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Anything that can go wrong... Will happen while I'm Shaving

Sorry. Things have been a bit crazy. Catching up tonight... hopefully. [emoji16]

Monday, September 14, 2020


PRE: Face wash with Stirling Menth Bar
SOAP: Long Rifle Hunting Lodge
RZR: Henson's AL13
BLD: Personna Comfort (#2)
POST: Stirling Glacial Unscented Balm

[emoji294][emoji294][emoji294] (3/5)


I used the Henson again today. Unfortunately, we had a bit of an emergency and I was interrupted in the middle of the shave. Must have thrown my groove off, as it ended up quite a bit unpleasant.

More thoughts on the razor:

So, even with some bad mojo, today it was pretty close to a BBS shave. That impressed me.

I'm now wondering if I'm enjoying this obvious and almost forced angle thing. It works, but so does a Gillette cartridge. [emoji2369]

The feel of the razor on my skin keeps reminding me of the Gillette Guard. Not sure why.
 
Wednesday, September 16, 2020


PRE: Face wash with Stirling Menth Bar
SOAP: CBL Far-A-Way
RZR: Henson's AL13
BLD: Personna Comfort (#3)
POST: Stirling Glacial Unscented Balm

[emoji294][emoji294][emoji294]½ (3.5/5)


Despite my poor experience last shave, I'm back on the horse with the Henson today. Thinking back to the shave, I think I was a bit too aggressive with the pressure. The interruption to my shave didn't help at all.

This time I was super sensitive to how I was wielding this light razor. No pressure applied. The results... An almost DFS after 4 passes, that I hemmed and hawed about before I broke out the GC84 and cleaned it up.

Going to pause and shave with the GC84 on Friday to see what's up. Then likely start the next blade in the Henson before I decide how I feel about it.

More thoughts on this razor:

The handle is long. I like short (3-3.5in) handles. Add that to the non-adjustable shave angle and it can be a pain to use.
 
Spider said:
Did you get the Mild or the Medium? And how long is the handle?
Click to expand...
I have the medium.

I just got the clarification on this earlier this morning. He had two razors: mens and womens. Originally, the mild, a 68, is the women's. The medium, at 84, is the men's. He then added a mild selection to the men's razor so guys who wanted the 68 wouldn't have to buy a "women's razor". Now he's realized the gender association is silly and is going to just have the two types (plus some even more aggressive, in other materials) soon.

I believe the handle is a standard across all razors. I cannot find the length on the website, but if I recall it's 4". I can measure it sometime tonight. It just feels sooooo large in comparison to what I'm used to.

The website is rather good. The razor technical details page is amazing, imo. Never seen any vendor provide that much info.
 
Correction... The handle is 3.75 to the taper at the end of the handle.

Also in the FAQs:

Technical Details
Men’s - .85 mm Blade Gap and .002” Blade Exposure
Women’s - .68 mm Blade Gap .001" Blade Exposure

Additionally: I've been pondering how it feels like a Guard. This morning I read @Dave in KY review likening the feel to a Trac II. That is probably what I'm recognizing. It definitely isn't a typical DE feel, imo. Not a bad thing, just weird. [emoji846]
 
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Friday, August 18, 2020

PRE: None
SOAP: Mystic Waters Coconut Sandal
RZR: Henson's AL13
BLD: Personna Comfort (#1)
POST: Stirling Glacial Unscented Balm

[emoji294][emoji294][emoji294]½ (3.5/5)


So I switched the handle to my extra 3" (?) Maggards SS. Sizable smaller and heavier. I also passed on the Preshave. Finally, I swapped the blade out early, as I thought It might be defective with the shaves I was getting.

Well, I believe I was wrong, and it was the angle I used. I have been trying to tilt the handle to my face instead of Shaving normally and letting the flat face guide me in a bit. When I did this, my last pass was so much smoother and efficient. I am excited to do this with a full shave on Sunday.

The handle felt so much better in my hand. I'm sure it's in my head (like the voices), but even the shave felt more like a SS razor. Well, that's what the voices told me. [emoji2369]

I ended with almost a DFS / near BBS and a lot of hope for next shave. A win in my book. [emoji106]
 
It's nice when you figure out something in your shave...no matter how long you have been doing it. And I definitely approve of the soap selection!
 
dangerousdon said:
It's nice when you figure out something in your shave...no matter how long you have been doing it. And I definitely approve of the soap selection!
Click to expand...
An absolutely year round scent. Coconut for the summer, but deep and dark like an Autumn soap. Can't go wrong this time of year. [emoji106]
 
Sunday, September 20, 2020


PRE: Face wash with Stirling Menth Bar
SOAP: Zingari Man The Soloist
RZR: Henson's AL13
BLD: Personna Comfort (#2)
POST: Stirling Glacial Unscented Balm

[emoji294][emoji294][emoji294]½ (3.5/5)


Taking from my last shave, I adjusted my angle and did three passes and some clean up. It worked out much better and I again got a DFS+. Much smoother with no irritation, though. The soap, The Soloist, is a great scent of boozy tobacco. It smells awesome, fits perfect in these cooler evenings we've been having in Upstate NY, and shaves great.

This is a good razor. Shaves close and is pretty comfortable. My biggest issues would be the handle length and the Aluminum feel. Since I replaced the handle with a SS one, it definitely feels more normal to me.

Now that I have a few shaves in with the razor, and solved the angle issue, I might finally try to compare it to my GC84. While the 84 has a history of being a bit too much in recent weeks, I also know I've had many good shaves with it and it has given a closer shave than the AL13. I seem to have a penchant for jumping back and forth. I'll search for BBS, but the shave will get irritating at some point and I need to dial it back. Then it'll irk me that I can feel Stubble so soon, and back to the BBS my hunt goes.

Had a great anniversary weekend. Wife and I drove to Cape Cod and had a nice quiet time. Cooler temperatures, but the weather still played nice. Dinner, sightseeing walking around the beach, and lots of relaxation. [emoji106]

Have a great Monday Cadre!
5339876098f7d45ee95c8c531a548bdb.jpg
479350177a18bbc6e20b82dae8b9d1b6.jpg
 
BadgerFiend said:
Wow, now that’s a sight!
Click to expand...
It was very beautiful. We were quite glad to be there when it was quiet. Only a few couples walking on the beach. We could take pictures and just enjoy the views.

You can just see some green at the end of the rocks. It some sort of algae, I guess? It's color and texture was stunning. Here's a picture of that. Never thought I'd be so inspired by algae. Lol!
1d49b1d8719cbe3bd2a3d31635560824.jpg
 
Tuesday, September 22, 2020


PRE: Face wash with Stirling Menth Bar
SOAP: Fine Lavender Pour Homme
RZR: Razorock MJ-90A
BLD: Personna Comfort (#3)
POST: Stirling Glacial Unscented Balm

[emoji294][emoji294][emoji294] (3/5)


I started my shave with the GC84, but switched up mid first pass. It just wasn't feeling smooth and I wasn't in the mood for a painful shave or a fight with a razor. I decided to grab the MJ-90A.

It ended up a smooth shave. Not as close as I'd like, but it was smooth for sure.
 
Good job switching up the razor. Never settle for a terrible shave.
 
Thursday, September 24, 2020


PRE: Face wash with Stirling Menth Bar
SOAP: Razorock Blue Barbershop
RZR: Henson AL13
BLD: Personna Comfort (#4)
POST: Stirling Glacial Unscented Balm

[emoji294][emoji294][emoji294][emoji294] (4/5)


Groomatorium finally got in stock Razorock Blue Barbershop. I've been looking to grab a tub of the regular (not triple milled) version, but I have balked at paying the high shipping when I only wanted an $8 soap. So I ordered that, as well as a sample of TSF Crazy Sandalwood and a tube of Stirling Glacial Balm (my only AS of choice).

It arrived today so I decided to give the soap a run. Well, I can confidently say it won't win any awards for slickness or protection. Luckily I bought the soap for the scent. As far as I know, no one has a scent like this one (available at least). I'll just keep the Ethos First Lather handy for the next shaves. [emoji846]

Today I put the original handle back on the Henson and gave it another run. Well the handle didn't feel nearly as cumbersome and the shave was again a DFS+. I'm probably just getting used to the razor, but i didn't even notice the unique feel of the shave, like I had in the past.

Despite the soap suds vanishing after a few minutes, there were no real problems or irritation. It could have felt smoother, but all in all I'm very content with the results. I may want a BBS, but a problem free DFS+ is plenty good. [emoji106]

Have a good evening Cadre!

eaa8f1ea7e8de4757156d0a93381cd5e.jpg
 
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