So a couple of weeks ago I decided to compare Harrys with the Dollar Shave Club for myself and let you know the results. After 1 week of shaving with each, the winner is.............. Well, its not that easy. I decided to purchase each companys premium blades so I could compare the best they each had to offer. Below I will discuss each companys club structure, the blades, the handle(s), the shave cream, the aftershave cream, and any other additional products they have that I found useful. The Dollar Shave Club (dollarshaveclub) offers three different blade options which they autoship to you either every month or every other month. The pricepoints are $1 for 5 of the twin blades ($0.20 each), $6 for 4 of the 4-blade model ($1.50 each), and $9 for 4 of the premium 6-blade model ($2.25 each). Shipping and handling fees are free for all but the twin for which they charge $2 making those blades actually $0.60 each. You can add 6 ounces of their Shave Butter for $8, 3.6 ounces of their Post-shave cream for $9, and 40 of their One Wipe Charlies for your backside for $4. Their handles are blade specific and are free. If you dont want your order to ship (you want more than 1 or 2 months between orders), you must go online and delay or cancel your auto-ship order. Harrys (harrys), on the other hand, is more of a demand-delivery. In other words, though they do have the option of a 2, 3, or 5 month autoship program, they also allow you to default to a ship on demand program where they ship when you order. Harrys comes in at a slightly higher pricepoint overall, but they also have a bit more of a luxury feel in their design and packaging. Harrys only offers one 4-blade option, but you can choose whether to purchase them in a 4 for $8 ($2 each), 8 for $15 ($1.88 each), 12 for $20 ($1.67 each), or 16-pack for $25 ($1.56 each). They make their own blades in an impressive German factory that has been grinding German-engineered blades since 1920. You can also add 6.7 ounces of Harrys Shave Cream for $12 (or 3.4 ounces for $8), 6.7 ounces of their Foaming Shave Gel for $12 (or 4 ounces for $8), and an ergonomically designed zinc alloy core with polymer coating handle that comes in your choice of 4 different colors for $10, or an engravable aluminum handle for $20 (engraving is $15). They sometimes promote a seasonal-inspired handle at a pricepoint from $15-25. So now for the direct comparison. My DSC shipment came in a regular box. When I opened it, the presentation was simple and nice. Nothing fancy. Just my products tossed loose in a box covered with some thick fenestrated black paper. Harrys also came in a regular shipping box, but each product was presented in its own attractive packaging. The visual appeal was much more gratifying and felt high-class. Harrys won this round hands-down. The handles were certainly very different. The DSC handle was just tossed loose in the shipping box and looked and felt like a Chinese-made prize from the bottom of a cereal box - but it work fine. Again, nothing fancy, but very adequate and functional. Harrys, on the other hand, was presented in its own well-done presentation box and felt and handled better than any shave handle Ive ever had - but all Ive ever used has been Schick or Gillette (Ive never done the fancy The Art of Shaving deal). With Harrys, I decided to try both their standard polymer coated zinc alloy core handle as well as the engraved aluminum handle. I really liked the feel and handling of the polymer coated one. The aluminum, though more expensive, left me a bit cold - in a literal sense as well as figurative. Harrys won this round handily as well. The DSC shave butter felt thin and cheap going on, but oh so nice and silky after my shave. It also gave me a nice, close, smooth shave. Harrys Shave Cream felt thicker going on and rinsed off cleaner, so left no silky soft feel - just a clean closely shave face. The same for their Foaming Shave Gel. The problem with their gel, like any other, is that the gel continues to ooze out of the bottle after you spray some into your hand. Ive always found this irritating because I like to keep my caps clean. I hate it when theres gel in the caps and all over the top of the can when I want to use them. This was a tough call. I enjoyed all the products and thought they were all very well made with rich emollients. However, Im going to give the edge to the DSC because of the feel of my face after my shave. DSC won this round. With regard to the aftershave creams - both DSC and Harrys were rather thin and unassuming. They both took a bit to absorb, but left no residue. Theyre both fine and do what theyre supposed to do, however, I prefer something a bit stiffer and more lubricating. Id call this a draw. Finally, the blades. DSC simply rocked my world. Their 6-blade version shaved cleanly, smoothly, effortlessly, closely. It felt great and never cut me a single time. It lasted about a week before I noticed it pulling and needed to switch out. Harrys 4-blader cut me in 5 places the first day, 2 the second, then once every day since (under my chin). Im not sure why this is, but must be something in the engineering - though German-perfect - didnt work as well for me. DSC wins this round no question. I like both products. I enjoy the act of shaving more with Harrys handle and blades one Ive got the blade broken-in but the first couple of days of each blade left me bleeding and frustrated. Overall, I felt safer and more comfortable with DSCs products - from the shave cream to their blades. In the end, its all about the blade and the cream, isnt it? If I had to choose one, Id probably go with DSC. But, I think Im going to continue to use both. .......and their One Wipe Charlies, well, theyre not as nice as a bidet, but they do leave you feeling fresh. That menthol adds a little kick.
Posted on: Tue, 09 Dec 2014 16:20:02 +0000
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