Posted: Jan 20, 2012

Review: Dollar Shave Club

These Blades Are F***ing Terrible!

OK, this isn't a typical Wood Nerd review. But hey, most of you shave, right?

I came across an ad for Dollar Shave Club (DSC), promising quality shaving blades for just $1 per month. I thought the commercial was a hoot ...

Hey, sounded like a great idea, so I gave it a try.

Despite DSC's claim that their blades are "f***ing great", in reality they're f***ing terrible. I started out with their $1 a month basic blades, which in reality is $3 a month with shipping. Still, seemed like a good deal. After a few days I got a plain cardboard envelope with a set of five twin-blade razors and a very lightweight handle. A little cheap-feeling, but hey, it's only a dollar a month, right?

Well, it turns out they were the worst razor blades I've ever had the misfortune to use. Way, way worse than the cheap disposable razors that my wife buys and I've been forced to use in an emergency. They quite simply don't cut very well. Not only do they not get close, somehow they leave patches completely untouched. All while cutting me up worse than I've ever been cut. I shave my head also and I looked like I'd been hit by tiny shrapnel.

OK, maybe the super-cheap blades weren't the best idea. I decided to upgrade to the $6 per month 4-blade model. You only get four heads per month, but you don't pay shipping so it only works out to $3 a month more than the terrible basic model.

Once again, it was just a few days before I got my new blades. They included a much nicer handle, so I had high hopes. But just one shave showed they were also quite crappy. I don't know what the deal is with their blades, but again there were many spots where the blades simply wouldn't cut the hairs at all. Apparently the blades would lay down the hairs and just slide over them. At least I wasn't getting cut up as badly with the upgraded blades.

I've been using Gillette Fusion blades for several years now. I've been buying them at the grocery store where they work out to about $6 a head. They're quite pricey, so I don't replace the very often. I usually get about a month's use from each head. I was thinking that for the same price, with DSC I'd get have a fresh blade every week and a closer shave. That didn't work out at all, a month-old Fusion blade cuts better and more comfortably than the brand-new DSC model.

Lesson learned: Sometimes things are inexpensive because they're f***ing cheap.