Thinking about a Henson

[Captainjonny]

There are now 2 versions of the Henson mild and medium. I have a new version on order (Medium Tan), and will post my impressions of it after a few shaves. My recommendation would be to purchase the newer version, V2, directly from Henson. The Tan color is available in the newest version (Mild and Medium), directly from Henson.
Vendors such as Shave Nation and Maggards still have a few discontinued colors such as Coral, Purple, Red and Military Green available, in the original version, V1.
If you like an easy drama free shave, the Mild may be best for you. As previously stated by others, you can use a sharper razor blade to kick it up a notch. I believe, once you have shaved with a Henson a few times...you will be astonished and it will get more use than your other razors. Looking forward to hearing about what you finally purchase, and what your impression is of the Henson.

 

[gpjoe]

I shave every other day, and still get amazing shaves from both the Tech and ASD2 so I'm thinking the mild Henson should work fine for me.

 

[emwolf]

Am I mis-remembering things, but when I ordered the Henson it came in a Men's and Women's, rather than Medium and Mild? Did I just dream that up, or was that a thing?

 

[gpjoe]

Am I mis-remembering things, but when I ordered the Henson it came in a Men's and Women's, rather than Medium and Mild? Did I just dream that up, or was that a thing?

I think you are correct. @gdawg55 posted above that the mild version was marketed as the women's razor. Color me a wuss, i guess.

 

[T Bone]

Am I mis-remembering things, but when I ordered the Henson it came in a Men's and Women's, rather than Medium and Mild? Did I just dream that up, or was that a thing?

That was a thing. Men’s and women’s were rebranded to medium and mild respectively pretty early on, since they were recommending the mild most of the time to either gender.

 

[gpjoe]

Ordered the tan mild directly from Henson, so I'll be getting the latest version.

 

[T Bone]

Let us know how you like it @gpjoe!

 

[jefffeith]

Curious how the new head design will work under and around my nose? This is why I did not like the original Henson. It just could not get to the hairs and I’d use another razor to clean up. It looks to me they are trying to address this issue. Any input is much appreciated.

 

[borwish]

Am I mis-remembering things, but when I ordered the Henson it came in a Men's and Women's, rather than Medium and Mild? Did I just dream that up, or was that a thing?

I think you are correct. @gdawg55 posted above that the mild version was marketed as the women's razor. Color me a wuss, i guess.

Yall are correct. I e-mailed them soon after it's release and they confirmed it was just marketing. They thought women would want a milder razor than men. It turned out that many men wanted a mild razor as well but were hesitant to purchase a razor made for "women." The switched to mild/medium to reduce confusion and reduced the perceived stigma of buying a "woman's razor."

I've got not problem with that. I've been wanting to get a lady Gillette for my own use.

 

[gpjoe]

Yall are correct. I e-mailed them soon after it's release and they confirmed it was just marketing. They thought women would want a milder razor than men. It turned out that many men wanted a mild razor as well but were hesitant to purchase a razor made for "women." The switched to mild/medium to reduce confusion and reduced the perceived stigma of buying a "woman's razor."

I've got not problem with that. I've been wanting to get a lady Gillette for my own use.

I have a blue Star in pretty good condition. Never used it since I have plenty of other Gillette TTOs. Hoping my wife will try it out one day, but I'll keep it in my collection either way.

 

[Star_Wahl_Clipper_Treker]

Yall are correct. I e-mailed them soon after it's release and they confirmed it was just marketing. They thought women would want a milder razor than men. It turned out that many men wanted a mild razor as well but were hesitant to purchase a razor made for "women." The switched to mild/medium to reduce confusion and reduced the perceived stigma of buying a "woman's razor."

I've got not problem with that. I've been wanting to get a lady Gillette for my own use.

I agree with you about the stigmatism. Companies like to market their products to the sexes, and this in the end, creates stigmatism. It's a cycle that needs broken, many products woman can use, so can men, and the same goes vise versa.

I for one am glad Henson made the change. Because at the end of the day, getting a great shave, has nothing to do with which gender the razor is made for, but rather the aggressiveness of the razor itself.

Your pretty cool @borwish and I hope you are able to get the razor you seek.

 

[Inverted]

I ordered, and shipped yesterday, a mild AL13 in blue. Ordered directly from Henson. Looking forward to it!

 

[borwish]

I have a blue Star in pretty good condition. Never used it since I have plenty of other Gillette TTOs. Hoping my wife will try it out one day, but I'll keep it in my collection either way.

I want one because I keep thinking that my super speeds would be a little better with a longer handle.

The Henson has a nice long handle. I actually got the Henson for my wife, but sadly she only wanted it because it was available in purple. She's nuts about the color purple. She loves her Henson.

Three similar designs. The Winning, Henson, and Simple Clean Shave razors. The stainless Winning weighs more than the other two aluminum razors combined. All three are very smooth and efficient.

 

[inkybme1]

There are now 2 versions of the Henson mild and medium. I have a new version on order (Medium Tan), and will post my impressions of it after a few shaves. My recommendation would be to purchase the newer version, V2, directly from Henson. The Tan color is available in the newest version (Mild and Medium), directly from Henson.
Vendors such as Shave Nation and Maggards still have a few discontinued colors such as Coral, Purple, Red and Military Green available, in the original version, V1.
If you like an easy drama free shave, the Mild may be best for you. As previously stated by others, you can use a sharper razor blade to kick it up a notch. I believe, once you have shaved with a Henson a few times...you will be astonished and it will get more use than your other razors. Looking forward to hearing about what you finally purchase, and what your impression is of the Henson.

If I am understanding your post correctly, there is now a version 2 of the Henson (available in mild and medium)? What is the difference, or what improvements, were made over version 1?

 

[T Bone]

If I am understanding your post correctly, there is now a version 2 of the Henson (available in mild and medium)? What is the difference, or what improvements, were made over version 1?

@hduty emailed Henson and got a detailed reply (copied from the Henson clubs & brotherhoods thread):

Yes, all the razors on our website have this new design.

The design team weighed both customer feedback and test results, to introduce several enhancements to both the AL13 and Ti22 razors.

Increased grip
The overall diameter of the handle has been increased by 0.010”. Also, the textured portions of the handle have been made more pronounced. Both of these changes improve overall grip and handling of the razor.

Reshaped channels
The lather channels in the baseplate have been reshaped and the centre webs of the lather slots have removed, resulting in improved hair and lather evacuation.

Softened edges and added bevels
The edges of the baseplate and top cap have been softened in an effort to reduce any unwanted sharpness from the outer edges and corners of the razor head. Also, a large bevel has been added to the outer corners of the razor head. These changes improve comfort, control, and precision during shaving, especially when maneuvering around obstacles, such as next to the nose and mouth.

Removed end posts
The small posts at the ends of the blade gap have been removed from the baseplate. One resulting benefit of this is that the very ends of the razor blades edge are able to perform better. Also, since the shape of the lather channel is now completely through the razor head, rinsing of the razor is improved.

Added razor head grip
Indents have been added at the ends of the razor head to assist with gripping the head for assembly and disassembly for blade changes, cleaning, etc.

Chip groove
A small notch has been added to the top of the top cap threaded post to help keep the threads clean and free of debris.

 

[Star_Wahl_Clipper_Treker]

@hduty emailed Henson and got a detailed reply (copied from the Henson clubs & brotherhoods thread):

Once again @T Bone you are amazing! Thank you for posting this, it was a good read. I realize now that, Henson changed a lot more then what is easily viewable, by looking at a picture of the head! I am very impressed by the listed changes. I too noticed a bit of sharpness from the edges, I am honestly surprised I didn't mention that in my review, maybe I just forgot?

Well, I just bought a Henson razor, the original, so that was another 70 dollars spent to end my RAD. I was serious when I told the forum I am now officially done with my RAD, I aint spending money on anymore razors. So, unless Henson wants to reach out, and sponsor me with one of their new razors, for me to do an official review on for the company, there's no way one of those new ones will find their way here lol.

So, I will be excited to read reviews from other's, who own both V1 & V2 Henson razors, to do a proper review and comparison on, to discuss not only the differences, but their experiences in how each razor shaves. And to finalize the review, on which Henson razor they think, are the best version.

 

[inkybme1]

@hduty emailed Henson and got a detailed reply (copied from the Henson clubs & brotherhoods thread):

Very informative. Thank you T Bone, CaptainJonny, and HDuty.

 

[Captainjonny]

Re-posting from 2 days ago, from the Henson thread in Clubs and Brotherhoods...just in case you missed it:

First shave with V2 Medium (Tan) tonight. I used a new Gillette Rubie blade and Godrej Lime Cream with a dash of Body Shop Maca Root Aloe cream to improve performance.
I am glad to report that the V2 shaves 98% the same as the V1. There was no change to the Henson technique, and the shave results were the same as the V1...to perfect BBS. Essentially, no difference in handling, and efficiency is the same. A drama free shave with no weepers, cuts or blood. For me, V2 has a few notable improvements.
1) Shaving under the nose was a huge improvement over V1, for my face (YMMV).
2) Rinsing V2, which has full width channels, was noticeably better than V1.
3) My concern about blade rigidity and chatter is gone. V2 is like V1 with a tight blade and zero chatter.
4) Here is a strange observation which may change after I have a few more shaves. The suction effect has never bothered me, but the V2 seems to have less suction "effect" than V1! This must have something to do with less head area and the larger channel "shape" and area. I am looking forward to see if others have the same experience.

After every shave, I remove the blade, rinse and towel dry it. After removing the handle and lifting off the top cap...
the blade sticks to the bottom plate, which I then flip over on a towel and slide the blade off. For me, V1 and V2 are identical in this respect. I saw no difference in "ease" of blade removal in V2.

Overall, V2 does have some improvements which were noticeable to me. As always, YMMV. I look forward to others observations.

 

[gpjoe]

Re-posting from 2 days ago, from the Henson thread in Clubs and Brotherhoods...just in case you missed it:

First shave with V2 Medium (Tan) tonight. I used a new Gillette Rubie blade and Godrej Lime Cream with a dash of Body Shop Maca Root Aloe cream to improve performance.
I am glad to report that the V2 shaves 98% the same as the V1. There was no change to the Henson technique, and the shave results were the same as the V1...to perfect BBS. Essentially, no difference in handling, and efficiency is the same. A drama free shave with no weepers, cuts or blood. For me, V2 has a few notable improvements.
1) Shaving under the nose was a huge improvement over V1, for my face (YMMV).
2) Rinsing V2, which has full width channels, was noticeably better than V1.
3) My concern about blade rigidity and chatter is gone. V2 is like V1 with a tight blade and zero chatter.
4) Here is a strange observation which may change after I have a few more shaves. The suction effect has never bothered me, but the V2 seems to have less suction "effect" than V1! This must have something to do with less head area and the larger channel "shape" and area. I am looking forward to see if others have the same experience.

After every shave, I remove the blade, rinse and towel dry it. After removing the handle and lifting off the top cap...
the blade sticks to the bottom plate, which I then flip over on a towel and slide the blade off. For me, V1 and V2 are identical in this respect. I saw no difference in "ease" of blade removal in V2.

Overall, V2 does have some improvements which were noticeable to me. As always, YMMV. I look forward to others observations.

Nice report.

I won't have the luxury of comparing the two, but my V2 (scheduled to arrive tomorrow) sounds promising based on your experience.

My only concern is whether I chose the correct aggression level. I'm very happy with my ASD2 and vintage Gillette Techs, so I hope the mild Henson (+) shaves at least as efficiently as those razors.

 

[Star_Wahl_Clipper_Treker]

Re-posting from 2 days ago, from the Henson thread in Clubs and Brotherhoods...just in case you missed it:

First shave with V2 Medium (Tan) tonight. I used a new Gillette Rubie blade and Godrej Lime Cream with a dash of Body Shop Maca Root Aloe cream to improve performance.
I am glad to report that the V2 shaves 98% the same as the V1. There was no change to the Henson technique, and the shave results were the same as the V1...to perfect BBS. Essentially, no difference in handling, and efficiency is the same. A drama free shave with no weepers, cuts or blood. For me, V2 has a few notable improvements.
1) Shaving under the nose was a huge improvement over V1, for my face (YMMV).
2) Rinsing V2, which has full width channels, was noticeably better than V1.
3) My concern about blade rigidity and chatter is gone. V2 is like V1 with a tight blade and zero chatter.
4) Here is a strange observation which may change after I have a few more shaves. The suction effect has never bothered me, but the V2 seems to have less suction "effect" than V1! This must have something to do with less head area and the larger channel "shape" and area. I am looking forward to see if others have the same experience.

After every shave, I remove the blade, rinse and towel dry it. After removing the handle and lifting off the top cap...
the blade sticks to the bottom plate, which I then flip over on a towel and slide the blade off. For me, V1 and V2 are identical in this respect. I saw no difference in "ease" of blade removal in V2.

Overall, V2 does have some improvements which were noticeable to me. As always, YMMV. I look forward to others observations.

Thank you for posting this information, on your experience with the V2 vs the V1 Henson AL13! This is exactly what I was hoping to see! I am sure other's will chime in to provide their accounts of the razors as well. I don't view or participate in brotherhoods, so I would never have seen this unless you posted it here, so thank you for that.