Wether American or not, switching away from those dumb disposable razors was the best choice of my life. I got my blades from Japan and haven’t bought a new bundle in 3 years.
Fendrihan.ca has sampler sets of different razor blades. Personally I kind of settled on Astra blades, but most honestly most of the blades in the sampler I started with are all fine, far better than the latest five or six bladed cartridge monstrosity. Feather is the Japanese brand that I see most often, and they are excellent.
Fendrihan.ca also has a Canadian collection. The Henson AL13 is made in Canada, but at $90 is twice as expensive as the Parker 96R I’ve been using for years, which was apparently made in India.
You can get a razor handle and 100 blades for less than $50, and enjoy a far superior shaving experience.
A colleague at work gave me a handful of different razor blades. So far, the Shark super chrome double edge blade one has been absolutely amazing. They’re from Egypt apparently. He also gave me a bar of Arko shaving cream from Turkey and it changed my life. It’s a potassium tallowate based soap (animal fat)
I’ve looked around and foud Tallow + Steel, a company based in Winnipeg that also sells similar soap, but handmade. They also have aftershave.
Henson Shaving makes blades as well. I should give them a try.
What blades do you use?
I swear by Kai, they work incredibly well for me.
Not op but I’m a big feather guy. Great blades. Haven’t tried Kai though.
Kai is a bit different than other brands
They come more dull than feathers and they’re a thicker gauge steel than other blades use. I still find them plenty sharp though.
The thicker steel is what I think makes them good for me. My beard hairs are very heavy and thick, so thicker steel reduces vibrations as it cuts giving me a more reliable shave.
I generally use each blade 6 times, which is good longevity for a blade.
I also kinda like that they’re no frills. No laser etching or waxy drops on the blades. Feels like something Ron Swanson would use.
Shaving revolution. I literally just bought them off Amazon, and they had good reviews. Bought 100 for 20 dollars. It says Japanese, but I’m honestly just going off thier word. That said I have 0 complaints, they work great.
To contrast - given the state of international relations I’ve eschewed a razor of any form so my beard is fluffy enough to protect me from harm.
Does it help with thinking?
I can see through the shallow goals of capitalism so… probably?
I love my Henson, had it for years now. Still on the same free box of blades and there’s nothing short of a furnace that’s gonna break the handle, no plastic and laser precise mounting every time.
It’s one of those single-blade razors, right? How often do you cut yourself? Also, how often do you have to change that blade? I’ve thought about getting one. But I make my disposable razors last, and a Henson would cost about a year’s worth of disposables for me. I barely grow facial hair and shave every other to every three days.
To add onto what @[email protected] said, there is a bit of a learning curve. Once you can consistently get the angle right it’s like shaving with a stick of butter. I also shave my face every other day and I even use it to shave my head once a week.
I’m coming up on 2 years of ownership and have barely gone through 2/3 of my initial 100 count pack that cost $15 USD. It’s one of those products where there’s a bit of an initial investment that saves significant money long term.
I’ve owned the Henson for a few years now and love it. worth every penny.
i shave one, maybe two times a week (I’m older and lazier now haha) and should probably change my blade more often than I do. that being said, I probably change it out every 2 months or so?
i rarely cut myself, and I’m not typically very careful with it. maybe it’s the blades I use? probably also depends on your skin, etc. i think that I used to cut myself more often with my disposables, etc.
anyways, like others have said, I bought a big 100 pack of Feather blades, and I’ve still working on that initial pack.
I switched to a Henson about a year ago and the only time I’ve cut myself is when I’ve used a dull blade. I switch it out every 4th shave or so, but the blades are pennies each. 100 for $15 for the Astras. I used to cut myself way more with other cartridge razors.
Initially I did nick myself a lot
I realized with my skin and beard combo I can’t go against the grain, so getting to know myself helped a lot. I do with the grain then across.
I don’t nick myself often and I use an alum block when I do, or just to clean up any spots I think will turn into a razor burn.
You can get a cheaper DE razor to start, the blades and shave soap will make the biggest difference.
I didn’t buy a Henson but I bought something close and I havent bought a new blade in 3 years. But I only shave in the summers when I need to be clean shaven. Once the initial spend is done the upkeep is next to nothing. And that even if you buy the douchy shave bars. My grandpa uses a single razor and I bought him a gift pact of very nice shave soap 6 years ago, he still has 1 can left.
Just be careful! Many decent double-edge blades have historically been made in Russia or the US, usually under licence of Gillette. I recommend Feather blades which are Japanese and premium quality.
You can add Israel to the shitlist as well, i believe (Personna blades)
Edit: conflicting info online at a cursory search: some used to be made in israel but are now made in germany?
Where do you recommend buying them? I got my last pack ages ago on Amazon (before I shitlisted them), and they were pretty cheap.
Local shops only have some hipster brand, 10 blades for $10 or something, which is insane.
https://www.fendrihan.ca/ Canadian and they stock good stuff! I’ve dealt with their customer service before and they are very helpful.
I’ve shopped there before but they seem to have stock issues. Pretty much everything is out of stock right now. Not confidence inspiring.
The RK blades that ship with the Henson Razor are made in India.
I’ve had this for about 1.5 years now. Absolutely love it. I look forward to shaving daily now.
I have my German Merkur safety razor that I’ve had for a long ass time. I’ve been curious about Henson’s. But I already have a pretty good one that’ll last me an eternity so it feels stupid buying another one.
Let me know if it’s really worth it. Is the shave really that better?
I really like mine. I have a Merkur as well as an aluminum Henson, but it’s they’ve both been in the drawer since I got my Henson TI. It’s 100% the last razor I’ll ever need.
Feather blades work great in it!
It’s also the last razor I’d be able to afford. Sheesh! 😆
Buy it for life isn’t cheap, but the aluminum one is quite affordable and functionality identical. I just wanted to treat myself.
Is that like a subscription model for razors? You know you can just buy razors online when they run out, right?
Nope, I’ve had the same one for over a year now, it’s a nice aluminum handle that accepts generic blades. They’ll sell you blades too if you want, or a handle out of more expensive metal, but there’s no way to subscribe, which is part of why I bought from them.
This is a fine product. Excellent choice.
I’ve had that same razor for two years now. It’s my first DE razor and I feel no need to change/upgrade (apart from curiosity).
From now on you’ll have so much money to spend on nice soaps!
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I have to shout out Karve Shaving. I own one of the original machined brass Karve Christopher Bradley’s, had it since 2018, not a single issue and parts to modify the performance and look are still being made.
Truly a buy it for life purchase, handmade by one of the best. Based in Edmonton!
Right now he’s catching up on old orders and isn’t selling his flagships, but has a good stock of razors made from solid aircraft grade aluminum.
Excellent call out. I love my Karve razor.
Wow, very nice!!
I’ve got a razor from the Rocky Mountain Barber Company, who is also Canadian, but I don’t think they make their razors here! They do have Made in Canada stuff for your skin and face, though. 👍
How is it?
I use a Rockwell T2 which was expensive but I’ve been using it for years and love it. Rockwell is Canadian (not sure if they manufacture here though).
I also use a shaving scuttle from Nova Scotia with it. I never really thought about my mostly Canadian shave kit.
For soap I use Badger but would welcome Canadian alternatives.
It’s good so far. First double edged razor I’ve used, so it’ll take some getting used to.
There’s a learning curve, but it’s much more enjoyable to me.
Mental note!
I’m super pro American, but I have to fudge sometimes. 🙂 I looked at this safety razor!! But I ended up settling on the Merkur 43C, IIRC.
You’re going to need more blades. I highly recommend Shark DE razor blades (made in Egypt); you can buy them so cheaply by the 100+ pack on eBay.
Happy shaving!
