(This post was last modified: 12-18-2020, 01:33 AM by SRZ65LE#31.)
SOTD Thursday 12.17.20
24 hrs of stubble
Pre: Hot Water splash
Soap: The Old Goat!
Bowl: CC ceramic
Brush: Simpson M7 Super
Razor: Henson Ti, medium plate
Blade: Personna Red (2)
Post: Fine Aquamarine AS/Cera Ve Daily Moisturizing Lotion/a bit of Cooper & French “Santa’s Workshop” balm, for the scent
Three passes, WTG/XTG/ATG; CCS
First try with the Henson Ti. The following are first impressions, and I’ll need to get some more shaves in before reaching any real conclusions. (Also, this is my face only and YMMV...). Beautiful machining. The pieces fit very precisely. The handle is very nice looking, and has good grip. The shave with the “medium” plate seems very mild. The design of the cap/baseplate requires a very specific angle. Given the geometry of the baseplate/cap, even minor deviations from the designed angle lift the blade off the skin. Also, when the angle is “right,” there’s a fair amount of metal, both cap and safety bar, riding on the skin. [The second photo seeks to illustrates this, by showing the Henson head next to a Carbon Shaving Ti head. PLEASE NOTE, however, that these are very different razors in many respects; this photo is for the purpose of illustrating limited and particular differences in one aspect of the cap/safety bar design of these two razors. I am not comparing the Henson to the Carbon, and am not suggesting one or the other is “better” or “worse.” That would be a gross oversimplification, and an unfair “apples and oranges” matchup]. As a result, there’s more drag than I’ve gotten from other razors, including titanium razors. With the medium plate, there’s not a lot of blade exposure. Even when the angle is spot on, there’s very little blade feel and a fair amount of the whiskers remained after the WTG pass. The plus side is that, if you get and keep the angle consistently right, and you don’t mind the level of “drag,” then the razor is very comfortable and there’s no irritation. However, I’ve grown to like more aggressive razors that allow you to modulate aggression by varying the shaving angle in real time. The Henson does not seem designed to allow much of this. A more aggressive plate might allow this sort of thing, but the geometry of the cap and plate suggests even minor angle changes will significantly reduce cutting efficiency. Every razor has its advantages and requires some degree of specific technique. So, bottom line, I need to get more shaves in with this beautifully engineered titanium razor. (A statement like that simply cannot be construed as a “complaint”).
Happy Shaves to All.