Following my review of the Mach 3 vs. Dollar Shave Club razors, I was contacted by Chisel Shave Club, a company offering a monthly subscription service for wet shave products. They asked if I'd like to try out one of their boxes for free and I said sure. They sent me a box of shaving supplies in early January and it here's what it contained:
They included a list of steps on how to wet shave on the back of the welcome letter. I decided I would check Youtube for a how-to video before I attempted any of this, even though the instructions seemed pretty straight forward. I found a video of a Scottish guy that teaches you how to wet shave. You can check that out here.
The Razor
With wet shaving, you unscrew the top of the safety razor and place a blade in the middle before screwing it back on. Here's what the razor and blades from Chisel Shave Club look like:
I tried the Astra blade and carefully followed the steps in the Youtube video and on the back of the Chisel Shave Club card before attempting to shave my head. I've read that these blades can last 4-6 shaves, but that's probably for beards. I have enough razors that I'll replace these more often than that, as shaving your head is a lot more involved than shaving your beard.
Wet Shave
I used the Dr. Squatch Cedar Citrus Soap Bar in a bowl and worked it into a lather. Then I used the shaving brush from the Chisel Shave Club box to apply it to my head (your head should be wet before you do this). When compared to shaving with my electric razor or Dollar Shave Club razor, here's what I found:
1. Wet shaving takes longer. I knew this going in. It took me almost twice as long, but that's probably because it was my first time and I didn't really know what I was doing, even after the Scottish dude explained it to me in the Youtube video.
2. Wet shaving gets a closer shave. It may take more time, but wet shaving resulted in a closer shave with less irritation than I usually get from my Dollar Shave Club Executive blades or my electric razor.
3. Wet shaving eliminates hair getting caught in between razor blades. The Dollar Shave Club Executive blade with 6x razors clogs pretty easily and I've noted that I have to hit it against the side of the sink. While I occasionally had to clean the safety razor while shaving, that part is much easier and quicker than clearing out clogs in my regular razor blades.
After Shave
I used the Brickell Instant Relief Aftershave included in the Chisel Shave Club box. It smells like a combo of coconut and mint and cooled my head. Good stuff.
Pricing
I asked their press team for a pricing structure for their subscription box and here's what they told me:
We currently offer a month to month subscription for $29.99/mo with the option to add on a safety razor handle and shaving brush to the first month’s box for an additional cost. We also offer:
A 3 month prepaid plan for $28.99/mo
A 6 month prepaid plan for $27.99/mo that comes with a free safety razor handle and shaving brush in the first box.
A 1 year prepaid plan for $26.99/mo that comes with a free safety razor handle and shaving brush in the first box.
If you'd like to try Chisel Shave Club, you can get 10% off by using coupon code RANDALLM10
at checkout.
Conclusion
I'll need a few more shaves to say anything definitively but I did enjoy trying this out. I'm going to try it again next week and I imagine it will take a lot less time. The soaps and after shave smell great. I'd say try it out for a month and see what you think.
