Henson AL13 - Aggressive, looking for opinions on this razor.

[shave/brush]

I'm thinking about buying this razor. I have tried 2 of their razors but found them to be way too mild. I would like to hear some opinions on this more aggressive model.
I like the design of the razor but as I said I found it too mild.

 

[T Bone]

I put my first impression and impressions after 5 shaves in the main Henson thread. tl;dr: It's significantly more aggressive than the medium, much more aggressive than I was used to. I have since gotten some much better shaves from it. I'm not sure if I'll ultimately prefer the medium or aggressive.

There are a bunch more starting about right here.

 

[shave/brush]

I put my first impression and impressions after 5 shaves in the main Henson thread. tl;dr: It's significantly more aggressive than the medium, much more aggressive than I was used to. I have since gotten some much better shaves from it. I'm not sure if I'll ultimately prefer the medium or aggressive.

There are a bunch more starting about right here.

Thanks again. I will check it out.

 

[shave/brush]

Thanks to 'T Bone' I no longer need this thread. I went to his recommended link above.
I will no longer check this thread.
Someone can please delete this thread .

 

[The Hexagon]

The link no longer works. I assume they ran out of the Henson AL13 aggressive.

 

[shave/brush]

I think at this time the Henson +++ is no longer available. The link no longer works.

 

[huck1680]

The medium is an excellent razor, so much so I'm thinking of getting one to go along with my Ti medium

 

[Captainjonny]

FYI: The +++ (aggressive) AL13 is now available at several online vendors in version 2 (V2) of the head design. It is not available on the Henson website. Since enthusiasts are the primary audience for the +++....and they typically buy products online from vendors...it makes sense that Henson would sell the +++ through shaving vendors. The +++ AL13 is only available in one color, aircraft aluminum. The AL13 mild and medium are available in 4 colors, direct from the Henson website.

 

[Captainjonny]

I stand corrected. As of yesterday, the Henson AL13 mild and medium are available in 5 colors direct from the Henson website. The new color is Copper, and makes the anodized aluminum look exactly like it was made of copper. It is stunning. The best part...you have a copper looking razor that does not require the maintenance of real copper, to keep it looking new. Real copper turns brown and then green over time, unless you clear coat it or keep polishing it.

 

[Doc Dan]

If the others are not to your liking, the aggressive "might" be. What I find is that I get a good shave with all of them, but I require a little more touchup, sometimes, with the mild. The aggressive gave me a good close shave, but also made it likely that I'd get some razor burn...not bad, but still some irritation. It is a great razor, though and it will give you a great shave.

 

[Dtownvino]

FYI: The +++ (aggressive) AL13 is now available at several online vendors in version 2 (V2) of the head design. It is not available on the Henson website. Since enthusiasts are the primary audience for the +++....and they typically buy products online from vendors...it makes sense that Henson would sell the +++ through shaving vendors. The +++ AL13 is only available in one color, aircraft aluminum. The AL13 mild and medium are available in 4 colors, direct from the Henson website.

Ok, I can almost confirm after receiving a V2 Al13 +++ today that the exposure is less than the lot 29 run of V1 and the blade gap is also reduced. Don’t know how it shaves yet but I when I load a feather in both, you can see it when I backlight the profile.

 

[StewB]

The Hensons seem to be mild by design. Those needing or preferring a more aggressive razor will probably find the Hensons not to their liking.

 

[shave/brush]

Ok, I can almost confirm after receiving a V2 Al13 +++ today that the exposure is less than the lot 29 run of V1 and the blade gap is also reduced. Don’t know how it shaves yet but I when I load a feather in both, you can see it when I backlight the profile.

This is interesting. I'm glad I got my +++ when I did.

 

[Iridian]

The Henson "thing" is that the razor locks you in.
You almost cannot deviate from the intended angle.
Now if that angle doesn't give you the desired result and you want "more", good luck with that. You are locked into the angle, even with the Medium version there was almost no leeway to go "steep" to try scraping away some still felt stubble on the neck or chin e.g..

Now for some the Henson DFS+/near BBS shave is fine enough and they love the light weight. Then the razor is highly recommended.
I like a bit more aggression and I can reach the Henson result with many razors routinely, but most of them also allow me to pursue an even better shave. That's why I usually go with aggressive razors, they offer usually a higher gap and give one that chance to lean into the shave in trouble spots. It is also why I find this mild Yaqi Wolfman WR2 clone head so interesting, huge gap but mild and it takes a bit to get used to how it shaves.

Neither Henson nor the Yaqi are my absolute favorites when it comes to the result, Wunderbar, Timeless Slim, R41, not quite as close but also damn easy to use and excellent is the Lupo .95 OC for me.

Someone recently put a heavier steel handle on the Henson, I think this shaver was onto something. Maybe Henson should bother with SS one day, not just also light Titanium.

But it is their design, hate it or love it. The locked in shaving angle makes or breaks if one loves the Henson.

 

[Dtownvino]

This is interesting. I'm glad I got my +++ when I did.

It is, I can measure it next week in our lab but with a telecentric lens and a good backlight it’s easy to see.

 

[shave/brush]

The Henson "thing" is that the razor locks you in.
You almost cannot deviate from the intended angle.
Now if that angle doesn't give you the desired result and you want "more", good luck with that. You are locked into the angle, even with the Medium version there was almost no leeway to go "steep" to try scraping away some still felt stubble on the neck or chin e.g..

Now for some the Henson DFS+/near BBS shave is fine enough and they love the light weight. Then the razor is highly recommended.
I like a bit more aggression and I can reach the Henson result with many razors routinely, but most of them also allow me to pursue an even better shave. That's why I usually go with aggressive razors, they offer usually a higher gap and give one that chance to lean into the shave in trouble spots. It is also why I find this mild Yaqi Wolfman WR2 clone head so interesting, huge gap but mild and it takes a bit to get used to how it shaves.

Neither Henson nor the Yaqi are my absolute favorites when it comes to the result, Wunderbar, Timeless Slim, R41, not quite as close but also damn easy to use and excellent is the Lupo .95 OC for me.

Someone recently put a heavier steel handle on the Henson, I think this shaver was onto something. Maybe Henson should bother with SS one day, not just also light Titanium.

But it is their design, hate it or love it. The locked in shaving angle makes or breaks if one loves the Henson.

The Henson does kind of lock you into a certain angle. I find the +++ to have an adequate amount of aggression and I like aggressive razors. The razor I have with the most aggression is the Fartip Grande. I have tried the Muhle R41 several times, but I find it does not shave smoothly. It feels to me like it is pulling the hairs out instead of cutting them. If I want a more aggressive shave, I use my Fartip. It gives a very smooth shave and still is aggressive.

 

[shave/brush]

I spelled Fatip wrong in my last post. Ha! My excuse is old age.

 

[StewB]

"Fartip" is a great typo. Mine was "Slip" instead of "Slim."

 

[Doc Dan]

It is, I can measure it next week in our lab but with a telecentric lens and a good backlight it’s easy to see.

Let us know what you find out.

 

[Iridian]

I spelled Fatip wrong in my last post. Ha! My excuse is old age.

I once read a thread "Slave report from the Captain's Pit".

Who doesn't love Fatip. Wish they would go a bit more premium, at least for some of their models. Like EJ and Mühle got repeatedly asked to make a stainless version of DE/R89. They finally made one of the R41, but for the R89? They made a sterling silver coated version of the R89 for 650 EUR. Not quite what people asked for!

While I quite dig the R41, the R89 always felt lacking for me. Merkur was milder and still have me a better shave. I have a Merkur 23c and 34c, their finish wasn't up to Mühle, my Fatips are better. I think I got lucky, Fatip QC seems to be done by the customer.

I would love Fatip to make some full brass, no coating or stainless steel razors. But they are a bit like Merkur, they stick with what they have. Till Mühle released the Rocca and the SS/Ti versions of the R41 took also a very long time.

I am a huge fan of the Lo Storto, their slant. It's usually called FOCS here on B&B.

The Henson+++ isn't off the list, I appreciate them innovating and intriguing their designs, the recent V2 heads e.g..

I am currently waiting for the Alpha Bandit and the Lambda razors, and though I like the Athena looks will likely rather pick the Ares. Looking for a fitting stand atm, don't want to bury it in a box after shaving, I like seeing my razors.