ATT SE2 vs ATT SE1 vs Colonial General SS

[Esox]

Esox, your MMOC is nickel plated. There was no chrome plating on those razors.

Good to know, thanks!

 

[rabidus]

Ok there has been so much discussion on the Colonial General and the SE1 in this thread so I thought I'd take them both for a spin tonight and do some comparisons of my own. I also threw in another razor just because it was mentioned somewhere in this thread or another I believe but I'l get to that later. I'm going on 2 1/2 days growth.
I loaded both with a once used Proline ( used them with the Occam and SE2 ) so equal blades. I don't have the SS General but I have the Brass which is a razor I really like and I'm very familiar with as opposed to the SE1 which I've shaved with only twice.
ATG and it's easy to recognize how different these two feel against the skin. SE1 is singing louder and there is more blade feel. The General is a lot quieter and there is not as much blade feel but a smoother shaver and has also has better glide. NOT by a whole lot but definitely noticeable for sure. I was surprised after the first pass that the side I gave to the General to shave felt a bit smoother with less stubble but I thought to soon to judge. So I did a XTG pass ear to nose and again more feedback from the SE1 and blade feel. I finished the left side of my face and neck with no issues and felt no irritation. Next up the General and once again it felt smoother and just a touch more efficient and I say that because at the end of the pass I felt less stubble on the Generals side. 3rd pass was also XTG this time nose to ear. Also on this pass I did just a little skin stretching where I have some cowlicks and under my jawline. One thing I noticed that both the General and the SE1 both got under my nose really well no matter which pass I was on. So I'm making this assessment short and to the point. The Brass General shaved me a little bit closer which I was somewhat surprised by based on a lot of the comments and reviews on here but I thought to myself I do have a whole lot more seat time with the General so things may change with time. I'm usually pretty good with accessing a razor quickly but we will see how things go moving forward and all I can report on is how this particular shave went. I will also will try using different blades in both razors to see if anything changes.
I also think I need to send back my Atlas handle and exchange it for a Kronos as the Atlas is a little short for my hand and the half inch should be just right. I'll call Stan tomorrow.

NOW this is where I brought in a 3rd razor. The Sabre L2. NOTE: I had the L1 baseplate in the razor and I tried a very tiny section after I applied a thin coating of lather but it picked up nothing so I switched to the L2 baseplate and did a full WTG pass again to see if I could pick up any stubble on both sides and low and behold I did! I did not go ATG or XTG on this pass just to be clear. So just WTG and I did do a little skin stretching on my trouble spots and I finally got to a entry level BBS shave. I had a gut feeling that the Sabre with the L2 would be just as efficient as the others and maybe even a tab bit more than either but I'd have to do a side by side to be 100% sure. I will say though that of all 3 of the razors the one with the best glide was the General and it was from start to finish. Maybe it's the brass as opposed to the satin SS that which IMO has a little bit of tug on it sort of like the Ikon MR SE does. But it was noticeable for sure.

So that's my review in a nutshell.

When I first got the ATT SE, it didn't glide very well, but it glides fine now. Not sure when that transition took place or why though. I just rinse the razor and hang it on the razor stand, occasionally hitting it with scrubbing bubbles.

 

[User 306]

When I first got the ATT SE, it didn't glide very well, but it glides fine now. Not sure when that transition took place or why though. I just rinse the razor and hang it on the razor stand, occasionally hitting it with scrubbing bubbles.

Anthony I think that happens with all the satin SS Razors I have ever used or tried. The glide will improve over time as it’s a metal and as it wears a little the glide gets better. Sort of like a Gem PTFE blade. My favorite shave is not the first one but the ones that follow.

Also think I’m going to polish mine and see what happens. Like I mentioned I may send it to get it high polished but I’ll try doing it with some Simichrome polish first.

Also talked to Stan and I’ve shipped the Atlas back to exchange it for the Kronos as it was just a little to short for my hand.
Great customer service shoukd always be mentioned. So props to Stan

 

[rabidus]

Also talked to Stan and I’ve shipped the Atlas back to exchange it for the Kronos as it was just a little to short for my hand.

I think they sell the Kronos handle in their "Garden Tools" section!

 

[Chan Eil Whiskers]

I think they sell the Kronos handle in their "Garden Tools" section!

Yeah, I heard they were going to make a Shovel Head.

 

[Chan Eil Whiskers]

Anthony I think that happens with all the satin SS Razors I have ever used or tried. The glide will improve over time as it’s a metal and as it wears a little the glide gets better. Sort of like a Gem PTFE blade. My favorite shave is not the first one but the ones that follow.

Also think I’m going to polish mine and see what happens. Like I mentioned I may send it to get it high polished but I’ll try doing it with some Simichrome polish first.

Also talked to Stan and I’ve shipped the Atlas back to exchange it for the Kronos as it was just a little to short for my hand.
Great customer service should always be mentioned. So props to Stan

Should be interesting.

 

[jar_]

I just finished doing a comparison of four AC format razors with two shave each from a Schick ProLine, Feather Pro and Kai Captain Titan mild. The razors were my brass General with a spiral handle, a V1 aluminum Hawk, a V2 aluminum Black Hawk and the ATT SE1.

There was a noticeable difference in the razors, the SE1 was way more comfortable and efficient than any of the others, the V1 Black Hawk and General pretty much the same and the V1 Hawk not quite as efficient or comfortable as the other three.

There wasn't as much difference in the blades though and in fact they were all close enough that whatever is on sale might be the deciding factor.

Colonial General Brass WCS Brass Spiral handle.

Schick Proline blade: fairly comfortable and good efficiency.

Proline shave #2: Fairly comfortable but lost attention and sliced my lower lip trying a Gillette Slide.

Feather AC: comfortable and good efficiency. Can’t tell much if any difference.

Feather AC #2: repeat of Feather #1. I certainly can’t tell much if any difference at least in the General.

Kai Captain Titan Mild: another great near perfect PDG+ shave. Maybe just slightly more touchup needed.

Kai AC #2: Near perfect PDG+ shave and maybe the most comfortable of this set.

RazoRock aluminum Hawk V1.

Schick Proline blade: kinda comfortable and efficient but more touchup than with the General.

Schick Proline blade #2: really tugging and pulling. 4 shaves is about the limit for this blade. Retired.

Feather AC: comfortable and very efficient, almost no post alum touchup needed.

Feather AC #2: comfortable and maybe even more comfortable and efficient than yesterday. Minimal touchup and PDG+ near perfect shave.

Kai Captain Titan Mild: very comfortable. Slightly more post alum touchup.

Kai AC #2: tugging & pulling. Blade is about shot. Like the Proline seems a short life.

RazoRock aluminum Black Hawk V2.

Schick Proline blade: more comfortable and efficient than the V1 and about the same as the General.

Schick Proline blade #2: good shave, near perfect and the V2 does get to under nose and upper lip better than V1. This was shave two on the ProLine blade.

Feather AC: End result was a near perfect PDG+ shave and this is shave five on the blade. Starting to pull and tug though. Will change blades.

Feather AC #2: New Feather blade. Very comfortable shave and even less touchup needed than with the ProLine.

Kai Captain Titan Mild: New Kai blade. Very comfortable shave, near perfect PDG+ two pass with minimal touchup. More comfortable than the Feather but slightly more touchup needed.

Kai AC #2: Much like the first shave with this blade but just maybe slightly more efficient on the second use.

Above the Tie SE1.

Schick Proline blade: Third shave on this blade. Absolutely wonderful shave; comfortable, efficient, two pass with minimal touchup and certainly the best AC format shave I’ve ever had. This razor really stands out above any of the three others in terms of comfort and efficiency so far.

Schick Proline blade #2: Today’s shave reminded me of the little girl who had a little curl…just as with earlier experience of the Schick ProLine blade, when it is good it is very very good but when it is bad it is horrid. Today the blade simply would not cut any hair. It was pulling and tugging and very Shakespearian; fully of sound and fury but doing nothing. A new blade solved the problem, but it seems that three shaves are about the limit on a Schick AC format ProLine blade.

Feather AC: Shave two on this blade. Fast, efficient and comfortable PDG+ near perfect two pass and touchup shave. The SE1 really surprises me. It’s head and solders above the Brass General which was my most pleasant AC format razor.

Feather AC #2: Another really nice two pass PDG shave with minimal touchup. This razor really seems to work well with the Feather blades.

Kai Captain Titan Mild: Third save on this blade and efficiency is down. It is still giving me a PDG+ near perfect shave but with more touchup.

Kai AC #2: Another nice shave. Still very comfortable but needed two full passes and then lots of touchup. Seems four shaves per blade will be the norm.

I also did a similar comparison between the ATT G1 and my Saber L1 & L2 with somewhat similar results.

All three gave me a near perfect two pass & touchup PDG+ shave with carbon blades or Stainless or PTFE stainless. There it was the blades than made the biggest difference. The carbon blades had a life of maybe two shaves while the two stainless just seemed ready to go on forever. In the razors though it really came down to what the user likes; those that like to feel the steel will love the Saber L2 and those who do not like to feel the steel will like the other two.

 

[rabidus]

I just finished doing a comparison of four AC format razors with two shave each from a Schick ProLine, Feather Pro and Kai Captain Titan mild. The razors were my brass General with a spiral handle, a V1 aluminum Hawk, a V2 aluminum Black Hawk and the ATT SE1.

There was a noticeable difference in the razors, the SE1 was way more comfortable and efficient than any of the others, the V1 Black Hawk and General pretty much the same and the V1 Hawk not quite as efficient or comfortable as the other three.

There wasn't as much difference in the blades though and in fact they were all close enough that whatever is on sale might be the deciding factor.

Colonial General Brass WCS Brass Spiral handle.

Schick Proline blade: fairly comfortable and good efficiency.

Proline shave #2: Fairly comfortable but lost attention and sliced my lower lip trying a Gillette Slide.

Feather AC: comfortable and good efficiency. Can’t tell much if any difference.

Feather AC #2: repeat of Feather #1. I certainly can’t tell much if any difference at least in the General.

Kai Captain Titan Mild: another great near perfect PDG+ shave. Maybe just slightly more touchup needed.

Kai AC #2: Near perfect PDG+ shave and maybe the most comfortable of this set.

RazoRock aluminum Hawk V1.

Schick Proline blade: kinda comfortable and efficient but more touchup than with the General.

Schick Proline blade #2: really tugging and pulling. 4 shaves is about the limit for this blade. Retired.

Feather AC: comfortable and very efficient, almost no post alum touchup needed.

Feather AC #2: comfortable and maybe even more comfortable and efficient than yesterday. Minimal touchup and PDG+ near perfect shave.

Kai Captain Titan Mild: very comfortable. Slightly more post alum touchup.

Kai AC #2: tugging & pulling. Blade is about shot. Like the Proline seems a short life.

RazoRock aluminum Black Hawk V2.

Schick Proline blade: more comfortable and efficient than the V1 and about the same as the General.

Schick Proline blade #2: good shave, near perfect and the V2 does get to under nose and upper lip better than V1. This was shave two on the ProLine blade.

Feather AC: End result was a near perfect PDG+ shave and this is shave five on the blade. Starting to pull and tug though. Will change blades.

Feather AC #2: New Feather blade. Very comfortable shave and even less touchup needed than with the ProLine.

Kai Captain Titan Mild: New Kai blade. Very comfortable shave, near perfect PDG+ two pass with minimal touchup. More comfortable than the Feather but slightly more touchup needed.

Kai AC #2: Much like the first shave with this blade but just maybe slightly more efficient on the second use.

Above the Tie SE1.

Schick Proline blade: Third shave on this blade. Absolutely wonderful shave; comfortable, efficient, two pass with minimal touchup and certainly the best AC format shave I’ve ever had. This razor really stands out above any of the three others in terms of comfort and efficiency so far.

Schick Proline blade #2: Today’s shave reminded me of the little girl who had a little curl…just as with earlier experience of the Schick ProLine blade, when it is good it is very very good but when it is bad it is horrid. Today the blade simply would not cut any hair. It was pulling and tugging and very Shakespearian; fully of sound and fury but doing nothing. A new blade solved the problem, but it seems that three shaves are about the limit on a Schick AC format ProLine blade.

Feather AC: Shave two on this blade. Fast, efficient and comfortable PDG+ near perfect two pass and touchup shave. The SE1 really surprises me. It’s head and solders above the Brass General which was my most pleasant AC format razor.

Feather AC #2: Another really nice two pass PDG shave with minimal touchup. This razor really seems to work well with the Feather blades.

Kai Captain Titan Mild: Third save on this blade and efficiency is down. It is still giving me a PDG+ near perfect shave but with more touchup.

Kai AC #2: Another nice shave. Still very comfortable but needed two full passes and then lots of touchup. Seems four shaves per blade will be the norm.

I also did a similar comparison between the ATT G1 and my Saber L1 & L2 with somewhat similar results.

All three gave me a near perfect two pass & touchup PDG+ shave with carbon blades or Stainless or PTFE stainless. There it was the blades than made the biggest difference. The carbon blades had a life of maybe two shaves while the two stainless just seemed ready to go on forever. In the razors though it really came down to what the user likes; those that like to feel the steel will love the Saber L2 and those who do not like to feel the steel will like the other two.

Nice write up! The ATT SE1/Schick Proline is my favorite by a long shot. I flip the blade over after every shave, I can easily get two weeks from a Proline. I've always flipped SE blades since I flipped DE blades and could easily get 60 daily shaves from one!

 

[User 306]

I think they sell the Kronos handle in their "Garden Tools" section!

LMAO!!

 

[Chan Eil Whiskers]

I just finished doing a comparison of four AC format razors with two shave each from a Schick ProLine, Feather Pro and Kai Captain Titan mild. The razors were my brass General with a spiral handle, a V1 aluminum Hawk, a V2 aluminum Black Hawk and the ATT SE1.

There was a noticeable difference in the razors, the SE1 was way more comfortable and efficient than any of the others, the V1 Black Hawk and General pretty much the same and the V1 Hawk not quite as efficient or comfortable as the other three.

There wasn't as much difference in the blades though and in fact they were all close enough that whatever is on sale might be the deciding factor...

Great review. Thanks.

My experience with the Proline in the General is better, too. I can usually get at least a week, shaving daily. I, too, flip the blade, usually after every couple of shaves.

I'll probably start flipping the blade daily, and see how that works.

Happy shaves,

Jim

 

[Wixer102]

Dragonsbeard, your experience is essentially identical to mine. I liked the SE1 but I found the general to be smoother and ultimately closer and more comfortable for me. And like you, I find the brass general to be a bit smoother than the SS and the Sabre L2 thus far.

I'm tempted to look into getting my SS razors polished....

 

[Chan Eil Whiskers]

Anthony I think that happens with all the satin SS Razors I have ever used or tried. The glide will improve over time as it’s a metal and as it wears a little the glide gets better. Sort of like a Gem PTFE blade. My favorite shave is not the first one but the ones that follow.

Also think I’m going to polish mine and see what happens. Like I mentioned I may send it to get it high polished but I’ll try doing it with some Simichrome polish first.

Also talked to Stan and I’ve shipped the Atlas back to exchange it for the Kronos as it was just a little to short for my hand.

Great customer service should always be mentioned. So props to Stan.

Simichrome polish. I read about it on Amazon. Sounds like excellent stuff, but I'm unsure about how to use it. Some people use it with a toothbrush or a cloth, by hand. Others use a Dremel and a little buffing wheel. Apparently it works well on stainless steel and all sorts of metals.

On another thread you said something about polishing a razor. I assume you used this stuff, but how?

I'm thinking of polishing the cap of my SS General to get it a bit more smooth. I have another one of the metal polishes, Flitz, but no idea where Simichrome is substantially different and/or better. Not that I expect you to necessarily know that either.

Happy shaves,

Jim

 

[User 306]

Simichrome polish. I read about it on Amazon. Sounds like excellent stuff, but I'm unsure about how to use it. Some people use it with a toothbrush or a cloth, by hand. Others use a Dremel and a little buffing wheel. Apparently it works well on stainless steel and all sorts of metals.

On another thread you said something about polishing a razor. I assume you used this stuff, but how?

I'm thinking of polishing the cap of my SS General to get it a bit more smooth. I have another one of the metal polishes, Flitz, but no idea where Simichrome is substantially different and/or better. Not that I expect you to necessarily know that either.

Happy shaves,

Jim

Hi Jim

I have talked to other razor owner that prefer it over Flitz. The other to consider is Maas which I just ordered so I can compare to Simichrome which has very little grit.
Just use a Clean very soft cloth to apply and let it dry for about 2 minutes and buff. I may have them brought up to a high polish by someone that has a polishing wheel. I think they’d even be better. But today was much better than the last Shave. Still not as smooth as the brass General but closer to it than before. High polished I think it will surpass the General.

Let me say that the General, the brass General as it’s what I own is one hell of a good razor especially when you consider the cost.

 

[User 306]

Dragonsbeard, your experience is essentially identical to mine. I liked the SE1 but I found the general to be smoother and ultimately closer and more comfortable for me. And like you, I find the brass general to be a bit smoother than the SS and the Sabre L2 thus far.

I'm tempted to look into getting my SS razors polished....

I personally think discontinuing the Brass General was a big mistake. In fact my prediction is one day they will be hard to find and may begin to bring big dollars on the colllectale

 

[GuybrushThreepwood]

RazoRock aluminum Hawk V1.

Schick Proline blade: kinda comfortable and efficient but more touchup than with the General.

Schick Proline blade #2: really tugging and pulling. 4 shaves is about the limit for this blade. Retired.

Interesting the Hawk V1/ Schick Proline Combination works great for me and for much longer than 4 shaves. I usually change my blade after 1 week, but with the Proline that wasn't really necessary because even after 7 shaves it was still going strong.

This is a great thread, so much helpful information.

 

[shave/brush]

I find the brass General with a Proline blade in it is the smoothest shave I ever got. And it still cuts close as any other razor.

 

[shave/brush]

I personally think discontinuing the Brass General was a big mistake. In fact my prediction is one day they will be hard to find and may begin to bring big dollars on the collectable

I agree. It is a very unique razor and for the low price they should have kept it in production.

 

[Chan Eil Whiskers]

Hi Jim

I have talked to other razor owner that prefer it over Flitz. The other to consider is Maas which I just ordered so I can compare to Simichrome which has very little grit.
Just use a Clean very soft cloth to apply and let it dry for about 2 minutes and buff. I may have them brought up to a high polish by someone that has a polishing wheel. I think they’d even be better. But today was much better than the last Shave. Still not as smooth as the brass General but closer to it than before. High polished I think it will surpass the General.

Let me say that the General, the brass General as it’s what I own is one hell of a good razor especially when you consider the cost.

You mean buff it by hand, right?

Thanks so much. I'll see what the Flitz does (since I have it), and consider ordering one or two of the others. Please compare them for us when you have both if you can.

You're polishing just the top of the cap? What else? I know the top surface of the razor (the cap and maybe the top surface of the guard) is all that needs to be polished for a functional (gliding better) purpose.

Like you, I wish the brass General had not been discontinued. I wonder what the advantage of SS over brass is supposed to be, for either the end user or the manufacturer. SS is harder, but look how long vintage brass (plated usually) razors sold for a dollar have lasted.

It might be that machine shops, large and small, are more used to working with SS. That's a flat out guess - no knowledge, no data, no experience, and no research - at best.

Happy shaves,

Jim

 

[rabidus]

I wonder what the advantage of SS over brass is supposed to be, for either the end user or the manufacturer.

You have to continually polish brass if you don't want it to patina... Maybe it's just maintenance!

 

[User 306]

You have to continually polish brass if you don't want it to patina... Maybe it's just maintenance!

Yes you are right Anthony but what Brass offers that SS doesn't is let's say if someone wants to have it plated it is the best metal to do so along with Copper. SS is not impossible but not recommended. With SS polishing or high polishing is the best option. BTW Modern Brass razors can be maintained easily if someone doesn't want it to patina. I've had my brass for a while now and only twice have I taken a little polish to it when it starts to get a slight patina and bingo it's right back to like new. All depends on what you want. I can polish a razor in no more than 5 minutes so no biggy.