razors and will help keep my blog afloat as a nice little razor subsidy for me. If you want the full analysis, read on. Also, there’s a hefty amount of comparisons between the DSC razor and the Gillette Fusion because everybody and their mother has the Fusion. It was also my last brand-named, overpriced razor.)
The Dollar Shave Club Blade Options
Upon your decision to test the DSC waters, you have three disposable razor options. I went with the 4x that costs $6 per month. I nixed The Humble Twin because shaving with two blades is pre-historic, but $9 a month for the Executive seemed too steep. I decided I didn’t need the extra backside trimming blade, because I pretty much always cut myself with it on the Fusion. So, the 4x aka “The Lover’s Blade” was the Goldilocks. And, spoiler alert, it’s pretty much perfect.
The Packaging
Each month DSC sends a confirmation email letting you know when your blades will ship (which is nice if you realize you want to switch to the every other month plan if you need fewer than 4-blades per month). The package arrives via USPS and took about three days to get to me in Northeast Ohio. It comes in a package that looks like this.
The Razor Handle
Your first handle is free, which is great. This thing is heavy in a good way. Easy to grip, a really nice weight (much more solid feeling than the Fusion handle) and it’s a fancy white color. Ooooh. Ahhhh.
One bummer–it’s a little tricky to get the blades swapped out. You have to push much harder than you do on the Fusion. The good news is you know your blade is definitely locked in there.
Niki and I shared a handle and would swap our blades back and forth. We were switching blades much more regularly than an average user who is only swapping blades when they wear out. Again, not a huge deal, just a note.
This month I spoiled my wife (read: I stopped being cheap) and I purchased an extra handle, which is super easy to do on the DSC website. It’s only $4 for an extra handle and they send it with your next round of blades.
The Blades
They last much longer than I anticipated. I shave every 2 – 3 days and I can use one blade for 2 – 3 weeks. Unlike the Fusion, the lubricated strip doesn’t wear down and break apart easily. The shave isn’t as close as the Fusion. It’s close enough for me though. If you have a job where you need a super close shave and you have face hair that grows like weeds juiced with Miracle-Gro, these blades might not be ideal for you (or you’re going to need to shave twice a day).
Obviously, using shaving cream makes the blades last even longer. They sent a free trial of Shave Butter. It sucks. I repeat: don’t buy the Shave Butter. I like to rock the old-school $1 can of Barbasol (which has a great new logo design. Way to go, Team Barbasol. Welcome to the late 90s!)
A quick razor blade PSA. I used to have this bad habit of slamming the razor against the sink to get the hair out, until I realized the blades were bending, because, you know they weren’t meant to be slammed. Now I just shake it out (Florence + the Machine style) under running water and the lifeless hair particles leap out with great joy.
I’ve noticed hair doesn’t stick in the blade like it does with the Fusion (man, this post is becoming a real Fusion smack down. Take that, P&G! That’s for that one summer when you didn’t accept me to be an intern!) which is an extra bonus.
The Final Dollar Shave Club Review Question–Is It Worth It?
Yes. Yes. $6-a-month yes. I’m sold.
The quality in most areas (handle quality, blade longevity) is better than an average disposable razor (outside of closeness in shave, not super important to me) and the price is way better at $1.50 a cartridge. This will likely save us $70+ a year on razors.
A Few Last Notes
Lifehacker noted that you can buy the razor and the blades here, from Dorco, the company that makes the razors DSC ships out.
I honestly think DSC is still worth it. No upfront costs of stocking up, the convenience of not having to buy more blades because you’re refilled once a month, and I just want these guys to make it. Also, you can’t buy an extra handle from Dorco on its own, so another reason DSC is worth it in our situation. I also love mail. Another DSC win!
If you change your mind about DSC, it’s super easy to cancel once you login to your account. I read somewhere online (this place can’t be trusted!) that it was difficult to cancel. Not true.
Also, they send you another free handle if you upgrade or downgrade to the $3 or $9 a month plan.
You won’t find any Dollar Shave Club coupon codes (it’s $6 a month, people!), but for every friend you refer, you get a month of free razors. Talk about a deal. So, hook up your friend by signing up for DSC right here.
Or you could just
– shave with one of these: the Merkur 34C
– buy this 3-pack of blades that will last you three years
– and begin getting the best shave of your life for only $5.88 per year (Plus the cost of whatever luxurious shave cream you’d like to treat yourself to! I recommend this: Proraso Refresh Shaving Cream
Then you’ll be shaving cheaper and better than ever before, as well as having the joy of shaving like your grandfather did.
Chad, I appreciate your commitment to a tried and true shaving style and your love for shaving like your grandpa.
I would, however, have to factor in the cost of multiple boxes of tissues to temporarily stop massive bleeding and potentially the cost of surgically repairing my jugular, making this a less affordable option for me.
Great tip for the steady hand, though!
I just joined the DSC because my husband has been trying to find “just the right shaver” and I think we have. They are great and he loves them and he also loved the butter by the way. Plus these guys are fun…..definitely worth it.
Cathy, glad to hear you love DSC too! Maybe I just didn’t use enough of the butter. I may have to give it another try.
I’m just a bit skeptical about ordering these razors. Would it honestly be worth my time to order from DSC? Thanks !
Let me say this. My husband has been having a heck of a time finding just the right razor and blades. I figured for $3.00 I couldn’t go wrong and if it didn’t work I was only out $3.00 (the blades he was buying cost that much at Publix Supermarket anyway). Well, he loves them and I have to say they are better than the ones at Publix, very smooth shave and the butter is fabulous….give it a try!
I think they’re worth it, Chad! I’m more than happy with the razors and they offer a big cost savings over the name brands. Either way I think $6 is a small risk for the potential reward!
Definitely stop by again and let us know what you think if you try them out.
Jordan – I appreciate the review. I just cancelled my membership (after having been with them since January 2013) and let me tell you why:
I had the middle package – There is something about the blades that just doesn’t cut it (pardon the pun). The angle of the blades just isn’t quite right. There is a huge orange bumper at the top of the attachment that sits considerably higher than the blades themselves – the result is me spending twice as long shaving every morning, going over and over the same spots trying to get them cut.
That’s not worth $6 per month when I can spend $30 on ebay for 16 blades and use those for an entire year.
I love the idea and I really wish success to these guys, but until they get a handle on the shaving angle, I’m out. I asked them to please shoot me an email if they ever get a new design, because I’d happily go back.
Matt, thanks for sharing your insight. I think you made a good observation and I never connected the lack of a close shave to the angle being a bit off. I noticed it’s not as close as other blades, but as I mentioned, it’s close enough for me.
I doubt they’ll change anything since they don’t actually control the design (as they get them from Dorco) but it’s possible they could switch suppliers in the future if they receive enough feedback.
Good thoughts. Thanks again!
I just signed up (yeah, yeah I used your affiliate link). This company has gotten so many positive reviews from all over the web it must be a great deal. SM
Definitely let us know what you think once you give them a go for yourself, Shawn! Thanks for letting us know you pulled the trigger on the blades.
Just signed up! very excited and awaiting my package in the mail!!
That’s exciting! Stop back and let us know what you think, Anthony.
I’m also a fan of shaving with a safety razor. Dollar-for-dollar, there’s no comparison; shaving with a safety razor and DE blades will always be cheaper. I still use my Gillette Super-Speed (bought on EBay for under $5 shipped) as my daily driver on my face and neck.
HOWEVER, I recently started shaving my head, and I realized after about 3 seconds that I was NOT going to accomplish that task several times a week with a “safety” razor. OUCH!! I tried the HeadBlade ATX, but it was awkward around the ears for me (mine are reminiscent of Dumbo’s). I tried a free sample of the Fusion ProGlide that I got in the mail, and so far, it’s been the best fit for me for shaving the awkward angles and contours of my head. But, Fusion ProGlide cartridges are FREAKISHLY expensive (especially compared to DE blades).
So I’ve just signed up for the 4x service at DSC, planning to share my subscription with my wife. We’ll see how it goes.
Jamie,
You’re more manly than me—safety razors scare me.
But, I’ll be curious to hear what your experience is foregoing the neck region and instead rocking the full-head with the DSC 4x.
I used the ProGlide and it’s a closer shave than DSC’s, but good grief it’s expensive. Gillette is making a killing on those blades.
Thanks for sharing your story.