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Henson AL13 Medium Steel Blue Aluminum DE Razor (Just Ordered)

Star_Wahl_Clipper_Treker

Likes a fat handle in his hand
Be sure to try loosening the handle 1/8-1/4 turn. It’s part of the initiation with the Henson! :devil:

HAHA, nice try, but I am not ready to open the crimson flood gates today. No weepers for me, no sir! But I tell you what, all those folks who are trying out those Dollar Tree tech clone razors, they can be rest Assured, that their face will be turned into Frankenstein's monster, by the time they are finished getting weepers. :lol:
 

Star_Wahl_Clipper_Treker

Likes a fat handle in his hand
I don't know what is in that CC Land Ho cream, but it burns my skin while its on. Its been so long since I last used it, I couldn't remember that from the last time, only that the cream didn't work out with the last razor I used it with. And wouldn't you know it, using that Land Ho cream, I actually got a nick on my neck. Cause the only thing that has changed is, I used Land Ho cream, and the blade is now on its 3rd use.

If I had believe the blade had been dull, then I'd expect a lot of whisker tugging, but that wasn't happening. Twice now I've used that Land Ho shave cream, and twice now I've had bad shaves with it. So, considering that my first two shaves with the Henson razor were superb, I am not going to blame the razor, but the CC cream.

I also got some irritation at the bottom of my neck where it meets the chest as well. Yeah, I am not the type of person to waste software supplies, so eventually, I'll get through the remaining cream. But, I really need to purchase a better quality cream. But until I do that, so I can have some creams on hand, my mission is to get some shave sticks first, like Arko and Speick. As both come highly recommended.

So, yes, the shave didn't go perfectly today. But I tell you what, I didn't get any nicks or weepers on my face! Feeling my face now... OK, today feels like 98% BBS, 2% DFS. Which marks the first time I got less then 100% BBS with this Henson razor. Again, I don't blame the razor, its got to be that cream. So, thats todays update. I won't let todays incident smear my love for my Henson.
 
I have sensitive skin, especially the neck area. About to pull the trigger on an AL13. Should I go mild or medium?
 
I have sensitive skin, especially the neck area. About to pull the trigger on an AL13. Should I go mild or medium?

there are several more very recently
 
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Interesting review. I find my ASD2 much more efficient than my AL13 medium.
I've got to do dozens of short strokes with my Henson to accomplish what my Feather does in a single swipe.
 
I have sensitive skin, especially the neck area. About to pull the trigger on an AL13. Should I go mild or medium?

I just got a medium, and I could have skipped the mild. The medium will be my daily driver going forward. But what works for my beard may be different for others. Someone with a coarser / fuller beard than mine might be better served with the medium, where the mild still works very well for me. I don’t recall anyone getting the medium and finding they wish they had the mild, it seems to go the other direction.
 
I don't know what is in that CC Land Ho cream, but it burns my skin while its on. Its been so long since I last used it, I couldn't remember that from the last time, only that the cream didn't work out with the last razor I used it with. And wouldn't you know it, using that Land Ho cream, I actually got a nick on my neck. Cause the only thing that has changed is, I used Land Ho cream, and the blade is now on its 3rd use.

If I had believe the blade had been dull, then I'd expect a lot of whisker tugging, but that wasn't happening. Twice now I've used that Land Ho shave cream, and twice now I've had bad shaves with it. So, considering that my first two shaves with the Henson razor were superb, I am not going to blame the razor, but the CC cream.

I also got some irritation at the bottom of my neck where it meets the chest as well. Yeah, I am not the type of person to waste software supplies, so eventually, I'll get through the remaining cream. But, I really need to purchase a better quality cream. But until I do that, so I can have some creams on hand, my mission is to get some shave sticks first, like Arko and Speick. As both come highly recommended.

So, yes, the shave didn't go perfectly today. But I tell you what, I didn't get any nicks or weepers on my face! Feeling my face now... OK, today feels like 98% BBS, 2% DFS. Which marks the first time I got less then 100% BBS with this Henson razor. Again, I don't blame the razor, its got to be that cream. So, thats todays update. I won't let todays incident smear my love for my Henson.

This was my experience with Land Ho also. That’s why I gave it and the aftershave balm away. I couldn’t use them, but maybe someone else could.
 

Star_Wahl_Clipper_Treker

Likes a fat handle in his hand
Interesting review. I find my ASD2 much more efficient than my AL13 medium.
I've got to do dozens of short strokes with my Henson to accomplish what my Feather does in a single swipe.

Interesting indeed. We appear to have a different experience regarding the Feather AS-D2. You might be a prime candidate for a medium aggression razor, like an Muhle R41 for example.

For me, Henson is the auto pilot razor that were looking for. Unfortunately, it was thwarted by garbage shave cream. I won't betray it again. Lol

I just got a medium, and I could have skipped the mild. The medium will be my daily driver going forward. But what works for my beard may be different for others. Someone with a coarser / fuller beard than mine might be better served with the medium, where the mild still works very well for me. I don’t recall anyone getting the medium and finding they wish they had the mild, it seems to go the other direction.

I think the mild is really only for those with super sensitive skin, daily shavers, and for those with fine whiskers. But for those of us with course whiskers, and those of us who shave every 2-days, medium is the way to go.

This was my experience with Land Ho also. That’s why I gave it and the aftershave balm away. I couldn’t use them, but maybe someone else could.

Interesting! I didn't know others had the same issue? Well, please forgive me for saying, but I feel a bit better knowing I'm not insane, there really is something wrong with that cream. At least I now know it's not just me.
 
Some people have said recently that they will never again buy Taylor of Old Bond Street products, but that’s the one brand I can count on (for shave cream/soap) to always perform well.

From the brands I’ve used, anyway. I’ve had the “my face is burning” reaction to more than one brand, another didn’t provide any slickness and after shave face feel was, I don’t know, rubbery? It felt weird and I threw that tub out. I’ve tried less than a dozen brands, so my experience is limited. Actually, sitting here and thinking about it, the Chiseled Face soap I used yesterday gave me a tiny bit of that burning sensation.
 
I’ve experienced some variation in the samples that I think isn’t fully representative of the brand or tub volume. The TOBS Lavender was a serious let down in performance as well as scent for me. My takeaway was the scent was not as good as B&M Lavender and the soap performance was off due to the sample size? It felt lighter like whipped cream cheese feels lighter than regular cream cheese. The tub of TOBS Sandalwood I started with performed well. It will be interesting to use it again after heavy sampling of B&M and Declaration Grooming soaps. I think both are better than TOBS, but it’s a cream… what’s the difference really? 🤷‍♂️ No ideer.
 

Star_Wahl_Clipper_Treker

Likes a fat handle in his hand
Final report, on the Henson AL13 Medium razor in Steel Blue, SWCT reporting.

This was not a stellar shave, but I didn't manage to turn myself into Frankenstein's monster, so thats a good thing at least. I do believe that my Henson razor prefers shave soaps over creams however, but its possible that I haven't found the right cream yet lol. Today I used my new shave soap from Black Ship Grooming called, Captain Joe, a coffee scented shave soap, that smells delicious.

This shave was a 2-day stubble shave, and it was done on the 4th use of the Wizamet blade. This time, there was no question that my blade was dull! This time around, the blade was doing some tugging for sure, but it was still cutting, but it was no longer cutting efficiently, a clear symptom of a dull blade. But I am not one to change my blades out mid shave, thats not the way I role.

Because of using this dull blade, this was the first time I nicked my mole with the Henson AL13, and it took 4 uses on this blade, in order to turn the Henson angry. The good news is, I didn't nick my mole super bad, it wasn't a free flowing crimson weeper river, it stopped bleeding on its own without an alum block. I finished the shave off where I got to about 98% BBS with 2% DFS.

When I ran the alum block over my face and neck, I got some pretty strong stings from that. When I applied the aftershave, wow did that burn, but holy moly that aftershave smells good, yummy delicious! So what have I learned today? I Can get 3 shaves per Wizamet blade in my Henson AL13, but I dare not push it for a 4th, otherwise it will start tearing me up.

My first two shaves were absolute perfection! And this is what told me how awesome the Henson AL13 really is. But, once that blade starts going dull, you can kiss that efficiency goodbye, and bring on the skin irritation, nicks, capillary bleeding of the unwanted, and even possibly, if your not careful, a weeper. Its very clear to me, that this Henson razor excels with sharp and smooth blades, like the Wizamets, just don't shave with a dull one, or you will pay.

I still recommend this Henson razor for beginners and speed racer shavers. But my experience with this razor, I will be downgrading its rating to 🌟🌟🌟🌟 out of 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟 stars. I've reduced a star due to efficiency issues in some cases, especially due to its requirement of really sharp blade needs. In conclusion, this razor does what I needed it to do, but its far from perfect.

Efficiency wise, I'd still recommend my 1959 Gillette Fatboy, Merkur Futur, Rex Ambassador, And Timeless TI95 razor, for their higher grade efficiency. The only reason why I still love my Henson razor despite the miner issue, is because its still far superior to my Feather AS-D2. If I tried to do with my Feather, with what I do with my Henson, I'd be cut up all over, and would look like Frankenstein's monster for certain!
 
I had this razor for about a week and sent it back. It was a nice mild razor - but just too light. I am spoiled by the weight of SS razors.

If anyone is interested in a mild light-weight shaving razor - I do highly recommend this razor. Its just not for me.
 

Phoenixkh

I shaved a fortune
I had this razor for about a week and sent it back. It was a nice mild razor - but just too light. I am spoiled by the weight of SS razors.

If anyone is interested in a mild light-weight shaving razor - I do highly recommend this razor. Its just not for me.
Have you tried a stainless steel or titanium handle with it?
 
I used the aluminum handle that came with it. I am sure if I paired it with an SS handle, it would make it feel a bit more weighty. But I decided I would better spend my money on full SS razors and just get a refund on this razor.
 
I used the aluminum handle that came with it. I am sure if I paired it with an SS handle, it would make it feel a bit more weighty. But I decided I would better spend my money on full SS razors and just get a refund on this razor.
Have you tried the "Winning" razor?
It's like $39 now and it's all SS. It's the same as the Henson but slightly more agressive/efficient and it's Made in the USA by Yates. Well worth it for anyone that wants a heavier Henson with higher performance.
 

Star_Wahl_Clipper_Treker

Likes a fat handle in his hand
I bought this razor to do quick shaves, and with that in mind, it does very well, if you have 1-day to 2-day stubble that is. The minute I let my whisker growth get to 3-days stubble, the razor, despite it being MEDIUM, struggles a lot to take it all off, and requires lots of going back over, and lots of buffing after the shave.

You can't really consider this razor medium aggression however, despite it being called a medium. I say this because, both the Merkur 34C, and the Muhle R41, are higher aggressive razors still, and they are considered in the medium camp. As long as your a 1-day to 2-day stubble shaver, the Henson will provide what you need. But anything beyond that, you will need a greater efficiency razor.

Regarding the light weight, well, its aluminum, so its going to be the lightest in the camp. Even my Timeless TI95 razor has more weight in its titanium class. Honestly, I think that this razor could receive an amazing upgrade with even just a Timeless Crown handle attached to it!
 

Dave himself

Wee Words of Wisdom
Sorry brother but I have to disagree with you on the R41 being classed in the Medium Camp. I can't speak of the 34C as I've never used one but the R41 is in my opinion high aggressive/efficient razor IMHO.
 

Star_Wahl_Clipper_Treker

Likes a fat handle in his hand
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I am glad to see that Henson razors are getting some love these days. We can talk about how amazing stainless steel and titanium razors are all day long. But at the end of the day, when it comes to a razor that beginners should start out on, it really should be the Henson AL-13 razors. My reasons bellow...

(1) Set Blade Angle = Can't Mess It Up!
(2) Almost 0 Blade Exposure = Smooth Shaving With No Fear Of Blade!
(3) Little Bit Of Blade Gap = Efficient Enough To Tackle 2-day Stubble!
(4) FoolProof Design = Can be used quickly for quick shaves!
(4) Wide Lather Channels = Easy To Rinse Out No Clog!
(5) Razor Is Not Expensive = Easier For A Beginner To Purchase!
(6) Razor Comes In Lots Of Colors = Great for all personalities!

These are the reasons why I think the Henson AL13 ++ MEDIUM, are perfect for any beginner. And those with sensitive skin and or daily shavers, should probably get the Henson AL13 + Mild. And even though I am no longer a beginner to wet shaving, I got the Henson razor for quick shaving, and that it does very well, so I love my Henson.

While I do have much higher end razors in my arsenal that I love, I also love my Henson. and I hope that Henson razors continue to get the love that they deserve.
 
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