Dollar Shave Club Review

Replacement blades for razors are expensive. Dollar Shave Club arrived on the scene in 2011 to tap into a market ripe for a cheaper alternative.

The Dollar Shave Club site states that your first shipment will contain a free handle, a free sleeve of blades, and a container of Dr. Carver’s Shave Butter. And here’s the real draw: “When you don’t overpay for blades, you can use a fresh one anytime you want. It’s life-changing.”

What is Dollar Shave Club?

There are three levels of blade to choose from. There’s the titular, $1 per month blade and corresponding handle, as well as $6 and $9 per month handle and blades. You are provided with enough blades to use a fresh one each week.

The $1 blade, known as the “Humble Twin,” features (you guessed it) two blades. The $6 “4X” has four blades, and the $9 “Executive” has 6 blades. All blades are crafted from stainless steel.
The Dollar Shave Club site also indicates that you can change your blade subscription plan at any time, and they will ship the new handle to you for free.

Of course, they also offer a wide variety of creams, cleansers, body bars, hair care products, sunscreens, moisturizers, and even “buttwipes” for men.

While I do have a beard, I still shave above and below it regularly to maintain a sharp look. So I decided to give the Dollar Shave Club a try.

Gillette Fusion replacement blades are extremely expensive ($4 or $5 each). The Bic disposable razor is much less expensive, but does a hack job on my face. So the low price and high quality of the razors provided by Dollar Shave Club seemed like the perfect solution for me.

My Experience With Dollar Shave Club

I decided to try the $6 per month, “4X,” which is supposed to be comparable to the Gillette Fusion. My handle and first month’s blades came free with the Dr. Carver’s Shave Butter.

And in the interest of a completely honest review, I shaved my beard off!

Before Dollar Shave Club

First of all, I really liked the shave butter. My skin is sensitive, and the product protected and softened my face, and allowed the blades to glide smoothly across my skin. I’ve used other shaving creams and gels that were just as effective, and about the same price. It’s a good product, but not a game changer.

Post Dollar Shave Club

But the blades, my friend. The blades. The blades are excellent, comparable to something Gillette would put out. But at a reduced price. As I said above, they provide enough blades so that you can trade out for a new one each week.

So when the razors are comparable, and you can get that new-blade feel every single week, Dollar Shave Club becomes a no-brainer.

What’s also nice about Dollar Shave Club is that there are no fees, and no commitments as you can cancel at any time. Furthermore, if you don’t shave as frequently (like me with my beard), you can have the blades delivered every two months instead of every month. That sort of customization is nice from a club that is so inexpensive.

In the interest of due diligence, I took the internet to seek out what others thought of Dollar Shave Club. For the most part, folks agreed with me. Of course, there were some negative reviews, including ones which “do the math” and say that an electric razor delivers more value per shave.

But, like the Bic disposables, I’ve never used an electric razor that gave me a close, smooth shave, especially on my neck.

So, I will be keeping my Dollar Shave Club subscription, and I encourage you to start one for yourself as well.