Razor subscription services: Should I?

If you are a man who shaves, eventually you are going to need to replace your blades. Several razor subscription services have appeared in recent years, looking to hook the man who wants a close shave but doesn't want to think about replacing the blades when they wear out. In this article, I'm going to talk about two of the leading options, Dollar Shave Club and Harry's. Both of these services are advertised frequently on a lot of the podcasts I listen to, and if you look out there you can find some good discount codes.

ROUND ONE: HARRYS The first thing I noticed about Harry's is how comfortable the Razor is to hold. It just feels like it belongs in your hands. I tried the starter set which comes with the handle, one cartridge and a foaming shave gel. The gel is very nice, and in fact even if I wasn't going to continue using the razors, I would considering stocking up on the gel. There are four colour choices in the handle, I opted for the orange.  The first thing I noticed is how sharp these blades are, like ouch sharp. I cut my face the first few times I used it, which I never do with my usual Gilette razor. The five blade design is very efficient and I will admit that I got a very close shave when I figured out how to stop cutting myself. You choose the frequency of refill cartridges, and it is easy to change or cancel.

ROUND TWO: DOLLAR SHAVE CLUB

Dollar shave club is a little bit different, and is more like what you think a traditional subscription service would be like. The razors are sold in several designs, and the pricing is on a "per month" basis.  I tried the Executive, which is under $10 a month for the razor and four cartridges. Every month that you subscribe, they send you another package of four blades. I admit I like this idea as I tend to use my blades far longer than suggested. This way, you use a new blade every week and they don't stop coming until you cancel. The executive I chose is the 6 blade version, they also sell a four blade and a two blade, each of which is priced differently. This is more like the traditional shave I get from my Gillette, which feels familiar. I didn't cut myself with these blades (progress!) but I will also admit that the razor doesn't feel special in my hand. I much preferred the feel of the Harry's razor, even if I liked the shave I got from the Dollar Shave Club razor better. I also tried their Shave Butter and it was very nice, although I think I preferred the Harrys gel.

THE VERDICT

I kind of wish I could use the Harrys handles and shave gel with the dollar shave club blades. The Dollar Shave Club feels more like what I can buy at the local drug store and I went into this looking more for a shave experience. For now I am going back to my regular old blades, but with so many more competitors coming into the field, I will probably try the shave subscription idea again.

Get groomed receives no compensation from either of the services advertised in this blog. Dollar Shave Club Harry's ​