Being a teenager is rough. We start to see our body change in strange and peculiar ways, and we also start our process of becoming adults. One of those processes for most teenage boys like me is shaving. Facial hair is both a burden and a blessing. On one side of the spectrum, one can grow a luscious beard like James Harden or Sergio Ramos, or some sexy stubble like Leonardo DiCaprio and Brad Pitt. On the other side, one can grow a patchy, dysfunctional, and gross looking bit of facial hair that really puts off the ladies. However, what I am here to discuss is an age old question: Is Gillete really the best a man can get? 

For as long as I have been shaving, I have been using Gillete razors, and it feels fine, but I also don’t know what a nice razor feels like or what another razor feels like in the first place, so I’ve taken it upon myself to go out into society and purchase a couple of razors that aren’t Gillete razors. 

I went ahead and signed up for the free trial of Harry’s first. Now I understand that factoring in my package being delivered to the wrong place doesn’t answer the question, but I definitely couldn’t help but feel a little doubtful about the product. Compared to my razor with a nice metal hilt and a blade that smoothly goes against my face, Harry’s felt as if I had been slapped a couple of times, both physically and mentally. The hilt was plastic and cheap. The five-blade system it had was mediocre, and at times, I felt like I was about to cut myself with how hard I was having to push against my skin. It did come with extra supplies, like an extra razor head and shaving cream, but this was because it only came in sets. At this point, I was almost positive Gillete was truly the best.

Shortly after my experience with Harry’s, I ordered a four-blade razor from the dollar shave club. It cost me a little over seven dollars, including tax. I was thankful for how fast the delivery was. It was good timing too since I hadn’t shaved in a week so my face was looking a little rough. The hilt was quite enjoyable. Although the metal felt a little flimsier than Gillete’s, it had a nice rubber coating which gave me a solid grip on it. It also had a four blade system as opposed to Harry’s five-blade. The shave, overall, felt good. I was not having to push against my skin with much force like with Harry’s razor and my face felt like a baby’s afterwards; however, it didn’t have the edging power that the Gillette Razor has. The razor felt like a serious contender to my Gillette.

I gave it another week before I shaved my face again using my Gillete. I did this so I could more clearly see the difference between my Gillete, Harry’s Razor, and the Dollar Shave Club razors. I got to work using my three-blade Gillete razor, and I began to notice some differences. I still liked the handle of the Gillete, but the Dollar Shave Club handle had such a nice grip that the overall shave felt better than the other two. On top of that, my Gillete was $13 compared to the $7 Dollar Shave Club.

It took me some time to really wrap my head around the perks and benefits of each one. Well when I say perks and benefits, I really mean perks and benefits of the Gillete and Dollar Shave Club razors. Harry’s was the worst experience. It cost me the most money and it gave me the worst shaving experience, so it gets third place. Second, I have my Gillette. Sadly Gillette isn’t the best a man can get these days. In first place is Dollar Shave Club. The razor I used didn’t give the shave that my Gillette did, but like I said above, they’re a cheaper alternative to my razor and have similar edging power.

 No, Gillette is not the best, but that doesn’t mean they don’t have good razors. Whether you enjoy the handle to the Gillette more or like the shave of Harry’s better.  At the end of the day it all comes to personal preference and unless you like a patchy, dysfunctional, and gross looking bit of facial hair go with Dollar Shave Club.