The last time I thought about needing a new razor was in 2018. And that’s not because I stopped shaving. It’s because I started using Billie razors, with automatic delivery.
When it comes to errands and me, the less we have to see each other, the better. I’m a bit impatient and more than a bit disorganized, and I generally fly by the seat of my pants, so whenever I see any opportunity to put life’s annoying stuff (what other people might call chores) on autopilot, I take it.
This razor subscription was one such opportunity. I was initially drawn in by the Billie razor’s millennial-pink Instagram ads and extremely cute colors. But since then, I’ve found that this razor actually lives up to the hype. It’s pretty to look at and easy to store, it glides over my skin, and, magnificently, new razor heads appear at my house every few months.
Top pick
This is the most attractive refillable-cartridge razor we’ve tested, and it also gives one of the smoothest-feeling shaves. While its head has five closely spaced blades, we encountered very little clogging.
I bought into the Billie razor before learning that it’s Wirecutter’s top-pick body razor. Our testers appreciated its ability to provide close shaves, its ease of use, and its “just right” lubricating gel (the soft bit that surrounds the razor head), which is so effective, you need to use only a small dollop of shaving cream.
I hardly ever nick myself using this razor. And I’m not exactly a patient or precise shaver—I move fast and unceremoniously.
I also appreciate the particularly good in-shower storage accessory this razor comes with: a magnetic wall mount that actually stays up, with a putty I can only describe as supernatural. I’ve moved five times in the past five years (wouldn’t recommend), and the original glob of putty that my wall mount came with somehow stayed sticky through four of those moves.
My razor lives conveniently on display on my shower wall, and it’s so cute, I actually like that it has a prominent home there. It’s practically wall art. Storing the Billie this way is practical, too: It keeps the head away from any shower surfaces and prevents the razor from doing that wretched thing where it congeals with soapy residue and glues itself to a surface. (Unfortunately, I’ve also learned from experience that the Billie razor leaves a mess when you don’t mount it, so be warned.)
In the six years I’ve had this razor subscription, I’ve also had a number of positive experiences with Billie’s customer service team (and that’s not something you can say about a lot of recurring services). Thanks to those aforementioned five moves, I’ve started and stopped my subscription a few times and changed my address five times, and I recently requested a new glob of that magical putty, which the company sent to me for free.
Most important to me, though, is that the subscription-delivery option has allowed me to completely and blissfully forget about a regular errand I used to have to run. I now get a bundle of razor heads delivered to me every three months. (You can choose the best frequency for you, depending on how often you shave.)
Getting this package a few times a year always feels like a thoughtful gift from past me. Like, “Oh, awesome, I got more of these. That was so nice of me.” And judging from research done by our razor guide author, The Wirecutter Show host Caira Blackwell, I’ve saved money in comparison with my drugstore razor-buying days. Pricing for a Gillette Venus model comes to $82 over two years, with razors, as opposed to the Billie subscription’s cost of $65 for the same amount of time.
If you crave the in-store experience or need a new cartridge in a pinch, note that Billie recently started offering replacement cartridges at multiple retailers, no subscription required. This flexibility is part of the reason we officially gave this razor top-pick status last year.
And I get it—signing up for a new product subscription can feel overwhelming. Practically every company seems to be offering one these days, and the whole thing can often feel like a quick cash grab to generate some always-on revenue from you. Not everything you use needs to be delivered via subscription. But I’ve found this one to be wonderfully helpful, as it allows me to cross a small but nevertheless annoying to-do item off my list.
Life and my legs have been smooth ever since.
This article was edited by Hannah Rimm and Maxine Builder.
