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Review TL;DR
Never heard of ShaveMOB? We hadn’t either until we found the “Caveman” razor on Amazon. Turns out the razor we tried gave a fantastic shave for not a lot of money. In fact, the razors are identical to those used by another famous razor company. Bottom line, if you’re looking for a great shave and a deal, ShaveMOB’s Caveman fits the bill.
Meet the ShaveMOB Caveman
When it comes to shaving, some people are hesitant to go with a brand they’ve never heard of before. And ShaveMOB is definitely not a household name at the moment.
If you haven’t heard of them, the company offers a lineup of affordable shaving products, including men’s and women’s razors. The razors include the Baby Face (three blades), the Average Joe (four blades), and the Caveman (six blades). For our test, we tried out the top-of-the-line Caveman to see what kind of shave it offered and if it is worth your money.
The Caveman has many of the features you’d expect from a high-end razor, including lots of blades, precision trimmer, and plenty of lubrication. But even with all those features, it is a fairly simple razor. And at a price of just $10 for a handle and four cartridges, it doesn’t cost a lot compared to many other five and six-bladed razors we’ve reviewed.
But a cheap price isn’t worth much if the shave isn’t any good. That’s why we picked up this razor on Amazon to see how it performs. Here’s what we found…
What’s in the Box
When it comes to packaging, there’s no doubt that ShaveMOB isn’t looking to be flashy. Our order came in a nondescript white box.
Inside were the four cartridges and the blade handle, with styrofoam peanuts to keep things from sliding around inside.
Personally we like having as little packaging as possible, but will admit that it made it feel like the razor was a discount brand. While companies like Gillette have packed their razors in cardboard boxes, they also have years of goodwill built toward them as a high-quality shave. In this case, the packaging made us question just how good the razor would actually be.
Still, as you’ll see below, sometimes first impressions aren’t accurate.
Razor Design
We mentioned that the design of this razor is fairly simple. There aren’t a bunch of fancy features like Gillette’s FlexBall or Shick’s Shock Absorber. Just a straightforward handle with a six-bladed cartridge.
Handle
To us, the ShaveMOB handle is proof that you don’t need a lot of crazy design to have a quality handle. While many razors have intricate design, this handle is refreshingly basic.
Curved at both the head and the foot, the handle feels extremely secure in the hand. The best analogy is that it’s like wrapping your hand around a drawer handle. The curves provide a natural spot to grab the handle and because of the bend, there is no feeling that it will slip out of your hand.
Also helping with the secure feeling is the grip on the handle. The top of the handle is smooth, except for a rubber patch on the slide button to disconnect the razor. There is also a slight indentation into the handle that provides a slight grip. But the sides are completely covered in rubber tread that continues largely along the bottom. There is a stripe of plastic that runs down the underside, which also contains ridges for grip.
All told, the handle feels extremely secure in the hand. We do wish there was some rubber grip on the underside of the head near the cartridge as we like to hold the razor here when shaving. Even so, the bend of the handle acts as a good spot to rest your thumb and keep it from moving.
As for the handle size, the curves of the handle and the “squared” profile shape of the design give it a nice feel in the hand. Some straighter razor handles with a “circle” profile can almost feel like holding a pencil to us.
The weight of the handle, however, is fairly light. Between the light weight and the basic design, we felt that the handle itself looked and felt a bit “cheap.” But honestly, past those cosmetic issues, there’s a lot to like about the shape and grip.
The handle is made in China.
Cartridge
When we first opened up the package to see the Caveman razor, we thought the cartridges looked familiar. Sure enough, digging through our collection of tested razors, we found its doppelganger. The Caveman cartridge is the same as the one you’ll find with the “Executive” from Dollar Shave Club.
Both razors actually seem to be the same as the Dorco Pace 6 Plus. Dorco is a South Korean manufacturer that’s been in business for decades. In fact, the packaging says that the Caveman cartridge is made in South Korea, which is another big clue.
The fact that this razor appears to be a branded version of another company’s razor isn’t a bad thing. We’ve been fans of Dorco razors in our other reviews as they offer a nice shave at an affordable price.
This particular razor features six blades. Below the blade is a large rubberized area to help pull the skin tight before cutting. Above the blades you’ll find the lubrication strip, which ShaveMOB says contains chamomile, olive oil, and allantoin. Flip the razor head around and there is a precision blade for trimming up stray hairs in hard-to-reach spots.
The cartridge goes into the handle with a nice click, and there is only a little play in the razor’s head.
As for pivoting, the head will move back plenty, but with a little more pressure than we’ve found with other razors, such as those from Gillette. We’d estimate the head moves about 30 degrees to pivot around the curves of your chin and jaw.
Shaving with the ShaveMOB Caveman
Given that the blade is the same as the Executive from Dollar Shave Club, it shouldn’t surprise you that our experience was largely the same. That is to say that we were thoroughly impressed with the comfort of the shave, and we used it time and again without any nicks or cuts.
Shaving with the Caveman was a breeze. Even letting our facial hair grow for a few days, the razor had no problem cutting through. And after using the razor several times over more than a week, we didn’t experience any tugging, pulling, or other signs of the blade becoming more dull.
One thing that we like is that the lubrication on this razor isn’t over the top. Some blades — especially for the first few shaves — can have too much lube. The result is either a “slimy” feeling on the face, or a shave so slick that you don’t feel in full control.
In the case of the Caveman, the lubrication works, but you don’t really notice it. To us, that’s ideal. You can feel the blades cutting and apply steady pressure without the razor head sliding around. And even with the head not pivoting as much as some other razors we’ve tested, we didn’t have any issues around the curves of our face.
One other thing we liked was the handle’s grip. Thanks to the rubber bumps on the sides and the bends in the handle, we always felt like we had full control during our shave, even though we shave in the shower with soap. Wet and soapy can often lead to slippage. That’s not the case here.
All told we got a smooth, comfortable shave without having to pay a lot for it. While the appearance and low price of the ShaveMOB razor might make you feel like it’s a discount shave, we found it to a be a great value.
Cleaning
With so many blades packed into a small space, we didn’t have issues with clogging while shaving, but we did have some cleaning out the soap and hair from the razor’s head. It wasn’t anything major, but we did need direct spray from the shower to clean everything out. The shavings especially wanted to move to the edges of the blade and get caught. Even so, it wasn’t a major issue for us.
Cost
Of course, the big draw of the ShaveMOB Caveman is that it gives you a nice shave without costing a lot of money. We purchased our handle and four cartridges on Amazon for $10. That’s the same cost as Dollar Shave Club, without the subscription (although we like the DSC handle slightly better).
At the time of this writing, you can get a set of 24 blades and handle for $38, or $1.58 per cartridge.
You can also buy the blades directly from ShaveMOB, where they offer a choice of a one-time purchase or a subscription. The best deal is 24 cartridges for $40 — or $1.67 each. Smaller amounts can also be bought for less money.
Pros & Cons
Where to Buy
If you’re ready to try the Caveman, we think it’s a great deal. We bought our handle and four cartridges for $10 from Amazon. You can also purchase directly from ShaveMOB.com. A set of 24 razors, which should be able to last you a year is only around $40.
