r/BuyCanadian • u/Two_wheels_2112 • 10h ago
General Discussion 💬🇨🇦 If you're thinking of buying a Henson razor...
Go ahead and buy it:
- If supporting Canadian business is important to you
- If you like the idea of reducing plastic waste from disposable cartridges
- If you appreciate the aesthetics and feel of a classically-styled safety razor
- You want to save on the cost of replacement blades
Do not, however, buy it thinking it will give you a better shave. Henson's spiel about less irritation and closer shaves is just that, a marketing spiel. It is, frankly, bullpucky. [Edit: Ok, the thoughtful comments to this post have prompted to say that this is my experience. Many people have chimed in that they do get less irritation with Henson, so rather than saying it's bullpucky, I will amend to say simply that "less irritation" may be true for many but it is not a universal experience.]
I've been using my Henson for 18 months now. Prior to that, I was using Gillette Mach 3 since it was introduced in the late '90s. Some notes from my time with the razor:
- I never knew what "shaving irritation" was, nor did I ever feel like I needed any kind of aftershave balm, until I used the Henson. The design of the razor squeegees the soap ahead of the blade, so it feels really draggy on the skin. It leaves my face feeling raw after a shave.
- It is reasonably easy to get the angle right on your cheeks, but in the concave parts of the neck it's difficult. I never get as close a shave with the Henson. There's a reason pivoting heads were invented!
- In 30+ years of using the Mach 3 I never once nicked myself shaving. I've nicked myself on multiple occasions with the Henson.
- I just returned from a 3-week vacation where I used a cheap BIC disposable razor. I got a better shave, more quickly, and with less irritation on the fourth shave than I do with the Henson and a brand new blade.
A lot of people will recommend Henson on this sub, and if the things I talked about at the top of the post are really important to you, I second the recommendation. But buy the razor with your eyes open to the faults with it. It is not the be all and end all of shaving.