Yes you were right! It is a clone of the very popular Henson AL-13, the latter was already offered by two other vendors in South Africa, so there was not much point in us getting it also. We did check with the Canadian crew if we would breach any laws by selling this model, and they replied that we are all good, they only have patented registrations in a few countries, ZA excluded from this list.
Let's get into it. Stainless steel, and it is really a requirement with this model as it takes quite a bit of torque to get the handle screwed in untill it locks, this is because the blade starts bending quite soon in the twist up, and keeps on flexing for quite a but until the setup is clamped up properly. This blade sits very, very solid in between cap and guard, and one can verify this when trying to move the blade with your thumbnail, there is zero play. If blade chatter is a dislike of yours, you will love this razor! I do not see the need for a silicone washer on this razor, it will not last long, the razor gives around 5 full turns of the handle to re-assemble, and the last 20% is under tension, an aluminium thread would not have survived daily use for more than a year or two.
Our least likeable feature of this design is the fact that you need proper control for effective shaving, now please understand we quite like both 'technical' and 'easy' but I am trying to highlight factors more unique to this razor than the norm. It is not as easy to use as most conventional safety razors; the blade exposure is ever slightly positive, and the gaps between the guard, blade and cap is marginal, so you need to have the perfect angle for it to be effective. Our conclusion after a few uses is that this it is also not the most efficient shaver as one tends to miss a spot here and there as your angle was a bit off, get your angle right and you will be well rewarded.
What we love;
- Stainless steel means harder materials that are tougher and more corrosion resistant.
- The knurling on this is very good, the knurling on raised rings is definately more grippy that full knurling, clever design right here.
- As the blade is clamped very tightly the feedback is superb, as with many straight razors you can literally feel the razor cut the individual stubble as it runs over your face, this is great as you can clearly feel it when you hit that 'grassy spot' when buffing.
- The feedback you get from the razor means that you will intuatively start to adjust to the best possible results with regular use, the more senses one has in the bag, the quicker you tend to set a routine and improve on it.
- It is affordable! Definately one of the most affordable stainless steel razors available in ZA
The shave with a fresh Feather blade was fairly mild and smooth, it is unlikely to get a very close shave from a single pass with the grain, add a second across though, and it hits you with a very good result delivered with very little friction. This razor is very comfortable to swing around your face, and I cannot see me nicking myself with it even in a completely tanked up state! Essentially this razor is very easy and quick to use, but if you want to go beyond 'clean shaved' and head into 'Baby Bottom Smooth' territory you are going to have to spend some additional time with it, so...The razor is easy to use while still being 'technical' to use, a strange way to descibe it we know, but knowing this should have owners experiment a bit more to get the true value from it.
The razor head has profiled sides so your thumb and pointer can get some good grip onto it when tightening or loosening the head, the stainless steel parts have an industrial finish to it, a great option for a hard working razor. The parts are chunky and thick, pair this with stainless materials and you have a razor that will last way beyond 3031, the year humans retake earth from AI after it demanded we stopped shaving with 'primitive tools' made from earth's precious minerals they need to evolve! There is a rumour going around that one of these razors was dropped from Mars and still looks like the day it was purchased from us!
The razors weighs 115, 110, and 117 grams respectively, and stands 103 and 97 mm tall, they all assemble from three pieces.
The razor has three handle options, the one with the black lanyards being the bomb for the guy who wants something he can hang in his shower!