Dorco Pace 6 Plus Versus The Gillette Pro Fusion
You're probably disappointed in how expensive Gillette razors are these days. And, I'm sure you would love an alternative. That's why I wrote this Dorco Pace 6 Plus review.
So, read on for a versus the Gillette Fusion Pro Glide
I know I was getting pretty frustrated with how much I was paying. I thought about joining the Dollar Shave Club, but didn't really want any recurring payments out of my bank account.
In the barbershop where I work, many of my customers talk about how ridiculous it is to have to pay almost $19 for 4 cartridges of Gillette Fusion razor blades.
That's why when I found out that
was making a razor called the Pace 6 Plus
to compete with the Gillette Fusion, I was very excited and curious about if it was a good deal or not. I haven't seen too many Dorco razor reviews, so I felt I needed to look further into this to be able to give a good recommendation.
I have been using the double sided Dorco straight edge blades for safety razors and for my Dovo Shavette for work for over a decade. So, I was very familiar with the brand but only so far as double sided disposable blades for straight edge razors was concerned.
It turns out that they have many different types, from a 2 blade to a 6 blade. But, for the sake of comparison to the Fusion, I will only review the Dorco Pace 6 Plus. And, of course, even if you are going to use a disposable razor, I recommend you do the full wet shave routine at least once a week. You should check out my post How To Give Yourself a Perfect Wet Shave.
I have been using the Pro Glide for a few years for when I don't feel like doing the shave with my safety razor. Luckily since I don't use it much the cartridges last me a long time. They are expensive, nonetheless. I hesitate to admit that sometimes there are some sketchy guys that come into the shop selling stuff that "fell off the truck". I never buy anything but I do always ask if they have Fusion cartridges. I would be all over those, for sure!
A few weeks ago I started using the Dorco Pace 6 Plus to see if it compared to the Gillette Pro Fusion. I got my brush and soap out and got started with the wet shave routine. The 6 blades looked a little like overkill, but I didn't think too much of it. The handle felt a little heavier than the Fusion, so it definitely didn't feel chintzy.
But, the real test would be with the actual shave. First swipe, VERY smooth. I felt the difference immediately. I went through the rest of the shave as normal and was sort of surprised that it was as good as it was.
I say sort of since, as I said, I was already familiar with the fact that they make a good product. But, these razor cartridges are so cheap I just wasn't totally convinced they would do a good job. These are cheap razor blades, but they are not cheap razor blades! They might not be expensive but they are of the highest quality, I assure you.
Dropping the price even further is the fact that Dorco is always running a promotion. For instance, if you click the next link you will see many items up to 50% off.
The Dorco Pace 6 Plus surprised me in a few ways. I figured that with 6 blades it would be hard to wash and would be gunked up. I have a thick beard and that happened often with the Gillette. I always accepted it as a fact of life. But, the Dorco Pace 6 Plus washed right out every time.
The other surprise is that, 3 weeks later I am using the same blade. I didn't use my safety razor at all during this time to see exactly how long I could go before I needed to change the cartridge. Tomorrow I will be changing it for the first time. Your results will vary, since beard types are all different. If you do the wet shave routine you will also extend the life of your razor blades.
So, is the Dorco Razor any good? The Dorco Pace 6 Plus is not only cheaper than the Gillette Pro Glide, but it is as good a razor as the Gillette. Don't let the price fool you!
The popularity of subscriptions like The Dollar Shave Club is a good indication that guys are tired of spending a fortune for cartridges for their disposable razors. The Gillette, and even Schick, products are just too expensive. Instead of signing up for a subscription, I recommend going with Dorco Pace 6 Plus. You will save money with these and not need to have your card charged every month to do it. And on top of saving money, you will also get a better shave.
The ironic thing is that after doing some investigating, I discovered that the Dollar Shave Club has a 6 blade system that uses the Dorco Pace 6 blades. And it costs more money. And you are on the hook for a monthly payment. It actually costs less to buy direct from Dorco
to get the same exact razors and it only takes a couple of days to receive them instead of waiting until the next month.
I'm not opposed to the Dollar Shave Club at all, but I would rather not have to deal with a subscription and buy directly from Dorco.
The moral of this story is that you don't have to spend a fortune on razors anymore. There are cheaper options that will give you a great shave. I hope you give Dorco a try. And if you do, please leave a comment below on what you thought of the razors. My wife has even converted to Dorco
and is using the
.
UPDATE!
Since the writing of this review Dorco has released the Dorco Pace 7. It has 7 blades and a rotating head. Compared to the Gillette FlexBall, it has the same ability to pivot and get over the contours of your face but with one extra blade and at a fraction of the price. Click the image below for more information!
On the pace 7 footnote – you’ll probably want to stick with the 6 or 4.
I ordered a bunch of Pace 6 heads but needed a handle, so I paid the extra dollar or two just to get the nicer handle on the 7, since Dorco cartridges work with all handles (thanks!).
The head though, not worth the “upgrade” if you’re happy with the one you have, it’s probably actually a downgrade. It clogs so fast, but even unclogged on a fresh stroke there was so much tug it felt like it was pulling out half the stubble rather than cutting it. Lots of drag, lots of painful tug, and lots of face irritation later.
I have not tried the Pace 6 cartridges (the 20 I ordered…) yet, hopefully they’re better. I’ve read in other reviews that people who experienced what I did with the 7 had a smooth experience with the 6 though. I think the 7 was mostly an exercise in marketing getting the better of engineering.
Thanks for that detailed report! I think you are onto something when it comes to the Pace 7. It might just be a marketing strategy to put out a 7 blade system. I haven’t actually tried it out since it is pretty new. I figured 7 blades is just overkill, but, I also thought that before trying the Pace 6 Plus and it turned out to be a great product.
So, your experience will help others make an informed decision before they go for the Pace 7. For now, I’ll stick to the Pace 6 Plus since I am happy with it anyway.
I’ve used Dorco razors for about a year and can’t say enough good about them. Both disposables and regular are good. And the blades last for weeks. I use a shaving stroop after each shave and this makes the blades last much longer. Dorco has a sale it seems like once a month which helps.
I’m very curious about that strop that you’re using. Can you explain that?
I use the Pace 6 exclusively now. I’ve never used a Gillette blade above Mach 3 Turbo. Am I missing anything? looking at price alone, and the performance of the Pace 6, plus what others say, I would say not enough for me to even bother.
My dad always used a Gillette, and at the time, for quite a time after, I don’t think there were better blades. We used to watch the Gillette Wednesday night fights together also, so a lot of nostalgia attached to it too.
I think I actually cut myself less with the Pace, not that I cut that often, but I can grab the razor and really go to town, and be done much quicker then the old Mach 3 or the even the Pace 4. And the blade lasts. I don’t think it would be unusual, depending on hair growth, to have one blade go the distance of 3 weeks.
The Pace 6 is the sweet point for me, and I have no good reason to spend more just to conduct an experiment. My only small quibble is that it seems harder to navigate the area just above and around the chin. It seems to have more bulk on the blade for protection for tight corners, but once you stretch your skin the right way it will trim those tiny short hairs nicely.
Use a quality cream or foam, let it set up and soak in, and douse your blades with rubbing alcohol after rinsing to kill any microbes, between the blades.
I think you nailed it. There really is no reason to pay more for a cartridge.
This isn’t just a gimmicky razor that you just use because you don’t want to spend money. It gives a good shave. Yes, it’s a little bulky. And I notice that the back blade for getting right under the nose doesn’t stay very sharp for long. You definitely did miss out on the Fusion compared to the Mach 3. It really is better. But, getting a Gillette and spending more than 3 times the cost of a Dorco Pace 6 Plus doesn’t mean your shave is that much better than the Dorco. There’s no good reason to try another blade.
I have to respectfully disagree with the reviews on the dorco. I have used the Pace 6 for 4 months now because my wife bought a lot in bulk. They work Great for her on her legs and such. However for my experience…the razor started out ok I thought. I did notice I had to make additional swipes but didn’t”t think much of it. Until today…I shave in the shower so wet shaves every morning. Not to coarse of hair but I realize now I must have sensitive skin. I changed the blades often and dry them after use. Today I got out and noticed how torn up my face was. It is subtle but now very noticeable that the Dorco blades have slowly ripped my face apart. I just so happened to be going for a hair cut to my barber..who’s shop does shaves as well and told him about what I was using and had him check out my face. He had explained to me that I was not the first customer of his that had the same problem. Even though the Gillette blades are super expensive…which all of use can agree and hate! I do not know what they do differently than others but for my face they seem to do the best job. They also last along time. So I guess in the end the cost does come out the same as using the cheaper Dorco’s. However in my experience the Dorco price is not worth the pain. Maybe it is just my skin but I have had to go back to Gillette. Just my 2 cents.. Thank you!
Steve, thanks so much for your insight and sorry about your experience. I guess it’s another case of Your Mileage May Vary. I have sensitive skin and use the Dorco razors myself. That unboxing video is actually me there so I do personally use the Dorco Pace 6 Plus and my wife uses the Shai. I literally just threw away a Pace 6 Plus yesterday after using for almost a month.
I’m not disagreeing with you about your experience. It sucks that it didn’t work out for you. I’m glad you cam here to post about it though.
One thing I will say, however, I am not saying that Gillette razors are no good. They are. They’re excellent in fact. I just don’t see the need to spend that much on a razor.
By the way, Steve, have you ever tried a safety razor wet shave? That’s a great way to save a lot of money on razors and still get a top notch shave.
I have used the Pace 6+ for about 9 months, and get almost a month per cartridge, shaving daily. I am very happy with the 6+, and always get close and comfortable shaves. Since the price of the cartridges is about 1/3 that of the Fusion blades, and they also last longer, Gillette is not even a consideration.
I recently tried the Pace 7, and it was a real disappointment. Despite its appearance, the head does not rotate like that of the Fusion, and the range of cartridge motion is no different than that of the Pace 6. Both the handle and the cartridge have a chintzy feel, and to me the design change seems like a manufacturing cost reduction, rather than a product improvement.
That seems to be the consensus with the Pace 7. It seems like more marketing than any real improvement on the Pace 6 Plus. Totally agree on the point about Gillette. I just don’t think it’s worth the price for what you get. So, will we see Gillette prices come down due to the newfound competition? The funny thing is that I was just in Europe and th eprice of the Gillette razors is considerably lower there. I feel like they base their prices in the US like “How much is this razor, Gillette?” “Well, How much do you have?”
Am looking to move to Dorco. Have a question though. Have been using Gillette fusion proglide power for years. So am looking at Pace 6 plus Power. How does it compare to Pace 6 plus and to fusion proglide power? Any experience.
Hi Patel. I think it’s a good move to head over to Dorco land! I also used Proglide power for years and it is a good product. Dorco’s power razor is also really good and costs so much less. With 6 blades it is very smooth, but still doesn’t get gunked up. It will give you a very smooth shave. I got one free to use so I will be doing a review of it very soon. In the meantime, I say go for it I don’t think you will be disappointed! Let me know how it goes if you decide to get one.
Thanks. Will let you know if I decide to get it and how it goes.
I have tried Dollarshave club. It is good. However, getting them directly from Dorco makes more sense. I have been ordering from them for almost 2 years now. No complaints. You can order larger or small quantities, plus the promotions and Coupons help a lot. I buy them once every 4-5 months, in bulk, and only pay what I used to pay monthly. Can’t go wrong with it.
Since the razors from Dollar Shave Club are mostly Dorco, it only makes sense to just go right to Dorco.
I’ve been shaving for almost 50 years and my favorite razor by far was always Gillette Sensor. But when they started making the blades in Mexico, the shave was noticeably less close and I switched to Mach3. Mach3 provided a close shave but the blades only lasted 2 weeks. So I switched to Dorco Pace 3 almost 2 months ago. I get a very close shave with it and the blades last much longer than Mach3. Also a tip, using a brush and mug greatly improves the comfort and closeness of any razor compared to canned shaving cream, and the blade lasts longer too. And for me, anything over 3 blades may provide a faster shave, but not necessarily closer. So at this point it looks like I’ll be sticking with Dorco Pace3. An excellent shave at a fraction of the cost.
I want to stop using Gillette but I haven’t found an alternative to their power razor. The vibrating razor is the first and so far only razor not to cut my face/neck up while shaving, Does DorCo make a vibrating razor?
Yes, they do! The Pace 6 Power: https://amzn.to/2wiy40L