This Dollar Shave Club review is not sponsored. I pay for my own subscription to Dollar Shave Club, and they have no idea I exist except as a paying customer. This post contains referral links, which earn credit for this site at no extra cost to you. See my disclosure policy here.
Some years ago, I blogged about how we really liked the company 99 Cent Razor.
They sold great razors at very affordable prices, and I was a fan.
However, that company has gotten sold at least once, and it was feeling sketchier and sketchier to me.
Customer service was hard to reach, I got signed up for a subscription I didn’t want to be signed up for, and cancelling the subscription was difficult.
So, we decided to give Dollar Shave Club a try instead, since they’re pretty reputable. We’ve been members for quite a while now, so I thought a post about our experience would be appropriate.
Who’s using DSC at our house?
DSC is definitely marketed for men, but the man at our house is the one person who doesn’t use their products!
Mr. FG is partial to an electric razor, but the girls and I find manual razors to be more convenient.
And since razor blades do not need to be pink in order to be used by women, we are happy to use the neutral-colored razors from DSC.
How’s the razor quality?
The Executive Blades, which are $10 for 4 ($2.50 apiece) are really, really nice. They’ve got five blades and are top of the line.
The 4X cartridges are cheaper at 4 for $7 ($1.75 apiece).
And the cheapest option they offer is the twin blade at 4 for $4 ($1 apiece).
If you have sparse body hair like me, you can probably get away with the cheapest option. But for thicker hair, you probably will want to pay for more than two blades.
I personally opt for the more expensive blades, but I use them for ages. I’m not an especially hairy person, so they just don’t get dull very quickly.
How’s the packaging from DSC?
I’m pretty impressed with it. The outside package is just cardboard (which I reuse for shipping eBay sales), and the inside is also plain brown cardboard (which I tear up and add to my compost).
The blades do come in an open plastic storage case, and of course, the blades themselves are disposable (the handle is not).
There’s definitely less plastic packaging than you’d get from grocery store razors, though.
Is it easy to customize shipments?
Yep! You can change/cancel at any time, and you can choose exactly how often you get shipments.
Is there a shipping charge?
As long as your restock box contains razor blades, the shipping is FREE.
Why don’t you just shave with a safety razor?
I know that would be even cheaper and even more environmentally friendly.
Maybe I’ll try that one day, but for now, DSC feels like a good enough option to me.
It’s better than completely disposable razors, the packaging is fairly minimal, and it’s affordable. And since my hair is pretty lightweight, it takes me eons to wear out even one razor head.
I’m not gonna overthink it beyond that. 
How do you sample DSC?
A starter kit is exactly what you need. For only $5, you get:
- a 3 ounce travel size Shave Butter (worth $5.70)
- an Executive handle
- a four-pack of Executive blades (worth $10)
This is a really good deal, since the blades themselves are worth twice as much as you pay for the starter kit!
Also, shipping is free, so you are really truly only going to spend $5.
Just make sure to edit your restock box so that you are getting only what you need at the time you need it.
And if you try the blades and you decide they’re not for you, you can cancel and get no more shipments after your trial box.
Have you tried Dollar Shave Club? I’d love to hear what you think of it.
P.S. Dry your blades, people!
No matter where you get your razors, it’s really important to keep them dry. If you let them sit in a puddle in your shower, they’re going to rust and dull in a hurry.
Some people dip theirs in alcohol to make sure they dry quickly, but I just put mine up on top of the shower door rail, and it dries just fine.
Nerak says
When I click through the $5 offer and then go to buy it, it turns into “The Shave Starter Set
Razor Cartridges (2 pk)
Shave Butter Trial Size (1 oz)
Orange Stripe Metal Handle (1 ct)” is this still a good deal/razor? It appears to be a different razor and lesss cartridges.
Kristen says
That’s so weird! When I click on the link, I see a four pack of cartridges, a handle, and a shave butter, and they’re the blue variety, not the orange razors.
If you click here, is that what you see? http://shaved.by/nR0vF
Kat says
Probably a dumb question – is the handle interchangeable for each of the razor types or do you need a different handle for each one? Thanks!
Kristen says
You do need a different handle for the twin blade, but the four and five blade handles seem interchangeable to me.
But whenever you order a different style blade, they will include a complimentary handle the first time. I ordered the quad and twin blades to try them out, and they sent me a free handle for each with those orders.
April says
I suggest the EpiLady. Removes hair at the root. Lasts a long time. I haven’t needed to replace mine. 10 years now.
Halle says
I’m curious about this side-comment: you said you compost the cardboard inside. Do you think your recycling facility won’t take it or is there some other reason here?
Kristen says
Well, the state of the recycling industry is kind of sad right now; a lot of what we send off to be recycled actually gets thrown away.
So when possible, I like to compost small pieces of paper/cardboard. That way I know it’s getting turned into dirt, which is endlessly useful!
Jamie says
I was a 4 blade user from DSC when someone pointed out that they are repackaged Dorco cartridges, which you can get cheaper from Amazon–so I now go that route. Not sure if that’s also true of the 5 blades but it might be!
I’ve always used men’s razors. I prefer the more streamlined look!
Maria says
I have been using DSC for a couple of years now. I only shave my legs and it’s very sparse. I also dry my blade and clean it by running it backwards (with the blades angle so it doesn’t cut) on a dry towel. They last so long that I cancelled my subscription and will reorder when I run out. I too like the minimum of plastic in the packaging. I’m definitely a fan!
Susan says
Shave in summer and spring….wear tights in fall and the winter
Kristen says
Ha, I get pretty lax about shaving in the wintertime too and that IS one way to make your blade supply last longer!
Gary C says
Can’t comment re:$SC, but for years I have used a double edged safety razor paired with Wilkinson Sword blades (avg cost us about $9.00/30 or $0.30/blade or less bought in bulk.) the shave is fantastic. I have even converted my wife.
Cecilia L. says
Thanks for commenting Gary, my husband has been looking into switching to safety blades. That is reassuring to hear that it provides a great shave.
Malisa says
Gary, I second this! I use the exact same set up with phenomenal results.
Michelle says
I love the dollar shave club and I really like the shave gel and toothpaste as well. I find it very easy to change or skip a shipment or change the way I pay for my shipments. This is a winner for me. I wish more things were this easy. I ordered an extra handle to keep in my travel bag with a set of blades so I’m all set when on the go as well. This is a good one and I recommend them.
lisa says
I had gotten the sample kits for the kids one Christmas as a gift. I wasn’t sure they would like it but they did. DS1 loves their shave butter as he has sensitive skin and it doesn’t bother him. DS2 likes their blades and is on a shipment program. He gets the middle of the road blades (not the cheapest or most expensive ones).
Madeline Kasian says
About a year ago I picked up a package of disposable razors from the dollar store.I did not have high expectations. There are usually 10 in a pack. They work as well as the higher priced Gillette!! I love them.Ten cents apiece! I know disposable ANYTHING is not good, but I am not going to be messing with rusty razor blades.. It sounds t- like the dollar club is convenient but I’ve been stocking up on packs at the dollar store and so happy with this product!
Isa says
I found the same thing at the Dollar store. Weirdly enough, they work fine on my legs, but not so much for the armpits.
M says
I loved the prices and the razors but I cancelled a few years ago because I hated their marketing. It’s clearly aimed at men, which is fine! I only use men’s razors anyway because it’s cheaper. Their packaging was always clearly aimed towards men, but then they sent an insert with an order that was gross and crude “locker room” style humor and it completely put me off their service. Considering the other half of the population generally removes more hair than men it seems like just selling razors, rather than “razors for men who like getting gross jokes in the mail” would be a better move.
J says
Lol. And maybe frown. But now I’m curious!
Dawn says
Absolutely love Dollar Shave Club! We have used them for five years and we haven’t had a single problem. Love the quality, the packaging, variety of products and the ease of making changes to our shipments (changing products and frequency).
Kristin says
I’ve been wanting to try safety razors for the low environmental impact, but I’m overwhelmed with all the options! Someday I just need to order one and I’m sure it will be good enough. My husband does Dollar Shave club and they just switched to a “twice as many/half as often”. He gets the 4 razors every other month so now he will get 8 razors every 4 months. Cuts down on shipping costs! Now hopefully my husband doesn’t change them more often just because they are there, lol.
Allison says
It took me a while to switch to a safety razor, brush, and soap. I love the minimal amount of waste and while there is some initial cost for the handle and brush, the blades are like 50cents a piece. We have a nice razor shop in town and they were really good about explaining things and I really love that I can shop local.
JD says
I use a razor that was gifted to me (it made a good, practical gift!) along with a few packs of replacement heads, and it works fine, but I’ve heard of the Dollar Shave Club and have thought about checking it out. What I did to prolong the life of my razors, and it seems to work, is get a razor sharpener. I have used a single razor head for close to a year, using the sharpener. I sharpen when I clean the bathroom, so I won’t forget. Of course, I try to keep the razor clean and let it dry out between uses.
I always have bought men’s razors. No way was I going to pay the pink tax. In high school I had one designed to look like a stick shift and it had some hot-rod sounding name. I finally had to give it up when I couldn’t find the replacement heads anymore.
Cindy says
We have been using Dollar Shave Club at our home for years. Both my husband and I love the razors. As you mentioned, we are impressed with the packaging. Both my grown daughters are fans too.