Harry's review: Cheap razors that work better than they should

What I tested

Got the Truman Razor Starter Set back in November. Ten bucks for the handle, three cartridges, foaming gel, and a travel cover. Ordered it on a Tuesday after I cut myself for the third time that week with a disposable I'd been using too long. Look, I ain't a skincare guy, but showing up to job sites looking like you lost a fight with a cat gets old.

Used it five days a week for three months. Morning shaves before work, sometimes quick cleanups before union meetings. Tested it after doubles when I'm too tired to care, tested it in February when the water heater in my building was acting up and I had nothing but cold water for a week. If it works after a fourteen-hour shift in an attic in February, it works.

What works

The blades are actually sharp. German-made, they say, and I believe it. I've got thick stubble that laughs at cheap razors, and these cut through clean on the first pass. Even with just cold water and their shaving gel, no razor burn, no having to go over the same spot four times.

The price is right. Ten bucks to start beats the hell out of thirty-five dollars for a Gillette setup at Walgreens. Replacement cartridges are cheaper too. I ain't rich and I don't pretend to be.

Shaves stay smooth enough for work. I'm not trying to look pretty, just professional enough that the GC don't give me shit. Gets the job done there.

What didn't work

The handle feels cheap because it is cheap. It's got this weighted plastic thing going on that's supposed to feel substantial, but pick up a real metal razor and you'll know the difference. Hasn't broken on me yet, but it feels like it could. Dropped it once getting out of the shower and held my breath. It survived, but barely.

Blades don't last as long as they claim. They say five comfortable shaves per cartridge. I get three good ones and then it starts tugging. By shave five I'm already annoyed. By shave six it's basically a dull butter knife. Maybe if you've got baby-fine hair it's different, but for me, three shaves and swap it out.

The subscription is annoying as hell to cancel. Had to log in, click through three different "are you sure" screens, then they offered me a discount to stay. Just let me cancel, damn. I get why they do it, but it's irritating when you just want to pause for a month because you stocked up.

Would I buy it again?

Yeah, probably. Already did, actually. Ordered more cartridges in January even with the complaints. The blades dull quicker than advertised and the handle ain't winning awards, but it's still better than overpriced drugstore razors that do the same thing for twice the price.

It's a ten-dollar razor that shaves like a twenty-dollar razor. That's enough for me.

Verdict: Best cheap razor I've tried, just replace the blades more often than Harry's tells you to.