Blade opinions

[Zedge]

Hey guys,

Okay I recently I got treated to a Henson AL13++ and as such started to have a look at different blade alternatives. I have very sensitive skin so it’s difficult for me to find something that doesn’t irritate me. I did originally look at a sampler pack but didn’t want to get loads of packs that I was never going to end up using if they affected my skin.
Here is my verdict so far and would extremely welcome any other opinions/alternatives.

Persona - Way too sharp for me, cut my skin quite a bit… likely due to poor technique.

SP Astra - Good blades but leave me with rash/burn pretty often.

Amazon - similar to the persona and since their release have read they are likely the same factory.

Nacets - probably the best out of them all in terms of skin but I need to do 4/5 passes to really ensure I get everything.

Henson - absolutely awful.

Are there any others you guys recommend down the line of the Nacet that maybe is a little sharper but not too sharp to irritate?
I do appreciate this is all subjective but options are greatly appreciated!

Thankyou!

 

[ATG]

PM me your address if UK based and I'll send a few more to try (free).

 

[Zedge]

PM me your address if UK based and I'll send a few more to try (free).

Oh brilliant thankyou, send me some details and I’ll send you some money for postage.

 

[slapo]

Rash and burn or many passes, as well as cuts are all very likely due to technique.
Stick to the samplers you have for now, and strive to get good shaves.

You want to let the razor glide over the skin, not to mash it in. As the Al13 is lightweight, you do need to exercise a measure of control, but you should still focus on keeping the angle and just letting it glide over skin.

I'd suggest also double checking how well your hair is hydrated and to do the same for your lather.

You'd want your hair to be in contact with water for at least 2-3 minutes. A splash of water is unlikely to do. A shower might not be sufficient, even if there's some steam in the room as a result.
If you make a moist lather (try adding as much water as the soap can take while being able to maintain slightly droopy peaks), apply it to your face and leave it on for 2-3 minutes. Your hair should be able to absorb some of that moisture from the lather. Afterwards, touch it up a little to make sure it still has glide and proceed with the shave.

If your skin is as sensitive as you say, try bowl lathering, if you don't already do that. That way, it won't matter much what brush you use to whip up the lather, and you can just paint it on.

 

[Zedge]

Rash and burn or many passes, as well as cuts are all very likely due to technique.
Stick to the samplers you have for now, and strive to get good shaves.

You want to let the razor glide over the skin, not to mash it in. As the Al13 is lightweight, you do need to exercise a measure of control, but you should still focus on keeping the angle and just letting it glide over skin.

I'd suggest also double checking how well your hair is hydrated and to do the same for your lather.

You'd want your hair to be in contact with water for at least 2-3 minutes. A splash of water is unlikely to do. A shower might not be sufficient, even if there's some steam in the room as a result.
If you make a moist lather (try adding as much water as the soap can take while being able to maintain slightly droopy peaks), apply it to your face and leave it on for 2-3 minutes. Your hair should be able to absorb some of that moisture from the lather. Afterwards, touch it up a little to make sure it still has glide and proceed with the shave.

If your skin is as sensitive as you say, try bowl lathering, if you don't already do that. That way, it won't matter much what brush you use to whip up the lather, and you can just paint it on.

This is brilliant advise thankyou very much! I will try and take a look and make a few of these steps! I watched many a video of how to make a good lather and found that the best is more of a wet mixture that just about stays on the skin, is this correct?

 

[slapo]

This is brilliant advise thankyou very much! I will try and take a look and make a few of these steps! I watched many a video of how to make a good lather and found that the best is more of a wet mixture that just about stays on the skin, is this correct?

Kind of - not every soap can take a lot of water, so with some, you might not have a choice but use a thicker lather. They often can't be rehydrated well once they get a little dry
However, trying out a soap that can take a decent amount of water can help you.
The cheapest I found that can do this are by The Goodfellas' Smile. There are some possibly better ones, but I find these are a good starting point for higher hydration lather.

I like my lather to be slick and fluffy - that way, a razor glides easily and I require little force to keep a razor moving (assuming good hair hydration), the lather doesn't get in the way and hair that's been cut is suspended in lather and flows away through the base plate's lather channel.
Feel-wise, the lather feels like a damp towel on the face, even if my face is already wet. At the same time, it's slick between the fingers. The peaks are a little droopy, but it still holds together well and has a somewhat pearly sheen.

You'll want to play with the soap you have a bit to figure out where its sweet spot is, but try adding water and take note how much you've added before lather starts degrading. Sometimes, a few more seconds of whipping can do wonders to a lather.

 

[Zedge]

Kind of - not every soap can take a lot of water, so with some, you might not have a choice but use a thicker lather. They often can't be rehydrated well once they get a little dry
However, trying out a soap that can take a decent amount of water can help you.
The cheapest I found that can do this are by The Goodfellas' Smile. There are some possibly better ones, but I find these are a good starting point for higher hydration lather.

I like my lather to be slick and fluffy - that way, a razor glides easily and I require little force to keep a razor moving (assuming good hair hydration), the lather doesn't get in the way and hair that's been cut is suspended in lather and flows away through the base plate's lather channel.
Feel-wise, the lather feels like a damp towel on the face, even if my face is already wet. At the same time, it's slick between the fingers. The peaks are a little droopy, but it still holds together well and has a somewhat pearly sheen.

You'll want to play with the soap you have a bit to figure out where its sweet spot is, but try adding water and take note how much you've added before lather starts degrading. Sometimes, a few more seconds of whipping can do wonders to a lather.

Oh wow this is interesting to know! I have TOBS so will have a play around with it. Thankyou.

 

[Zedge]

Kind of - not every soap can take a lot of water, so with some, you might not have a choice but use a thicker lather. They often can't be rehydrated well once they get a little dry
However, trying out a soap that can take a decent amount of water can help you.
The cheapest I found that can do this are by The Goodfellas' Smile. There are some possibly better ones, but I find these are a good starting point for higher hydration lather.

I like my lather to be slick and fluffy - that way, a razor glides easily and I require little force to keep a razor moving (assuming good hair hydration), the lather doesn't get in the way and hair that's been cut is suspended in lather and flows away through the base plate's lather channel.
Feel-wise, the lather feels like a damp towel on the face, even if my face is already wet. At the same time, it's slick between the fingers. The peaks are a little droopy, but it still holds together well and has a somewhat pearly sheen.

You'll want to play with the soap you have a bit to figure out where its sweet spot is, but try adding water and take note how much you've added before lather starts degrading. Sometimes, a few more seconds of whipping can do wonders to a lather.

So, today has been my first shave since taking this advice and I just want to thankyou very much. I came from multiblade razoring where pressure must be applied so obviously was following the same route. I tried this time with less pressure and the gliding effect and it massively helped my skin. I still have parts where I have skin irritation but it’s considerably reduced.
I will continue to try different blades and lathering amounts until I find the right one but I wanted to let you know your advice did indeed help, so thankyou.

 

[slapo]

So, today has been my first shave since taking this advice and I just want to thankyou very much. I came from multiblade razoring where pressure must be applied so obviously was following the same route. I tried this time with less pressure and the gliding effect and it massively helped my skin. I still have parts where I have skin irritation but it’s considerably reduced.
I will continue to try different blades and lathering amounts until I find the right one but I wanted to let you know your advice did indeed help, so thankyou.

You're quite welcome.
I'd suggest that, when experimenting, trying changing one thing at a time should make it easier to evaluate the experiment.
I'd also re-iterate that you only want as much pressure as necessary to keep the razor on the skin, which means most of the force is going to be applied to make the razor move in the desired direction.
Think of it as of a controlled glide. Eventually, it becomes second nature and you'll mostly be focusing on maintaining the angle. Short strokes might help you there, too.

 

[NatJag]

I found I got better saves when I wasn't chasing a perfect shave.
I also stuck with creams for quite a while (TOBS coconut). I didn't change anything between shaves for quite a while. Even now, I tend to stick to one combination for the week or weeks on end.

I used to like personna Israeli blades, but they became a little consistent. Then I started using Wilkinsons which I could purchase easily down my road. I may go back to those.

I have the standard Henson and like Nacet blades (which I use most of the time). I stick to three passes. Only one in the moustache area (sometimes two) and two under the bottom lip (second is against the grain). I wont re shave an area without soap or cream on.