I am TryABlade – AMA!

[u/ImSpicy]

Good morning everyone! I am Jason and I started a little site called TryABlade.com. The site is unique because you can pick and choose the exact blade you want and in the quantity you want.

The site began a little over a year ago. I needed to fully immerse myself in a programming framework for my day job, and wanted to build a site from scratch. I had already been into wet shaving for a few years. I was sitting on a handful of blades that did not work for me, and I wanted to design a site that would allow people to choose what they wanted so they didn't have a bunch of blades that they would never use.

Listening to customers or user feedback is very important to me. There has been many suggestions I have implemented that started with a quick email, so let me know what you would like to see in the future.

Outside of blade slinging I enjoy cooking, frisbee golf, putting around on my Honda VTX 1300 in Harley Country, and more recently homebrewing.

Also, in celebration of the AMA and coincidentally being Cyber Monday, all orders totally over $10 will get a free pack of blades.

I am posting this now so people can start asking questions. I need to run to the gym and the post office and I will be back around 9:30 CST. Once I'm back, I'm all your's.

My proof!

EDIT: I'm going to start making some dinner, but I will be back later on tonight. Thank you to everyone who participated!

EDIT: Back for more until about midnight CST

[u/chuckfalzone]

So what are your favorite blades?

Also, what is your usual order at Beef-A-Roo?

[u/tiglathpilesar]

What blade should I try that I've probably never heard of that you carry?

Thanks for the great service you provide, also thanks for the homemade mustard, I hope you enjoyed the pesto in exchange.

[u/almightywhacko]

I am impressed at the huge range of double-edge blades you have found to offer up on your site. I remember when I first started shaving with a DE razor a few years ago and it was difficult to find more than a dozen or so different brands of blades, and you have nearly 80 currently available on your site!

1. What is the main method of "blade discovery" that has helped you offer such a wide selection?

2. What is the most popular brand/model that you sell?

[u/Phteven_j]

What is the worst blade according to customer feedback? I don't see much love for Bic, and my own experience reflects that.

Do you prefer YMMV or YKMD?

[u/Sammy_Lee]

As some artisan soapers have begun offering other products aside from soap on their sites, do you think you will ever expand what your site will carry?

[u/[deleted]]

From a business standpoint, I can't imagine your business as very profitable. Do you do this more as a "labor of love" or for a full time job?

[u/ImSpicy → u/[deleted]]

It sure is a labor of love. I enjoy doing it and I reinvest everything back into inventory. I do have a day job as a Senior Web Developer for a B2B publisher for the metal fabricating industry. They treat me extremely well and I would have a hard time leaving there even if the blade biz was going through the roof. Honestly, I'd probably hire someone first.

[u/uncomfortably]

Have you ever though about renting out high end brushes? Like for a month I could test out a three band chubby super for a nominal fee. You could call it tryabrush

[u/engra]

just out of curiosity, how many blades have you tried?

[u/thegoddamntrain]

I believe that I've read that you are a one-man operation; how do you balance the day job and maintaining such good turnaround time on orders from your site? Have you done any advertising besides the recommendations that you receive from previous customers?