By Normand Bourque Jr (@RamblinBlogger7)
We have all seen the commercials for Harry’s and Dollar Shave Club (DSC). Don’t waste time and money at your drugstore getting razors when you can have high quality razors shipped directly to your home. For months I have been debating trying out the “shave clubs” and seeing if they are worth the hype. So I decided to reach out and put them both to the test.
First Impressions
I received a shave kit from Harry’s and Dollar Shave Club (DSC), both arrived in nice boxes that emphasized high quality. They both included their signature shaving product along with a handle and four blades. Harry’s had a bit of a classier design to their blade handle, It was made of plastic and had various colors to choose from. They offer only one blade type (five blades) and at 1st impression they seemed really good quality.
Dollar Shave Club has 3 blade types to choose from 2,4 and 6 Blades, I was given the 6 blade or “The Executive” Razor. DSC handle felt a little heavier in the hand but still very comfortable to operate and the blades looked just as bit as high quality as Harry’s
The Shave
I started first with the Harry’s brand razor, and their shave cream that was provided in the starter set. Their shave cream smells great and applies easily to the face however, I didn’t feel it provided as much lubrication or smoothness as my normal shave cream does. Working with it I did find it to be a little more cumbersome; maybe their shave gel is better but I can’t compare as I was not given that product to test. The razor still did a great job and I had no nicks on my first shave. I did notice however, the razor got clogged with hair and it took some effort to clean it out, It didn’t affect the shave but it was a pet peeve of mine.
My wife has since taken over my Harry’s razor and loves it, declaring it gives her a better shave over all the other razors she has used over the years.
Dollar Shave Club razor in my mind was quite flawless, I loved their shave butter, it went on clear so you can easily see what you are shaving and it glided nicely over my face. Very minimal clogging which was easy to rinse off. I also noticed with the shave butter my beard tended to grow back slower which resulted in me having to shave less.
My wife even asked me if I shaved that morning which I didn’t and had actually shaved the morning before. DSC after shave is also very calming and smells great, I haven’t had any nicks from any of the shaves I have gotten from either brand.
Final Thoughts
Overall, each razor gave a great shave and felt great in my hands as I ran them across my face. Neither of them gave me any cuts with the multiple shaves I did on each blade. I do however favor the Dollar Shave Club razor over Harry’s just because of the clogging issue and their shave butter was a more superb product.
However, one thing to keep in mind, Harry’s actually manufactures their own razors, while DSC actually resells razors from various vendors. Which means for the consumer that Harry’s can easily improve on their design and always work on making it better, whereas DSC has to go through it various vendors in order to make improvements to their products which could be a more difficult process for improvements.
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If you have a product that you would like to have put to the test reach out to me!!
Normand,
Good review, your point of Harry’s being a manufacturer & DSC a reseller is an important distinction between the two.
Another manufacturer of razor & blades worthy of a review is Defender Razor.
http://www.defenderrazor.com
I figured I would chime in since I’ve used both products. I began with Harry’s razors. I was impressed with the amount of product included in the initial kit. The shave foam/gel, the blades and the razor handle was a great deal for $10 (I had a $5 coupon). The shave was fine, nothing mind blowing, but it did the job. I quickly came across a problem which became too tedious for me to deal with. The blades on Harry’s razors are ‘arched’ or ‘angled’, however you want to look at it. Because of this, they clog up very quickly. I found it very difficult to clear this out. I have a long history with Gillette (Mach3 and Fusion), and NONE of the methods I used to clear clogs would work on Harry’s blades. The only thing that would work for me was to take something thin (like a business card) and force it between the blades to push the debris out. For me, this was a necessary process each time I shaved. I emailed Harry’s and they were nice enough to give me suggestions on how to prevent or easily rectify this. I had tried all but one of their suggestions. The only one I hadn’t tried was ‘taking shorter shave strokes’. I feel I gave this an honest effort, but it didn’t make any difference for me. Maybe I still didn’t take short enough passes. I eventually decided Harry’s wasn’t for me. I’ve been shaving with a blade for 10+ years, and to me, it’s not worth it to change my shaving style so drastically to make Harry’s work for me.
I recently decided to give Dollar Shave Club a try. Similar model as Harry’s, but more options. I opted for the ‘Humble Twin’ to start with, their cheapest model. It arrived in a small brown box fairly quickly after I ordered (cost $3). This came with a shave butter sample and (5) double blade cartridges. The handle is inexpensive, and very light weight, but that’s what I paid for. I’ve only used it for two days so far, but I have to say I’m actually super impressed! No clogging whatsoever and I’m getting a nice smooth shave with minimal cuts. Another cool thing that I found with DSC is their referral system. For each person you sign up, you get a $5 credit towards any of their stuff.
Harry’s makes some good quality stuff, but it just wasn’t right for me. DSC seems to be a better fit for my style. I had some reservations with going for the ‘Humble Twin’ system, but so far I have no complaints and I’m sticking with it. If you found my input helpful in deciding to go for DSC I’d love it if you would use my referral url to sign up. You’ll get some decent razors either way, but it would help me out for sure. http://shaved.by/dKUQJ. Thanks!
I read in the comments where some men had problems with cleaning the blades. I just run the blades under the water and it seems to do the job of cleaning the blades, I used to shave with an electric razor until my son gave me Harry’s for Fathers Day about three years ago. Now, I only shave with Harry’s. I am very satisfied with the product. Thanks, Jerry
I have used Harry’s for approx. 2 yrs.I enjoy using the product,cleaning the blades is very easy. I simple run the razor under water. The shave creams are smooth with a great fragrance..I ran into 1 problem ,where I was set up on automatic order cycle. I received the product which I wasn’t ready for.Slightly upset I called customer service.They immediately changed my order cycle,where I could order as needed and issued a refund and told me to keep the product…I’m a customer.
I was convinced until the guy with the Pink Floyd T shirt made his crude tirade. Seriously????? I’ll stick with Gillette. They don’t insult my intelligence.
i have been using Harry”s razor for a year and i love it best razor i have ever used. The shaving cream is the best also.
I have just gotten Harry’s Razor from my wife and i love how it make my face feel, In my life have tryed a lot of Razor’s and by far this one is the best.
Well, it is somehow we consider the price and effectiveness. I would recommend that we should go with cost-effectiveness.