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Henson Shaving AL13 vs. Classic Gillette safety razors

Hello, gents.

The Major has what may be a simple question, but has the potential to be the rhetorical equivalent of throwing a hand grenade into a ammo dump.

The Major has decided that he's more fond of a mild shave than an aggressive one. Hence preferring a Gillette Super Speed Blue Tip to his the Silver, and selecting lower aggressiveness settings on his Merkur Futur, Gillette Fat Boy, and Slim Adjustable. If anyone on this board can compare the AL13 to these classics, what would they say? Note that the Major prefers to make his purchases on what he'd like to actually use.

Thx,
-MO
 
I find the AL13 to be mild and comfortable, comparable to my post-war NDC Tech and Super Speed. But what is it the Major is looking for that the Super Speed and the Slim don't provide?
 

thombrogan

Lounging On The Isle Of Tugsley.
If the Major likes milder than a standard Superspeed while still getting a close shave, I think the AL13+ would be a great choice. Then again, using what the Major already has costs less, takes less space, and lets the Major get the most out of what the Major already owns. Or get one in blue 😎
 
I too like a mild and comfortable shave and actually have both the Blue Tip and the AL13+. For me the Blue Tip is a little to mild, even with a more agressive blade. On the other hand, the AL13+ with an agressive blade is literally fantastic and i have always had a consistent mild close shave. As with all things YMMV.
 

JCinPA

The Lather Maestro
Major, I suggest you’ll likely love the +, but the ++ is also mild. I have a regular flare tip but not a blue, but I would bet you’ll love the ++.

It is not hard to learn, but it is light. VERY light. And you need to get the proper angle. I would give it two weeks of daily shaves before passing judgement on it.
 
I have similar tastes, i.e. mild. I've always driven adjustables at low speed, such as the Progress set on 1.5 or the Futur set as low as it will go. Of the classics I have tried, my preference is the Tech. My two favorite DEs of all time, in addition to the AL13+, are the Merkur 34 and the Feather ASD2.

Having said all of that, I don't think that the blade on skin and final result experience of the Henson is enough to put it over the top as compared to the Tech. The difference maker for me, and what you might want to consider, is the significant ergonomic difference. I really like the light weight, handle length, handle shape, and knurling of the Henson.

Put succinctly, the ergonomics of the Henson is the game changer.
 
Myself I have not used the Henson but a Timeless Aluminum Slant, and I also have a Superspeed, Fatboy and Slim. The shaves are as good as my skill with each razor, razors don't shave by themselves. That said, the differneces in materials and finish against the skin are vastly different. The slick surfaces of the Gillettes is for more natural feeling to shave with than aluminum that isn't polished like the Henson and Timeless. I know poeple may say they are "smooth", but that's very subjective and I consider smooth as the ability to glide effortless across the a wet soapy face. Polished SS or plated brass like the Gillettes is vastly more smooth. Plus, unless a handle is coarse knurled and very grippy(Gillette, Timeless) even with wet soapy hands, it's a compromise(Henson) I can't accept.
 

thombrogan

Lounging On The Isle Of Tugsley.
If the Major gets no hits on his WTB post; and if the Major can tolerate a dark green finish; the Major may seek out sales for the Dr. Squatch branded razor which are sometimes discounted in the 20-25% range. Or wait for a sale at other stores if plain, blue, black, copper, or tan are more palatable.
 
*tagged*

I think the only Gillette style of heads I haven’t tried is the English blue tip (have an American) and the prototype bottom dial/nickel toggle head.

I recently got a Henson ++ and just bought a +++ from another BST that I’m waiting for.

The ++ impressed me with how smooth it was and forgiving the shave felt.

I got the +++ because the small sweet spot/intuitive angle is somewhat dissapointing, and I can more thoughtlessly get a closer shave with an American Blue tip over the ++.

Razors are a big YMMV, but this helped me solidify selling my Wolfman WR2, Lupo, and Gamechanger.

I‘ll always have a Fatboy, Toggle, Slim, Super Adjustable, post war tech, Rocket 500, etc etc though.
 
Hello, gents.

The Major has what may be a simple question, but has the potential to be the rhetorical equivalent of throwing a hand grenade into a ammo dump.

The Major has decided that he's more fond of a mild shave than an aggressive one. Hence preferring a Gillette Super Speed Blue Tip to his the Silver, and selecting lower aggressiveness settings on his Merkur Futur, Gillette Fat Boy, and Slim Adjustable. If anyone on this board can compare the AL13 to these classics, what would they say? Note that the Major prefers to make his purchases on what he'd like to actually use.

Thx,
-MO
I have the Al13+ and think it is a pretty good shaver. Now, I have been known to go a few days between shaves, and in that case, the Henson has always performed, but at the cost of an extra pass or two. I tend to run my Rockwell at 6, Slim/Fatboy at 7-9, and reach for my open comb Gillettes more than anything, so I realize that the almighty YMMV applies. In the instances that I shave back to back days, I will use the Henson, a Tech of some sort, or an Aristocrat. Or an any of the above. Or Gem. The Henson is an excellent shaver. I would probably do better with the +++. The Major can not make a bad choice.
 
I have the Al13+ and think it is a pretty good shaver... The Major can not make a bad choice.

Indeed. The Major just took the AL13+ that he just bought from @OhioBob - thx, Bob! - out for its first drive, & was more than satisfied w/the result. It may actually be a more mild shave than his Super Speed Blue, although a more objective comparison of blade gaps will demonstrate if this is more psychological than anything else.

All the Major will say is that he thinks he's found a new "daily driver." He puts that in quotes b/c he rarely shaves more than every other night. But, if he needs to shave on consecutive evenings or movings, the AL13+ will be his first choice.

-MO
 
It didn't take much to do the above comparison.

AL13+ (mild): 0.68mm blade gap

Super Speed Blue: 0.508mm blade gap

So, there we have it. The AL13+ has a larger blade gap than the Super Speed Blue. In theory, this could be said to make the newer razor just a touch more aggressive than the classic. The Major therefore suggests that perceptions otherwise could be due to both user expectations and/or the head design pod the Henson.

Thoughts?

-MO
 
Ah hah!

The Major's hypothesis on head design & aggressiveness of the the resulting shave has been confirmed by the manufacturer itself. To quote from their website:

Safe shave plane


The mostly flat faces that form the shave plane create reliable and secure contact from the razor to your face, minimizing the chance of unwanted skin contact with the blade. This attribute means that our blade gap and exposure can afford to be slightly higher, while still being considered a mild-medium aggression level. The result is increased shaving performance without compromising the level of safety.


 
I recently purchased a used AL13+++ on the BST from @LuckyGlenn, thanks Glenn. After surviving the most aggressively rated razors from several manufacturers (e.g. Razorock Superslant L3+++ OC), I can confidently state my opinion that the AL13 +++ is a medium-aggressive razor, with the same design attributes of other Hensons; a narrow range of effective shave angle and a super secure and stable blade clamping.

IMHO, it’s the only one of three Hensons that I own (+, ++, and +++) that’s worth keeping, as it does a reasonable job without razor burn or nicks on the sensitive areas on my neck. I use a Feather Hi-Stainless blade combo.
 
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