The Best Shave Club Starter Kits — Our Review

How do you find a razor that doesn’t give your legs razor burn? Call on the experts and try out a few of the best shave club starter kits to help you find the right razor for you.

The two biggest brands on the market have to be Dollar Shave Club and Harry’s. Both claim to offer the ultimate unisex shaving experience and best razor prices, but which product is really worth the money?

I decided to try out both and asked a friend to weigh in, to give you an honest review from both a male and female perspective. Keep reading to learn more about these subscription services, what they have to offer, and which one gives you the most bang for your buck.

To see how you can save every day, take a second to download the KCL app, too!

 

What’s Dollar Shave Club, and who is Harry?

Dollar Shave Club and Harry’s are both subscription boxes for razor blades and shaving products. You pay a monthly fee in exchange for a box of shaving products, including fresh razors.

If you’re not much of a shaving expert (I wasn’t but am now), then just grab a bag of disposables at your local CVS and whatever shaving cream you can find that has a coupon.

But, if you try shaving with a quality razor and shaving foam, you won’t wanna go back to those one-and-done blades you snag off the aisle.

 

How signing up for the Dollar Shave Club starter kit works.

Signing up for Dollar Shave Club can be overwhelming, because there are several ways to do it, and they don’t all guarantee you starter kit prices:

1. Skip the Quiz. This option is the worst, because they will try to upsell you and charge you the full amount. Your first box will be closer to $30 – $50 if you let them pull you in.
2. Click “How It Works” in the overhead menu, then “Try the Club.”
3. Then click on “Shaving ” or “Showering.” If you select just one and then “Continue,” you’ll find a Dollar Shave Club starter set box for $5; if you select both, you’ll get a starter set box for $10 (it includes trial sizes of showering and shaving products).
4. Use Dollar Shave $5 promo codes online. You can find them by googling, “Dollar Shave Club $5 box.” Sometimes you’ll find the promotion, sometimes you won’t. When I signed up, I found a Dollar Shave Club promo for the $5 Daily Essentials starter set, which is a great option for men and women. To clarify, the Daily Essentials set does not contain the same items as option 2.

 

What I got with my Dollar Shave Club Starter Kit.

The Dollar Shave Club’s Daily Essentials ($5 w/ free shipping) includes:

• One Executive razor handle
• Four 6-blade razors
• One bottle of Dr. Carver’s Easy Shave Butter (one ounce)
• One bottle of Amber and Lavender Hydrating Body Cleanser (one ounce)
• Three packets of Grounds Keeper “One Wipe Charlies”
• One issue of MEL (DSC’s Bathroom Reader publication)

The ounces listed above are the Dollar Shave Club starter kit trial amounts. In your next box, called a Restock Box, you’ll get three-, five-, six- or ten-ounce bottles, depending on the product.

The overall presentation was a little unorganized, but it came with a lot of stuff — like four 6-blade razors.

The downside here is that your four razors will outlast your one ounce of Shave Butter. If you shave a lot, you could customize a box, but you’ll pay for it, though.

They also included three packets of Grounds Keeper “One Wipe Charlies,” which are literally butt wipes for grown ups. Essential? Not really.

 

How DSC ships and bills their shaving subscription boxes.

 

When you sign up, your first box will arrive within three to five business days. After that, you’ll receive a “Restock Box,” which can be customized in your account each month with whatever you want before the ship date.

Your first Restock Box is automatically scheduled to ship two weeks from the day you pay for your first box. After that, the Restock Box will ship every two months.

You can change your shipping frequency to every two, three or four months, and you’ll be billed the day before the ship date of your next box. You can also skip shipments by changing your ship date in your account page.

Dollar Shave Club won’t charge shipping if your Restock Box includes blades. If you don’t include blades, the Club will charge you $4 shipping for orders lower than $18.

 

 

How to Order a Dollar Shave Club Restock Box.

When you reorder, DSC will automatically apply their Handsome Discount, which saves you 5% on your total purchase when you add two different items, 10% for four to five items, or 15% when you add six or more items to your box. This discount only applies to Restock Boxes, not Starter Kits, product bundles, or free razor handles.

The best value for the Restock Box is:

• Shave Butter (six ounces for $8)
• Four razors (four blades for $10) every month
• TOTAL: $18 per box with free shipping.
• W/ 5% Handsome Discount: $17.10

If other toiletries excite you, you’ll pay a lot more for your box. For example, if I kept the items in my Bare Essentials trial size box for my Restock Box, I’d be paying $24.23 a month.

 

My experience signing up with DSC wasn’t great.

For the record, Dollar Shave Club gave me somewhat of a runaround when I completed my payment.

They wouldn’t accept my card, so I used their chatbot to get in touch with a company rep, who recommended clearing my browser or going into incognito mode and trying that way. Neither of those worked, so the rep told me to call customer service (800) 372-7797, which hung up on me.

Turns out they only answer phone calls from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. PT. After an email, I eventually figured out the problem and they shipped my box.

After completing my order, the Club congratulated me and offered help if I had any grooming questions.

 

Signing up for Harry’s Shave Club Starter Kit was easier.

Signing up for Harry’s is way easier. They give you one starter set option. No quiz.

1. Click “Get Started” on their homepage and you’ll see the starter set.
2. After choosing the color of your handle (there’s a chrome option for $10), click “Next Step.”
3. You’ll see three options for ongoing refills:
   • eight blades – $15
   • eight blades, one gel (6.7 oz) – $21
   • 16 blades, 2 shave gels – $35
4. Decide your shipping frequency — every two, three or five months.
5. Click “Review Order” and you’re set.

They’ll ask you if you want to pay $10 more for an exclusive mystery item in your box, but this is totally up to you. I opted not to.

 

What I got in my Harry’s Starter Kit — fewer items, bigger sizes.

The Harry’s Starter Set ($8 w/ free shipping) includes:

• One weighted rubber handle
• One 5-blade razor
• One bottle of Harry’s shave gel with aloe (two ounces)
• Travel blade cover

Harry’s wowed me with their packaging but gave me less stuff, like only one “German engineered” 5-blade razor with my Starter Set.

But Harry’s also gives you more shave gel (two ounces) than Dollar Shave Club (one ounce), a travel blade cover to protect your razor from collecting moisture (which dulls the blade), and a nifty box to carry your razor handle.

Harry’s is all about quality over quantity, which is something to consider before siding with one brand over the other.

 

 

How Harry’s ships and bills their shaving club Starter Kits.

Your Recurring Box is scheduled to ship out 17 days after your Starter Set arrives. Harry’s will bill you the day of shipping, so if you want to change what comes in your Recurring Box, cancel your subscription, or change your shipping frequency, do it before your box ships.

 

How to order a Harry’s Recurring Box.

When you sign up for your Starter Kit, you’ll have to select a Recurring Box option. I recommend the eight blades, with one shave gel recurring option. It costs $21 a month after your Starter Kit (no shipping charge on orders over $15), which is $4 more than Dollar Shave Club if you stick to bare essentials (handle, foam and blades).

 

Here’s our review of Dollar Shave Club and Harry’s…

 

Which shaving club has the best razor handle?

Dollar Shave Club’s Executive Handle has a more modern look, like something you’d see in a premium razor, like a Gillette G5. Their handle is metallic and rubber and feels slightly heavier than Harry’s.

The Executive Handle sits nicely in your palm, and the rubber grips make sure it doesn’t slip out of your hand if it gets a little wet, which, if you shave your legs in the shower, is a must.

 

Harry’s razor handle is all about design and comfort.

When it comes to the handle, Harry’s is all about the design and feel. The handle is rubberized and weighted so that it’s bottom heavy. This helps you grip it so that the blade sits at a natural angle while shaving.

It’s also slightly longer than DSC’s handle, which only matters if you have big hands and like it when the handle sits nicely in your palm.

All in all, it feels good to hold and it’s not likely you’ll drop it while shaving your legs (or your beard.)

RELATED: Freaking Amazing Ways to Save at T.J. Maxx

 

Which shaving club razor blade gives the cleanest shave?

So which razor does the better job? Honestly, they both gave me and my guy friend a squeaky clean shave. We didn’t really think one was better than the other.

You need to know these things about the blades themselves.

1. Both brands make their razors super easy to assemble. You can disconnect the razor cartridge from the handle.
2. Both blades are designed to shave facial hair, but both brands also claim their razors are unisex.
3. Both brands recommend using one blade per week, which totally makes sense for the right person.
4. If you’re a girl, it’s winter, and you’re not fussy about having smooth legs every day, then a single blade can last you two weeks.
5. If you’re a guy and only shave a few days or even once a week, I’m also convinced a single blade can last you two weeks.
6. BUT if you’re a girl and want smooth legs every day, you’ll probably shave every other day, in which case you’ll definitely go through a blade a week.
7. The same goes to guys who grow beards overnight, or who shave every two to three days.

Conclusion: What really stood out from each brand was their shaving cream.

 

Which shaving club has the better shaving cream?

Harry’s shave gel turns into a foam once mixed with a little water.

My friend used this much gel:

And got this much foam:

 

The result? He got a really nice shave. The gel has a real minty, clean smell and left no razor burn after shaving.

Dollar Shave Club’s Shave Butter is a clear gel, but it felt more like a paste. It has a citrusy, refreshing smell. When you mix it with water, it doesn’t turn into foam.

I used this much Shave Butter:

And got this:

DSC says they make their Shave Butter clear so you can see what you’re doing, but it just felt like I couldn’t get enough on my legs. My guy friend felt the same way.

 

 

Harry’s shave club wins best razors and best shaving cream.

Based on customer service and how nice their product was, Harry’s wins against Dollar Shave Club. They have less “stuff,” but you get what you need. The only thing is, it’s more expensive every month than Dollar Shave.

Unless you…

 

Buy Harry’s at Target with your RedCard and save 5%.

Target is selling Harry’s now, and you can save more with your RedCard. You don’t get the convenience of autoship, but you can save a few bucks. Here’s the breakdown:

• Harry’s Men’s Razor with two cartridges $9.99
• Harry’s 6.7 oz shave gel $5.99
• Total $15.99
• Use your RedCard and save 5% for $15.19.

 

Still here? Ever wonder: What’s the right razor blade for my hair type?

Harry’s razor cartridges use five blades, and the Dollar Shave Club razors include six blades.

Why all the blades?

The point of adding more blades is to get a closer shave, or so they say. A single blade is more likely to drag across the skin and cause razor burn. Adding more blades cuts the hair at different angles as they glide across your skin.

But this really depends on how thick your hair is.

Finer hair typically benefits from more blades, and thicker hair does better with fewer blades. Five- and six-blade razors will give you a closer shave, but you get the same shave with a one blade if you angle it the right way.

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