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

Interesting. When I first loaded a blade in my new Hensen I cranked the head/handle pretty tight. Shaved great - until I went to swap blades. The amount of pressure needed to unscrew the head was considerable, made significantly more, er, interesting given there was a blade already in the razor. Took a very small chunk out of my thumb, giving a whole new meaning to "cut myself shaving."

Lesson learned, don't tighten too much. Perhaps even leaving a bit of thread is a good idea, plus can make a slightly more aggressive shave. Something to consider.

Interesting.  When I first loaded a blade in my new Hensen I cranked the head/handle pretty tight.  Shaved great - until I went to swap blades.  The amount of pressure needed to unscrew the head was considerable, made significantly more, er, interesting given there was a blade already in the razor.  Took a very small chunk out of my thumb, giving a whole new meaning to "cut myself shaving."

Lesson learned, don't tighten too much.  Perhaps even leaving a bit of thread is a good idea, plus can make a slightly more aggressive shave.  Something to consider.

Early on in my wet shaving journey I learned to put the razor head inside a towel early on if I accidentally tighten too much. Safest way I know now.
P


I’ve never used a razor you could “adjust” by using the handle, but took slantman advice and did a wonderful two pass shave using his 3/4 turn and 1/2 turn method. I used the HS logo on the handle to make my measurements which I haven’t been able to do with other handles. 

The blade feel was certainly more (similar to a CG Lv2 by memory) but still had great smoothness and the efficiency per pass was greatly increased. Two passes was all I needed for a wonderful and still almost careless shave. 

If you haven’t, give it a try!

Yeah, the towel thing will be my standard going forward. I sorta feel like an idiot, but assuming I only make the mistake once I'll return to normal, non-idiot status! I'm not yet ready, nor do I feel the need to make the Hensen more aggressive, it's working just fine. Perhaps down the road when I've used it a bunch more times I'll experiment. Still, pretty interesting idea.

In general, it's a bad idea to overtighten a razor handle, but especially an aluminum one. You want the threads to last as long as possible, and over torquing it is one of the quickest ways to strip the threads.

Interesting.  When I first loaded a blade in my new Hensen I cranked the head/handle pretty tight.  Shaved great - until I went to swap blades.  The amount of pressure needed to unscrew the head was considerable, made significantly more, er, interesting given there was a blade already in the razor.  Took a very small chunk out of my thumb, giving a whole new meaning to "cut myself shaving."

Lesson learned, don't tighten too much.  Perhaps even leaving a bit of thread is a good idea, plus can make a slightly more aggressive shave.  Something to consider.

Early on in my wet shaving journey I learned to put the razor head inside a towel early on if I accidentally tighten too much. Safest way I know now.
P


I’ve never used a razor you could “adjust” by using the handle, but took slantman advice and did a wonderful two pass shave using his 3/4 turn and 1/2 turn method. I used the HS logo on the handle to make my measurements which I haven’t been able to do with other handles. 

The blade feel was certainly more (similar to a CG Lv2 by memory) but still had great smoothness and the efficiency per pass was greatly increased. Two passes was all I needed for a wonderful and still almost careless shave. 

If you haven’t, give it a try!

Thanks!
That was a very useful tip. One that I certainly enjoyed. A great head shave using a feather blade

The logo on the handle really makes it easy to replicate the turns you’re using. Tomorrow I’m going to try opening it up 2/3 of a turn; since there’s 3 logos, I figure I just move the logo two spots from where it started. I feel like this should be a good compromise from the 3/4 and 1/2 turns last time. Used an Astra SP for those wondering.

I would normally wait to post a review until I had at least 4 shaves with a razor.  I have used the Henson 3 times with 3 different blades (Astra, Nacet, Tatra), and now have enough experience to share my opinions.  I plan to use a Feather and a Wizamet/Polsilver for my next 2 shaves.

The Henson razor is a true "disruptor" to DE shaving.  I have found no other razor as intuitively easy to use for a new wet shaver, period.  This razor literally makes all mild DE razors LOOK LIKE MISTAKES (Gillette blue tip, Merkur 34C, all DE89's, RR Mamba, etc).  This is due to the head design and flawless "precision" machining to the .001 tolerance or better.  The blade is so tightly encased.... there is literally zero blade chatter.  Also, the lack of blade exposure makes it nearly impossible to cut yourself.  Other than an intentional sideways slicing stroke, I would say it is impossible!  My wife was blown away by how easy it was to shave her legs and she feels it is the best razor she has ever used.  The head design forces the correct shaving angle! I like handles that are 90 to 100mm, so for me the handle length is perfect. In the future, it may be in Henson's best interest to offer a shorter handle option for their razor, since many traditional wet shavers prefer short handles.

This razor was not designed for the experienced DE or SE shaver who wants blade feel and the challenge of giving oneself a BBS in one or two passes.  It was designed for new DE wet shavers.  IMHO you have lost the right to make razor recommendations to new wet shavers unless you have tried this razor.  IMHO this is "the one" for newbies.  Even with super bad technique, the beginner should end up with a DFS... and after a few shaves will be an expert with this razor.  Remember, everyone has to start somewhere and having success will keep a new wet shaver in the game.

So, how did it work for me?  1st pass WTG: As can be expected, more stubble than with a razor with more blade exposure and gap.  2nd pass ATG:  Better than I expected, and for most young people (20's)....Done!  3rd pas XTG:  Finished to a DFS.  4th pass "cleanup with stretching":  Literally, a BBS finish as good as any DE or SE can provide.  I can do the same thing and get the same result with a Superspeed, DE89, Merkur 34C, RR Mamba or RR GC.  The difference is that the Henson can be used like a cartridge:  Shaving quickly and adding pressure, without any risk of weepers, irritation or razor burn.  It is a smooth shaver and provides a very clean and comfortable "risk free" shave.  I did turn the handle 1/2 to 3/4 turns while shaving and this increased the aggressiveness "slightly" (you must have a blade in the razor).  The built-in tungsten washer is nothing short of brilliant (from an engineer's perspective).  IMHO this razor can be used with any reasonable quality DE blade.  Blades are very subjective, but this razor should do well with nearly all blades sold by mainstream vendors.  Don't tell anyone, but I actually pushed the limit and dry shaved with it as a test (no weepers, no blood!)

Was it more work to a BBS than using an aggressive razor with a light touch...YES.  But most new shavers do not have the experience or technique to get to BBS.

Are there any "cons"?  Yes.  The razor does require rinsing more frequently than say a Timeless, Progress, RR Mamba RR GC, etc...since the channels are relatively small.  It rinses well with running water or with a good swish in a bowl.  It is a "mild" razor and requires more time to a BBS finish.  It is aluminum and will not have the "service life" of a stainless razor.  Aluminum with an anodized finish is more sensitive to wear than most people realize (only affects appearance, not performance).

The bottom line is that I am more than impressed with the Henson.  I have no idea how they came up with this design, or how they found a precision manufacturer to make it a reality.  I would be very interested in the back story of how they did it.  They were very lucky or very good engineers.  It is a reasonably priced entry razor with an innovative design, and very high quality machining.
For me, it is fun as hell to use and will always be in my rotation.  I will be recommending this razor to newbies and plan to purchase several for give-aways.  I wish Henson Shaving the best, and hope their business model allows them long term success.

For those in EU, the Henson AL13 is going to be available into Shaving Station UK.
Jonathan sent me an email about pre-order to stuart@shavingstation.co.uk

I just did.

ischiapp, I'll be interested in your thoughts about how this compares to the Dorco in terms of comfort and efficiency...

ischiapp, I'll be interested in your thoughts ...

You've to be patient.
Unfortunately, the Purple is not available in this first batch into UK shop.

I would normally wait to post a review until I had at least 4 shaves with a razor.  I have used the Henson 3 times with 3 different blades (Astra, Nacet, Tatra), and now have enough experience to share my opinions.  I plan to use a Feather and a Wizamet/Polsilver for my next 2 shaves.

The Henson razor is a true "disruptor" to DE shaving.  I have found no other razor as intuitively easy to use for a new wet shaver, period.  This razor literally makes all mild DE razors LOOK LIKE MISTAKES (Gillette blue tip, Merkur 34C, all DE89's, RR Mamba, etc).  This is due to the head design and flawless "precision" machining to the .001 tolerance or better.  The blade is so tightly encased.... there is literally zero blade chatter.  Also, the lack of blade exposure makes it nearly impossible to cut yourself.  Other than an intentional sideways slicing stroke, I would say it is impossible!  My wife was blown away by how easy it was to shave her legs and she feels it is the best razor she has ever used.  The head design forces the correct shaving angle!  I like handles that are 90 to 100mm, so for me the handle length is perfect.  In the future, it may be in Henson's best interest to offer a shorter handle option for their razor, since many traditional wet shavers prefer short handles.

This razor was not designed for the experienced DE or SE shaver who wants blade feel and the challenge of giving oneself a BBS in one or two passes.  It was designed for new DE wet shavers.  IMHO you have lost the right to make razor recommendations to new wet shavers unless you have tried this razor.  IMHO this is "the one" for newbies.  Even with super bad technique, the beginner should end up with a DFS... and after a few shaves will be an expert with this razor.  Remember, everyone has to start somewhere and having success will keep a new wet shaver in the game.

So, how did it work for me?  1st pass WTG: As can be expected, more stubble than with a razor with more blade exposure and gap.  2nd pass ATG:  Better than I expected, and for most young people (20's)....Done!  3rd pas XTG:  Finished to a DFS.  4th pass "cleanup with stretching":  Literally, a BBS finish as good as any DE or SE can provide.  I can do the same thing and get the same result with a Superspeed, DE89, Merkur 34C, RR Mamba or RR GC.  The difference is that the Henson can be used like a cartridge:  Shaving quickly and adding pressure, without any risk of weepers, irritation or razor burn.  It is a smooth shaver and provides a very clean and comfortable "risk free" shave.  I did turn the handle 1/2 to 3/4 turns while shaving and this increased the aggressiveness "slightly" (you must have a blade in the razor).  The built-in tungsten washer is nothing short of brilliant (from an engineer's perspective).  IMHO this razor can be used with any reasonable quality DE blade.  Blades are very subjective, but this razor should do well with nearly all blades sold by mainstream vendors.  Don't tell anyone, but I actually pushed the limit and dry shaved with it as a test (no weepers, no blood!)

Was it more work to a BBS than using an aggressive razor with a light touch...YES.  But most new shavers do not have the experience or technique to get to BBS.

Are there any "cons"?  Yes.  The razor does require rinsing more frequently than say a Timeless, Progress, RR Mamba RR GC, etc...since the channels are relatively small.  It rinses well with running water or with a good swish in a bowl.  It is a "mild" razor and requires more time to a BBS finish.  It is aluminum and will not have the "service life" of a stainless razor.  Aluminum with an anodized finish is more sensitive to wear than most people realize (only affects appearance, not performance).

The bottom line is that I am more than impressed with the Henson.  I have no idea how they came up with this design, or how they found a precision manufacturer to make it a reality.  I would be very interested in the back story of how they did it.  They were very lucky or very good engineers.  It is a reasonably priced entry razor with an innovative design, and very high quality machining.
For me, it is fun as hell to use and will always be in my rotation.  I will be recommending this razor to newbies and plan to purchase several for give-aways.  I wish Henson Shaving the best, and hope their business model allows them long term success.

Honored to read your comments.  Thank you very much.  I'd be happy to make sure you are one of the first to receive our aggressive version when it comes out.  I am not sure how I can contact you outside of this forum...?