While a stroll through the trendier part of your town might make you believe that shaving is a thing of the past, most men still opt for a clean shave each day. Some view this as a chore to be endured, while others relish the me time. But whatever your view on shaving is, no-one enjoys going to the supermarket to pick up supplies.
That’s because razors are expensive, and, at times, impossible to comprehend thanks to the space-age technologies that are seemingly inserted into every blade. Then there’s the time and emotional cost of actually going to a shop to consider. No, no, no, no, no. There must be a better way.
There is. Shaving subscription boxes are here to save the day. Sign up online, then sit back and relax. All the necessary shaving gear you need will be arriving at regular intervals and it will probably cost you less than buying it in a shop. At least in the emotional sense.
Here are the best shaving subscriptions to consider, in alphabetical order.
Bearded Colonel
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There are two design elements on the Bearded Colonel’s heads that promise to minimise irritation. The first is a roller on the leading edge of the head so more shaving cream gets to the blades, acting as a lubricant. The second is wider spacing of the blades so they don’t get clogged up. There are two tiers to Beard Colonel membership. The standard one costs £10 to start and then £10 a delivery thereafter, and for that you get your handle and four five-blade heads in each delivery. The VIP tier nets you a fancier stainless steel handle and a tin to store it in alongside the blades, but this is currently invitation-only so you have to contact the Colonel himself (or an intern manning the inbox) to ask for a spot.
Blade Box
Aside from the cheapest option from Dollar Shave Club, Blade Box offers the best-value shaving subscription we’ve come across. Subscribe to the three-blade razor service and it’ll set you back just £4.49 a month, and if you simply must have five blades on your razors, that subscription is still only £7.49 a month. You can change the frequency of your deliveries to four, six or eight weeks, depending on how often you shave, and naturally the handle comes free with your first order. Both the three- and five-razor blade heads feature a vitamin E and aloe lubricating strip to minimise skin irritation and, while lacking some of the marketing bluster that accompanies a lot of the blades on this list, they’ll get the job done in terms of a close shave.
Cornerstone
If you want Cornerstone to take care of pretty much every part of your grooming routine, it can do so, because alongside razors and blades it’ll deliver shampoos, soaps, hair loss treatments, toothpaste and even condoms to a schedule you set. We’re going to focus on the shaving stuff here though. You can get six five-blade cartridges plus a handle with free engraving for £14; subsequent deliveries cost £14 too and can be spaced one, two or three months apart. The head has a trimmer blade and an aloe vera strip, but its neatest trick is that it will stand on its wide, flat base.
Dollar Shave Club
This shaving subscription service has proved wildly popular in the US and has now made its way to good old Blighty, where the currency in its title makes no sense at all. It’s not as straightforward as the branding suggests – it took a bit of digging around on the website, but we unearthed a dirt-cheap option.
Dollar Shave Club offers a starter pack for £5, which includes DSC’s “executive” razor handle, a pack of four six-blade cartridges and a travel-size tube of shaving butter. Thereafter, you have the option of getting four- or six-blade razor top-ups for £6 or £8 (both work on the executive handle), but you’re locking yourself into the more premium cartridges. If you want the cheapest possible plan, though, swerve the starter set and go for the two-blade “humble twin”: you’ll pay just £3 a month for five cartridges, with the handle included free in the first delivery.
If you happen to be a big spender, DSC is keen to sell you more. If you add in any extra grooming products from DSC’s seriously extensive range, you – sound the upselling klaxon – get a bigger discount applied to all of your purchases.
Subscribe to Dollar Shave Club
Gillette Shave Club
No doubt keen to see off the competition from all these upstart blade vendors, the grandaddy of shaving goods has got in on this newfangled subscription malarkey. After a slow start it seems Gillette now means business, offering a starter kit that includes a handle, one cartridge, travel-size shaving foam and a travel case for the head for just the £3.95 cost of delivery. You can choose between three razors in that kit too – the Fusion5 ProGlide, the SkinGuard or the Fusion5. Once you’re up and running you can also set the frequency of refill deliveries, with each package of four new heads priced between £10 and £11.50.
Subscribe to Gillette Shave Club
See related
- The Best Shaving Creams
- Quick Tips To Sharpen Up Facial Hair – Whatever Your Style
- Carmelo Guastella’s Shaving Tips
Harry’s
Harry’s makes everything you need to enjoy a top-quality shave and is keen as mustard to send it to your door at a frequency of your choice. A trial set of razor, shaving gel and a blade cover costs just £3.95 (pictured above), and from then on you pick what you want – cartridges and gel, or just cartridges – and when you want it. Getting your blade heads and gel from Harry’s will set you back £19 per delivery, while just getting eight heads costs £14.
The Personal Barber
These guys have zero time for your four/five/13-blade razors – they reckon you only need one sharp blade to enjoy an excellent, irritation-free shave. TPB will send you that blade in safety-razor form along with a fancy shaving brush and soap or cream in your first box, which also includes step-by-step instructions for the perfect shave. Then your next box keeps things fresh by including different shaving creams and pre- and post-shave products. The wet shave subscription box, complete with blades and mystery items, costs £24.95 every six or 12 weeks.
