When I became more environmentally conscious many years ago, I decided to switch to a safety razor to reduce plastic waste. I landed on a reputable safety razor with a ‘mild’ angle, something that would be good for sensitive skin. Even with a good shaving soap, I found that I would regularly still get some discomfort from razor burn, despite learning a solid technique.
Enter: the Henson. This was touted as a ‘new’ design of safety razor that fully supported the blade, making it particularly well suited for sensitive skin, and much harder to nick yourself.
Well, I’ve been using this thing for a few months now, and I can honestly say the marketing isn’t an exaggeration, it’s been a game-changer for me.
It really is MUCH harder to nick myself with this, to the point where I can press it against my skin firmly like a disposable, and I still don’t get irritation. It’s one of the most pleasant shaving experiences I’ve had, and I can heartily recommend one for anyone who wants a truly mild safety razor.
Its made of machined aluminum, and built to tight tolerances. I anticipate I’ll be using this sucker quite literally for the rest of my life.
Though do bear in mind, If you have a thick beard or non-sensitive skin, the mild henson might not be ideal for you. As an example I still use my old razor with it’s more exposed blade to shave my head, as this henson gets clogged up far too quickly for that application (unless the hair is already really short). But for the face with light facial hair? Perfection.
The AL13, and not the AL13-M, I presume?
Yes, and apparently they’ve redesigned some aspects of my razor since I’ve bought it.
Oh nice.
I avoided shaving for more than a decade. Electric razors and cartridge jobs left me with endless ingrown hairs and irritation so beard and clippers for me. The only thing I hadn’t tried was a safety razor for fear of nicking myself into oblivion.
Enter the Henson Al-13. I’m very happy with it. Amazingly easy, close shave with very little in terms of nicking. I switched from the RK blades it came with to a slightly milder blade and I’m super happy! I can shave clean every day or two with no ingrown hairs, no irritation, no nicks.
Brilliant equipment and extremely well machined. You can switch to milder blades if you’re struggling, or more aggressive ones if you need. The ability to tune the handle to fit your skin and hair is absolutely game changing. Truly BIFL.
I got one too, been a little under a year.
Just wanted to comment and vouch 100% for what OP is saying. The razor is actually surreal at times due to how little you feel it. It’s like rubbing the side of a pencil against your skin or something lol, except the hair is gone afterwards.
I did manage to nick myself under the knee once. You see, the razor feels so safe that it actually baits you into a state of over-confidence. So I ended up just absolutely FLYING with it to see how fast I could get the job done. I would advise staying cautious in sensitive areas, it is still a razor after all.
But yeah absolute game changer. Already paid for itself several times over. Plus I just like it, it’s nice having a piece of metal instead of another piece of plastic
+1 to safety razors in general. The disposables always used to make my neck and chin look like a horror film, not for lack of research on using. Switching to safety razors, I only shave around my beard so I use the same blades for a long while and shave infrequently, and I’ve been using the same pack of blades that I bought 5+ years ago. A little cardboard and metal, way less waste, I have a huge supply of razors so I haven’t thought about buying in ages, and I get a way better shave after just a little practice.
And the waste reduction can’t be understated.
Same. I bought a sample pack thinking I’d remember which one I liked. 7 years later and I’m halfway through the pack. Spouse made me a “piggy bank” from a can of beans to dispose of used razors. They hot glued the top back on after cutting a slot. I will probably die before I need a new one.
Though do bear in mind, If you have a thick beard or non-sensitive skin, the mild henson might not be ideal for you.
I see they have the -M class for more blade exposure for thicker and longer hair. I wonder if this would mitigate that. Did you have the AL13 non-M model?
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Yes, I have the standard one. I kinda wish I’d gotten the AL13-M now, as I suspect it might’ve been able to pull double duty.
As someone with thick facial hair who doesn’t shave daily, I might still get the standard one. I have a safety razor already with feather blades. But if I could get one that more ensured a lack of nicks and razor burn when I do shave everyday, that’d be great.
Be warned, safety razor shaving can become a rabbit hole if you’re not careful. I’ve spent a fair bit of coin on various razors, brushes, soaps, blades, and numerous other accessories. I was pretty settled on my setup for the last 2 years, but really wanted to try a lighter weight razor (aluminum or titanium). These have historically been very expensive. I stumbled upon this Henson AL13 razor and decided to try it out. Still expensive for me at roughly $80, but much cheaper than options I was looking at a few years back.
It’s been a couple of months now, and I am extremely happy with it. Compared with my previous razor (Karve Christopher Bradly, which I was very happy with) I barely even feel this razor on my skin, but it gets just as clean of a shave. I have very sensitive skin, so this is a blessing for me. 100% recommend.
Outside of this, pricing wise chances are high you will spend less money on a safety razor and it’s replacement blades than most others.
Someone did the math, it’s almost exponential.
That’s a great point. I can use a brand new blade every shave and still spend far less than it would cost to buy Mach-3 heads (or similar). Even using those disposable heads for multiple shaves (I would normally go 5 shaves per head), it’s still much much much cheaper with the safety razor blades I now use.
This is one of those products that very much lives up to the hype. Even if you already use a safety razor, the upgrade is well worth it.
FWIW the head of their current model is a bit different. Yours has contact at the blade edges, the ones on their store have a gap across the full width.
I have the model you’re referring to. And I have to agree with OP I’m very happy with. I literally used it today without even using shaving cream. (Was just a touch up on the mustache, nothing crazy)
I have nicked myself a few times but I think that’s more due to the fact I have a scar on my face that makes it more prone to nicking.
Huh, you’re right. That new design looks like a solid improvement, would make it easier to blast hair out from underneath the blade.
Cartridge razors are the most prevelant scam in modern society, they’re more prone to ingrowns, gunk up far before the blades are actually dull (making consumers go through them MUCH faster than blades), AND costs literally 100x per unit what razor blades do. Subjectively, I also get a much closer, infinitely less irritating shave.
I have a life pro tip for people using cartridge razors and having them gunk up: canned air. Like the kind you’re supposed to use on your keyboard or computer. Blow your razor out to dry and clear debris. It will last a shitload longer.
Just… Water coming from behind? My cartridges last like 6 months of shaving my beard and head once a week…
Are your whiskers more fine? I think maybe this is an issue with thick whisker. Like the hair itself is thick.
If you don’t like canned air, you can use a blower/duster.
I have a 3D printer and I’ve found this to work well:
https://www.printables.com/model/475587-de-safety-razor
One big problem: I left it tensioned in sunlight and it distorted (PLA probably isn’t the best choice but I don’t print in ABS). I had to print new parts. Probably not “buy it for life” but making replacement parts is so much easier than for a commercially bought model that it’s probably now a “ship of Theseus for life”.
Got this a few months ago for myself and I’m liking it. It takes some adjustment to technique, as you hold the handle at a different angle than you would with a regular Mach 5 razor, almost perpendicular to your skin instead of at a 45-ish degree angle. I cut myself up a bit the first time I used it, but since then I haven’t had any issues. I’m liking the idea of at least cutting out that little bit of plastic waste (assuming the metal razors are recyclable).
I started using a safety razor around 10 years ago. Highly recommend it. Takes a bit to get the technique down, but then you’re golden. But what razor, blades, etc is HIGHLY personal. My face isn’t your face. You’ll have to experiment for what blades work for you, along with soap and post-shave.
But in 2015 I bought 100 blades for $22. I’m just starting to run out. So I’ve saved a ton of money and get a better shave.
I don’t understand how you guys can use blades for so long. That’s 1 blade per month. I tried about 20 brands. Feather was the best for me. I get 2 or 3 shaves. That’s it. All other brands i got 1 shave. I blew through 50 blades (bought in May) in the last 6 months. By the 3rd shave I’m getting nicks from dull spots.
I have a beard, so I’m just shaving my neck and cheeks.
It has to be hair thickness or technique or something. I normally use feathers about 5-10 times before I feel uncomfortable tugging, but I hear a lot of people also say the same thing you do.
Yeah, I’ve been around wetshaving a little while now, and it all comes down to personal preference. I swear I saw on Reddit that someone had used the same blade for a year to “see if they could”. Personally, the most I’ve gone is 12 shaves, but usually I swap em after one shave as I’m only shaving my head every 1-2 weeks and I feel they oxidise or something if I let them sit that long.
I love my slant safety razor. Very few nicks. Load with an Astra platinum and it’s a dream shave with some arko cream.
I’ve considered it, but as someone with meh dexterity who does very quick and lazy shaves I’ve heard bad things about safety razors for my use case, is that the case for these as well? I hate using plastic razors, but the whole “shaving ritual” thing sounds awful compared to my 30 second shave
The only hard rule is don’t move it sideways against your skin. You’ll slice it. Not deep but it will bleed and hurt. Get one that is adjustable or angled for sensitive skin.
I think electric is faster but I prefer the smoothness of the safety razor. Safety razor takes me about 2-3 minutes in the shower.
I’ve found the whole ritual aspect is pretty much unnecessary, and I kinda regret buying some of the accessories that people in shaving forums say is needed, like a lathering bowl (Honestly you can apply a fancy shaving cream directly to a wet bristle brush and it works just as well, and regular old barbasol has worked fine too).
A safety razor would work fine for your use case, but a henson especially, since they’re pretty much just as easy and safe to use as a cartridge razor. Like others said, you can still cut yourself if you make sideways motions with the blade, but I think that’s probably true for cartridge razors too.
If you want to get a budget razor just to see if it’s something that would work for you, the Lord L6 is actually pretty well regarded, and only costs like 7 bucks.
I don’t have this exact razor but a similar model that works for sensitive skin. Most of the time lost on the shaving ritual for me is getting a froth from a bar of shave soap. Back when I had to shave every day I used shave butter and a safety razor and was able to get it done in about a minute being somewhat careful. I get a closer shave with the safety razor than I ever did with the bic razors I used to use so I think that makes up for some time lost shaving
I also preferred quick and lazy before getting a safety razor, bleeded a lot, too.
With the safety I’d recommend always starting the shave in the direction of hair growth and then doing across and against if you feel like it. You can find more instructions on-line, I wish I had this advice earlier, that would have helped a lot even with cartridges.
I can come out of the shower with soap on my face and shave in less than a minute with a blade I haven’t replaced in awhile (though blades are cheap). I don’t feel like I have to be particularly careful, just go over every piece of skin once. I haven’t cut myself in years. I don’t have OPs razor but just a generic safety razor from Amazon.
have had it for 2 years, solid purchase. get a nice brush as well!
