For a two month update, scroll to the end…
I have been a regular Gillette Fusion shaver for quite a while now. It was really the only manual razor I’ve found that does a great job and has a smooth glide. But I bristle (pardon the pun) at the cost of the blades. It seems like I get a week or maybe two out of a blade before it starts catching on hairs and becoming uncomfortable. Paying around $4 a blade seems like a lot for a product that lasts such a short time (and, yes, I know all the tricks of trying to preserve the blade). I was pretty much convinced to give a safety razor a try (from 5 blades to 1!), but then something caught my eye…
The Winston Set
It was harrys.com, a new company selling shaving products, started by one of the guys behind Warby-Parker, the successful startup that offers stylish eye-glasses for a lot less than the Luxotica monopoly. I just recently bought a pair of Warbys, and they’re great, so I was willing to put my move to safety razors aside for a bit and give Harrys.com a try.
The promise that they make is that they have a top-notch product with blades that are about half the cost of Gillette’s. That’s a great deal, if the product is as good as they say …
I ordered the Winston set, which comes with shaving cream, an all-metal handle, 3 blades, and a whimsical instruction booklet.
I started out using their cream and tried a shave. Oooh, not so good. So I washed off their cream and switched back to the Aveno gel I normally use. That did the trick: the shave was every bit as good as Gillette’s. A smooth glide across my face, no catching, no nicking. I tried shaving with and against the grain, and I couldn’t tell the difference between it and the Fusion blades. The shave was close, smooth, and discomfort free. They are the real deal.
As a bonus, the all-metal Winston handle is a lot nicer than the Fusion handle, which is metal and plastic and tends to get kind of gunky on me. Even living in the shower it stays clean.
So the verdict is that I’m going to stick with Harry’s blades, although I’m probably going to keep using the Aveno gel instead of switching. I’m curious to see how long a blade will last, but the bar is set very low for them there…
If you’re like me and paying so much for blades goes against the grain for you, give Harry’s a try!
May 24th, 2013 update
It’s been two months now, and I’m still very happy with Harry’s. I’ve ordered a bunch of replacement blades, and to my surprise they’re lasting a lot longer than I expected. I’m not sure how harrys.com is going to make money ;-). They deliver a great shave at a very economical price. I plan to keep using them!
November 17, 2013 update
The handle for the razor is holding up well, after many, many months of daily use!
One thing I’ve noticed is that if I stop shaving with a blade for a time (switching to an electric razor while on a trip, for example), the first time or two I start shaving with Harry’s it’s a bit rough. But after that it’s smooth again. So if you’re normally an electric razor user and try Harry’s, give it a few shaves before you judge…