AC Razors/Razor Blades Noob..

[saj]

Hello people so I've used a shavettes since my teens and a double edge razor since say 2016 roughly,
Recently tried out single edge razors like the yaqi katana and the twig

Now I know hardly anything about AC Razors/Razor Blades

So yea which AC razors are good for a noob like it?

Also what AC Razor Blades are good too?

I do appreciate blades can be subjective

Thanks saj

 

[GearNoir]

If you’re used to and love the close shaves and cool factor of open blades…you’ll probably like the Blackland Vector. It’s the zippy, tight handling Ferrari of AC SEs and I love it.

For me it’s only slightly edged out of first place by the Colonial Brass General (the v1 General head and brass material sadly no longer offered) with a nickel finish. Where the Vector is a Ferrari…the General is like a luxury Maserati or Cadillac…smooth and classy.

The Schick Proline is my blade of choice for both.

 

[StuMcB]

They're all great, some are cheap to buy other not so cheap. Blade wise, it's the same thing, imho regular feathers or Schick propones.

 

[Kostas1]

If you’re used to and love the close shaves and cool factor of open blades…you’ll probably like the Blackland Vector. It’s the zippy, tight handling Ferrari of AC SEs and I love it.

For me it’s only slightly edged out of first place by the Colonial Brass General (the v1 General head and brass material sadly no longer offered) with a nickel finish. Where the Vector is a Ferrari…the General is like a luxury Maserati or Cadillac…smooth and classy.

The Schick Proline is my blade of choice for both.

+1
I have an aluminum General (V1 head), had the stainless steel General (V1), and now have the stainless V2. Also had a Vector (which a friend has since purchased from me). For me, aluminum V1 feels easiest to use. Vector was most maneuverable, but not as intuitive or consistent (again, for me). Very happy so far with V2, but waiting on a titanium handle because stainless was too heavy a pairing for this head.

After trying all blades, Schick ProLines are sharpest, smoothest, and longest lasting.

 

[APBinNCA]

I have had the Razorock hawk aluminium for about a year. I am waiting on the Vector to become available again. I bought the hawk to try out different AC blades and because Italian Barber has the Schick blades. After trying everything but the Feather Super, I am back to preferring the Schicks. The KAI milds are wonderful too, but not sharp enough for my barb wire beard. They are the closest thing to shaving with a carbon blade that I know. Make 10 passes if you want, zero irritation. I still keep a pack around.

 

[bobmsp]

My winning combination is a Colonial General (v2) on a titanium handle along with a Schick Proline. While I believe that this combo would be good for almost anyone, I might consider a RR Hawk today if I didn't want to make the investment in a General. I have an aluminum Hawk but don't like it (or any aluminum razor) very much. Having said that I suspect I'd like the SS Hawk.

I was on a pass around of the SB Vector and my conclusion was that its results were similar to my General. The General was a tiny bit smoother and the Vector was a tiny bit more efficient.

 

[APBinNCA]

I was on a pass around of the SB Vector and my conclusion was that its results were similar to my General. The General was a tiny bit smoother and the Vector was a tiny bit more efficient.

Hey, I am waiting for the Vector. I have eyeballed the General, but Colonial rates the razor at 6/10 vs 5/10. I prefer medium razors, not m- or m+. How is the blade feel on the General? Are you shaving steep or shallow? I normally shave neutral, but finally discovered that the Hawk works better steep. Was getting irritation before. Thanks for any insight you can provide.

 

[dfs]

Regarding blades, I find the Kai mild sharper for the first one to two shaves, after that, the proline wins out. Maybe it’s the extra blade exposure?

Never tried the General, but I love the Vector and tend to use it steep. That said, plenty love it shallow also. It works well any which way.

 

[APBinNCA]

Regarding blades, I find the Kai mild sharper for the first one to two shaves, after that, the proline wins out. Maybe it’s the extra blade exposure?

I was just reading a post mentioning that Gillette had conducted a study where they discovered shavers couldn't accurately tell a slightly sharper blade from an already sharp blade. They discovered that glide was important for not only the perception of sharpness, but actual cutting. It seems that when the coatings wear down, some blades reveal that they aren't actually all that sharp to start with(relatively speaking). I have that same problem with the Kai mild and thought it was crazy I was only getting two shaves out of it. It is one of the only blades, cough Astra, that literally won't remove hair at a certain point for me. It just makes noise and bounces off.

 

[bobmsp]

Hey, I am waiting for the Vector. I have eyeballed the General, but Colonial rates the razor at 6/10 vs 5/10. I prefer medium razors, not m- or m+. How is the blade feel on the General? Are you shaving steep or shallow? I normally shave neutral, but finally discovered that the Hawk works better steep. Was getting irritation before. Thanks for any insight you can provide.

I only used the Vector a few times and it was a few years ago, so I don't have as strong of a memory about the actual shaves as I do my conclusion. I don't really think about it too much, but I think I'm in the neutral to shallow (i.e., riding the cap) category. I prefer less blade feel - although I have some very efficient razors. I use the General when I want a quick and comfortable shave - it's a razor where I can zoom through a shave without much thought and without much irritation after.

Hope this helps. I can answer more questions specifically about the General if you'd like, but can't help as much on the Vector. TBH I think you won't go wrong either way.

Bob

 

[APBinNCA]

I only used the Vector a few times and it was a few years ago, so I don't have as strong of a memory about the actual shaves as I do my conclusion. I don't really think about it too much, but I think I'm in the neutral to shallow (i.e., riding the cap) category. I prefer less blade feel - although I have some very efficient razors. I use the General when I want a quick and comfortable shave - it's a razor where I can zoom through a shave without much thought and without much irritation after.

Hope this helps. I can answer more questions specifically about the General if you'd like, but can't help as much on the Vector. TBH I think you won't go wrong either way.

Bob

Thanks again. The thing I don't like about my Hawk is how far the blade projects past the cap. That was the impetus for changing to steep angle. It looks like the cap on the General better covers the blade. I don't like blade feel either. There are things I don't like about the Vector and the handle is one of them. I am very close to just going with the General and picking my own(short) handle.

 

[GearNoir]

Thanks again. The thing I don't like about my Hawk is how far the blade projects past the cap. That was the impetus for changing to steep angle. It looks like the cap on the General better covers the blade. I don't like blade feel either. There are things I don't like about the Vector and the handle is one of them. I am very close to just going with the General and picking my own(short) handle.

I couldn’t get along with the Hawk at all. Never felt like I got a good shave without a lot of work.

If you don’t like blade feel, the General is probably the better choice over the Vector. The Vector is fun but sometimes feels like it’ll give me a love bite if I don’t pay attention. Not so with the General!

 

[APBinNCA]

I couldn’t get along with the Hawk at all. Never felt like I got a good shave without a lot of work.

If you don’t like blade feel, the General is probably the better choice over the Vector. The Vector is fun but sometimes feels like it’ll give me a love bite if I don’t pay attention. Not so with the General!

Thank you so much! The artist club blades are made for my tough beard, but if I couldn't find a more agreeable razor, I was going to have to give up. The delay getting the Vector back in stock has allowed me to really think about every detail about the Vector that I don't like. I thought I liked the nimble head, but the weight is actually too light for the handle! I have found a 316 stainless handle that is light enough and should go well with the General so that's that. Will get a TiBam when I figure out what I want later. New General owner here(soon)!

 

[Rob72]

Occam's Oren is really a best bang-for-the-buck. It takes a bit of getting used to the loading, but it delivers a delightful, BBS, worry-free shave effortlessly for me.

I have the stainless Hawks, Rx, Mongoose, and the Oren, and have had the AlumaHawk, ATT and the El Jefe. I highly recommend the Oren for starting on the AC path.

I like Feathers and Kai, but haven't tried the Prolines yet.

 

[never-stop-learning]

The Vector is my #1 AC blade razor. The General is #2.

Prolines work great in both razors.

 

[frstplce]

The timing of this thread is perfect. I've been wanting to get back into AC razors. I have a Hawk v1, a v2, General and ATT SE1. All aluminum, all sitting in a box. Thought it was the format I wasn't getting along with. Eventually learned I just don't like light aluminum razors in any format.

I was originally leaning toward the Vector, but it's sold out everywhere. Any idea how often they restock? Meanwhile, I can pick up the General head for almost half the price and it's available to purchase immediately.

I thought I liked the nimble head, but the weight is actually too light for the handle! I have found a 316 stainless handle that is light enough and should go well with the General so that's that. Will get a TiBam when I figure out what I want later. New General owner here(soon)!

That seemed strange to me too. 17g head with a 60g handle. With the General, I'm looking at balancing the 33g head with a 45-50g titanium handle.

 

[APBinNCA]

That seemed strange to me too. 17g head with a 60g handle. With the General, I'm looking at balancing the 33g head with a 45-50g titanium handle.

That was/is my original plan. I have the head ordered. I messaged a seller on Etsy that does custom 316 handles and am waiting to hear back. Because I want a small handle, I have found acceptable stainless handles that I almost ordered that are under 60 grams. The smaller ti handles are months wait leaving only Timeless realistically.

 

[APBinNCA]

Well, I plain lost my mind! After contacting a seller on Etsy with very specific details and requests, I got a canned answer without any hint of price. It was going to be around $100 for Stainless from what I could gather, but didn't receive that info from him. So, I went with rusdrunkbear. It was a lot of money, more than I should have spent, partly because it includes a matching stand. Seller tibam was only $20 total cheaper so I went with the design I liked. The length is longer than I like, but I discovered that with ti I needed longer for more weight. It should be 50-60g. My only excuse for doing this is that I will use it with the a Timeless head also instead of ordering a full razor.