This Is the Best Razor I’ve Ever Used—Save Big With This Sale

Razors are one of the most commercialized and competitive products of American capitalism. Made with steel and plastic that costs pennies, but sold at a thousand percent profit, the razor market is the subject of vigorous academic study and debate.

The founder of Gillette proposed a model of giving away the razor handle so that the blades could be sold. Canadian startup Henson offers the opposite model, charging $79 for a razor that can give you a great shave with inexpensive disposable blades that cost around 15 cents each.

I have been using the Henson razor for three months and it provides the best shave I have had so far in my life. Right now, Walmart is selling the device with enough blades to last two years for just $80. Razors are always a popular Christmas gift for fathers, and this offering would fit perfectly under your tree.

Photography: Martin Cizmar

Henson

Shaving set with AL13 safety razor (2 years)

Henson is a Canadian company with roots in aerospace, having supplied components to the Mars rover. The AL13 safety razor is made from machined aluminum in their workshop in Ontario. It’s available in half a dozen colors, including the classic copper that I tested.

The razor head is made up of two parts which fit together and are then compressed using the screw handle. The handle holds the blade in place with extreme rigidity at a precise angle so that the blade does not vibrate, which could cause skin irritation. The blade barely protrudes from the head, with an exposed edge only about half the width of a hair – you’ll have to look very closely to see it.

The Henson razor is manufactured to exacting tolerances of 0.00025 of an inch, or about one-twelfth the thickness of a human hair. There are no plastic parts, just aluminum with stainless steel bushings. Henson specifically designed his device to work with inexpensive, generic double-edged blades, selling for ten or 15 cents each. The difference here is how firmly and precisely these blades are held in place.

I’ve been using the Henson for about two months now and have never had a better shave. I shave about every other day and each blade lasts me about a week, which means the pack of 100 included here will last you two years. The shave is very close but gentle, and I’ve only barely scratched myself a few times in that time. (The company paid for medical imaging that shows its razors cause one-third of the skin irritation that multi-blade razors do.) The company sent me its $20 proprietary shaving cream, which I misplaced before using it, but I got extremely close, clean shaves with a $4 can of regular Gillette foam.

The only tip I have is that you get the best results if you unscrew the handle a bit when rinsing the blades between uses, as the shaved bristles otherwise tend to get stuck in the space between the components and don’t rinse out easily.

Did I mention this is a very nice razor? It does, with a machined handle that has a texture that looks great and also provides a nice grip when wet. If you’re looking to gift a grooming device or just want to treat yourself, the Henson at this price is a great buy.