(New) Dollar Shave Club vs. Harry’s

It was in July, 2022 that I penned the Dollar Shave Club vs Harry’s article where I had razors from these two companies go head-to-head. After an exhaustive testing regimen, I selected the “old” DSC Executive handle and six-blade cart over the Harry’s Truman handle and their standard five-blade cart. I also gave a review of DSC’s new offerings being sold at brick and mortar stores. I was severely underwhelmed by these new razors. But, I had the Executive to use…until that was no longer an option. That was the subject of an article in March, 2023. Dollar Shave Club decided to end the production of the razors the company was basically founded on and produce a new razor. 

Bottom line on Dollar Shave Club’s new razor vs. Harry’s? Harry’s for the win.

Feedback

The feedback from shavers from Sharpologist’s has been the same “the new razors are terrible” and that leads to the next line “ I cancelled DSC.” I posted the article to Reddit to see if the reaction would be any different. I wanted to make sure I wasn’t in an echo chamber. Nope. The 100% of responses were the same thought: terrible blades. 

But would you be better off with Harry’s? Here’s a Dollar Shave Club vs. Harry’s update!

The New Dollar Shave Club Razor

I bought new Dollar Shave Club six-blade offering from a brick and mortar store. I had to buy a new set for this review because I threw away the ones I used for a previous review. I don’t throw anything away – ask my wife. But these went in the trash. 

I thought maybe Unilever, which owns Dollar Shave Club, might have listened to the howls of outrage from shavers, as well as the cancellation of memberships. 

The sticker on the box gave me slight hope. Maybe, just maybe, someone at that huge corporation noticed the multitudes of people canceling their plans and think “huh, what’s up? Why are we getting so many customers canceling their plans?” I thought that perhaps a focus group had spoken up and set the big wigs straight. 

Sadly, no. It is still the same flimsy-feeling cart and the same handle. This reminds me of a old Army saying: “What’s the hardest thing to kill? A program that’s already running.” So, is there any improvement? 

I shaved in the shower, using a Barrister and Mann tallow soap, which IMHO is some of the slickest on the market. I wanted a good lather to have these two go head-to-head. 

 I could not believe how bad Dollar Shave Club’s “top” cartridge performed. It literally scraped across my face like it was the dullest blade ever. I only had a one-day growth, so some stubble. It still pulled and snagged on every pass, as it scraped. Maybe time made me forget just how bad these carts are, but I quickly remembered why there are more than 80 comments on my article on Sharpologist echoing the same sentiment, and even dozens more from Reddit. I would not shave with this for a second time. 

For touchups on my face, I always use my Baldly razor with a Gillette Fusion 5 blade cart. It is the only Gillette cart I own. The touchup from this was immensely better than the Dollar Shave Club’s offering. So, compared to the high-priced carts, you do get what you pay for. But how does the new DSC stack up against Harry’s?  

Harry’s Razor

I shaved with Harry’s one cart they offer, a five-blade one.  It says on their website “our blades are designed for your face, and not recommended for head shaving.” I have scratched my head, pun intended, over this because I have shaved my head dozens of times and never had an issue. 

The Harry’s and the DSC blades both have a single razor trimmer on one side. Each also has blades. And connect to a handle. That’s where the similarities end. 

The Harry’s cart is heads and shoulders above the DSC offering. The Harry’s shaves like it should. It doesn’t scrape across your face, it doesn’t tug at all, it just shaves. Remember, the DSC tugged with one only day of growth.

Price?

Is there really any more to compare? Well, price. 

At the biggest box-store, a four pack of Harry’s runs $9.97. That comes out to $2.49 apiece. Go through two a month, and you’re shelling out roughly $60 per year. 

The same store has the DSC six-blade cart for the same price. 

Conclusion

To me, it is a no-brainer. I never want to shave with anything that will just scrape across my face. That’s not shaving in my book, it’s mild torture. And I do this every morning because I enjoy it. If something is stopping me from enjoying it, I get rid of it. That’s what I did for the second time in my life, I threw away my DSC razor, two carts and chalked it up to my search for truth. 

As for the Harry’s, it’s in my Dopp bag, so I have a razor when I travel. I don’t travel that much but when I do I don’t have to dread shaving. 

Dollar Shave Club vs. Harry’s? Harry’s for the win.