Review: Dorco Pace 3 (Mach 3 equivalent)

Discussion in 'Cartridge Razors' started by richgem, Feb 27, 2014.

  1. richgem

    richgem suffering from chronic clicker hand cramps

    AKA: Taking one for the team and not minding it at all!

    Browsing retailmenot.com recently, I saw discount codes for dorcousa.com the US distributor for Dorco (Korea). Long and short, I bought myself one of their Pace 3 (Mach 3 equivalent) razors as I sometimes use Mach 3 disposables to shave my chest and underarms.

    The Dorco site also has DE blades and SE/GEM-type blades (which I hear aren't that great) along with other types of cart razors with 2, 3, 4, or 6 blades along with women's cart razors (equivalents of the Venus and others). There are numerous bundle packs and bulk packs also available for additional savings if you find something you like. These include a couple of mixed cart packs, because, you see, all Dorco carts fit all Dorco handles so you're not trapped into one "system." (edit: the website FAQ mentions that all carts fit all handles.). You can shave with an Atra-type one day and a Mach 3-type the next and not have to buy two different handles. Score one for Dorco.

    In the package was included one Pace 3 handle, two carts, and a plastic do-hickey with a suction cup on the back so that you could hang the razor in the shower. List price on the website for this set up is $4.75 or $2.38 per cart, handle cost divided between the two carts. (A refill pack of 4 carts runs $4.75 or $1.19 per cart with greater savings for larger packs.)

    To put this in perspective, a 3-pack of Mach 3 disposables at Wally-world will run you $8.37 (2.79 ea) not including sales tax and a 3-pack of the Mach 3 sensitive dispo, $6.87 ($2.29 ea).

    Turnaround time from California was just under a week via USPS. Inside the brown bubble lined envelope was the usual plastic shell used for store display and the above items inside the plastic. Refreshingly, I did not need a chain saw or cutting torch to open the plastic shell. The back is thin cardboard and opened very easily. A little surprisingly, all packaging was labeled in correctly translated and smoothly worded English.

    On to visual inspection....

    Hmmm... the hanger thingy looks a little cheap, but I can live with that. I don't hang my razor in the shower, so that's a wash for me. I did appreciate that it comes with a suction cup (and an area to store an extra cart) for shower hanging. The actual handle holder area, however, doesn't seem to hold the razor very firmly.

    The carts are almost a dead on knock off of the Mach 3 cart. The dimensions seem exact without getting out a caliper to check. The only differences I spotted was the handle docking area, the color of the lube strip, and a slight difference in the design and color of the leading edge/fin area.

    The handle looked and felt quality and solid with a good grip. It's composed of plastic, rubberized grips, and some metal areas. It's a bit thicker than an M3 handle and just a fraction longer. But, the curvature of the handle is definitely different in that it's more arched than the M3.

    Now the part you've all been waiting for, the shave. I did my usual shower shave prep with a brush and QCS soft soap (See, I'm not becoming a pagan!). Edit: I did 1 WTG pass and 1 ATG followed by a few touch ups. And.... Well, I'm seriously impressed. The blades were SHARP and mowed down my day old stubble like a hot knife through butter. BBS was the result with no nicks and zero irritation. Interestingly, it took a little bit for my hand to re-learn the M3 shaving angle.

    Two other items to note: the pivot point on the Pace 3 (edit: which is at the bottom of the cart as on an M3) is stiffer than on an M3. For me this was a good thing, but it took a little re-learning to get the blade angle optimal. Also, because of this combined with the greater curvature of the handle, down strokes (ATG) on my neck took a little working out as I managed to stab myself in the chest with the handle a couple times (no big deal, but something to be aware of).

    Final analysis: none of the downsides of M3 pricing and "quality" and all the fun of a good shave. I'm not going to abandon DE/SE/Injector shaving any time soon, but it's nice to have options for travel and body grooming.

    If you'd like to give it a shot for yourself, you can follow this link: http://dorcousa.refr.cc/QC28TCT . You'll get 15% off and I get a 3% kickback apparently (due disclosure). I have no association with the company other than as a customer. My "kickback" is set up with Dorco to go toward Susan G. Komen Foundation.

    edit 3/14/14: Upon further investigation... the 2-blade handle is not compatible with the other systems. However, the 3-blade handles and upward are compatible with each other.

    Update 2/14/16:
    I like the 4 blade handle much more than the 3-blade handle. The 4 is a bit heftier, thicker, and not quite as long. The attachment mech seems even sturdier and the pivot point is lower on the cart and more flexible... much more like a Mach-3 than the Dorco 3-blade reviewed above.. And the 4 blade shaves very nicely... sharp and no irritation. I also find the 4-blade cart a bit easier to line up for trimming side burns.
     
    Last edited: Feb 14, 2016
  2. Slipperyjoe

    Slipperyjoe Rusty Metal Tetanus

    Thanks Rich..nice review..:happy088: I used to use the Personna Cobra razor system for Sensor and Mach 3 type carts. They were ok for a cart and another cheaper alternative to the Gillettes...
     
    richgem likes this.
  3. richgem

    richgem suffering from chronic clicker hand cramps

    Thanks Joe! I won't buy, but I will look over at the cobra system just out of curiosity. Why don't you put up a review?
     
  4. fram773

    fram773 Well-Known Member

    Burn the witch!:p jk i tried my dad's Pace3 a couple of weeks ago. I agree about the stiff pivot I didn't know how to go about it....should I use pressure or not to make the pivot go? I ended up not and a WTG and XTG pass yielded similar results to a DE/SE. I did not attempt ATG because the equivalent of 9 passes seemed crazy to me.

    You didn't try their SE blades just for the heck of it?
     
  5. Slipperyjoe

    Slipperyjoe Rusty Metal Tetanus

    Well it's been a while, but as I recall the Cobra seemed as good if not better than Gillette and cheaper. At the time, I preferred the heftier handle to the Sensor or M3's and like the Dorco, the Cobra has the preferable stiffer pivot. I believe all Personna and Gillette twin blade razor heads are interchangeable so if you like the Cobra handle you can use it with your Sensor cart and visa versa etc etc. The triflexxx are also about a buck a cart and if you into that sort of thing, the twin blade Personnas seem like a pretty good deal..
    http://www.amazon.com/dp/B000H3C4S6/?tag=thshde-20
    http://www.amazon.com/dp/B002A6KFI4/?tag=thshde-20
     
    richgem likes this.
  6. richgem

    richgem suffering from chronic clicker hand cramps

    No, I didn't try them. I seem to remember them getting bad-ish reviews, at least compared to the Pellas which I like. I'm also not a fan of their DE blades, which I have tried.

    I used a bit of pressure plus a modified grip to get the Pace 3 to pivot for my neck. I was worried about nicks or irritation with that method, but it worked out fine.
     
  7. macaronus

    macaronus Sir Nice-a-Lot

    Thanks for sharing, Rich! Since SWMBO isn't going to switch to DE/SE anytime soon, I may try a package of these for her.

    Hope you didn't suffer too much! :D
     
    richgem likes this.
  8. richgem

    richgem suffering from chronic clicker hand cramps

    They also have several women's versions including that one that looks like a soap puck with a blade in the middle. That one just scares me.

    Surprisingly, no suffering was involved on my end other than that nagging feeling of betrayal. Did I mention it was a really good shaver? ;)
     
    macaronus likes this.
  9. dawnwells

    dawnwells New Member

    I know that topic is bit old but I really want to post my comment here as I was looking for Dorco razor related stuff. I have used Match 3 but want test pace 3 and by looking at all these review, I am sure it will also be good.
     
    GDCarrington likes this.
  10. richgem

    richgem suffering from chronic clicker hand cramps

    Get on the Dorco e-mailing list first and you get all kinds of special sale notices and discounts. Pretty much something once or twice a month.
     
  11. richgem

    richgem suffering from chronic clicker hand cramps

    If you use this link http://dorcousa.refr.cc/KSGVMXB you get 20% off and I get 5% back (which I have set up to go to Susan B. Komen Fund). Expires end of Sept.
     
  12. dawnwells

    dawnwells New Member

    Thanks for your kind help.
     
    richgem likes this.
  13. dawnwells

    dawnwells New Member

  14. Jerry-built Hustler

    Jerry-built Hustler Well-Known Member

    What about the way in which the blades are mounted? Does the Dorco have spring-mounted blades, like the M3 does?
     
  15. richgem

    richgem suffering from chronic clicker hand cramps

    My pleasure.
     
  16. richgem

    richgem suffering from chronic clicker hand cramps

    You'd have to ask them to be sure. It's a hard to tell from the carts I have on hand, but it looks like they are not spring mounted. But, maybe I'm just missing something. If I had to say for sure, the 2-blade carts are fixed and the 3+-blades might be spring-mounted.... ?
     
  17. Jerry-built Hustler

    Jerry-built Hustler Well-Known Member

    If you can't tell, then my guess is they're not spring mounted. The spring mounted blades move when you press on them with a fingernail or pointed object, and it's easy to see. There's no mistaking the movement on Sensor and Mach3 blades, especially when compared with the fixed blades on the Atra and Trac II, which don't move at all.
     
  18. richgem

    richgem suffering from chronic clicker hand cramps

    That was my test, in fact and no movement that I could detect.
     
  19. richgem

    richgem suffering from chronic clicker hand cramps

    Updated the original post for a 4-blade test.
     
    macaronus likes this.
  20. TimNZ

    TimNZ New Member

    I bought and tried all the Dorco Pace razors, mostly because I got tired of Gillette price rises. You can find the review of dorco razors plus gillette and a Merkur 34C on my website - it was a convenient place to put it given I update it regularly. I'll add Schick when I get around to it.

    Unlike Richgem I found the Pace 3 to be fairly poor, though better than some of the other Pace razors. The Pace 5 however is quite good, and a decent saving over Gillette. The Pace 2, 4, and 7 are all various levels of bad in different ways.
     
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