Buy it for Life

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.

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.

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.

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've used a safety razor for a little under 20 years. I've also spent maybe $30 in blades in that time. Love my merkur futur.

Cheaper. Better. Easier (at least for me).

I use a straight razor with disposable blades by Feather. Which is faster than the safety razor but, uh, safety razors are called "safety" for a reason. Probably will go back to the safety razors.

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

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?

I bought the aluminium and loved it so much I upgraded to the titanium. No regrets, although I can't say there's much difference except for the weight feels better.

I haven't used any other safety razors, but I can't imagine how anything could be better. It's so good I can shave with just cold water (no shaving cream) and it still comes out perfect.

Personally, I think the vanderhagen kit at target is the perfect place to start for a beginner. Inexpensive, mild and forgiving razor. Blades are mild but not too much so. It gives you time to go through the very small learning curve and gain the confidence/trust needed for peanuts. Then step two I would say is try a variety pack of blades, then just start ordering the ones you like best. Optional step three is treat yoself to a nicer razor, once you realize what you like (mild vs medium vs aggressive, and weight) and/or try a good shaving soap+synthetic brush, or just enjoy your current razor and call it a day. Your skin and wallet will thank you either way

Any ladies or theys in the chat that can attest to how good it is for legs/bits? I assume that if it's good for faces it's good for any other part of the body as well, but I'd love to hear any personal experiences you guys may have on that front!

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.

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.

Been using a Dual Edge Safety Razor for a year. It's so much more affordable and a better shave. I shave every day. I spent like $15 on my razor (1939-45 Gillette tech,) $15ish for 100 razor blades (I use Gillette Nacets) where each one I use for about a week. So what almost two years of blades? I use Arko shave soap which is like $8 a tub and it last me like 3 or 4 months. After shave about $10 again another 2 or 3 months. Most expensive thing was my shave brush which was like $35. Won't buy another for forever.

Anyway. It's a nice thing to do. It will take a few weeks to get used to. The shave is excellent and once your used to it you can shave just as fast as the disposable ones with a crazy close shave.

I currently have a Rockwell Adjustable Model T; used to have a Merkur Heavy(?).

I'm curious of any converts to this model from other razors and thoughts.

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 love my slant safety razor. Very few nicks. Load with an Astra platinum and it's a dream shave with some arko cream.

The AL13, and not the AL13-M, I presume?

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've been using the Rockwell 6s for a few years now and I've had a pretty good experience as well. For my everyday, the 4 setting strikes a pretty good balance

If anyone has a recommendation for one for head shaving, I'm all ears!

For a long time I wanted to write a post about safety razors, but this will not be the time, again. I'll just summarize some of my experiences.

First of all, different razor blades will work differently, but the sharpest seem to work great in Henson AL13 (note: mild model).

Next, there are some cheap and good razors, like Feather Popular and Yaqi Mellon. There are also some mid-range good ones like Henson AL13 and Rockwell 6S/2C. Other razors are hit and miss in my experience, they may work well for you, they may work well for you with a specific blade, and they may also be total crap for you; you generally can guess which is which but not be sure.

The shaving in three passes along the hair growth, across the hair, and against the hair is also very important. I used to think that shaving immediately against the hair was enough and would one day get me a smooth cut-free shave, but it wouldn't and I ended up bleeding quite a lot every single time.

Last, on a tangential point, every time I see some product being advertised I feel being scammed, especially if the comments are largely positive. With Henson, it's probably the first time this is not a scam, but I am glad that I got the razor before seeing any of the praises online and already have tried it, otherwise I would have thought that to be another marketing bullshit and passed on it, most likely.

All-in-all, I tried about two dozen safety razors in combination with different blades, and the Henson AL13 is in my top 2.

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".

where can I buy them in europe?

The official website want >50€ for shipping alone.

I'm tempted to buy one but at my current rate I have likely years worth of Harry's blades. I don't wanna waste them