Wednesday, February 19, 2025

Dorco Pace Razor Review – How Do They Stack Up?

Fresh faced and excited to be starting a new project, fresh faced being the appropriate phrase here, as I will be reviewing razor blades. The direct to your door razor market has been coming along in leaps and bounds in recent years, with many companies espousing the genius of their designs. The reality of shaving is that all you need is a good exfoliant, a moisturizer, a hot towel and a blade that is up to the job at hand. Or at face. Today I will be doing an in depth review of all three of Dorco’s blades for men.

They offer three distinct styles of blades, a three bladed, a four bladed and an impressive six bladed design. I didn’t know which would be the best, I have been suckered in by a many bladed razor in the past before moving back down to a simple three bladed design. So I bought the trial run combo pack. It comes with a basic Pace 4 handle and 2 of each type of blade, the Pace 3, Pace 4 and the Pace 6 Plus.

On to the methodology, I will be shaving once every three days. The Images will correspond to that, first showing the before, three days growth, and the after, shaving with one of the three blades. My shaving style is a little more involved than most. It is a five step process. First the exfoliating scrub is applied, to remove dead skin. Next we apply the hot towel. This heats up the skin, opening the pores and allowing the blade to shave close. Next we add the foam, warm for preference. Only then do we shave, and the style used here will be a three pass shave. That is once with the grain, once perpendicular with the grain and a final, delicate shave against the grain. The final step is a menthol moisturizer, to diminish any irritation.

I have found in the past that the more blades a razor has the better it does with a three pass shave, and the less irritation is felt. So let’s get to shaving folks, see how these three stack up.

The Signature – Pace 3 Razor

dorco-pace-3 First up is the Pace 3 blade. It is a standard three bladed design, with a handy pivot head. The strip at the top is lubricated and infused with olive oil, chamomile and allantoin. The olive extract and the chamomile speak for themselves, but the allantoin is the most interesting ingredient here. It is a compound that companies claim hydrates the skin, but it has been shown to do so much more than that. It can diminish cuts, excellent for those with a less than stable hand, and it is perfect in a razor.

Take a look at the first image, three days growth doesn’t sound like much, but I prefer a smooth face. The first pass went by without a hitch, as did the second, but when I can to the third I experienced a little resistance. This is common in three bladed razors, and I found it easy to overcome. The end result was quite close, and I am sure it is more than satisfactory for most, but not quite as close as I would like.

Overall a great shave, though getting me to where I needed to go took a little longer than I would like. It does leave some great looking ultra short stubble after the first pass, so if that is a look that appeals to you then this is your answer. The low price, when compared to its brothers, is great to see as well.

The All Rounder – Pace 4 Razor

pace-4 Onto the Pace 4, and it is here that the length of time I spend having really gets cut down. The handle is the same, different look but the same features, pivot head and rubber grips. The lubricated top strip has the same three ingredients too, olive oil, chamomile and allantoin. The most important ingredient is that allantoin, near a medical miracle that stuff, as it is seldom even for me that I do not leave a small cut on the old Adam’s  apple.

Again, back to three days growth as you can see in the image. And again with the five step three pass shave. This time the final step was almost unnecessary. I shaved with the grain, perpendicular to the grain and found my skin near as smooth as silk. The final pass was a lot easier than with the Pace 3, except for the neck to chin transition area, always had trouble with that spot. Any advice there would be appreciated folks. I found the end result to be in line with my standards, which is the highest praise I can offer any razor.

Loved this one. The Pace 3 is great, but slapping on an extra blade is really the way to go with razors. Everything about my Pace 4 experience was better. It shaved closer, in less time and it even has all the same soothing balms embedded into the cartridge. While it cannot match the Pace 3 in terms of price, not many blades can these days, it does at least feel worthy of the added expense.

The Super Six – Pace 6 Plus Razor

pace-6-plus The last six blade samurai. It was with some excitement that I tried out the Pace 6 Plus, it seems right up my alley. More blades that the others, all the features of the Pace 3 and 4 with the added benefit of a trimmer blade and a new set of balms in the lubricated strip at the top. This time we have aloe vera, vitamin E and lavender extract. Aloe vera is amazing for skin irritation, and vitamin E helps prevent premature aging of the skin. Lavender must be there to smell nice, as I cannot find any research that shows it is beneficial to the skin. Paradoxically the more blades on a razor the less likely I am to cut myself, so the lack of allantoin wasn’t an issue this time.

Here we are again on three days growth, so I jumped in to the three pass shave. Oh boy is this thing smooth. With proper prep any razor can glide over the skin, but this bad boy feels near frictionless as it shears the growth from off my face. Adam’s apple wasn’t a problem this time, though the neck chin transition was a problem again, I’ll get the hang of it one day. The third pass was done mostly for a sense of completion, as after the first two I was pretty much satisfied in most areas.

Better in every way than all the other razors on this list. For my shaving style at the very least. This thing provides one of the closest shaves I have ever received, closer than any straight razor shave or Turkish barbers I have visited. If you take your time, and make liberal use of the trimmer, you can even style a beard into whatever shape you like. I gave myself some Tony Stark looking stubble thing before being rid of the whole thing. The experience was a lot of fun, and I think I will be sticking with this one for a while. Until I get to the seven bladed Pace review at the very least.

The Razor’s Edge – Conclusion

Thee are all fine products, and depending on your personal preferences with regards to the closeness of your shave, I am certain that one of them will suit you. I cannot do without the Pace 6 Plus though. The added dexterity to the handle and the closeness of the shave, with very little need to even do that last pass, was sublime. One great thing about all of these razor cartridges is the fact that any of them will fit on any handle. So if you buy a value set of Pace 3’s and want to upgrade to a Pace 6 Plus, then all you have to do is buy the refill.

There is an issue with the company itself though. I realize that they specialized in razors, but it would be nice if they offered a wider range of shaving products. They do have a shaving cream, and it does hold heat nicely, but a proper close shave requires a few more accoutrements than simply foam. If they took their attention to detail and craftsmanship to the world of pre shave and post shave exfoliants and balms I could see them flying off the shelves, or indeed the virtual storefronts.

Niche – Pace 3

This is a fine little shaver. If you are looking for a product that will shave close, if given the time and effort on the part of the shaver, then you can do little better. The low cost is a real boon here. Great for people who have a little more time to take with their shaves, or if you are looking for a quick ultra short stubble look.

Niche – Pace 4

A step up from the Pace 3 in every way, bar one. It costs a little more, but seen as it shaves faster and tighter I think it is worth it. If you value your time, or are in a hurry the Pace 4 is a better option over the Pace 3. Its single pass shave is much tighter than the Pace 3’s, so you lose that ultra fine stubble look if that is what you’re after.

Niche – Pace 6 Plus

The best of the bunch by a wide margin. If you want a shave as close as a sphinx cat this is the model for you. If you want a blade that will save you a few minutes each morning, then this is the blade for you, and if you want an excellent Christmas present for someone you love, you can do a whole lot worse than this.

Dorco Coupon & Promo Codes 2018

You can actually save a good bit money right now by using the following 2018 coupon codes for Dorco USA Products!

  1. Click here to activate and use coupon code FEBDUSA17 to save $10 on an order of $40 or more. 
Barry W Stanton
Barry W Stanton
Irish born writer who drinks too much caffeine and reads too much Terry Pratchett. I enjoy long walks on the server and Korean cuisine.
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