Henson Razors - A Different Kind of Shave

Henson Razors

"It's the best razor I've ever tried" - Ginette Matthews, founder of LR

Some common questions we get asked once people notice how much plastic they're throwing away with disposable razors is, "how do these safety razors work?", "will I cut myself?", "what about razor burn?", or "why do they cost so much?"

We get it. It can be nerve-wracking moving into something new involving a sharp blade that presses against your skin, some razors require a bit of finesse, and the price point can scare you off if you're used to paying $15 for a pack of disposables. So to answer these, we want to talk about one of our favourite razor brands because they have put so much time and care into their products in response to the questions - and needs - we all have.

One of the many reasons we love Henson is that they've done all the hard work and handed us a product that is light, durable, easy to use, very hard to hurt yourself with, and essentially foolproof. There's no learning curve here, it's a straight path from disposables to Henson. There are no special instructional pamphlets or video tutorials needed. (Anyone else watched these?)

Making a product that met all these targets was the goal of Daniel Jantzi and his brothers when they decided to make a razor together. They wanted something anyone could pick up and easily use, that was easy on the skin, and they wanted something that would last. It took some time to perfect it, but they didn't stop until they did.

To understand the true elegance of this brand, it helps to know the background of the designers. Daniel was in communications, while his brothers - Brad & Ryan - were aerospace engineers for 20 years. Their specialty was making parts that were easy to use, very intricately designed, and incredibly durable for satellites. The brothers had been talking for a while about collaborating on a truly great razor, so when a parts buyer went bankrupt, they had all this machinery that needed a new purpose. This was their time.

They knew what they wanted. The trick was getting there. We don't think about it, but if a blade angle is a thousandth of a millimetre off, it can make a big difference to our experience using it, and this is an area their background helped them in greatly. Precision. Using the right materials. Testing, recreating, and testing again.

What they've created is a razor with a shaving angle that has the least amount of blade exposure. Less blade exposure means less flex, and less flex means less chatter along your skin. Contrary to what it sounds like, "chatter" isn't a pleasant bout of chit-chat between your skin & the blade. This type of chatter is rather un-pleasant & is what causes razor burn & irritation. Less chatter is what gives you an absolutely smooth and pleasant shave. In our experience, this feature also makes it safer to use and essentially takes out any guesswork and risk to our delicate skin!

For those concerned with the cost... Henson razors do come with a bit of a price tag shock if you've been buying disposables. It will cost between $100-$120 to get you started. That's a one-time investment. After that, depending on how much you shave, you will only spend $10 every year or two for blades. Disposables, on the other hand, will cost about $50/year for the rest of your life!

Daniel has joked that they have a terrible business model because their razors are so well constructed, they'll eventually put themselves out of business because people won't need to buy another one. To show how much they believe in their razor, each one comes with a lifetime warranty. This means you could pass your razor on to the next generation and the one after that. Notice how that initial cost doesn't seem so incredulous anymore?

And the final reason we love Henson is the one that brought us all here in the first place: There’s no waste. Just a recyclable cardboard box, recyclable blades, and the recyclable paper they come wrapped in.

Wait! There's one more reason we love them! Henson razors are proudly designed, manufactured, and packaged right here in our beautiful country.