Henson AL13 Review

Introduction

If you’re using a cartridge razor, you’re losing money and getting a bad shave.

The Henson AL13 is an all-metal safety razor weighing in at just 38 grams with a lifetime warranty.  The razor itself is extraordinary, but more important than the specs is that this is a gateway for anyone to get a lifetime of silky smooth shaves for a fraction of the cost of a cartridge razor.

The Four Types of Shaving

Before exploring the AL13’s features, a quick overview of the shaving landscape is in order.

There are four main types of shaving razors: straight blades, safety razors, cartridge razors, and electric razors.

I’ll break down the costs of using cartridge razors and safety razors at the end of this article, but for now I’ll just say that safety razors save you money, give you a closer shave, they don’t need any real skill, they last a lifetime, and they don’t create any plastic waste.

They are the Goldilocks option that perfectly balances quality, cost, and longevity, and in this safety razor ecosystem, Henson is one of the leaders.

Construction

Henson’s reputation stems from their manufacturing expertise. They started off building satellite parts and found that razors needed the same precise machining their team was capable of.

And this precision shines through in the product. The blade fits through a 0.027 inch blade gap to extend just 0.0013 inches from the face of the AL13 (half the width of a human hair) at a shave angle of 30 degrees. And their tolerances on these measures are as tight as 0.00025 inches (1/10th of the width of a human hair).

The AL13 weighs in at just 38 grams of aircraft-grade aluminum, which is a unique choice that makes it far lighter than all the other safety razors on the market.

Most other safety razors are made of stainless steel, zinc alloy, brass, and even titanium, all of which are more dense than aluminum.

The AL13 handle is one piece of metal, and the head is two pieces that sandwich the stainless steel blade by screwing into a standard 5mm thread on the handle.

This compression of the blade between the two pieces of the head is what keeps it firmly in place and positioned at a 30 degree angle for a smooth cut.

Weight & Feel

The weight of safety razors can be a divisive topic. Some people like heavier razors because they feel solid, and you can basically just let gravity do the work as it glides down your face. Others like lighter razors because they’re easier to maneuver.

Frankly, this one is a personal choice, and you might have a different preference if you’re just shaving your face or if you need the ability to maneuver around other body parts.

But if you are moving from a cartridge razor to the AL13, you may find the light weight to be more familiar. Henson is a popular gateway razor for those moving away from plastic razors, so for those people (I was one of them), the weight is very similar to a Gillette Fusion 5.

The razor is nicely balanced, with the head coming in at 14 grams and the handle at 24 grams. Though the weight isn’t too different from a cartridge razor, there are differences in feel. The handle is machine-grooved for better grip, and it is shorter than a Gillette Fusion 5 handle.

Design

Henson has incorporated a few nice design touches, and if the Henson team is reading this, I’d like to suggest one more.

First, the blade face has a flat surface guiding you to the correct shaving angle. It takes out all of the guesswork, just line up the blade face to be parallel to your skin for a smooth shave. If you aren’t getting any shave at all, that means you don’t have the right shaving angle.

Some other safety razors have curved heads, which look fine aesthetically, but they don’t guide users to the right razor position on their skin.

Second, the wide, unobstructed channels under the entire length of the razor head makes it incredibly easy to clear out hair between shaves. It’s a huge upgrade from cartridge razors in this regard.

The logo is also discreet, which I really appreciate. Unless you’re looking for it, it blends in with the grooves on the rest of the handle.

One thing I would love to see Henson consider is one notch at the end of the handle and one below the head that indicates a correct assembly. Cameras use these kind of visual cues to tell you when your lens is correctly positioned, and this would be helpful on the AL13.

The first few times I replaced my AL13 blades, I wasn’t sure if the head was in the right position, so I just kept tightening it with all my force. The trouble with using full force on a small, smooth razor head is that my fingers are right next to the two blades, and one slip could easily mean a couple of big cuts.

Another way to solve this problem could be with machined grooves on the sides of the head similar to the ones on the handle.

One Blade

One concern people have about shaving with safety razors is that there is only one blade instead of the 3, 4, or 5 you get with cartridge razors. The assumption is always that more blades equals a better shave, but that is dead wrong.

In fact, you can make a strong case that having 5 blades really means your skin is going to be irritated 5x more with every shave.

It’s a clever marketing strategy to suggest a razor with the largest number of blades offers the best shave, but that’s all it really is. It’s a bit like how stainless steel pans have gone from 3-ply to 5-ply to 7-ply in a bid to out-do each other, or how toothpastes went from one solid color to three stripes to floating particles to convince you each element had a particular function.

The clean shave of the AL13 comes from the all-metal razor holding a single, sharp blade firmly in just the right place at a fixed angle. The number of blades is a distraction.

One bonus with this razor, and a feature on many safety razors is that although there is a single blade, it has two edges. The razor is symmetrical, so you can easily switch between the blade on the left side or the right side. They work exactly the same, you just get to use your blades twice as long.

Safety

In terms of safety, the AL13 for months is remarkably good at preventing cuts. I’ve been using one for more than 3 months without a single cut, something I’m not sure I would be able to say if I were still using a cartridge razor.

Still, there are some things to note if you’re switching from cartridge razors. Cartridges typically have plastic pads or gel moisturizers protruding out beyond the tip of the blades, which means you have to apply pressure to get a close shave.

Safety razors have blades sticking out ever-so-slightly, and that means you don’t need any pressure to get a great shave. The blade will do all the work for you, just position it at the right angle.

Some cartridge razors also have pivoting heads that move to the angles of your face, but with a safety razor you’ll need to learn the angles of your own face to get a close shave.

There isn’t much harm in getting the wrong angle, you just won’t get a shave unless your blade is angled correctly.

Compatibility

Another features I love about the AL13 is how compatible it is. It supports standard double-edge blades, which means you can bring your favorite blades if you don’t like the ones Henson provides. Personally, I’ve only used the RK blades that came with my razor, but Feather, Astra, and others all sell replacement blades that are well-respected in the shaving world.

You can also mix and match handles thanks to the standard 5mm thread on the head. If you want a longer handle or a heavier feel, you can even use handles from other brands.

One more note on compatibility, the AL13 works anywhere on your body so it doesn’t matter if you shave your face, your body, if you’re a man, or if you’re a woman. The AL13 cuts through any type of hair, anywhere on your body.

If you happen to have thicker hair, I’d suggest Henson’s more aggressive version called the AL13-M. This extra aggression means you’ll need fewer strokes to shave, so it can be more efficient if you have a lot of thick hair.

Credit Cards and Cartridge Razors

Now, we’ve talked about the AL13, I want to finish by explaining why anyone using a cartridge razor would be better off throwing it in the trash and buying a safety razor.

We know how safety razors give closer shaves than a cartridge razor while protecting you from nicks and scrapes, and the format of this razor is actually pretty similar to a cartridge razor. The thing everyone gets hung up on is the price.

When you walk into your local drugstore, you’ll find entire shelves of plastic cartridge razors for $10. If you look online, you’ll see that Henson’s AL13 is roughly $70, so immediately most people think they’re saving money by using a cartridge razor. They’re wrong.

It’s a bit like going for a shopping spree on a credit card thinking everything you bought is free.

A Gillette Fusion 5, one of the most popular cartridge razors, needs replacement cartridges just as often as you might need a replacement blade for your safety razor. Your mileage may vary, but for me, that’s about once a month.

The problem is that each cartridge replacement costs $3, while each safety razor replacement is $0.10. It’s literally just a single sheet of metal that you insert into your razor.

So over the course of a decade, assuming monthly replacements, you’re looking at $360 spent on replacement cartridges vs. $12 spent on safety razor blades.

Final Notes

Since metal safety razors themselves will last an entire lifetime, there aren’t any other recurring expenses. But the reason Gillette can afford Super Bowl ads and placements on every drug store shelf is because they know for every new customer they get, they can count on that person buying an endless stream of handle replacements and cartridge replacements for the rest of their life.

For cartridge razor brands, you represent their recurring revenue, and that makes for an excellent business model. For them. But as a user, you’re going to spend less money and get a better shave by throwing away your plastic cartridge razor and buying something like the AL13.

‍