Curious what other razors have you used?
Thinking hard about a Henson AL13
- Thread starter mikhou
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- #102
Honestly, not a ton. I have only been DE shaving for about 7 months. What I have used have been mild, inexpensive razors. So, in all transparency, this is also the most that I have ever spent on a razor so it makes sense that I would enjoy it more.
I have used a Feather Popular, Lord L122, a cheap locally available razor when I was in the UAE, and a pre-war Gillette Tech.The Gillette Tech had been my favorite prior to the Henson. I'm surprised how much I like the Henson as compared to the Tech because I really like the Tech. But the Henson is so much easier to get a close shave (without weepers) that I'm shocked.
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I also really like the Tech, but the Henson just barely beats it out as my favorite. The Tech and the DE89 were about neck and neck and the Henson won.
I started wet shaving about six months ago. I had a stroke in July 2021, my roommate in the hospital was a wet shaver. He encouraged me to work hard to regain function of my my right arm and hand.
It worked as a great source of motivation.
My first razor was a Viking Chieftain, and I struggled mightily with it. A member of this forum encouraged me to stick with the Chieftain and the razor blade was using at the time until I worked on my technique and learned to shave with it. It took a few weeks and a few YouTube videos but I got it.
Now I have a collection of techs and super speeds. That I enjoy using, it a rare occurrence if I get a nick or a weeper no matter which razor I’m using.
My second razor was an Edwin Jagger de89 and I loved it still do. I continued to work on my technique and continued to improve my shave.
It worked as a great source of motivation.
My first razor was a Viking Chieftain, and I struggled mightily with it. A member of this forum encouraged me to stick with the Chieftain and the razor blade was using at the time until I worked on my technique and learned to shave with it. It took a few weeks and a few YouTube videos but I got it.
Now I have a collection of techs and super speeds. That I enjoy using, it a rare occurrence if I get a nick or a weeper no matter which razor I’m using.
My second razor was an Edwin Jagger de89 and I loved it still do. I continued to work on my technique and continued to improve my shave.
Try the Henson. No joke. (You will have to adjust to the angle).
I have 4 Hensons, 2 mild AL13, 1 medium AL13, and 1 medium Ti22. I have the EJ DE90, Razorock Game Changer .68, Razorock Game Changer .89, Merkur Progress, Gillette Slim, and Glilette gold fat handle Tech. I've used others.
When I started shaving I began with a Glillette Fat Boy and a Gillette Slim. I got little nicks with those razors that I never got with the Tech.
Out of all, I love the Hensons, followed by a tie between the DE89 and the Tech (1946-49). Along with finding razors I really like has come the joy of finding blades I like to shave with and what works best. Then, of course, is finding the right prep, and then finding the right soaps. Yep, it is a deep hole. Fun though.
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- #106
I still love the Tech, but it has been easier to get a very good shave with the Henson (again, only the 2x that I have used it). And the Tech was easier to get a good shave with than the other (again, very inexpensive, not super high quality) razors that I have.
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- #107
So @Doc Dan , what are your favorite blades in the Henson AL13? Just curious.
I like the Shark blades. They are sharp and cheaper than the Feather, which I also like. I like the (green) Astra blades, as well. The Gillette 7 O'Clock are not bad, nor are the Super Nacet. Right now the Shark are at or near the top.
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- #109
Interesting. I haven't tried Shark blades. What I had read was that Sharks were generally smooth, but not sharp. It's always interesting how in shaving YMMV! My favorite blades so far have been King C. Gillettes (that I won't buy again because of the cost) and Wizamets, and Voskhods have been by far the smoothest, most comfortable blade that I have tried. These have all been run through a pre-war Gillette Tech. The only two shaves in the Henson have been with a KCG blade.
Yeah, the Voshkods are fairly mild feeling, to me. I like them okay and it would be my number four, depending on the razor. It is number one in my Game Changers.
I need to try a Voshkod in the Henson. I got a 100-pack of them as a consistent, medium-sharpness blade that I was going to use as a reference to try new razors. From there I could benchmark them and decide whether to try a sharper or smoother blade. So far I've only done this once, with a pre-war Tech and it didn't go well. I don't know what I did wrong but that shave did not go well.
Depending on how old of a batch yours came from, there had been a long running problem with one bevel being longer than the other making a razor unpredictable if you don't keep track of which side is which. There is a very long thread on this.
I bought the mild by accident, my 20 year old son loves. Ordered a medium for me and I do really love it. It’s so easy to use I sometimes find myself wondering, if it was available when I started shaving and I used it exclusively, would I be able to pick up any razor and blade combination now and enjoy a nick free shave.
I’m glad I hung in there with my Viking Chieftain. I truly believe the advice I received here, to stick with it (Viking Chieftain) until I was able to consistently get nick/weeper/irritation free shaves, was key to developing my technique’s fundamentals…
Between Henson Mild and Henson Medium, do you see any difference in clogging? Any limit (per up to N days would be go-to for Mild/Medium) or some similar comparison? From various comments, neither one of them seems to have problems in achieving good shaves, both made smooth face afterall, but there must be some difference, right?
I'm considering Mild version as a gift option, so smooth-shaver is definitelly #1 requirement, but for Mild/Medium choice, does it only ends up in terms for efficiency, less passes needed without compromising the skin-feel?
Thanks!
I don't see any difference in clogging. I make my soap like yogurt and have never had an issue. Both rinse clean easily. I am not sure what you mean by number of days. I can shave with either everyday of the week, and I normally do. I have gone up to four days without shaving and had no issues. The Henson can handle it, either one. Obviously, if you had a long growth it would easier to take it down with clippers first, as with any razor. If smoothness were my number one criteria I would get the standard/mild. I bought my wife a mild for her legs and underarms. She has thick black hair on her head, if that helps. She loves it. I got myself a medium and later a mild. There is not a lot of difference between them. There is some, but not enough that if I had a mild I would have to buy a medium. I originally thought the difference was more, but as I got used to the way the Henson shaves, a lot of that disappeared. The mild is a lot easier on my face and neck. I use the medium, but I have to be slightly more careful; not a lot, but some. I have given myself a couple of weepers by getting too careless with the medium, but never with the mild. As far as number of passes, a lot depends on preparation and soap. If I prep right and use the same soap, I'd say the medium is a tad more efficient, but it is not enough to notice unless you do side by side comparisons. Technique is more important than the mild or medium, I think. I can only say that I usually, but not always, have less finishing to do with the medium by a small amount. The mild does not even shave through some irregularities on my skin that I have to watch with other razors. If I were not sure, I'd get a mild/standard. It would never be wrong. I can change aggressiveness simply by changing the brand of blade to one that is a hair wider. I like sharp blades like Feather, Shark, Nacet, etc. in my Hensons. The Astra is good, too, but milder. That's for my face.Between Henson Mild and Henson Medium, do you see any difference in clogging? Any limit (per up to N days would be go-to for Mild/Medium) or some similar comparison? From various comments, neither one of them seems to have problems in achieving good shaves, both made smooth face afterall, but there must be some difference, right?
I'm considering Mild version as a gift option, so smooth-shaver is definitelly #1 requirement, but for Mild/Medium choice, does it only ends up in terms for efficiency, less passes needed without compromising the skin-feel?
Thanks!
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I have had both, my twenty year old son now has the mild. I did find the mild fills fast requiring more rinsing of the razor. Otherwise I haven’t notice that much difference, between the two. I’ve never cut myself or had any nicks or weepers with either razor.Between Henson Mild and Henson Medium, do you see any difference in clogging? Any limit (per up to N days would be go-to for Mild/Medium) or some similar comparison? From various comments, neither one of them seems to have problems in achieving good shaves, both made smooth face afterall, but there must be some difference, right?
I'm considering Mild version as a gift option, so smooth-shaver is definitelly #1 requirement, but for Mild/Medium choice, does it only ends up in terms for efficiency, less passes needed without compromising the skin-feel?
Thanks!
It’s slightly easier to achieve a bbs shave with the medium. I almost always do three passes, the mild will take more touch ups if you want to achieve a bbs shave.
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- #117
Again, I've only had 4 shaves with the AL13 Mild. But you've got me curious about getting a bbs easier with the medium. So I contacted Henson to ask if they sell the Medium baseplate separately that I could assemble with the handle and topcap of my AL13 Mild. They responded quickly, but they said that the top cap and the base plate are both different for the mild vs. the medium, and only the handle is the same. As the top cap and base plate are the most difficult parts to machine and use the most material there would be very little discount to sell the assembled heads separately. Therefore, to try both aggressions would require purchasing both razors separately.
I'll stick to the Mild for now. I don't fancy dropping $140 on 2 almost identical razors in the span of 2 weeks.
Ron R
I survived a lathey foreman
I have a few mild razors and one method to give a boost in performance is just buy some Kai SS blades.Again, I've only had 4 shaves with the AL13 Mild. But you've got me curious about getting a bbs easier with the medium. So I contacted Henson to ask if they sell the Medium baseplate separately that I could assemble with the handle and topcap of my AL13 Mild. They responded quickly, but they said that the top cap and the base plate are both different for the mild vs. the medium, and only the handle is the same. As the top cap and base plate are the most difficult parts to machine and use the most material there would be very little discount to sell the assembled heads separately. Therefore, to try both aggressions would require purchasing both razors separately.
I'll stick to the Mild for now. I don't fancy dropping $140 on 2 almost identical razors in the span of 2 weeks.
They a wider than a standard Gillette Astra SP by about 9/1000 of a inch or 4.5/1000 per side and that will give you a nice boost in performance and are superior to shimming a razor for more gap. I use my mild razors a lot more now with the Kai SS Blade and it is sharp & smooth with excellent longevity. I have been letting folks know for about a year now and to some must think I'm like a broken record I suppose. I would buy a few tucks to see if you enjoy them, lots of folks are surprised how well they perform.
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Watch the sales here. Also, a lot of the dealers will have sales or discounts from time to time. I got mine for $54.Again, I've only had 4 shaves with the AL13 Mild. But you've got me curious about getting a bbs easier with the medium. So I contacted Henson to ask if they sell the Medium baseplate separately that I could assemble with the handle and topcap of my AL13 Mild. They responded quickly, but they said that the top cap and the base plate are both different for the mild vs. the medium, and only the handle is the same. As the top cap and base plate are the most difficult parts to machine and use the most material there would be very little discount to sell the assembled heads separately. Therefore, to try both aggressions would require purchasing both razors separately.
I'll stick to the Mild for now. I don't fancy dropping $140 on 2 almost identical razors in the span of 2 weeks.
In terms of feel they are comparable. The Feather is a nicer quality instrument.
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