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Dollar Shave Club Review + Exclusive Discount

Dollar Shave Club Overview

Dollar Shave Club Unboxing

Dollar Shave Club is probably the most popular men's shave club.

For the uninitiated, the Dollar Shave Club is a bathroom supplies delivery service that provides razors, shaving cream, shaving butter, aftershave, and an ever-growing library of new male-grooming products: most recently we discovered it offers toothbrushes and hair pomade, too.

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This makes DSC an excellent tool for anyone looking to, as we were, transition from prolonged-adolescence to respectful, mature self-care. Did The Dollar Shave Club actually help? The answer's below, but first let's go through the particulars.

How Dollar Shave Club Works

Go to Dollar Shave Club and sign up for their $5 Starter Set that includes the executive razor handle, four 6-blade razor cartridges, a trial-sized shave butter, a trial-sized prep scrub, and a trial-sized post shave dew.

Dollar Shave Club Starter Set

When you take advantage of this deal, it signs you up for the Dollar Shave Club membership that will renew after the first month at the full executive razor price of $9/month.

After the first month, be sure to go into your membership settings and choose the razor blades you’d like to receive each month. You can opt to switch to a cheaper razor if you want to pay less per month.

They offer three different options: The Humble Twin — which is regularly $1 per month + $2 shipping, The 4X — which is regularly $6 per month (includes shipping), or The Executive - which is regularly $9 per month (includes shipping).

There are no hidden fees. You can cancel your subscription at any time. Or you can change plans at any time. When you change plans, you’ll receive a new razor handle for free.

Pause your subscription or change your shipment frequency at any time. You can even get blades every other month if you want!

What Comes in a Regular Monthly Box

Dollar Shave Club Box Review

First initial box included a razor handle, 4 razor blade cartridges, and some extra samples/goodies. The following months, you just get a package with 4 razor blade cartridges every month + the bathroom notes (which are sometimes, sometimes a little crass). They sometimes will include a little sample, too.

Changing package frequency is quick and intuitive on the DSC website, and on the rare occasion that a package doesn't arrive (probably due to "porch pirates" as my DSC rep suggested) the box is replaced in less than a week.

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Dollar Shave Club razors

Dollar Shave Club Razors

DSC blades come in three different sizes: The humble twin (two blades) the 4X (4 blades) and The Executive (with 6 blades). Despite DSC's iconic claim that its razors are "F***ing great," we have found them to be merely "fine." "Fine" is really all you need, and each blade lasts me anywhere from a week and a half to three weeks, so you tend to have leftover cartridges when new package arrives. If you have a particularly resilient beard that requires special attention, DSC may not be your best option. But for us non-lumberjacks, the blades are a reliable bargain, and after a little trial and error you can find the perfect blade-and-frequency combination for your face.

Dollar Shave Club shaving creams, lathers and after shave

Dollar Shave Club Support Products

We have had less success with the shaving support products. Neither the Shave Butter nor the Shave Lather are as effective as good old fashioned canned shaving cream - which is also significantly cheaper, even after you factor in the staggering inconvenience of walking to a store.

The Post Shave Cream, Miracle Repair Serum and Mandatory Prep Scrub are all better, but we not sophisticated enough in my grooming to tell if they’re particularly good examples of what they’re supposed to be. How does one tell if a "Post Shave Cream" is doing an exceptional job at keeping your face moisturized? It certainly feels nice, but is it better than your regular, store-bought "post-shave cream?" We not even sure that we have seen post-shave cream for sale again.

However, we do keep re-ordering a fresh bottle, season after season, simply because we can’t imagine myself buying it in a store with all those people watching me and knowing how moist my face would be later.

Dollar Shave Club shower products

Dollar Shave Club Shower Products

Here, we can speak with greater authority and say that the body wash, shampoo, and facial cleanser are great. All the DSC products leave us satisfied. We have used the body cleanser, the daily face cleanser and the shampoo and we have been more than satisfied with all of it. The price is roughly what we did pay at the grocery store or pharmacy, and the quality is exactly what we want.

Is Dollar Shave Club worth it?

Dollar Shave Club were how we transitioned into taking proper care of appearance, and it filled that role perfectly. If you already have your bathroom ritual down — you know how you like your hair, which toothpaste is your favorite and have a favorite brand of razor — we not sure DSC has anything to offer you.

But if you struggle to keep your razors in stock, or aren't sure exactly how you like your hair, or wonder if there might be a real reason to own moisturizer, then you may want to take a look at one of the $5 starter boxes, or one of their more focused trial kits.

So if you're a young guy not sure exactly where to start with this stuff, but interested in giving it a shot, Dollar Shave Club is a great way to take that first step.

Inside the Dollar Shave Club

Dollar Shave Club Box Inside

Does a Razor Blade Subscription Save You Money?

Anyone who shaves knows buying and replacing razor blades can be expensive. Dollar Shave Club provides a monthly razor blade subscription service that claims to make shaving less of a burden on your wallet, but does the "club" really save you money?

Essentially, Dollar Shave Club takes the guesswork out of when to buy new razors. For the default subscription option, they will ship you a new set of cartridges once a month. Alternatively, if you do not shave as often, you can change your subscription to the Not So Hairy option for which they will ship you a set of cartridges every other month.

Three Cartridges from which to Choose

The company offers three different types of razor cartridges at three different price points. Your first order of any of the cartridges will come with the applicable razor handle and each month after that you will only receive replacement cartridges.

Dollar Shave Club Box Cartridges

The Cheapest Option

Does the service live up to its name? Can you really take care of all your shaving needs for a dollar a month? In a word, no. The minimal cash outlay gets you a basic two-blade razor call The Humble Twin. Each month, you will receive four replacement cartridges at the advertised cost of just one dollar per month, hence the name Dollar Shave Club. However, the true cost comes in at three dollars per month as you are on the hook for a two-dollar shipping and handling charge. I guess the Three Dollar Shave Club didn’t sound as snappy.

The Mid-Range Option

The next option offers a fancier four-blade razor called The 4X. You will only receive four cartridges per month with this option at a cost of six dollars per month. The good news? Shipping is included. But that’s still twice the price as the cheapest option.

The High-End Option

The ultimate set includes a six-blade razor called The Executive that also features a special trimmer edge. Like the mid-grade plan, you will receive four cartridges per month, but at nine dollars per month, including shipping. That puts you out more than $100 over the course of a year.

Dollar Shave Club Grooming Products

These prices are competitive with buying full-price, name-brand razor cartridges at retail stores, but you could do better by buying cheap, no-name razors or shopping the occasional sale. The Club does offer convenience, though; since the service is automatic and they will keep shipping you new cartridges every month until you cancel, you should never run out of razors (unless you go through your monthly allotment too quickly).