I was trying out, in the past 2 weeks, the Henson with Treet Platinums. I was pleasantly surprised that it provided very smooth, consistent shaves. I would say above Astra blades. I will continue trying them out until I finish the whole 10-blade pack. But so far, I'm quite impressed.
What blade works best in a Henson razor?
- Thread starter MrMoJoe
- Start date
- Thread starter
- #82
I may have to give those a try!
- Thread starter
- #83
4th and final shave with the 7 O'Clock SharpEdge Yellow, and it was another excellent shave. By that I mean 3 full passes and touch ups leading to BBS, irritation free shave, and there is no reason I couldn't be happy using such a blade exclusively if they were all like that. Unfortunately they haven't been, but as I said previously, that may not be the blade's fault. I still have more left in the tuck, so experimentation will continue down the road, but for now my impression is that this is very good blade, and will definitely get another look. Next up: Wilkinson Sword (Germany)
- Thread starter
- #84
2 shaves now in the books with the Wilkinson Sword made in Germany, and I'm loving it so far! One shave with SV Felce Aromatica, and one with MdC Fougere. 3 full passes each time, with touch ups. Made sure to use light pressure and pay attention to direction of the stroke. In so many ways, it's as if I'm learning to shave all over again, and the results are impressive all the way around. The German Wilkinson Sword seems both sharp and smooth - a wet shaver's dream. Similar to the GSB, I don't really feel it on my skin, yet my face felt really smooth after the first pass with the grain, and only got smoother with each additional pass. The post-shave alum block gave some very minor stinging on the throat, but there is no lasting irritation. Based on the first two shaves, this blade is already a favorite. It works, and just feels good.
- Thread starter
- #85
3rd shave with the German made Wilkinson Sword was more of the same - outstanding. 3 full passes and touch ups with SV Felce Aromatica soap. The result was another close, comfortable shave (BBS).
- Thread starter
- #86
4th and final shave with the German Wilkinson Sword. MdC Fougere was the soap. I didn't go for BBS today, just did 2 passes (WTG and XTG), followed by some touch-up. Wow - what a great shave. Literally BBS on the face, and pretty close on the throat and neck. DFS for sure. The post shave alum block revealed zero irritation. Man, I love this blade.
This was the last of my new blades to try. Before I started this experiment to find the best blade for my Henson, I had used Astra SPs exclusively for well over a year, maybe two. So, before I wrap things up, I will do 4 shaves with the Astras for comparison, then post a final ranking and give my impressions and thoughts.
This was the last of my new blades to try. Before I started this experiment to find the best blade for my Henson, I had used Astra SPs exclusively for well over a year, maybe two. So, before I wrap things up, I will do 4 shaves with the Astras for comparison, then post a final ranking and give my impressions and thoughts.
- Thread starter
- #87
So, I circled back to the Astra SP, which I had used exclusively for years before starting this experiment with new blades. 4 Shaves in the books with the Astra over the last 8 days, and here's my take on those. The first shave, 3 full passes WTG/XTG/ATG, was very smooth and close. Barely felt the blade on my face. I got a legit BBS shave, and at the time, felt no irritation. My face felt great and I kept rubbing it afterward, marveling at how smooth it was. After a few hours however, I glanced in the mirror and saw some significant razor burn on both sides of my throat. I waited a few days before shaving again, giving the irritation time to heal, and did another 3-pass shave, this time being very careful with prep and technique, and again the shave itself was extremely smooth and comfortable. I did notice that there was some tugging when I went ATG, and I got significant stinging with the alum block. Still, this was another incredibly smooth, BBS shave. Again, a few hours later and even the next day, I had significant razor burn on the throat and a few other spots. On the 3rd shave a couple of days later, I just did 2 full passes with touch up ATG as needed, and I realized this blade is not as sharp as others that were part of my experiment. I still got a good shave, but the irritation persisted. 4th shave was 3 full passes again, and was perfectly acceptable, very close and smooth, and only minor irritation this time. Conclusion: The Astra SP is a very smooth blade, and I got a few really good shaves out of it, but I think my beard, with the Henson razor, requires a sharper blade.
Final ranking (for now):
1. Gillette Nacet Stainless - great combination of sharp and smooth; felt great on my face.
2. Bic Chrome Platinum - maybe the sharpest of the bunch, and still plenty smooth.
3. Tie: Gillette Silver Blue and Wilkinson Sword (Germany) - both felt incredibly smooth, and still plenty sharp enough.
4. Personna Lab Blue - Much like the GSB and WSG, but barely nudged out. Still a fantastic blade.
5. 7 O'Clock Yellow - a mixed bag; some really good shaves, some not so great.
6. Gillette PermaSharp (Russian) - very sharp, but a bit rough on my face.
7. Astra SP - Very smooth, but I need a sharper blade in my Henson.
Of course, YMMV. Greatly.
Aside from learning about differences in blades, a huge takeaway for me was the role prep and technique plays in all of this. Even though I've been wet shaving for 15 years now, I learned a great deal through this recent process. I have learned how important it is to take your time, pay attention to things like using light pressure and letting the blade do the work, learning the direction of beard growth on different parts of my face and throat and then shaving accordingly, and careful, proper touch ups to finish the job. And all of that may be different with different blades. It's an ongoing, learning process.
I am going to cycle back through all of the blades once again, and will update as needed. All of these blades were very good, and I'm convinced that if I stuck with any one of them, I could get it dialed in and get great shaves. I hope this has been informative and maybe helpful, or at least interesting to some.
Final ranking (for now):
1. Gillette Nacet Stainless - great combination of sharp and smooth; felt great on my face.
2. Bic Chrome Platinum - maybe the sharpest of the bunch, and still plenty smooth.
3. Tie: Gillette Silver Blue and Wilkinson Sword (Germany) - both felt incredibly smooth, and still plenty sharp enough.
4. Personna Lab Blue - Much like the GSB and WSG, but barely nudged out. Still a fantastic blade.
5. 7 O'Clock Yellow - a mixed bag; some really good shaves, some not so great.
6. Gillette PermaSharp (Russian) - very sharp, but a bit rough on my face.
7. Astra SP - Very smooth, but I need a sharper blade in my Henson.
Of course, YMMV. Greatly.
Aside from learning about differences in blades, a huge takeaway for me was the role prep and technique plays in all of this. Even though I've been wet shaving for 15 years now, I learned a great deal through this recent process. I have learned how important it is to take your time, pay attention to things like using light pressure and letting the blade do the work, learning the direction of beard growth on different parts of my face and throat and then shaving accordingly, and careful, proper touch ups to finish the job. And all of that may be different with different blades. It's an ongoing, learning process.
I am going to cycle back through all of the blades once again, and will update as needed. All of these blades were very good, and I'm convinced that if I stuck with any one of them, I could get it dialed in and get great shaves. I hope this has been informative and maybe helpful, or at least interesting to some.
I had exactly the same bad experience with a NACET in my AL13++. I think I may have come across a bad blade in the tuck that was way out of QC, as I have used NACET in other razors with great sucess. So something odd was happening. I will try a new NACET from a different tuck again later in the rotation in a couple of weeks and see if things improve.
- Thread starter
- #89
UPDATE: I've been cycling back through the same blades again, and I wanted to comment on the Gillette PermaSharp. First time around, I got some rough shaves with it, and overall did not have a good experience. I loaded up with a PermaSharp this morning, and had a very different experience. The blade felt great on my face; sharp, smooth, and comfortable. The result was BBS. I don't know if the difference this time was something I did differently (I don't know what it could be) or if I just had a bad blade previously, but I'm glad I tried it again.
Note: I have found that anytime I do 3 full passes and go for BBS, I wind up with redness/irritation on both sided of my throat. Not necessarily weepers or stinging, just what looks like a rash. It happens with any blade, and happened today with the PermaSharp. While there have been a few exceptions, it happens no matter how careful I am with prep and technique. I have pretty much come to accept that I have to choose between BBS with some redness, and leaving a little patchy stubble on the throat minus the redness.
Note: I have found that anytime I do 3 full passes and go for BBS, I wind up with redness/irritation on both sided of my throat. Not necessarily weepers or stinging, just what looks like a rash. It happens with any blade, and happened today with the PermaSharp. While there have been a few exceptions, it happens no matter how careful I am with prep and technique. I have pretty much come to accept that I have to choose between BBS with some redness, and leaving a little patchy stubble on the throat minus the redness.
- Thread starter
- #90
WOW. 3rd shave with the PermaSharp (Round 2 with this blade) and it was an incredibly fine shave. As BBS, comfortable, and irritation free as possible. Even BBS with 3 full passes on the throat, with almost no redness or irritation. I was disappointed after round 1 with the PermaSharp, as I did not get good shaves. This time has been very different. Don't know what's different, but it just shows that you shouldn't give up on a blade with one less than stellar experience.
TiberiuR said:
Yes, saw that many people like how the Nacets perform with the Henson, but for me it was tugging and a bit rough. not smooth. Will revisit it though since I only tried it once..
It took me a few weeks to get back to this issue, but today I used a new Nacet from a group date stamped : 07/07/22. These worked perfect and were very sharp no tugging defects like the first one I tried which were stamped: 29/07/22
I have been reading elsewhere on this B&B various posts that also complain about some specific samples of Nacet that folks run across.. I think there is a QC issue on certain manufacturing runs of Nacet.
Yes, saw that many people like how the Nacets perform with the Henson, but for me it was tugging and a bit rough. not smooth. Will revisit it though since I only tried it once..
It took me a few weeks to get back to this issue, but today I used a new Nacet from a group date stamped : 07/07/22. These worked perfect and were very sharp no tugging defects like the first one I tried which were stamped: 29/07/22
I have been reading elsewhere on this B&B various posts that also complain about some specific samples of Nacet that folks run across.. I think there is a QC issue on certain manufacturing runs of Nacet.
Try a Feather.
Great diary, and as you noted, these experiments get you to focus on technique and other peripheral factors.
I seem to need quite a few blades over a period of time to establish a pattern.
One thing I continually find myself revisiting is that many of the Russisn Gillettes (PPI factory) tend to settle in after the first shave. I used to think it was an adaptation thing (technique) but more and more, I'm thinking that the coating is wearing in. This is the kind of thing you can verify by running two more blades back to back as opposed to switching immediately, as is the fashion over here.
Another sharp but smooth blade is the old stock Wizamet Iridium. To my face they're like a Personna PC, that's dialed up by a half "click". I have not tried Polsilvers.
... Thom
