Henson Al13 Razor - From the Guys Who Brought You The ISS

Waiting to get shipping notification, but eager to try it. Been playing with the Charcoal Goods Everyday razors, which I have been very happy with.

I first saw this razor pop up on a couple different forums this past week, and upon inspection of their website I noticed they manufacture razors not far from here. I picked one of their aluminum razors up this morning and just had a shave with it. My initial thoughts are that this is an amazing razor for its price and could potentially disrupt the entry-level market for safety razors. 



Talking with Jonathan from Henson razors, he told me that they are only 3 weeks old, but have been quite busy. A machine shop that manufactures parts for the international space station has recently seen some of its machinery slow down in usage over the last little while. This shop seems to be well known for their precision in their craft. He mentioned that there’s over $7 million worth of machinery being retooled to produce some of these new razors. There are no plans to move manufacturing from Cambridge, Ontario. Ever. 

You can tell immediately how well machined this razor is. From the moment I unscrewed the handle, the threads felt as well crafted as a Karve I used to own. As far as aluminum razors go, this put the threads on my Lupo to shame. The head fits tightly to the base and holds the blade firmly, carefully keeping the blade aligned using the two bars that seem common today. 



The razor itself is manufactured to hold the blade as closely as possible to the edge in order to prevent the dreaded chatter. By looking at the razor, this is really magnificent. The cap reveals one of the smallest slices of blade I’ve seen from a DE. Blade exposure is minimal, and combined with an .85mm gap, I found it really difficult to nick myself, even as I carelessly threw this around my face on the first shave. 



The razor comes in multiple colours. I picked up “Tan” that may get renamed Bronze. That’s the exact reason I purchased it, the similarity to bronze, but there’s a multitude of colors to choose from to suit different personalities. 

The handle was perfect. Even when wet there was more than sufficient grip from the etching in the handle. I’ve really enjoyed tapered handles of late, like on my General V2, and the Henson’s handle was easy to use even when inverted to shave the neck areas. 

A little shaving background to understand the razors I prefer: I own and enjoy shaving with a Yates Hybrid Razor, Paradigm Diamondback, and Colonial General V2. I own a few other odds and ends, but nothing special. I usually shave every two days with coarse stubble, often requiring sharper blades. 

Today’s shave was on 3 days worth of growth, a good challenge for a new contender in the den. I popped in a fresh Astra SP and got to work (a 5 pack is included, or pay $10US to get a 100 pack if you need a restock, another deal). 



From the first few strokes I felt a familiar “suctioning” type feeling as I was guided to the proper angle by the shape of the head. It reminded me of the way the Blackbird used to feel as the outer geometry is similar. I found it really easy to maintain the angle and finished the first pass and rinsed off. I noticed I was surprisingly clean shaven, but still he work to do. As a side note, there’s zero chance you could clog this razor. It rinses very easily due to the head design. 

After the second and third passes (my usual routine) I was BBS with zero irritation, and can say that even ATG this razor was VERY comfortable. Comfort is one of the constants that the razors I use provide, and I found that the razor can really hang with the big boys. The closest comparison for comfort and efficiency would be my YPM Hybrid. Washing up after each pass, I found them eerily similar. To go back to a commonly referenced razor, these two razors shave with the efficiency of a Rockwell 7 plate, but the comfort of the 3 plate. 

But here’s what shocked me. They’re asking $40USD ($54CAD) for this beautifully machined razor, that gives a shave that punches way above its price point. 

Here’s the competitors (August 2020)

• $50 USD Rockwell 6C, Zamak, made in China, free ship
  
• $100 USD Rockwell 6S, Injection Mold Stainless, made in USA, free ship
  
• $54-58 USD Gamechanger, machined stainless, pay shipping 
  
• $75 USD Karve brass, machined brass, $8 USD shipping. Same for Karve Aluminum, but good luck getting one
  

I know that when speaking with Jonathan from Henson Razors he mentioned that they were targeting cartridge users and helping them convert, but they crafted an amazing razor. Us enthusiasts can’t go wrong with more makers like this in our little niche. 

If anyone else picks one up, let us know how it shaves!

Thank YOU Tony for this review and commentary, appreciate you Sir! I’m in for a Black and Red for my brother, holidays coming you know!

My last order from Canada sat in Chicago for 2 1/2 weeks

Chicago seems like a black hole. One item I bought from a member was stuck there a month. Never made it to me and was returned to him. Only time I’ve ever had that happen.

Send all your purchases through here (Chicago), I may go looting now that I’m back.  You Gents order some REALLY nice things!

@ ischiapp
This Razor is right up your alley. I know how much you’ve said you love aluminum.

Yes, indeed.
Just sent an email to Jonathan, because the site does not ship to Italy.
I'll love my new PURPLE AL13.

AQU 
Thank you !!!


Here the colors I love.

Great shave today in 3 passes with a second use Nacet. Cheeks and neck are silky smooth. A tiny little stubble along the jawline, but an absolutely easy shave. I’d be interested to see if they make more efficient plates down the road considering they had a smaller gap one. I’m also thinking Astras were a better fit for the razor. 

I thought I’d pushed too hard at times and given myself some burn, but checked a few times in the mirror today and there’s not a sign of irritation or burn.

Got mine in the mail today. Very little exposed blade, the head design is very interesting, I don't think I've ever seen a blade clamped down that far out. Very excited to try it!

Just sent an email to Jonathan, because the site does not ship to Italy.

He replayed that he's working on dealers / shipping.
Hope It'll be available in EU soon.
I'm waiting.

Well my Henson finally arrived, well second Henson. By no fault of Henson my original one Canada Post misplaced. Henson is a class act, I contacted them and asked if they could inquire as to the status of my order and they were very apologetic for some else’s fault and expressed me a replacement in about a day. So all I can say is that their customer service is top notch. Can’t wait to shave with it tomorrow


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

The head is actually narrower than I thought it was. I have the H&S P076 Ti for reference here, one of the narrowest heads I can think of and from the bottom of the safety bar to the top of the cap, the Henson is almost the same height. It should be quite maneuverable.

The head is actually narrower than I thought it was. I have the H&S P076 Ti for reference here, one of the narrowest heads I can think of and from the bottom of the safety bar to the top of the cap, the Henson is almost the same height. It should be quite maneuverable.

I don't think I've ever seen a razor clamp a blade so far out. I bet this will eliminate just about all chatter with DE blades..