Wet Shaving Club

A new wet shaving vendor, Wet Shaving Club, has taken a chance on being confused with another business that is now defunct by not only taking on a similar name but also by riffing on some elements of their business plan.  But this new one seems to have a better chance of succeeding.

About Wet Shaving Club

From their website:

“The Wet Shaving Club is an idea that was born on accident.

We are new to shaving with safety razors and the whole wet shave routine.

We love it!

But while searching for options we noticed that while there were plenty of people selling wet shave products, none of them were competing with the shave clubs that sell cartridge razors.

If you wanted to get into wet shaving, the initial expense was daunting.

We decided to change that paradigm.”

They’re trying to “change that paradigm” by offering a relatively limited selection of products at low prices (but reasonably quality).  That includes items like Parker and Omega shave brushes, Taconic and Col. Conk shave soaps, and a few other things.  They have a “starter kit” that competes well with other starter kits on the market.

The Wet Shaving Club “One Year Of Shaving For $12” Deal

Again from their website:

Why is the Wet Shaving Club™ Offering This $1 Per Month Safety Razor Deal Deal?

First, let us clarify. You are NOT paying $1 per month. In fact, it is better than that! 

You are making a ONE TIME $12 purchase for one year of shaving! That equates to paying $1 per month. And that is why it is called The $1 Per Month Safety Razor Deal!

What do you get?

• You get a premium vintage styled safety razor.
• You get 105 Safety Razor Blades. A 1 Year Supply.
• You pay a one time fee of only $12.00

Admittedly the razor is a common low cost product from China.  The “X-factor” is, of course, the blade.  Blade-pairing is a notoriously fickle thing: what works well for one person may be terrible for another.  But this “deal” does provide a reasonable shave for the person who wants to try double edge safety razor shaving at a low cost.

A limited selection of other double edge razors are also available at a variety of price points.

The Wet Shaving Club’s Artisan Razor Option

 

“Our Artisan Safety Razor Made In The USA is a handcrafted labor of love from an engineer who designs, manufactures, and assembles these by hand right here in the USA!  

Each part is made start to finish by this engineer and is personally quality checked and assembled by hand to assure you receive the highest quality.”

Handle length: 3 inches

Weight: 3 ounces

I tried this razor, too.  I normally prefer “mild” razors: this razor is more “middle of the road” but very efficient and comfortable at the same time.  While the razor’s price is more in-line with other artisan-made razors and not really “low cost” I was really impressed with the quality and performance!  Although the razor’s handle is relatively short and looks smooth I found it easy to hold with an excellent balance.  The razor head angle’s “sweet spot” is generous and I find it pairs well with a fairly wide variety of blade brands I have on-hand.

What About Wet Shave Club?

Wet Shaving Club is taking a gamble by having a similar name to another business that took some flak for offering a limited selection of shaving products.  As their website explains:

“However, as we continued with our research, it became apparent that not only was The Wet Shave Club’s model much different than ours, but it almost seemed doomed from the jump. 

In our opinion, The Wet Shave Club met its demise because of the following reasons:

• A monthly wet shave box is hard to sustain
• The price was too high
• It was not a project of passion, but of convenience”

Wet Shaving Club is riffing off that old business model by not charging a monthly fee but offering a monthly deal on a single product (and maybe throwing in some other samples, besides).

Conclusion

Wet Shaving Club is trying to offer a way of “dipping your toes” into shaving with a double edge razor, brush, and shave soap conveniently and at low cost.  They have a small selection of known value products and also offer an excellent artisan-made razor for a reasonable price.  Wet Shaving Club may not be as well known as other value-oriented vendors but it is certainly worth consideration.