Please recommend blades for my new Henson Mild

[Mike Williams]

I had my first shave with my new aluminum Henson mild. I used the RK blades that came with it. Some have spoken well of these blades, but felt a little harsh to me. I regret not having ordered the Henson medium, but I figure I could step it up with a sharper blade. I have not particularly cared for Feather blades in the past.
Thank you, help is appreciated.

 

[FarmerTan]

That stinks. I prefer a "more sharp" blade in a milder razor myself, but I have no experience with your setup my friend.....

Hopefully someone with more brane power than I will chime in....

 

[macintoshBR]

Try Gillette Platinum. Sharp, smooth, comfortable and long lasting. It pairs very well with my Henson (mild or medium)

 

[FarmerTan]

I knew someone smarter than I would help a brother out!

 

[APBinNCA]

If you had gotten a medium, the answer would always be Silver Blue. With the mild... Perma Sharp, Nacet, Gillette Black Super Plat. or German Wilkinson Sword. On second thought, just go with the last two.

 

[Balthier]

Some good suggestions already. Personna blue labs are super sharp to me with good longevity as well. Gillette 7 o' clock sharpedges are ok too. I tried the rk blades as well in the mild they are not that good imo.

 

[LRod]

I had my first shave with my new aluminum Henson mild. I used the RK blades that came with it. Some have spoken well of these blades, but felt a little harsh to me. I regret not having ordered the Henson medium, but I figure I could step it up with a sharper blade. I have not particularly cared for Feather blades in the past.
Thank you, help is appreciated.

I'm assuming that the Henson mild is really mild,
Because:
I've got the "Winning" razor which is essentially the same head design as the Henson but it's stainless steel and a tad more aggressive than the Henson medium. I find it super mild so your Henson must be mega mild!!
I beef it up by using a Bic Chrome platinum blade. I had the same dilemma as you with all my mild razors so they're the ones that I've been using for those razors. I have Feathers but sometimes they seem a little too harsh.
The Bic's are in between Feather & Astra green in sharpness!
But the Bic's are actually sharper than the Feathers after the second shave and continue staying smooth!
I'd give them a try!

These:

 

[coops]

If you've still got some Feathers, give them a go - they do work nicely in the mild Henson.
If you're in Asia, I can confirm the Gillette London Bridge blade works very well in it too.

 

[spacemonkey42]

My whiskers need a sharp blade in the Henson, so I use Nacet and Perma-sharp. I found the RK to be very dull and tuggy. Just be careful to go to no pressure when you switch to a sharper blade.

 

[South Dakota Guy]

Henson used to recommend (and include a tuck in the box) the ASTRA SP and the razor was designed for those blades as the Astras have very consistent blade to blade dimensions (according to Henson). I never cared for Astra SPs. My experience is that mild razors work best with really sharp blades. I haven't cared for the Nacet in most razors, but they really shine in my Winning razor. Nacet, Bic Chrome Platinum, Feathers all seem to work really well. You might find that Kai blades perform really well for you in that razor. Kai blades are slightly wider than most other blades so it will give you just a bit more blade exposure.

 

[Kix]

Kai blades will take the Henson mild to the next level. Big improvement.

 

[Ron R]

Kai blades will take the Henson mild to the next level. Big improvement.

You are correct, The Kai is a slightly wider blade than a standard Astra SP by approximately 4.5/1000 of a inch per side for more blade exposure or blade feel that some folks call it and is sharp & smooth with excellent longevity . I use them a lot of my vintage mild razors and some modern razors I own. I like a mid range razor more often to use so this blade brings a lot of my mild razors to this level.

Have some great shaves.

 

[steffenapelz]

I have used the PermaSharps with GREAT success. Alternatively, the Gillette Yellows are a fantastic blade in it, too. The Henson is SUPER blade rigid, so sharpness is really the only issue since vibration has been almost completely eliminated.

 

[awk_m4]

Here are my favourites:
Feather, Wizamet, Kai
Gillette: SharpEdge, PermaSharps, Nacet, and Platinum.
I shaved using the Henson Mild for about six months before purchasing the medium. I’m a daily head and partial face shaver and found the RK blades are far too mild for my liking.

 

[BigJ]

My preference is ‘mild/moderate’ razors plus a sharp blade, so this may prove helpful. In no particular order, my ’top-tier:’
GSB
Nacet
Astra SP
Wizamet SI (or Polsilver)
Personna Lab (or Med Prep)
Personna red

 

[Captainjonny]

These have all worked well for me in both the Mild and Medium Henson:
Astra SP
Henson RK
BIC Chrome Platinum
Gillette Platinum
King C Gillette
Nacet
Wizamet
PermaSharp
Personna Lab or Med Prep

 

[Ottertail]

The Astra Platinums that came with mine worked very well. I use Feathers now. Perfect.

 

[Steelerfan]

I am a fan of the sharp blade in the mild razor. I would suggest trying a blade sampler of the sharp blades that are mentioned in this thread to see for yourself which blades work for you.

 

[Mike Williams]

The Astra Platinums that came with mine worked very well. I use Feathers now. Perfect.

Interestingly enough, the Henson razors no longer come with Astra Plats, but now come with RK Stainles,s, which I had never heard of before. They're ok, but I've gotten better shaves with Gillette Silver Blues and Personna blades.

 

[selbedj]

Like others have posted you should try out a sampler pack. They are available pretty cheap on amazon. I personally like Gillette Platinum and Astra SP.
You still may want to get the medium though. It's just as forgiving and nick free as the mild but you get results in fewer passes.