Back in July, I rated my razors (and razor experiences) and dropped them into a ranking against each other. While it’s only been three months, I’ve added two razors and think I need to revisit this. So here goes.
First, some level setting and definition: I currently have 6 razors, but one of them (the Rockwell 6C) has 3 interchangeable plates with 2 different shaving configurations on each for 6 possible configurations. As before, I will count each plate as its own razor for the sake of this rating. As such, there are 11 spots on this ranking.
Second, definitions: Aggressiveness is basically how close a razor shaves, along with how the end result feels on the skin. A very aggressive shave for me should result in a close shave, but also one with a lot of blade feel and lingering discomfort from razor burn. A mild shave is one where there isn’t much blade feel at all, and little to no irritation.
To the ranking!
#11: Rockwell 6C plate 6. One failing of the previous rating post was that I hadn’t tried plate 6–the most aggressive–on the Rockwell 6C. I still haven’t, and I feel that it isn’t fair to assume a position for it in the rankings without trying it. So I’m putting it at the bottom simply by merit of not having been tried yet.
#10: Van Der Hagen. The VDH is passable. Let’s put it that way. I did come back to it during the anniversary month in August, and it worked okay. Nothing spectacular, but certainly not as close, comfortable, or clean as the others in the stable. It just feels light and sloppy and, in a word, cheap. I have no plans to return to it unless I have to.
#9: Parker 55SL Semi-Slant. This falls way down because I’m just struggling with it. I think there’s potential there, and I’ve gotten a good shave from it, but it is very aggressive, and my technique needs to change for when I use it. I need to keep trying it with other blades, because I’m sure a great combination is out there, and I just need to get the courage up to use it. But for now, while it’s a close shave, it’s uncomfortable and it generally makes me sad.
#8: Rockwell 6C plate 1. I’m declaring this officially: plate 1 is basically useless to me. It’s milder than the Henson mild, and if I’m going for a mild shave, I’ll always go for the Henson first. Now, all of that being said, this combo delivers a good shave, but I don’t see myself coming back to it very much in the future.
#7: King C Gillette. The KCG is a great razor, let me say that right at the top. It falls so far down the list because it’s easily surpassed by the other 3 razors (and the other plates of the Rockwell as well). It’s more on the aggressive side, but with the right setup behind it, that turns into an advantage. Again, though, the only real complaint I have about it is that the comb has very sharp, pointy corners that sometimes poke and drag across my skin. It doesn’t really hurt or cause any damage, but it’s just uncomfortable, and would be improved immeasurably with a little rounding over there.
#6: Rockwell 6C plate 5. It feels to me like plate 5 on the Rockwell has a similar aggressiveness to the KCG, but it’s got a more polished, rounded, softer edge feel to it, and I prefer that to the KCG. If I’m going for a more aggressive shave, I’ll tend to think of this combo first and then the KCG, so much so that the KCG ends up getting used less frequently. I have a hunch, though, that plate 6 may be closer to the KCG, but as I said earlier, I’ll have to get the courage up to give that a shot.
#5: Rockwell 6C plate 2. Plate 2 is very similar to the Henson mild, and while I said I’d use the Henson mild for a mild shave first, plate 2 has its place and I will use it from time to time. It’s comfortable, mostly efficient, and the weight of the Rockwell is a definite plus.
#4: Rockwell 6C plate 3. Yeah, I’m a little surprised by this one too. What had been one of the top configurations of the Rockwell falls way down to #4 on the list. But it’s easy to understand why when considering a few things I’ve discovered since July: first, the Henson medium (we’ll get to that in a bit), and second, finding that my face is really, really liking a bunch of sort of medium-aggressive blades over the more aggressive ones. Finally, keep in mind that the top four here really has some outstanding options.
#3: Rockwell 6C plate 4. This and #2 have swapped a couple of times in my mind and also here in the draft to the point that I’m almost willing to call #2 a tie. But plate 4 has turned into my Sunday Rockwell go-to. On weeks when I’m using the Rockwell, plate 4 is the one that does a great job of just plowing through the extra day’s worth of stubble, and it doesn’t clog up quite as easily as either of the Hensons, making the whole shave just that much more pleasant. It isn’t a mild shave, but it isn’t to the medium point, either. It’s a pretty happy middle ground where a lot of my blades perform exquisitely.
#2: Henson AL-13 Medium (++). The newest addition to the collection quickly jumped right toward the top after just one week’s worth of shaves. It feels very similar to the Henson mild, as it should, given that it’s the same basic design, and I appreciate the dead straight simplicity of using the Hensons–the head design just makes it fall where it’s supposed to be and the blade seems to be kept in the perfect plate for the entirety of the shave. I’ve even grown to not mind the weight of the Hensons given the result of the shaves, so I don’t really have any complaints.
#1: Henson AL-13 Mild (+). Those plusses after the Henson product name are how they differentiate the products, with 1, 2 or 3 plusses etched on the base plates of the razors, denoting mild, medium, or aggressive. The mild is and performs exactly as its name indicates. It is a mild, comfortable shave all of the time, regardless of the blade. It glides well with the right amount of slickness from the lather, and shaving with either of the Hensons just makes me happy because it delivers a satisfying result. As I said earlier, if I’m looking for a mild shave, I will always grab this razor before anything else, because I know it will deliver.
Before I close out this post, I wanted to answer a question some of you may have: why the Henson medium? I’ve got a Henson mild, and the Rockwell and the KCG. What gap does the Henson medium fill?
Technically it doesn’t fill a gap. Yes, the Rockwell in particular is already in that place, and I really didn’t need the Henson medium (that is true). But I love the design of the mild so much that I’d come to a point where I decided having a medium aggressive razor with that Henson design would be beneficial. That’s what it comes down to: the design just works for me, so I wanted some variety in that design. And it delivered as expected.
I don’t anticipate buying any other razors, period. I really do have what I need for a great variety of shaves. Now I’ll work through them all.
