Review: Dollar Shave Club

(Disclaimer: I am doing this review on my own, without free product from the company. I joined the company in hopes of finding a cheaper, better blade. This is my honest review about the service and the product.)

I truly dislike shaving.

When I worked at the paper, I could get away with going 3-4 days without shaving. When I was unemployed, there were times I’d go weeks without it. In my new job, I have to do it every day or every other day, before I look “grubby.” Thankfully, my facial hair doesn’t grow as fast as others, so I can often get away with two days.

Years ago, I used to use a beard trimmer and get as closes as I could. I’ve tried electric shavers and they work awful. I finally went back to blades and spent years finding something I liked. I then found the Gillette Fusion. This, in my eyes, is the perfect system. The blades cut well, cut close and smooth and don’t feel like you are ripping hair out of your face.

What’s really nice is the Fusion has five blades on one of their razor heads, so it works well and I could shave quickly, efficiently and rarely ever nick myself.

But here’s a problem — the Fusion isn’t cheap. For four blades, it’s usually in the $15-18 range, pending where you go. It gets more expensive, obviously, when you buy more blades.

Enter the Dollar Shave Club.

I saw this on Facebook a while back and put it to the back of my head. For a buck a month (plus shipping), you could get razors sent to your door.

The dollar shaver is the Humble Twin — which has two blades. They send you five cartridges a month. To me, it seems like the old Bic throwaways, just as replaceable ones. So I skipped that, even though it probably would have cost me like $3 per month.

Then there’s the 4X. A four-blade cartridge (they send you four per month). I considered this one, especially at $6 per month total. I actually went and bought some four-blade disposables to try, being it would be one fewer blade than the Fusion. I didn’t mind the four blades, but I figured, go big or go home.

So I went with The Executive. You get a six-blade cartridge (four per month). There’s a trimmer edge, which I’m not sure what it is, but it sounds important. And heck, it even says this blade comes from the future and lives in outer space.

Hello!

It also has an Aloe, Vitamin E and Lavender Lubricating Strip, which apparently moisturizes and calms sensitive skin.

I enjoyed the whimsical packaging when the blade and the razor handle came (you get a handle any time you switch blades). It was creative and made me feel like I was more than a customer. The handle felt solid and the blades looked good.

As for the shave…

Pretty solid. I’d give the blade an 8 out of 10. It felt a little more coarse than say the Fusion, but it’s way better than disposables. I’ve shaved three or four times with the initial blade and it’s gotten better each time. Not only that, I haven’t had to change blades yet. I like that because I may opt to go every two months to get blades — maybe. It’s an option people can use.

The one thing that I give a 10/10, though, is the handle. It’s comfortable and light, which is something I truly like.

I did nick myself a couple of times the first two times I shaved with these blades, but that might be me getting used to them. Since then, I’ve been fine. The blades are sharp, cut close and seem to do a job in a comfortable way.

I may switch for a month or two to the 4X to see how they feel and see if they might be a better fit for me, but, if not, I’m more than happy with The Executive and the work it does.

The reality is this — you get a solid blade for a good price and it’s delivered to you each month. The two higher-prices cartridges come with shipping included. The $1 blade doesn’t include shipping, which is understandable. The service I’ve dealt with is extremely excellent.

They also offer some extras (I haven’t tried them, therefore I can’t review them here), such as shaving butter (their “cream,” which does sound interesting to help make the shave better) or butt wipes. Maybe down the line I will try them, but I’ll have to see. The prices seem OK, but I don’t know how much I would use them as I have a cream I like, though I’d change if this stuff was good! If they had a trial size, I’d definitely jump on that. I’ll keep an eye out. If I do use these items, I’ll review them in the future (along with maybe a different blade, if I try them).

If you are like me and always on the lookout for a comfortable shave, I wouldn’t hesitate to at least try Dollar Shave Club. Everybody is different with blades, but I’m pretty confident most people would enjoy these. If you do decide to join, please use this link as I can get some referral points built up and get a free month or two out of it!

And, if you do join, or if you’re already a member, drop a note in the comments below. I’d love to hear what others think about the blades and the service.

Feel free to leave a comment, or e-mail P.J. at hoohaablog [at] gmail.com. Also, please “Like” HooHaa Blog on Facebook!