The Henson Safety Razor, a nearly 1-to-1 replacement for disposable razors, with all the environmental benefits of a regular safety razor, and certifiably BIFL

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.

Carnelian,

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

PixelProf,

+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.

baldingpudenda,

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.

Crackhappy,
@Crackhappy@lemmy.world avatar

I have had one for a year and will never buy a new razor. The blades are ultra cheap and give an insanely good shave. I’ve gifted these razors to all my sons as well. They also love them.

Username,

I love my leaf razor. Practically zero learning curve ( just a little nervousness with the weight at the beginning), three blade design and they are designed so you can just get regular safety blades from any company and snap them in half to use. I hate when companies design their products so you have to keep buying things like blades from them.

ensignrick,

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.

WaterWaiver,

I have a 3D printer and I’ve found this to work well:

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”.

penguin_knight,

have had it for 2 years, solid purchase. get a nice brush as well!

sukhmel,

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.

Whirling_Ashandarei,

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

notepass,

If you are all ears, why do you need something to shave your head? Or do ears have heads?

Whirling_Ashandarei,

It’s ears all the way down, and as you can imagine it gets tough to shave the nooks and crannies!

ProdigalFrog, (edited )

The AL13-M Henson, which is more aggressive than the one I have, may work out for that. (even my ultra mild henson works for head shaving if I do it regularly, it just doesn’t work well if you wait too long between shaves).

I think most ‘normal’ safety razors would handle head shaving just fine. I use a cheap entry level Maggard razor from their starter kit, but something like a Rockwell 2C, or King C. Gillette would probably work just as well. I’ve also read good things about vintage Gillette Tech’s from ebay, which can be snapped up pretty cheap.

EDIT: Also just discovered the Lord L6, which only $6.69, but seems to be highly regarded as a solid razor! :o

LilB0kChoy,

Many wet shavers that shave their head like the Leaf razor. Similar in design to modern manual razors so a comfortable transition if that’s what you’re used to. You also can buy regular safety razors and snap them in half yourself to avoid buying the Leaf proprietary ones.

UFODivebomb,

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.

CDenno,

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.

quaddo,

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

ProdigalFrog,

Yes, and apparently they’ve redesigned some aspects of my razor since I’ve bought it.

quaddo,

Oh nice.

captainlezbian,

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

_lilith,
@_lilith@lemmy.world avatar

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

grayman,

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.

Floey,

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.

ProdigalFrog,

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.

sukhmel,

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.

1847953620,

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

ghorty,

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

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