Anyone here not like the Henson Mild or Moderate -- curious to know why

[Goblin]

I think a key factor in whether or not you get on with the Henson, is whether you have spent several years shaving with traditional DEs beforehand. If you have, many of the "benefits" that the Henson offers seem like restrictions that prevent you shaving in the way you are accustomed to shave. If you haven't, then the features of the Henson which are meant to make life easier for people with no prior experience of DE razors will tend to work the way they were designed, so you like it.

I can tell you that social media shaving sites are full of youngsters saying things like, "I bought a de89 (or insert other popular traditional design) and tried it 3 times. It cut me bad and gave me lots of razor burn then I bought a Henson and it is so easy to use it is great."

The point that is immediately obvious to anyone with some experience of DE razors, is that the people saying this kind of thing clearly never put in the time to learn the skills required to shave with the de89. A razor is like any tool and depends on the skill of the hand that wields it. People who aren't familiar with traditional DE razors find the Henson easier to use and get better results with it. Some people who are familiar with traditional DE razors are able to get better results from them than from the Henson.

The fact that the Henson is easier to use for a particular category of people doesn't make it objectively better. It does make it easier to use for those people, and if ease of use is their key criteria they may prefer it. Nor does the fact they take more practice to use make traditional designs objectively better, but a high level of familiarity with such designs may perhaps explain why some people prefer the one over the other.

I am prepared to be proved wrong by hoards of long time DE users saying that after many years they dropped all their vintage Gillettes for a Henson, but anecdotally, the above reflects the impressions I have formed. I have come across experienced DE users who keep a Henson around for when they need to be quick or shave whilst half asleep, but by and large they still tend to express a preference for traditional designs. I would posit that veteran DE shavers who have switched wholesale to the Henson design make up a tiny proportion of Henson users - most dedicated Hensoners will be relative newcomers who acquired a Henson early in their DE shaving journey.

That's my hypothesis. Hit me!

 

[srgjazz]

Long time DE user who prefers the Henson Mild. My all time favorite is the prewar Tech followed by the 1948 Aristocrat. I shave every day and want comfort and efficiency. So far the Henson works the best.

 

[Theodore]

I think a key factor in whether or not you get on with the Henson, is whether you have spent several years shaving with traditional DEs beforehand. If you have, many of the "benefits" that the Henson offers seem like restrictions that prevent you shaving in the way you are accustomed to shave. If you haven't, then the features of the Henson which are meant to make life easier for people with no prior experience of DE razors will tend to work the way they were designed, so you like it.

I can tell you that social media shaving sites are full of youngsters saying things like, "I bought a de89 (or insert other popular traditional design) and tried it 3 times. It cut me bad and gave me lots of razor burn then I bought a Henson and it is so easy to use it is great."

The point that is immediately obvious to anyone with some experience of DE razors, is that the people saying this kind of thing clearly never put in the time to learn the skills required to shave with the de89. A razor is like any tool and depends on the skill of the hand that wields it. People who aren't familiar with traditional DE razors find the Henson easier to use and get better results with it. Some people who are familiar with traditional DE razors are able to get better results from them than from the Henson.

The fact that the Henson is easier to use for a particular category of people doesn't make it objectively better. It does make it easier to use for those people, and if ease of use is their key criteria they may prefer it. Nor does the fact they take more practice to use make traditional designs objectively better, but a high level of familiarity with such designs may perhaps explain why some people prefer the one over the other.

I am prepared to be proved wrong by hoards of long time DE users saying that after many years they dropped all their vintage Gillettes for a Henson, but anecdotally, the above reflects the impressions I have formed. I have come across experienced DE users who keep a Henson around for when they need to be quick or shave whilst half asleep, but by and large they still tend to express a preference for traditional designs. I would posit that veteran DE shavers who have switched wholesale to the Henson design make up a tiny proportion of Henson users - most dedicated Hensoners will be relative newcomers who acquired a Henson early in their DE shaving journey.

That's my hypothesis. Hit me!

I think there's a lot in this. Certainly it seems like Henson's stated intention - to make it easy for people to transition to DE away from cartridge razors - and the way the design eases one of the great difficulties of learning DE (angle) seems to bear this intention out.

For the post-DE generations, who were raised on the idea of shaving as a low-skill chore with cartridges, making the jump from a Mach 3 to a DE89 will seem like a bridge too far for many.

Without skill (skill which can only be developed by passing through an initial no-skill phase of practice) this group's first forays into old-school DE will often be inferior to cartridge shaving - less comfortable, less close.

This is, to my mind, is the context for why razors like the Henson and the Oneblade are a godsend for us, the traditional wetshaving community. Yes, us, not just the newbies! These razors help us, the BOSC members, the Excalibur members, the people who make frankenrazors and who use shims and get mad about non-tallow MWF.

Razors like the Henson and the Oneblade help bridge that otherwise-insurmountable skill gap for many, many people. A lifetime cartridge shaver might only find punishment from jumping straight to a Super Speed - but they can get the hang of a Henson Medium in short order. But, and this is key - it's still a skill jump, just shorter enough to be doable for most.

So these people get sick of the carts, and they buy a Oneblade, and in short order they're loving their shaves, and they are picking up traditional skills! They're using a brush, they're learning about lathering, they're learning about beard grain, they're learning a bit about finding and holding an angle. Because neither the Oneblade nor the Henson is totally mindless about angle, they're just easier.

These people are learning the traditional skills. And at some point they may wonder - is there a next step for me? Can I take this further?

And then here we are, the enthusiasts, with a resounding YES, ready to show them what we're into.

Then the traditional shaving scene gets bigger, and more money gets invested into it, and more people notice and take interest, and there is a snowball effect.

The more people we have in this tent, the more viable it becomes, the more we see new and better and nicer products, and more and more this becomes a New Golden Age of Shaving.

Hensons, Oneblades, High Proofs, Bromans, Leafs (leaves?) etc etc - these razors bring more people into the tent. And that's great for all of us here.

 

[Goblin]

Long time DE user who prefers the Henson Mild. My all time favorite is the prewar Tech followed by the 1948 Aristocrat. I shave every day and want comfort and efficiency. So far the Henson works the best.

Wait...so you actually prefer the Tech and Aristocrat to the Henson (if they are your all time favourites)? Or you prefer the Henson?

If Henson is numero uno then you might be one of the rare folks I spoke of (who maybe aren't rare after all) but if the trad razors are actually your favourites, I would say you are in the keep-a-Henson-around-for-convenience category.

Then the traditional shaving scene gets bigger, and more money gets invested into it, and more people notice and take interest, and there is a snowball effect.

That's true to an extent, but it also seems to have caused massive market fragmentation. Everyone wants a piece of the action and the result is that we see the original artisan razor makers and traditional soap manufacturers going out of business because there is no longer enough activity to support them. A significant proportion of new DE users just want Hensons and artisan soaps with labels by tattoo artists, not "traditional wet shaving". So, I do perceive a difference in the aesthetic, the equipment and the skills involved between using traditional shaving gear and using the modern stuff...I guess that makes me some kind of elitist, traditional shaving snob. I can live with that!

Ultimately, I am all for more people getting involved, and I love it when I see people starting with a Henson, then picking up something like a Gamechanger and saying, "Ah, okay. I get it now."

As long as I don't have to endure an endless stream of zoomers with 2 weeks of wet shaving experience popping up in every thread saying that "Teh HeNson iS the BesT raZoR EVAR!" Nope - you just don't know how to get good results with anything else...yet. That is largely why I left social media and came back to B&B. Now get off my lawn!

 

[Theodore]

That's true to an extent, but it also seems to have caused massive market fragmentation. Everyone wants a piece of the action and the result is that we see the original artisan razor makers and traditional soap manufacturers going out of business because there is no longer enough activity to support them. A significant proportion of new DE users just want Hensons and artisan soaps with labels by tattoo artists, not "traditional wet shaving". So, I do perceive a difference in the aesthetic, the equipment and the skills involved between using traditional shaving gear and using the modern stuff...I guess that makes me some kind of elitist, traditional shaving snob. I can live with that!

Ultimately, I am all for more people getting involved, and I love it when I see people starting with a Henson, then picking up something like a Gamechanger and saying, "Ah, okay. I get it now."

As long as I don't have to endure an endless stream of zoomers with 2 weeks of wet shaving experience popping up in every thread saying that "Teh HeNson iS the BesT raZoR EVAR!" Nope - you just don't know how to get good results with anything else...yet. That is largely why I left social media and came back to B&B. Now get off my lawn!

Yeah, I get you. The tallowpocalypse is real, and the loss of ATT was a blow...

I would suggest, however, that churn, fragmentation and loss have always been part of the scene since the Kampfe Bros invented the safety.

Players of all sizes in both hardware and software have always been popping up, surviving for a shorter or longer time, before being swept away by time, bad markets, bad luck, bad management, lack of interest, what have you.

Ebay is one place where some of the last remnants of those efforts can be seen - take a look through old shaving ads for sale and keep an eye out for stuff you haven't already heard of...

Any surge of interest (and money) in a field brings both new innovations and new junk; brings both real trailblazers and bandwagon jumpers just looking for a quick buck. I don't think you can have one without the other, unfortunately.

A wonderful thing about this hobby is that so much in it lasts. Just lasts and lasts and lasts. If you find what really suits you, be it soaps, razors, blades, brushes, splashes - you can buy yourself a lifetime supply for not much, and it will probably outlast you.

If there's something you really decide is Your Thing, you don't need the manufacturer to make it forever - you can get yours and use it until death do you part. I think that's one of the many great things about traditional shaving.

 

[srgjazz]

Wait...so you actually prefer the Tech and Aristocrat to the Henson (if they are your all time favourites)? Or you prefer the Henson?

If Henson is numero uno then you might be one of the rare folks I spoke of (who maybe aren't rare after all) but if the trad razors are actually your favourites, I would say you are in the keep-a-Henson-around-for-convenience category.



That's true to an extent, but it also seems to have caused massive market fragmentation. Everyone wants a piece of the action and the result is that we see the original artisan razor makers and traditional soap manufacturers going out of business because there is no longer enough activity to support them. A significant proportion of new DE users just want Hensons and artisan soaps with labels by tattoo artists, not "traditional wet shaving". So, I do perceive a difference in the aesthetic, the equipment and the skills involved between using traditional shaving gear and using the modern stuff...I guess that makes me some kind of elitist, traditional shaving snob. I can live with that!

Ultimately, I am all for more people getting involved, and I love it when I see people starting with a Henson, then picking up something like a Gamechanger and saying, "Ah, okay. I get it now."

As long as I don't have to endure an endless stream of zoomers with 2 weeks of wet shaving experience popping up in every thread saying that "Teh HeNson iS the BesT raZoR EVAR!" Nope - you just don't know how to get good results with anything else...yet. That is largely why I left social media and came back to B&B. Now get off my lawn!

Should have said were my all time favorites. The Henson has supplanted them. Not to criticize but you may be overthinking this.

 

[Goblin]

Should have said were my all time favorites. The Henson has supplanted them. Not to criticize but you may be overthinking this.

We are on a forum for wet shaving enthusiasts. We are all over-thinking this!

 

[jaro 101969]

Razors like the Henson and the Oneblade help bridge that otherwise-insurmountable skill gap for many, many people. A lifetime cartridge shaver might only find punishment from jumping straight to a Super Speed - but they can get the hang of a Henson Medium in short order. But, and this is key - it's still a skill jump, just shorter enough to be doable for most.

So these people get sick of the carts, and they buy a Oneblade, and in short order they're loving their shaves, and they are picking up traditional skills! They're using a brush, they're learning about lathering, they're learning about beard grain, they're learning a bit about finding and holding an angle. Because neither the Oneblade nor the Henson is totally mindless about angle, they're just easier.

These people are learning the traditional skills. And at some point they may wonder - is there a next step for me? Can I take this further?

And then here we are, the enthusiasts, with a resounding YES, ready to show them what we're into.

Then the traditional shaving scene gets bigger, and more money gets invested into it, and more people notice and take interest, and there is a snowball effect.

The more people we have in this tent, the more viable it becomes, the more we see new and better and nicer products, and more and more this becomes a New Golden Age of Shaving.

Hensons, Oneblades, High Proofs, Bromans, Leafs (leaves?) etc etc - these razors bring more people into the tent. And that's great for all of us here.

I think this part is so very true ..

 

[jaro 101969]

The way I look at it is I take every comment "with a grain of salt" as the old saying goes. I personally appreciate it when people give their opinions and that they have tried every razor that has ever been made because that's the ONLY way to know if it's the best ever made. At least I don't now have to go buy every razor now to know ...

 

[Fiddler]

Henson Medium arrived and I have shaved twice with it.

I had been looking for something in the Overlander range and this is it.

There is no way you could hurt yourself with the Henson Medium unless you
move the head sideways.

Got a very nice shave...with some buffing...which does not distress the skin.

Qualifiers: this is a mild, yet adequately efficient razor that I would recommend
for 1 or 2 days growth...nothing more. For >2 day's growth, the +++ Henson is
the ticket.

I was fretting that I couldn't get the Medium in Ti (they don't sell heads separately)
but the way things stand, I prefer the Medium in AL. It's not as light as I expected,
that tungsten insert probably has something to do with it. I find the weight and balance
pretty good.

Medium is for daily shavers...I reckon head shavers will like it too as it's pretty
much a razor that could run on autopilot.

 

[SeaDiving]

I own a henson medium and with it I discovered I do not like lightweight razor. I can understand why people could appreciate this razor, but to me it feels just weird in my hand.

Which is leading me to question if I would appreciate titanium razor.

 

[Fiddler]

The Ti razor is about 68 gm or so IIRC...I love it in the +++ version.
Keeper.
Although I prefer to mate it with a more pleasing handle: Timeless Crown in Ti.

 

[Omega48]

I’m using the head of the Ti22+ with the handle of the AL13. It’s perfect for me.

 

[SalS]

Henson Medium arrived and I have shaved twice with it.

I had been looking for something in the Overlander range and this is it.

There is no way you could hurt yourself with the Henson Medium unless you
move the head sideways.

Got a very nice shave...with some buffing...which does not distress the skin.

Qualifiers: this is a mild, yet adequately efficient razor that I would recommend
for 1 or 2 days growth...nothing more. For >2 day's growth, the +++ Henson is
the ticket.

I was fretting that I couldn't get the Medium in Ti (they don't sell heads separately)
but the way things stand, I prefer the Medium in AL. It's not as light as I expected,
that tungsten insert probably has something to do with it. I find the weight and balance
pretty good.

Medium is for daily shavers...I reckon head shavers will like it too as it's pretty
much a razor that could run on autopilot.

I routinely shave off five days of growth with my Henson medium and Jack Black. I just rinse more often. Beard just flies off my face. I have a pretty wirey Italian beard, no issues.

 

[SalS]

I own a henson medium and with it I discovered I do not like lightweight razor. I can understand why people could appreciate this razor, but to me it feels just weird in my hand.

Which is leading me to question if I would appreciate titanium razor.

I thought it was light when I first got it but after a week or so you lose your point of reference and it doesn’t feel light. The lighter razor for me makes it’s easier to shave the neck.

 

[Fiddler]

I routinely shave off five days of growth with my Henson medium and Jack Black. I just rinse more often. Beard just flies off my face. I have a pretty wirey Italian beard, no issues.

I will try it on a few days growth and see.
No doubt it will cut hair...my initial trial on a days growth seemed to suggest that
1-2 days growth is what it might excel at...of course your experience suggests otherwise.

My pattern of re-growth suggests that this is more of an everyday razor.

 

[tm3]

As long as I don't have to endure an endless stream of zoomers with 2 weeks of wet shaving experience popping up in every thread saying that "Teh HeNson iS the BesT raZoR EVAR!"

One of my all time favorite comments on B&B.

 

[Corndogg428]

I'm struggling with the logistics of both (light weight, mainly) ... who else has struggled with these and why (aside from the obvious "too mild", of course)?

+1 vote for the henson. I have the mild and find it very efficient and smooth.

 

[The Blackadder]

I think a key factor in whether or not you get on with the Henson, is whether you have spent several years shaving with traditional DEs beforehand. If you have, many of the "benefits" that the Henson offers seem like restrictions that prevent you shaving in the way you are accustomed to shave. If you haven't, then the features of the Henson which are meant to make life easier for people with no prior experience of DE razors will tend to work the way they were designed, so you like it.

I can tell you that social media shaving sites are full of youngsters saying things like, "I bought a de89 (or insert other popular traditional design) and tried it 3 times. It cut me bad and gave me lots of razor burn then I bought a Henson and it is so easy to use it is great."

The point that is immediately obvious to anyone with some experience of DE razors, is that the people saying this kind of thing clearly never put in the time to learn the skills required to shave with the de89. A razor is like any tool and depends on the skill of the hand that wields it. People who aren't familiar with traditional DE razors find the Henson easier to use and get better results with it. Some people who are familiar with traditional DE razors are able to get better results from them than from the Henson.

The fact that the Henson is easier to use for a particular category of people doesn't make it objectively better. It does make it easier to use for those people, and if ease of use is their key criteria they may prefer it. Nor does the fact they take more practice to use make traditional designs objectively better, but a high level of familiarity with such designs may perhaps explain why some people prefer the one over the other.

I am prepared to be proved wrong by hoards of long time DE users saying that after many years they dropped all their vintage Gillettes for a Henson, but anecdotally, the above reflects the impressions I have formed. I have come across experienced DE users who keep a Henson around for when they need to be quick or shave whilst half asleep, but by and large they still tend to express a preference for traditional designs. I would posit that veteran DE shavers who have switched wholesale to the Henson design make up a tiny proportion of Henson users - most dedicated Hensoners will be relative newcomers who acquired a Henson early in their DE shaving journey.

That's my hypothesis. Hit me!

Well, I’m pretty new to the hobby and I couldn’t get along with the Henson Medium after several months trying. A vintage super speed gave me a smoother and more efficient shave in my first attempt. I suppose my face or beard (not really coarse) are not Henson friendly

 

[razorfool]

I thought it was light when I first got it but after a week or so you lose your point of reference and it doesn’t feel light. The lighter razor for me makes it’s easier to shave the neck.

My Henson reminds me a little of my Schick Krona. The handle shape is similar and the Krona weighs a lot less than my Rex Ambassador. I prefer the lighter razors over the heavier for control purposes. It all boils down to personal preferences I guess. Cartridges are lighter also but only occasionally use a Trac II for nostalgia. So many variables in the shaving adventure, it boggles the mind!