The dollar shave club not only sells cheap shaving gear (compared to gillette at the supermarket) but also sells reassurance that the gear isn't crap, which I think many consumers fear about no-name alternatives.
They will probably only know Gillette and some no-name they tried once and hated. If they were to see Dorco on Amazon most consumers would put this into the latter category. On the other hand, DSC has good enough marketing to convince many consumers that DSC are in the Gillette category for a fraction of the price.
Personal care products are frequently 20% product, 80% marketing. There are store brands for practically every product in this category, yet name brands do okay.
CVS branded disposables are probably the best disposable triple blade on the market. I have thick hair and one of those lasts me an entire week. There are deals to be had, assuming people are willing to put in the legwork. I've gone two weeks with one out of sheer laziness before.
Razors are practically, not quite, but practically caveman technology. I'd imagine that any products making it it to the modern market are roughly the same grade.
One thing I'm sure of: A good sign of a superior product is that it doesn't need monthly replacement.
This is untrue. First off, facial hair has different consistency (tougher, finer, curly, straight, etc.) and what may work for one person doesn't always work for someone else. Second, (as someone who has to shave every day) there's a vast and noticeable difference between safety cartridges; there are really bad ones out there.
Not even close, there is a huge difference between shaving with a $0.5 razor to a $4 one. I'm talking from experience. Apparently making good razors isn't as simple as it seems.
Not so. The technology invested in razors is significant, and their pricing has been studied to hell and back. Gillette is selling a very sophisticated product, and they test it thoroughly. It's a pretty fascinating business, actually. Despite the high prices of the top end blades, their price on a cost/shave basis is only slightly higher than cheaper blades - they last literally several times what the cheap ones do, and cut better the whole time.
The dollar shave club not only sells cheap shaving gear (compared to gillette at the supermarket) but also sells reassurance that the gear isn't crap, which I think many consumers fear about no-name alternatives.