Shaving. Man, there’s a whole world of options and information out there. For decades, I was a Gillette guy. Easy, does the job, and I don’t have to think about it, like, at all. I learned early on to shave only against the grain, and suffered many years of razor bumps on the left side of my neck. I got a very close shave this way, and I only needed to shave every other day. Eventually I heard I should shave with the grain, which resulted in no cuts or bumps, but a less close shave, and necessitated a daily shave.

Over the years we got cartridges with triple blades, 5 blades, 5 blades with a trimming blade, 5 blades with a trimming blade on a pivoting head, and so on. Gillette was the only game in town and stores always kept the replacement cartridges in a locked cabinet. I tended to overuse them and sometimes let them get so dull I would get cuts or razor bumps on my face, just to save money. Eventually I learned to replace the cartridge when the little colour indicator told me to, and that eliminated the razor bumps.

Then came these disruptive startups like Dollar Shave Club (DSC) and Harry’s. I succumbed to the aggressive marketing and finally signed up for DSC. Here was a no-hassle way to get cheaper cartridges mailed directly to me. I didn’t throw out my old Gillette Fusion 5 handle, just in case.

I got my first DSC package with a new handle, 5 of their 4-blade cartridges, and a cute little bathroom reader about the value of sleep. The reader was a big hit with both my wife and I, and it hung out in the bathroom for months. Future shipments of cartridges didn’t include the clever reading material.

The first pass: Dollar Shave Club

The DSC blades did an OK job, but I immediately noticed two key differences:

1. The blades got dull after only 5 shaves, compared to over 12 shaves for a Gillette cartridge
2. The lack of a single trimmer blade meant my shaves weren’t as close, because I used to use my Fusion 5 trimmer blade to go over everything again as a second pass against the grain.

Still, I used the Dollar Shave Club cartridges for a few months, and received two additional shipments. Throughout the winter when I wore a beard, I used and needed fewer replacement blades.

The second pass: Safety Razors

I started searching online for “Dollar Shave Club vs Gillette” and quickly found myself going down several rabbits holes of articles and videos. Inevitably, I came across Double-Edge Safety Razors. This classy and informative how-to video made me seriously consider trying a safety razor.

After some research, I ordered a Parker 96R handle and a sample pack of razor blades. The handle also included (surprise surprise) 5 Gillette brand double razors. Go figure. At first, I managed to cut myself quite a bit, due to the sharper single blade and lack of pivoting head which I was used to. But I learned to go slower with shorter strokes and shaving only with the growth direction of my hair (which was about 45 degrees in the middle part of my beard), which helped quite a bit.

I wasn’t getting as close a shave with the Parker as I did even with the Dollar Shave Club razors. My wife even commented how my face looked a “little green” from the additional stubble.

With a safety razor, I had to replace the blade after 4 or 5 shaves, much more frequently than cartridges. I later learned that ideally, you lather up and do a second pass shaving against the grain. I tried this a few times (mostly on weekends) and it did give me a closer shave. It also doubled the shaving time and amount of shaving cream I used.

I tried some of the sampler packs of blades as well. First, I tried the Derby Extra blades. I read that Feather blades were super sharp, so I saved them for the last bunch to try after I had more practice. The Derby blades worked about the same as the Gillette ones.

Next I tried the Wilkinson Sword brand. These blades were absolutely terrible. They felt like old rusty dull blades and they cut my face up like no other blade had before, even on my cheeks. At this point I decided I had to revaluate my decision.

The third pass: Return of the Cartridge Razor

I decided to do the math and figure out which system actually gave me the best value. I could do this now, after several months of Dollar Shave Club and Safety Razor, since I now knew how many shaves a blade would last. Previously with Gillette Fusion 5 cartridges, I figured I was going 20 to 30 shaves before replacing a cartridge, but I never counted.

I knew safety razor blades would be the cheapest option, no doubt. But they gave me more cuts and razor bumps, and doing it carefully took more time. So I didn’t factor in safety razors; I only looked at returning to a cartridge system.

Here’s my quick spreadsheet. The Gillette and Kirkland cartridges were the best prices I could find at Costco.

Turns out the Gillette Fusion cartridges were the best bang for the buck. Plus the extra trimmer blade is pretty handy, I have to say. It also turns out that the 4-blade Dollar Shave Club cartridge I was using cost me the most, since they dulled a lot faster.

Rinse and Finish

I ended up where I started, with my trusty Gillette Fusion 5. When I started using it again, I had forgotten how smooth and easy it felt on my face. With the extra trimmer blade, I go quickly against the grain to get the closest shave I’ve ever had.

I admit that I could have tried different handles and different blades with the double edge safety razor system and had more practice. But it took more time for a not-as-close shave.

I did learn a few additional things while on this journey:

1. Shaving with the growth means 45 degrees in the middle of my beard.
2. Residual water on your blades dulls them faster; I can use my wife’s hairdryer to dry them off in about 10 seconds to make them last longer.

I’m not disappointed that I came full circle. In fact, I’m no longer frustrated to pay for Fusion 5 cartridges, because I know they last longer, give me the closest shave without cuts or razor bumps, and take the least time. I’m glad there’s more choice out there than there used to be, and I’m hoping Gillette eventually adopts more minimal packaging in line with Dollar Shave Club or Harrys. I’m glad I tried other options and figured out what works best for me.

My Mo Space: https://movember.com/m/neelmodi?mc=1