Henson Razor Club.

[moallen]

Friday, April 26

HC&C Unscented soap
Nameless Workx brush
Henson AL13 mild
Gillette Wilkinson Sword blade (Chinese)
HC&C Unscented Aftershave balm

Pleasant, comfortable shave. Recently, I have used both versions of the Gillette Wilkinson Sword blades: the Indian ones and the Chinese ones. Both versions work well in my Henson mild. The Indian blades are kind of medium in sharpness, fair in smoothness. They feel similar to an Astra SP for me. The Chinese blades are sharper and smoother. Not as sharp as a Feather, the first shave is not harsh. I am getting three good smooth shaves before I pitch the blade. After trying a pack of them, I just got 100.

 

[awk_m4]

An easy daily no drama shave.
Friday April 26, 2024
Bowl: Shave Nation
Brush: Simpson X3
Lather: Tabac
Razor: Henson ++ (174)
Blade: Crystal Israeli (1)
Post: Tabac

 

[WhiskerLess]

An easy daily no drama shave.
Friday April 26, 2024
Bowl: Shave Nation
Brush: Simpson X3
Lather: Tabac
Razor: Henson ++ (174)
Blade: Crystal Israeli (1)
Post: Tabac

View attachment 1836203

Came across with Tabac while browsing Amazon. I have no idea what scent it is but this shaving product looks good.

How big is that A/S 10.1 Fl Oz?
Interested to try it myself.

 

[awk_m4]

Came across with Tabac while browsing Amazon. I have no idea what scent it is but this shaving product looks good.

How big is that A/S 10.1 Fl Oz?
Interested to try it myself.

I have the small bottle. It is 100ml:3.4 Fl Oz.

It has a polarizing scent. I’ve heard it described as smelling like a grandmother’s purse. I’m in the camp that really likes it.
Let me know what you think of it when it arrives.

 

[awk_m4]

120/366
Saturday April 27, 2024
Bowl: Shave Nation
Brush: Simpson CH2
Lather: Tabac
Razor: Henson ++ (175)
Blade: Crystal Israeli (1)
Post: Tabac

 

[razorfool]

I thought you did not have to stress about tightening the Henson because of the nitronic (SS) insert. Is this not correct?

I think the insert is made out of Tungsten. When I tighten my Medium, when it comes to a solid stop when hitting the Tungsten that is it for me. No more torque. No problems so far, no additional torque is needed as far as I know. It is like a wind up mechanical watch, when the mainspring is fully wound, no further torque is required since it is at the stop point. With a mechanical watch, any excess torque may break the mainspring.

 

[Omega48]

 

[razorfool]

I hope it doe not sound like spam, since I have posted it in other occasions. but the easiest and safest way to avoid overtightening it (any regular DE razor by the way) is to flex the blade into the right position by hand not "by handle".

How?

a) Put the paper that comes with your blade over the countertop. Or use a towel, same thing.
b) Put the cap of your razor over the paper, upside-down of course.
c) Position you blade.
d) Position the base over the blade.
e) With two fingers, one near each short edge of the head, press the base down, hard. This allows to flex the blade and to clamp it.
f) Keep the base down while you rotate the handle until it stops. The handle does not meet any resistance or friction since the blade is already properly flexed.
g) Press harder with your fingers to see if the handle can go few degrees further, but if you have pressed hard enough usually it does not.
h) Lift your fingers.
i) Done

No washers, no wear, nothing. Proper torque. Blade is properly flexed and clamped.

To remove the blade, do the above, in reverse.

Excellent directions for this razor and maybe many others also. I do one other thing prior to installing the handle. I place a small drop of mineral oil on the threads just before placing the handle on. I'm hoping that this will extend the life of the threads which I believe are aluminum like the rest of the razor (except the insert that is).

 

[Omega48]

Doing it is definitely free of charge .
By the e way I don't think it is a must, but since from time to time the potential issue of thread wear pops up, that one is an easy way to alleviate any concern.

However, I think that in my specific case, since one of the two razors has the titanium head and the aluminum handle , long term wear of the thread is a possibility. I am saying that based on my experience with similar situations (hard metal/aluminum threads) in other applications. But I think I am the only one using this combination.

Fourth shave against the grain with the 7 O'Clock Silver Platinum. Good shave but not excellent. However the first three shaves were outstanding. Tomorrow I want to try a Kai again.

 

[roger_roger]

Material choice for razor designs is tricky. Aluminum, depending on alloy and heat treating, is generally a highly ductile material so this could be a troublesome choice. Particularly for a razor design that uses continuous and large pressure points on thin components to hold them together and in correct alignment. So I am always expecting the head to deform (fatally) every time I place a new blade and torque down the handle. Anyway, from just my personal point of view, the biggest use issue with the Henson is the odd balance point in hand and the aggravating very long handle design. So I tried this one: Maggard Razors DE Safety Razor MR1 and am very happy with the result.

 

[Omega48]

I have tried the AL, the Ti, the AL head with two different SS handles, the Ti head with the same SS handles and eventually the Ti head with the AL handle.
The latter, a slightly heavier head (+9 grams) with the light handle, is the optimum for me. Second the full AL, third the full Ti, very last the SS handles, which I found very imbalanced.
The benefit for having the combination of the two razors, Ti head + AL handle, does not justify the additional cost over an AL, unless it is going to be your only razor. I would not recommend it to those who rotate between different razors. The AL is definitely good already.

 

[Omega48]

 

[WhiskerLess]

In my case I like all three levels for different reasons. As a result, I prefer having all three AL's rather than one Ti.

Curiosity strikes again and landed me a jet black Henson AL13++ medium.

My light and dark sabers.

 

[awk_m4]

Curiosity strikes again and landed me a jet black Henson AL13++ medium.

My light and dark sabers.


View attachment 1837008

That’s a great looking pair! I’m looking forward to hearing your thoughts on the medium!

 

[WhiskerLess]

That’s a great looking pair! I’m looking forward to hearing your thoughts on the medium!

19/365
Sunday - 28 April 2024

Razor: Henson AL13++ Medium (1)
Blade: Personna Comfort Coated (1)

Really excited to shave and try my Darksaber.

I was expecting a huge increase in aggressiveness but it’s only a notch up.
It shave closer but not a mile away.

This of course is my own personal assessment and a case of YMMV.
Maybe it will perform different if I use a sharper blade.

Overall it's another satisfying, irritation free close shave.
I will take that anytime of the day.

Have a good shave everyone !!!

 

[spacemonkey42]

Most of us would agree with you @WhiskerLess, it is a notch up, not a huge increase. It gets you there with less buffing than the mild.

 

[awk_m4]

@WhiskerLess that’s a great summary!
I’m aligned with your perspective along with @spacemonkey42

 

[Omega48]

Yet, despite what I feel it is the general consensus, the Kai's don't seem all that sharp to me. I'm trying the second blade.
They are certainly very comfortable, despite being wider and therefore having greater exposure, but they offer more resistance than all the other razor blades I use. It's not a bad thing but I can't help but notice it. However, they certainly allow for a closer shave, I can feel the difference by running my fingers over the skin and pressing at the end of the shave, without causing any irritation. They are certainly very good blades. Perhaps they are ideal for those who don't shave every day and want a deeper shave, however in my case they are probably not worth the higher price, maybe.

 

[awk_m4]

YMMV and all that but for me, its hard to beat a fresh Feather loaded in a Henson Medium. What a sublime Sunday shave!

Sunday April 28, 2024
Bowl: Shave Nation
Brush: Simpson X3
Lather: TOBS Sandalwood
Razor: Henson ++ (176)
Blade: Feather (1)
Post: TOBS Sandalwood

 

[awk_m4]

Yet, despite what I feel it is the general consensus, the Kai's don't seem all that sharp to me. I'm trying the second blade.
They are certainly very comfortable, despite being wider and therefore having greater exposure, but they offer more resistance than all the other razor blades I use. It's not a bad thing but I can't help but notice it. However, they certainly allow for a closer shave, I can feel the difference by running my fingers over the skin and pressing at the end of the shave, without causing any irritation. They are certainly very good blades. Perhaps they are ideal for those who don't shave every day and want a deeper shave, however in my case they are probably not worth the higher price, maybe.

Thank you for your review. Kai's are very good blades and I agree: Diminishing returns for such a high priced blade, especially for daily shavers (particularly the one and done variety) make it really hard to justify the cost.