Anything that can go wrong will happen while I'm shaving...

They make some hefty claims so I would think they should know what they're doing AND what happened. I too hope they are forthcoming. Don't remember anything said about a threaded insert in the titanium razor and if that's the case it should have been stated presales.

"To get the precision and perfection we desired in our razor, we sought out and partnered with one of Canada's top Aerospace Manufacturers who had enough precision and skill to build structural components for the Mars Rover, International Space Station, and low earth satellite (LEO) programs."

They make some hefty claims so I would think they should know what they're doing AND what happened. I too hope they are forthcoming. Don't remember anything said about a threaded insert in the titanium razor and if that's the case it should have been stated presales.

I went to their website and it doesn't appear that anyone on their team is an engineer or technical person.  I also went to the Ti razor page and down a the bottom it shows the construction detail - titanium handle and head with a tungsten female threaded insert in the handle and a brass male threaded post in a tungsten insert in the titanium head.  I think thats the problem - three dissimilar metals all in close contact in a moist environment.  Id be willing to bet on it.  

https://hensonshaving.com/products/titanium-razor

Tungsten and brass and titanium are on the list of most likely to corrode.

https://www.zygology.com/cms/upload_area...-Index.pdf


BTW - this detective work is very cool

They make some hefty claims so I would think they should know what they're doing AND what happened. I too hope they are forthcoming. Don't remember anything said about a threaded insert in the titanium razor and if that's the case it should have been stated presales.

I really don't want to bash them whatsoever because they've been great... But I need to be honest:

As far as I know (and I was watching like a hawk for it's release) nothing was mentioned about the brass fitting upon release. In fact, when I received the razor I messaged them through DFS and asked what was going on. I don't know if I have the message, I had to clear some old ones out to continue using PMs. I'll check later, but I'm pretty sure they decided to use brass there because of some issues with Titanium on titanium in the fitting? Never seen any other company have to do this, though.

Regarding Mark's question: unless it was something defective (which it could be, since I haven't seen anyone else complaining about this issue), there's nothing to stop it from happening again. I can be more cautious with my cleaning and drying, and maybe be more liberal with using different razors, but it could still come about once again.

Also, when I say that number of shaves, keep in mind, I shave every other day. That's a huge number then, because the Ti was my main razor, used almost exclusively (other than trying something else out here and there). It's a guess of course, as I don't keep track... But probably a close guess.

They make some hefty claims so I would think they should know what they're doing AND what happened. I too hope they are forthcoming. Don't remember anything said about a threaded insert in the titanium razor and if that's the case it should have been stated presales.

I went to their website and it doesn't appear that anyone on their team is an engineer or technical person.  I also went to the Ti razor page and down a the bottom it shows the construction detail - titanium handle and head with a tungsten female threaded insert in the handle and a brass male threaded post in a tungsten insert in the titanium head.  I think thats the problem - three dissimilar metals all in close contact in a moist environment.  Id be willing to bet on it.  

https://hensonshaving.com/products/titanium-razor

Wow, I never saw that! I thought it was all titanium. Then I got it and asked about the brass. I should pay more attention, I think. Never knew about thr tungsten piece.

They make some hefty claims so I would think they should know what they're doing AND what happened. I too hope they are forthcoming. Don't remember anything said about a threaded insert in the titanium razor and if that's the case it should have been stated presales.

I went to their website and it doesn't appear that anyone on their team is an engineer or technical person.  I also went to the Ti razor page and down a the bottom it shows the construction detail - titanium handle and head with a tungsten female threaded insert in the handle and a brass male threaded post in a tungsten insert in the titanium head.  I think thats the problem - three dissimilar metals all in close contact in a moist environment.  Id be willing to bet on it.  

https://hensonshaving.com/products/titanium-razor

Wow, I never saw that! I thought it was all titanium. Then I got it and asked about the brass. I should pay more attention, I think. Never knew about thr tungsten piece.

It may have been up all along but I don't recall it being there originally. I'm not trying to bash anybody either I'm just kind of baffled by it all. If they claim such things in such technical terms thrown around aerospace etc I would think they would know that the two metals would not be great to be working together. I don't have a dog in the fight so I'll just let this one lie I'm glad they're taking care of you Paul

I find this kind of thing very interesting - while I'm not an engineer I do have an interest in technical minutia  - this is chemistry and its clear that there are factors involved in designing a razor that I never considered.  I think this should help Henson build a better product, although, having to replace all the titanium handles and maybe even the top caps might be problematic for them financially speaking.  I'm sure theres a reason for the tungsten insert - it solved a problem but then inadvertently created another one.  The only titanium razor I have is a RazoRock titanium baby smooth and it is all titanium.  I'll confirm that but I don't recall seeing any indication of non-titanium components.  The brass threaded stud is easy to see the rationale for. - cheaper than milling an integral top cap / threaded stud from a monolithic block of titanium.  Not sure about the rationale for the insert in the handle though.  Maybe a simpler machining process.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not suggesting you bash Henson, but rather help them learn to build better razors. Also thats a fairly pricey razor so I would expect them to make it right. I'm not sure making it right would involve giving you another titanium razor with the same construction materials because, as you said, it will happen again.

I did three passes with the Overlander. It is a smooth shaver, for sure. How much... That might be hard to gauge right now. I did the maximum prep because of irritation I've been having. I also used what may be one of my best soaps: MacDuff's. This stuff is as slick as they come.

Now I've read a few times people talking about getting a BBS with this razor in two passes. I cannot fathom how. It's good for sure. Probably as competent as the GC 84, with less aggression. But two passes!? I needed three plus cleanup here, as usual. My guess would be, my hair is much more wirey?

Nonetheless, it was a good shave on day one, shaving the copper wire with the brass Outlander. Have a good evening folks.

A very detailed and informative post, Paul. Two passes, for me, resulted in a great shave, but I still needed an ATG pass. That last pass, ATG, was very comfortable. I am definitely getting a closer shave than the SB-B plate, but with great comfort and ease. Today was my third shave, and it is working well for me. I still need all my normal time, but shortening my time wasn't the goal for me. I wanted comfort and a closer shave, and I think I am getting that. Stubble is minimal, but is present, by 8 pm. 

Looking forward to hearing more as you proceed!

I did three passes with the Overlander. It is a smooth shaver, for sure. How much... That might be hard to gauge right now. I did the maximum prep because of irritation I've been having. I also used what may be one of my best soaps: MacDuff's. This stuff is as slick as they come.

Now I've read a few times people talking about getting a BBS with this razor in two passes. I cannot fathom how. It's good for sure. Probably as competent as the GC 84, with less aggression. But two passes!? I needed three plus cleanup here, as usual. My guess would be, my hair is much more wirey?

Nonetheless, it was a good shave on day one, shaving the copper wire with the brass Outlander. Have a good evening folks.

A very detailed and informative post, Paul. Two passes, for me, resulted in a great shave, but I still needed an ATG pass. That last pass, ATG, was very comfortable. I am definitely getting a closer shave than the SB-B plate, but with great comfort and ease. Today was my third shave, and it is working well for me. I still need all my normal time, but shortening my time wasn't the goal for me. I wanted comfort and a closer shave, and I think I am getting that. Stubble is minimal, but is present, by 8 pm. 

Looking forward to hearing more as you proceed!

I absolutely agree Eric. It was a comfortable shave, moreso than any razor I recall with that level of efficiency. It is absolutely more efficient than the B plate folks are comparing the feeling to. I haven't used the Karve in a while, so I likened it to the GC. A 68 feel with an 84 performance is what I've hunted for in a razor. I may have found it.

I'm only one shave in, so my opinion will evolve, and hopefully I'll have better words to describe it. Right now, it has a lot of potential and I'm initially impressed. I commend Karve on what I've experienced so far.