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

I have the Hensen +++ and though listed as aggressive, I did not find this to be the case for me. I used the +++ for ten straight days ( I am a daily shaver) and I must have found the correct angle of attack as I had zero irritation and no weepers. I paired it with a Kai, Feather, Super Iridium, Wizmet Polisiver, and an Israeli Red. Very smooth razor. Today I used a 2013 Muhle and found it to be irritating. I generally like mid-aggressive razors and do just two passes.

This is the perfect autopilot razor. It’s like cheating

Got a black medium (++) today.
Will try it tomorow morning.

I bought a Henson when they just started but didn't like it much.
The flat sides mean you must keep that angle at all times.
Well, I'll see if the design has improved.
I was not sure if I should order a ++ or a +++.

I bought a Henson V2 mild as an upgrade from my Wilkinson Sword from walmart. It's taken some getting used to, but I've been revisiting it after having bought a Game Changer. Now that my technique has improved some, I'm able to get a great shave out of the Henson AL13 mild with no irritation. I'm thinking that I'll use it as my travel razor since it's pretty easy to autopilot while half asleep.

I would like to try the medium version though as it may be a tad closer to the GC 84P in terms of fewer strokes to achieve the same result. Especially after a few days growth which is my normal shave routine. I am not a daily shaver.

Aside from all that, I wonder if Henson ever considered scalloping the top cap some to help reduce the felt drag of the razor? Kind of like a Razorock SLOC, just not to that extreme, and just on the top cap, not on the safety bar. I'm not necessarily opposed to the suction cup feeling, but it would probably appeal to a lot more enthusiasts if it was reduced/eliminated. That said, I do use the suction cup feeling to let me know that I have the angles correct since there is virtually no blade feel.

Got my shave with the ++ this morning.
It was mostly ok, but I felt the need to push a bit on the razor to get more blade feel.
I'll use it for the next week to get a better judgement.

That's the thing about the Henson, there really isn't much of any blade feel. Putting pressure on it doesn't help it cut any better. I get best results from no pressure and stretching the skin a bit. Of course, I also use the standard three pass shave to gradually reduce the stubble.

Thanks.
The pressure is just to get some feedback and judge if my angle is correct.
There's definitely a need to adjust the technique with this razor, so that's why I want to give it a week to convince me.

It definitely takes some time to get used to. I put it down and switched to a different razor for a bit. When I came back to it, I found it gave an excellent shave.

As opposed to other razors with lots of blade feel, I know the Henson is working well when I get the suction cup feeling on my face. It's like there's a lot of drag when you have the angle right, but there's no blade feel. I always have to go back after the pass and feel if it actually cut and I'm always surprised that it did.

In between shave days, I've been practicing the angle by running the razor over my face without a blade in it. I can recreate the drag / suction cup feeling this way. I only do it every now and then and only for a few passes.

This morning's shave was better...

Quick question for anyone who's tried both the V1 and V2...

Is there a noticeable difference? I honestly didn't realize until a few months ago that there was a V2. I really liked the V1, but I sold it a while ago, as I prefer the overlander and didn't see myself reaching for it. Still, I wonder what the V2 is like and if it's worth checking out.

Any info would be greatly appreciated. Thanks folks.

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