The Lost Art of Wet Shaving

Note: It looks like Chisel Shave Club went out of business (as far as I can tell), so I'll remove the links that go nowhere but leave my review intact.



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.

Dollar Shave Club: A Review of Additional Products

Shortly after I posted my blog on how the Dollar Shave Club razor blades stack up against the Gillette Mach 3 razors, DSC contacted me and offered to send me some of their products to try out. I've had somewhere around 9 months to try those products out and here's my review. The package DSC sent me had a DSC t-shirt and three products: One-Wipe Charlies, Dr. Carver's Shave Butter, and Dr. Carver's Post Shave Moisturizer.

One-Wipe Charlies
DSC sent me a 40-pack of these minty wipes. Initially I wasn't really sure what to do with these... because I have toilet paper. I didn't use them as a toilet paper substitute (and let's face it... you don't want to read a crappy review like that :-P). I ended up using them for my hands (after going fishing usually). I also used them to clean up my hands after a plate of ribs a couple of times. They worked great for both and they definitely smell nice.You can get more info from DSC about this product here.

Dr. Carver's Shave Butter
After months of using DSC's Shave Butter, I can say that it is better than the Gillette shaving cream I'm used to. Not by a whole lot though. They're pretty comparable. The Shave Butter usually leads to a smoother, closer shave. I won't be reordering Shave Butter any time soon because I was given a lot of shave gel as a gift a while back and that's stalling my decision. When I do ultimately decide, it's going to come down to price. The 6 oz tube of Shave Butter I used is $8 for 6 oz. You can get more info from DSC about this product here.

Dr. Carver's Post Shave Moisturizer
This stuff is great for people who shave their head. When you apply it after shaving, it has a cooling, healing effect. I only use a little each time I shave so I still have some of this left. I will likely be reordering this when I run out. It's great for razor burn or just to give you a cool feeling for a while after you finish shaving. It definitely has my recommendation. You can get more info from DSC about this product here.

If you think you'd like to start with Dollar Shave Club, please use this link to join because I get a small credit towards my plan when I refer people. They've definitely saved me money over the past 9 months.

Update 9/12/15 It was pointed out to me that a company called DORCO makes the razor blades for DSC and you can get the razors directly from them for a bit less through Amazon ($2.10 per razor instead of $2.25). You can check DORCO's razors out on Amazon  by clicking this link.

Dollar Shave Club Executive Blades vs. Gillette Mach 3 Blades

I generally have used Mach 3 blades to shave my head. I also like to shave my beard around my goatee every couple of weeks or so. I've been completely shaving my head since I was about 22, if I remember right, so I'm closing in on 7 years. I think the prices they charge for razor blades are ridiculous.

I've seen ads for the Dollar Shave Club (which I will now refer to as DSC) on Facebook and recently stumbled upon this New York Times article that prominently features the DSC. It's worth a read. Companies like Gillette and Schick have grown slothful with their massive product margins and overwhelming market share. Gillette has around 60% of the razor blade market and reported a 60% gross margin in 2004 (the year before they were purchased by Procter and Gamble). I want to pay for razor blades, not Gillette's TV commercials and advertising.



I decided to give the DSC a try. I generally get the Gillette Mach 3 Turbo 10 pack at Wal-Mart. It's around $30 or about $3 per razor. The DSC's high-end package is the executive blade and a 4 pack is $9 or $2.25 per razor (that's with shipping included). I made the purchase Sunday night and had my first DSC kit by Wednesday. Here's what it looked like:

The package came with 4 of their executive blades (6 blades per razor), a razor handle, a membership card (which I found amusing), and a sample of their shave butter. I just tried out the executive blade and I'll compare it to the Mach 3 that I've used for years:

Razor Handle
The razor handle for the DSC is better. Occasionally I've needed to hit my razor against the sink to clear it out and that has resulted in a Mach 3 blade popping off the handle several times before. I don't see that happening with the DSC razor handle. I didn't try to break it or anything, but the razor handle the DSC sent me seems stronger.

Razor Blades
The executive blades from DSC have 6 blades per razor while the Mach 3 blades have 3. I've seen people argue about which razor is better based on the number of blades (some argue for more and others for less). Here's what the blades look like side by side:

DSC razors are on the left and Mach 3 razors are on the right. I decided to give the DSC executive blades (and the shave butter sample) the best test I can: I shaved my entire head and my beard around my goatee (which I've let grow for a few weeks now). I'm used to a little razor burn and occasionally nicking myself (especially around my ear) with the Mach 3 blades. It didn't happen with the executive blades. No cuts. No irritation. The DSC razor made it around my ear with no problem. The shave was much smoother, closer, and cleaner. I just wanted the DSC razors to be COMPARABLE to the Mach 3 razors so I could save a little money. It turns out that they're better (at least for my shaving needs).

Now to be completely honest, the DSC blades do clog a little easier with short hair than the Mach 3 blades do but the DSC blades did a better job on my beard (which was slightly longer than the hair on my head). It took me the same amount of time to shave and I didn't really find this to be an inconvenience.

DSC Shave Butter vs. Gillette Shaving Cream
I use Gillette Fusion Hydra Gel for shaving my head. With my first use of the DSC razor, I tried their shave butter sample. I like the shave butter, but I'm not sure yet if I'll order any next month. The Gillette Fusion Hydra Gel is generally around $4-$5 and the shave butter is $8 for a 6 oz tube. I'd say they're comparable and maybe give an edge to the shave butter since it did lead to a smoother shave.

Ultimate Conclusion
I originally wanted to try DSC's $9 a month package with the executive blades and then go down to the $6 a month 4x blades if I thought the executive blades were alright. I'm going to consider this over a few more shaves, but I think I want to stick with the executive blades. I'll save money either way and I really like the executive blades so far. DSC has a $1 per month option (2x blades per razor and that doesn't include shipping, 5 cartridges per month), a $6 per month option (4x blades per razor and that includes shipping, 4 cartridges per month), and a $9 per month option (6x blades per razor and that includes shipping, 4 cartridges per month). You can also have them ship every other month if that's all you need.

So the DSC executive blades definitely have my recommendation. If you think you'd like to try them out (or any of their other packages), please use this link to join because I get a small credit towards my plan when I refer people. Hopefully this helps a few of you save some money. If you have any thoughts or comments on the Dollar Shave Club, feel free to comment.

Update 4/3/15 DSC reached out to me and asked me to add a link to their Twitter. You can check them out on Twitter by clicking this link. I've been a member for 6 months now and I'm still with the $9 a month package. I have no intention of switching back to Mach 3 blades.

Update 8/14/15 DSC sent me some free products shortly after I posted this blog post. I reviewed these products after months of using them. You can see my review of their One-Wipe Charlies, Dr. Carver's Shaving Butter, and Dr. Carver's Post Shave Moisturizer by clicking this link.

Update 9/12/15 It was pointed out to me that a company called DORCO makes the razor blades for DSC and you can get the razors directly from them for a bit less through Amazon ($2.10 per razor instead of $2.25). You can check DORCO's razors out on Amazon  by clicking this link.