Review: Wet Shave Club (2nd Box)

My bearded face has been a memory for a few months now. As some of you may recall, it was my first experience with the Wet Shave Club that inspired me to take the beard off after having had it for several years. I have shaved almost every day since then, and was delighted to receive another box from Wet Shave Club in March.

Every item in this box was different from the brands I got before — soap, aftershave and blades, and this time a few packets of “Dude Wipes,” wet wipes with some BroCode language on the wrapper.

Unlike the first box, this one did not include a razor and brush, so the box was considerably smaller. Kudos to Wet Shave Club for reducing potential waste by not overdoing the packaging.

I’ve now had a few weeks with all of the items, and I can say that on the whole I like the products and I especially like the opportunity to sample different brands.

Here’s the breakdown.

Crown brand stainless blades (a box of 10). These blades are made in Egypt, unlike the Gillette blades I prefer, which come from Russia. The Crown box looks like it was last redesigned about the time Don Draper was in high school, with a website address added to the fine print.

The blades themselves are a bit more harsh than I prefer. They are effective, doing a good job with just one pass, but they don’t do it comfortably. They leave my face with a sting that the Gillette Silver Blue never does.

All Soaps on Deck Spiced Rum Shave Soap. This is my first experience with this brand of shave soap, and I have found it to be a good one. The spiced rum scent is subtle but present, and the lather is pretty robust. I find that I like the brush a little wetter with this brand than with others, to make the lather as rich an foamy as I want it to be.

Soap Commander USA Aftershave Balm. Now this is a nice one. A blend of oils, shea butter and a dash of menthol, this aftershave goes on tingly and cool and undoes the sting of the Crown blades. The scent is pleasingly masculine and the tactile qualities are just what you need after a shave — silky and smooth. I’ve used this almost every day since I got it, but I also made time to try out …

Whoos the Man Soap Viper Cologne Oil. This is a blend of coconut oil and fragrance in a small bottle with a roll-on applicator. The cologne smells nice, with earthy undertones, and a small amount is plenty.

Local Gent Shaving Co. Pre-shave oil. This is a blend of castor oil, olive oil, unspecified essential oils and tea tree oil. Dab a little on your beard and spread it out before applying the lather and it will make the shave a little smoother and a little closer. This is an efficient way to improve the quality of the shave, and just a small amount will do the job.

Dude Wipes. These individually-wrapped wipes are good quality, and you can use them to soothe a just-shaved face. The Dude-specific messaging is entertaining, but there really is nothing here that is any different than any other unscented wet wipes.

So those are the individual products. As for Wet Shave Club itself, well, I remain impressed. A monthly subscriber would get a box like this — about a month’s worth of blades and after shaves, and more than a month's worth of soap, as shaving soap lasts a long time. While it might work against forming a brand loyalty, the monthly surprise assortment will certainly expose you to range of options.

The club offers a single box option ($29) and three subscription choices: three months for $26 a month, six months for $24 a month, or a year for $22 a month. You can also buy many products individually from their online store.

If you’re a man with a face, you’ll be interested in what Wet Shave Club has to offer.

Wet Shave Club Website
Wet Shave Club on Facebook

Our 1st Wet Shave Club Review