TL;DR: I purchased the
Amazon Basics 5-Blade MotionSphere Razor for Men with Dual Lubrication and Precision Beard Trimmer, Handle & 2 Cartridges (not an affiliate link); it arrived today; I like it.
Longer version:
Looking back, I see that I started using
Dollar Shave Club handles and blades in 2012, fairly early in that service's history. And I liked DSC for a long time. Good blades. Pretty good handles (that they replaced on request as needed). Decent price. Good customer service.
I occasionally took breaks from DSC products. I tried Harry's. I tried a single-blade "safety razor." Other than the low quality of the handle on the latter, no problem with either, but both times I found it more convenient to just go back to DSC.
But DSC has been going downhill for several years now, starting at somepoint after it was bought out by Unilever in 2016, then getting worse after Unilever sold out to an investment firm. The handles don't last as long before they don't want to grip the blade. New blades will arrive that no handle wants to hold on to very well (I think maybe they source from multiple manufacturers and quality control is ... spotty). The shave quality of the blades varies, although it's always pretty good.
So anyway, I canceled my DSC "auto-ship" subscription a few months back and started working my way through my built-up supply of blades, planning to try something else once I ran out. Which I've almost done, but I decided to move early because really having to re-attach the blade cartridge to the handle five times with every shave is just a pain in my ass.
Now: Any time I write about shaving gear, some of you feel the need to tell me about how you've been using the same dollar-store single-blade disposable razor for 20 years, sharpening it by rubbing it backward over jeans every six months, with no problems whatsoever and don't see the point of spending several dollars a year on these new-fangled smart razors that will order their own blade replacements and make omelets to order for you. I only have one thing to say by way of reply:
THAT'S FINE!
You do you. Shaving is a personal thing. Different people have different habits, requirements, rituals, whatever, and it's all good. I'm just telling you my impressions of the gear I choose for my situation. Use it if applicable. If not, don't.
I have a particular kind of beard and you may or may not have that kind of beard.
My whiskers tend to resemble the bristles on a wire brush in strength/texture until I grow them out long enough to get curly and do the beard stuff.
On the other hand, the skin underneath those whiskers has always cut easily.
I like a multi-blade razor (more than two) because it gets the whiskers off in fewer passes, meaning fewer cuts. I don't know if those "lubrication" strips usually do much, but they don't hurt. All of that also helps when I'm shaving my head, which on occasion I do for months or years at a time (right now I'm running a high and tight pompadour, and the top is long enough that it reaches the bottom of my rear hairline when brushed back; usually I keep it in a pony tail).
For shaving cream, I used to like Jeffrey Tucker's suggestion of using baby oil (which I blogged back in the day but can't find at the moment), but it does leave the skin feeling, well, oily.
These days I use a mug, a brush, and shaving soap (Williams because I like it, it used to be cheap, and I bought a bulk pack of it -- but it seems to be selling for outrageous prices at the moment, so I may have to change when I run out).
So anyway, I ordered the Amazon Basics gear yesterday, and my beard had been growing out from "as short as it gets with barber clippers" length for a couple of days when it arrived this afternoon. I opened the package, inspected the gear, and shaved.
The handle feels substantial and the mechanism for holding the blade seems reasonably solid.
The blade is as advertised (five blades, "lubricating strips").
The shave was quite nice. No cuts, no razor burn, ergonomically sound, minimal number of passes to get everything.
So far, I am pleased, and the remaining variable is to see how long the blade lasts before it feels dull (i.e. pulls at the beard) or the little tabs that hold the blade to the handle give way. My personal standard is that I should be able to get at least five to ten shaves out of a single cartridge, if I'm shaving at least every third day.
If I got five shaves per blade and shaved three times a week, I'd need 32 blades per year. If I got ten shaves per blade, I'd need 16 blades per year. Twelve blades cost about $16, so I am guessing Id be spending $25-30 per year on blades.
BUT! I expect quite a bit less, because I usually grow a winter beard for four or five months (Novemberish to Marchish) each year, when I travel I usually grab a couple of dollar-store disposables so I don't lose my handle if I lose my luggage or forget my razor at a hotel, etc., and occasionally I just run "barber clipper length" stubble for a little while.
One of the nice things about it being an Amazon product is that I can do a "subscription" just like with Dollar Shave Club. If I decide to stick with this razor and these blades after the first two cartridges, I'll order the 12-pack replacement and then, if I'm still liking it a year from now, probably set up a "send me 12 blades once a year (or twice a year, depending)" thing.