GearHaiku #218 800Razors.com Shaving Haiku Review
getting burned shaving?
...you're ready for disruption
great blades cost you less
800Razors.com shaving blades and shave products
A formidable player in the shaving blade disruption landscape
800Razors.com makes American made blades that cost much less than major brands
Blades shipped free to your door when you want them
New customers can get a 5-blade handle and 4 cartridges for $10 (ships free)
Blades run just over $2 each (vs. $4+ for equivalent blades by major brands)
Products come with a "burn free" guarantee with money back if you feel "burned"
All the details below in the Haiku Review
HAIKU REVIEW*:
Over the past few years, there have been a handful of players intent to disrupt the economics of shaving. These companies all aim to provide quality blades at steep discount versus major brands such as Gillette and Schick.
In addition to the promise of blades for less, they also make the purchase process easier by sending blades to your door when you want them.
But as with all of these companies, would any of their value proposition matter if they did not provide a shaving experience that stacked up favorably with the name brands?
800Razors.com may not be branded, packaged and marketed like their competitors, but they are offer an excellent shave at a price that falls around 50% less than what you pay for similar blades.
THE PACKAGE:
The 800Razors.com packaging (image below) consists of a cardboard backing housing instructions, the blades and handle all shipped within an 800Razors.com shipping envelope.
THE PRODUCTS:
800Razors.com offers three types of razors. Their lineup includes a 3-blade handle and blades, a 5-blade handle and blades and a 5-blade handle and blades for women.
The 800Razors.com new customer offer is one handle and four 5-blade cartridges for $9.95 (free shipping).
Subsequent 5-blade cartridges can then be sent in quantities of 12 ($25.95) or 24 ($49.95) blades at a time. You can have them sent when you need them or shipments can be scheduled to be sent every four months.
The handles and blades are made in the USA.
800Razors.com also offers shave creams and soaps (for men and women). They offer some other shave accessories too.
THE SHAVE:
This review is for the 5-blade product and the men's shave cream.
The handle feels great in hand. It's balanced and has noticeable weight. The handle is rubberized and provides an excellent and confident grip wet or dry.
Attaching the blade to handle was mostly similar to the way other blades attach to handles. It maybe took a second longer to figure out than it should but certainly not hard to negotiate.
The shave cream is lotion-like and certainly not a gel or foam. The cream has a floral scent that frankly is underwhelming but not terrible. The cream provides a nice moisture base to set up the shave on goes on clear enough to see your face for an unobstructed shave.
But the star attraction is the shave itself. The shave is really good. You might expect there could be some diminished shave quality because of the lower priced blade, but that's not the case. For GearHaiku there was no noticeable difference versus a shave with a blade twice its price. The shave was very smooth. It was easy to get to the tighter facial spots around the nose and mouth.
The blades rinse easily and thoroughly. After roughly 10 shaves, the blade quality and durability have held up very well.
The overall shave experience stacks up extremely well with brand name razors.
THE CONCLUSION:
GearHaiku has been using the 800Razors.com 5-blade handle and blades for about a month. The shave has been exceptional and very much in line with similar products by both Gillette and Schick.
If the price of shaving blades drives you a little crazy, it's probably worth dipping a toe into the 800Razors.com pool and give them a try. The shave is comprable and the price is not.
There is little risk to trying. You could always go back to paying more.
* GearHaiku was sent the 5-blade razor and shave cream for review.
Haiku#218