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Comment by jewel | Hacker News Reader

I've never understood the appeal of the dollar shave club. Razors are very cheap when bought in bulk, and they take up very little space to store, even an entire year's supply. Wouldn't it make more sense and save money to ship a year's supply at a time?

For example, here are 64 razors for $16: http://amazon.com/dp/B00XKVH4O6. The comparable dollar shave two-blade option would cost you $48, since it's $1/mo for blades and $2/mo for shipping.

On the high end six-blade model, here's 24-cartridges for $30.49: http://www.dorcousa.com/pace-6-cartridges-6-pack-sxa1040/ The same thing from dollar shave would cost $54.

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And that's not even considering the classic double-edge razor that I and many others swear by. Here's a 200-blade-count for $15: http://www.amazon.com/Derby-Extra-Double-Razor-Blades/dp/B00... And yes, they perform as well (and in fact better, for many people) and last nearly as long as cartridges.

Yes, with a minimal investment in a good brush and Merkur razor + blades a couple years ago, I've already saved by going the double-edged way plus the shave is way better.

Only real problem is that I still haven't figured out how to do carry-on only and keep blades on me.

I've only ever had one TSA agent realize that I didn't have a cartridge razor in my dopp and confiscate my blades. Since that happened (but before I became an enormous beardo), I've brought only the bare minimum blades needed for my trips packed edge on to the x-ray scanner and left the butterfly in my shave kit but opened to show it was empty.

I imagine a safer and less obstreperous way might be to just buy an injector razor for when you travel.

You have a beard, and you carry DE blades on board, detailing how you hide them from TSA scanners on a public forum? Had any "longer chats" with TSA in an airport windowless room yet?

I use Harry's for the TSA and DE Safety for day to do. And because I only travel once every 6 weeks, I am okay with it.

I usually disassemble my Merkur before it's in my toiletry, but have a spare blade or two in wax paper floating around-- it doesn't seem to attract attention if it's not inside the razor assembly...

My own experience (sameple size of one) tells me that the greatest advantage to a classic double edged razor is in learning the technique. You WILL cut your face when you first start with it, but if you persist, you learn the right amount of pressure, the right stroke length for your face, the right angle, how to clean it, etc. The handle on my double edged razor broke, and I couldn't be bothered to replace it (lifetime warranty though). For about 6 months now I've been using cheap double blade dispoasble razors (and only replacing them about once a month) and I'm having a hard time convincing myself to go back. I used to swear by the badger hair brush, nice shaving cream and Merkur blades, but now I just use the hot water in the shower and a cheap plastic razor (that is rarely super sharp because it's usually weeks old) and my shave is just as close. I reckon I could dry shave if required, but the burn would be unbearable.

Do you know if the quality is the same?

The dollar shave club not only sells cheap shaving gear (compared to gillette at the supermarket) but also sells reassurance that the gear isn't crap, which I think many consumers fear about no-name alternatives.

Razors are practically, not quite, but practically caveman technology. I'd imagine that any products making it it to the modern market are roughly the same grade.

One thing I'm sure of: A good sign of a superior product is that it doesn't need monthly replacement.

Not even close, there is a huge difference between shaving with a $0.5 razor to a $4 one. I'm talking from experience. Apparently making good razors isn't as simple as it seems.

This is untrue. First off, facial hair has different consistency (tougher, finer, curly, straight, etc.) and what may work for one person doesn't always work for someone else. Second, (as someone who has to shave every day) there's a vast and noticeable difference between safety cartridges; there are really bad ones out there.

Not so. The technology invested in razors is significant, and their pricing has been studied to hell and back. Gillette is selling a very sophisticated product, and they test it thoroughly. It's a pretty fascinating business, actually. Despite the high prices of the top end blades, their price on a cost/shave basis is only slightly higher than cheaper blades - they last literally several times what the cheap ones do, and cut better the whole time.

DSC uses Dorco blades, which are available on Amazon for roughly the same price, if not cheaper.

My point is, most consumers don't know this.

They will probably only know Gillette and some no-name they tried once and hated. If they were to see Dorco on Amazon most consumers would put this into the latter category. On the other hand, DSC has good enough marketing to convince many consumers that DSC are in the Gillette category for a fraction of the price.

Personal care products are frequently 20% product, 80% marketing. There are store brands for practically every product in this category, yet name brands do okay.

CVS branded disposables are probably the best disposable triple blade on the market. I have thick hair and one of those lasts me an entire week. There are deals to be had, assuming people are willing to put in the legwork. I've gone two weeks with one out of sheer laziness before.

That said, stuff like bic is terrible.

If people thought this way a lot of things would go out of business.

I'm almost surprised daily when I see what businesses are doing well, DSC for example. Just about a few hours research a 3 years ago (admittedly too long) and I created a wet-shaving kit that has saved me more than DSC can.

I guess if I really want to create a great business, help people be lazy and not think, only do.

The best deal I have found in store is at Costco where for $49 you get a 24 pack of Mach 3 razors.

http://www.costco.com/Gillette-MACH3-Turbo-Cartridges-24-Cou...

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