TL;DR Version
- DollarShaveClub is a ripoff and waste of time. Buy the blades from DorcoUSA.com direct and save even more money and get the blades faster. You’ll get more blades for your money and you get them a lot faster.
- The Dorco requires more passes for the shave even though it has more blades. It also sucks on the neck area and caused an ingrown hair.
- Even though the Dorco is a fraction of the cost, I prefer the the Gillette as it provides a better shave, lasts longer, and shaves closer.
The Long Version
DollarShaveClub Review
After watching the hilarious viral video, I recently took advantage of DollarShaveClub through a deals site to give them a try. I’m wary of services that make me lazier but the prospect of saving money on expensive razors was too good to pass up. The premise of the service is you don’t need to remember buying your own razor blades and they’ll be cheaper than the Gillettes you’d buy at the store.
After signing up for the DollarShaveClub service, about two weeks later, I received a razor handle in the mail in a tiny cardboard envelope. Yes, that’s right, just a razor handle and no blades. While I’m all for giving businesses a second chance, there’s nothing convenient about having to remind the company that’s supposed to take the burden of remembering your blades to send you the blades, especially when you’re out of razor blades and they take two weeks to send them. I did send an e-mail to their customer service to alert them that the blades were missing and it took three days for them to respond. I don’t know their volume but that’s a long time for a response in internet time.
After inspecting the new “Executive” blades, I did some searching and found out that the blades were simply Dorco blades that they were reselling at a marked up premium. Dorco sells the cartridges in a 4 pack of blades. For some odd reason, DollarShaveClub removes one from the pack and sends you the pack with three and an empty slot.
Since my whole premise was saving money, I decided to explore Dorco directly. For the same price as two months worth of DollarShaveClub, which would equal 6 cartridges, I was able to buy 16 replacement cartridges. Additionally, I received the replacements in three days.
Dorco Pace6 vs Gillette Fusion ProGlide
I tried the Dorco Pace6 razor for two weeks. The verdict? It’s a decent razor. The handle is well designed and solid. My only complaint about the handle is that the base is really bulbous which makes it impossible to fit into my holder. The blades themselves only do a decent job overall. In comparing the Gillette vs. the Dorco, the Dorco requires more passes to do the shave even though it has an extra blade on it. They also absolutely suck shaving on my neck and have actually caused an ingrown hair. The Pace6 also does not provide as close a shave as the ProGlide so I have to shave more often. The Pace6 blade’s sharpness also doesn’t last as long as the ProGlide.
I’ve never had a cut, nick, or ingrown hair before with my ProGlide. After the negative experience, I’m sticking with the ProGlide even though it’s more money.
Thank you for this review I will not waste any more time on research now. I also read that the blades are at a different angle and are in deeper in the dorco blades. Also I read that the blades fall out of the handle often if held in a weird angle, and it turns out to get a closer shave you need to hold them at a weird angle. I will stick with Gillette as well.
Glad it helped, Aaron! I was really disappointed that the Dorco’s didn’t work out since spending $15 for a pack of razors seems exorbitant. The weird angle might explain the ingrown hair I experienced. I didn’t examine the blades closely enough to notice but I’ll have to do a comparison since I still have them somewhere. Thanks for the comment!
Great review wish I read it sooner though. I’m currently a very satisfied Fusion ProGlide user (aside from the price) and just ordered the 6 blade Dorco razors from Dollar Shave club (4 pack for $9.50 incl shipping in Canada). While cheaper, if I don’t get a reasonable shave, I probably will go back to the ProGlide as well.
Yeah, DollarShaveClub has a funny video, but I cancelled my membership in favor of ordering directly from Dorco. Gillette Fusion ProGlide is a great razor, no doubt about it, but the price is outrageous. I can get my blade cartridges to last longer by rinsing them with rubbing alcohol after I’m done shaving. I read that it removes the minerals in the tap water which dull the blade, and therefore prevents rusting. My dad says he uses a few drops of baby oil. I use the 6-blade Dorco razor, and I’ve never cut myself or had an ingrown hair with them, so far anyway. It does take another pass or two, especially with the thicker hair on my neck. While in my opinion the Dorco provides a smooth, close shave, I have to admit that the ProGlide has an edge in performance. But if you order from DorcoUSA, you can get 36 cartridges for $31.15 with the free shipping option. That works out to about 87 cents per cartridge. Last night while shopping at Target I saw they had a pack of 8 Fusion ProGlide cartridges ON SALE for $31.99. 4 bucks a cartridge versus 87 cents? I’m going with Dorco, at least until I get out of college. I’ve thought about one day investing in a high-quality straight razor and learning how to care for it and make it last for years, but I doubt I’ll ever have the time to mess with all of that. In the meantime, Dorco is a viable option if you want to get a good shave without having to pay crazy prices. If anything, I have DollarShaveClub to thank for introducing me to Dorco, a drastically cheaper option without having to sacrifice too much in quality. I’m curious to see if Gillette is worried about the competition, and what, if anything, they plan to do in response.
While your math is sound, the Dorco blade was lasting for only two shaves, max, for me. I even tried the Bladebuddy to help it last longer and it still didn’t help. The ProGlide on the other hand last for at least 8-12 shaves per blade on average. When you average out the use and price of the blade, the ProGlides come out on top still – at least for me. Obviously everyone’s mileage will vary. I use the ocean kelp shave gel from the Art of Shaving. (Art of Shaving Pre-Shave Gel-Ocean Kelp on Amazon
) While expensive, the shaves are a lot smoother with either razors when using the gel. I tried the oils and they work even better but they tend to shorten the lifespan of the blade and gunk it up more.
2 shaves? You must have a beard with hair like a porcupine. I myself don’t grow and extremely thick beard and only have to shave about once every 3 or 4 days. I can get a dorco 4 blade razor to last for a month to two months. So for someone like myself, I would suggest the Dorco razors hands down. The price doesn’t justify the cost of the Gilette razors.
6 months ago I tried Dorco and then just recently tried the Dollar Shave Club.
It was a real surprise finding out they sold the same razor. So much for trying something new. I, like many others tried Dorco only because of the cost factor. There is no doubt Gillette puts out a great razor. Another company I tried was Harrys .com. They offer a 5 blade system on a much lighter handle and an ok shave. Both Harry’s and Dorco have a much faster shipping system then Dollar Shave Club
Using Mach 3 cost 1$/ cartridge in. 12 cartridge pack .counting its 25th shave. From single Mach 3 and still counting tried all razor I found in market but all gave me bumps and cuts so best I see Mach 3 till now
Thanks, Bruce, I’m looking for more info about Harry’s if anybody out there has any. BTW, I use Profile and Edge, it’s been a good combo for me for a lot of years. But all these clubs are based on 1 cartridge per week. I have a slightly heavier than average beard, but I don’t come close to 1 blade per week with Proglide. Am I doing something wrong? Max 3 shaves get per proglide blade. Can anyone help me with more info on Harry’s and if I’m doing something wrong with my proglide?
I’m amazed at the Dorco hate. I’ll admit that the dorco 4 blade doesn’t give me quite the same shave as a fusion, but considering 16 fusion blades is $50 and i got 2 handles with 2 sample blades one 3 blade and one 4 blade with each handle (i’m giving one to my dad to test out and using the other for travel) 16 4 blades and a 3 pack of 6 blade disposable for $24, fusion is a straight up ripoff. Also I usually get a month or more per blade. To justify double the cost for a minimally better shave isn’t worth it. To be fair too the exact price comparison is about $19 shipped for 16 four blades if you don’t add a coupon which always exists vs $50.
Thanks for the comment! It’s not that I hate Dorco and I actually think it’s a good alternative to Gillette for a lot of people. I advocate buying directly from them instead of DollarShaveClub. I ended up giving my Dorco blades to a friend and he loves them.
I find that the Dorco blades don’t last as long and have caused ingrown hairs which is why I don’t like them for myself. The Gillette blades last me on average 8-12 shaves vs Dorco which is about 2-3. When you do the math, the Gillette blades end up being cheaper for me despite costing more up front.
Also, where are you buying 16 blades for $50? Amazon has 12 for $35 and deal sites often have them for much cheaper. I bought a 16 pack for about $20 from Woot in the past.
Hi Guys,
This is Aashish Vaghela from Bangalore, India. I had seen multiple advertisements of Dorco India’s JUSTSHAVE on Facebook. Somehow due to very competitive price factor, I was kinda tempted to order it. I made online payment & received the box containing Pace-4 with Handle, a small product/user guide & a set of 4 cartridges. I was using Gillete Mach-3 or Mach-3 Turbo since 2003 till March-2016. I started using the 1 blade from the Cartridge to replace Gillette Mach-3 Turbo. I must say, I have never felt same as using Gillette. Dorco SUCKS. Even with 4 blades, it is incapable of giving a clean & smooth shave with fewer strokes on the chin. Shaving takes lot more time & efforts now. I’ve written to Dorco India multiple times on their Facebook page, but haven’t heard back. It seems keeping the costs down to keep them competitive & increase their sales is their only motive. Pace-4 is no where near Gillette’s Mach-3 Turbo. It’s not like my DNA or genetic structure has changed over last 2-3 years, but while a shave with Turbo-3 keeps a clean chin for 3 days, a shave with Pace-4 makes the chin rough very next day of shaving. For. e.g If I’ve shaved on a Monday morning 9 AM, with Gillette Mach-3, it will remain clean till about Wednesday Late Evening. With Dorco Pace-4, a Monday Morning shave looks undone by Tuesday afternoon. Needless to mention that my face is on fire once done. I need a lot of Aftershave & lotion to make it feel comfortable.
Sorry about my Indian instincts, but once I’m done with these 4 cartridges of Dorco trash, I’m going back to Gillette Mach-3 Turbo.
Regards,
Aashish.V