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Colonial General V2 Revised

never-stop-learning

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Shave 20200625
20200625_142412~2.jpg

Razor: Colonial General V2, Timeless TRH6 Ti Handle
Blade: Feather Artist Club Professional Super (3)
Brush: Omega EVO
Bowl: Captain's Choice Copper
Soap: RazoRock Mudder Focker
Aftershave Balm: Hyaluronic Acid
Aftershave: RazoRock Mudder Focker

Wonderful shave. :)
 
My General V2 showed up a few days ago. I was pleasantly surprised to see how much lighter and trimmer V2 is compared to V1. I've got a couple shaves on the V2 and as expected the shave is very similar but it handles better and gets into those tight spaces much better. I put it on a Weber Bulldog handle and that seems to be a good match, although I will likely do some experimenting. While the matte finish looks and performs fine I prefer polished razors so I spent 30 minutes with a buffing wheel, some 3M Super Polishing Compound, and a tub of Mothers mag polish and the V2 head has a mirror finish.

The V2 is a solid performer and with Feather Pro's and Supers it provides DFS / BBS shaves with remarkable ease. I've got a handful of razors that I love and tend to stick with those. I kicked RAD a long time ago, so this purchase was a bit out of character for me. I couldnt be happier with the result. The General V2 will see many many shaves in the coming years.
 

never-stop-learning

Demoted To Moderator
Staff member
My General V2 showed up a few days ago. I was pleasantly surprised to see how much lighter and trimmer V2 is compared to V1. I've got a couple shaves on the V2 and as expected the shave is very similar but it handles better and gets into those tight spaces much better. I put it on a Weber Bulldog handle and that seems to be a good match, although I will likely do some experimenting. While the matte finish looks and performs fine I prefer polished razors so I spent 30 minutes with a buffing wheel, some 3M Super Polishing Compound, and a tub of Mothers mag polish and the V2 head has a mirror finish.

The V2 is a solid performer and with Feather Pro's and Supers it provides DFS / BBS shaves with remarkable ease. I've got a handful of razors that I love and tend to stick with those. I kicked RAD a long time ago, so this purchase was a bit out of character for me. I couldnt be happier with the result. The General V2 will see many many shaves in the coming years.

Congratulations on your new General V2! :)

It is definitely in my Top Tier (along with the Blackland Vector and RR Hawk V3-OC) of AC razors. :)
 
So I've had a General V2 head for a few months now. I originally bought it as a travel/backup razor since the Vector is my go-to as a daily shaver. I only ever used the General a couple of times to try out. Never had a bad shave with it or anything, it just never wow'd me as much as the more agile Vector.

I recently decided to revisit the General paired with a titanium TiBam New York handle, and have used it for my past few shaves. After using the Vector for so long, I find the General to feel smoother and more comfortable, surprisingly so. I think I'll continue to use it for a little while longer and give it a fair shake.
 
So I've had a General V2 head for a few months now. I originally bought it as a travel/backup razor since the Vector is my go-to as a daily shaver. I only ever used the General a couple of times to try out. Never had a bad shave with it or anything, it just never wow'd me as much as the more agile Vector.

I recently decided to revisit the General paired with a titanium TiBam New York handle, and have used it for my past few shaves. After using the Vector for so long, I find the General to feel smoother and more comfortable, surprisingly so. I think I'll continue to use it for a little while longer and give it a fair shake.
Which razor is more efficient as in getting the whiskers off quicker?
 
I got a V2 head a couple of months ago. Paired it with a WCS handle and find it a very nice shave....smooth and efficient. My first real go at the AC format. Not crazy about how wide the blades are, but the overall shave is great.
 
Which razor is more efficient as in getting the whiskers off quicker?

I’ve never done a side by side, but the Vector certainly “feels” more efficient. But honestly I think the results would be pretty similar. For reference I pretty much only use Kai Captain Milds, with AC razors different blades can change the way a razor performs. More so than with DE. Just keep that in mind.
 
I’ve never done a side by side, but the Vector certainly “feels” more efficient. But honestly I think the results would be pretty similar. For reference I pretty much only use Kai Captain Milds, with AC razors different blades can change the way a razor performs. More so than with DE. Just keep that in mind.
I'll order some various AC blades to test with the Vector I've ordered too then.
 
So I've had a General V2 head for a few months now. I originally bought it as a travel/backup razor since the Vector is my go-to as a daily shaver. I only ever used the General a couple of times to try out. Never had a bad shave with it or anything, it just never wow'd me as much as the more agile Vector.

I recently decided to revisit the General paired with a titanium TiBam New York handle, and have used it for my past few shaves. After using the Vector for so long, I find the General to feel smoother and more comfortable, surprisingly so. I think I'll continue to use it for a little while longer and give it a fair shake.

I had this same experience, and have since moved my Vector to a more loving home than I could give it, lol! I paired the General v2 head with the same Timeless handle as David @never-stop-learning, and just love it!
 
So Eric, what difference did you get from the Vector to the General v2?
Edit: smoother, same efficiency or close?
Hey Keith! The Vector was the razor I tried the longest to love. A good friend lent me has I after I stumbled into the injector rabbit hole and was blown away by the Schick Type M. I like the borrowed Vector shaves so much that I bought the first one I saw on the BST! And tried and tried to get daily great shaves from it, using 4 or 5 different blades.

For me, the Schick Proline P-30s are the best AC blade for my face. And if I waited a couple of days between Vector shaves, I could get a fairly comfortable shave. But I couldn't get daily comfortable shaves. Technique or my face? I still am not fully decided. But I tried for 5 or 6 months to make it work, and then decided to try the inexpensive Hawk v3 and was rewarded with what I expect and want from any razor, an efficient and comfortable shave. I am not a fan of blade feel, either.

The Vector did always give me a close shave. Some days I was white knuckling the razor or the vanity counter, but it was a rare morning when I could get my looked for result without irritation or a weeper or 2. I tried holding it lightly, holding it shallow, holding it steep, and I couldn't be consistently getting (for me) a great shave. So after experiencing the Hawk, and then getting a General v2 head from the "seconds" bin, I moved the Vector on.

Do I miss it? yes. Shane made an awesome razor with the Vector. Even now, I sometimes regret selling it. And if someone posted a polished one for an absurdly cheap price (ha ha!) I'd be very tempted to buy it. Maybe some of my issue was the "drag" I feel from razor heads that aren't polished.

Sorry for the long-winded post! And looking back over it, I may not have answered your question!!

So, The General v2 is smoother, and pretty close in efficiency, but I'd probably give the nod to the Vector for efficiency.
 
Hey Keith! The Vector was the razor I tried the longest to love. A good friend lent me has I after I stumbled into the injector rabbit hole and was blown away by the Schick Type M. I like the borrowed Vector shaves so much that I bought the first one I saw on the BST! And tried and tried to get daily great shaves from it, using 4 or 5 different blades.

For me, the Schick Proline P-30s are the best AC blade for my face. And if I waited a couple of days between Vector shaves, I could get a fairly comfortable shave. But I couldn't get daily comfortable shaves. Technique or my face? I still am not fully decided. But I tried for 5 or 6 months to make it work, and then decided to try the inexpensive Hawk v3 and was rewarded with what I expect and want from any razor, an efficient and comfortable shave. I am not a fan of blade feel, either.

The Vector did always give me a close shave. Some days I was white knuckling the razor or the vanity counter, but it was a rare morning when I could get my looked for result without irritation or a weeper or 2. I tried holding it lightly, holding it shallow, holding it steep, and I couldn't be consistently getting (for me) a great shave. So after experiencing the Hawk, and then getting a General v2 head from the "seconds" bin, I moved the Vector on.

Do I miss it? yes. Shane made an awesome razor with the Vector. Even now, I sometimes regret selling it. And if someone posted a polished one for an absurdly cheap price (ha ha!) I'd be very tempted to buy it. Maybe some of my issue was the "drag" I feel from razor heads that aren't polished.

Sorry for the long-winded post! And looking back over it, I may not have answered your question!!

So, The General v2 is smoother, and pretty close in efficiency, but I'd probably give the nod to the Vector for efficiency.
I knew you had a pretty good go with the Vector but I didn't know the details.
I had the Hawk v3 in the most efficient plate, it was so nice and a great price too. Razorock razors are just fantastic and such a fair price point.
I've felt the same with machined finished drag, or at least in my mind. The drag might be all in my mind, not 100% sure.
Just kind of reading up on these AC style razors.
The Colonial v2 sounds interesting

 
I knew you had a pretty good go with the Vector but I didn't know the details.
I had the Hawk v3 in the most efficient plate, it was so nice and a great price too. Razorock razors are just fantastic and such a fair price point.
I've felt the same with machined finished drag, or at least in my mind. The drag might be all in my mind, not 100% sure.
Just kind of reading up on these AC style razors.
The Colonial v2 sounds interesting

I like that, "the drag might be all in my mind..." as I have the same thoughts in my mind. Should we be worried?! lol!

I did decide to the get the top of the top cap of the General polished, by a gent on another forum. We'll see if the drag goes away!
 
I like that, "the drag might be all in my mind..." as I have the same thoughts in my mind. Should we be worried?! lol!

I did decide to the get the top of the top cap of the General polished, by a gent on another forum. We'll see if the drag goes away!
Haha yeah, we might ought to worry.
Oh I can't wait to see how the pictures. That's a great idea, I'll be curious to hear about it.
I've got a Rockwell 6s that felt like it was dragging but felt different, I thought, after I polished it up.
 
Yes, I had similar with my beloved Karve. Polishing the brass really made it glide better for me, and then I decided, right before I unknowingly fell into the SE rabbit hole, to have Alan H polish it up for me. Definitely improved the shave and dramatically improved the look (to my eye), but it did cost me some coin. I believe Dave had is 6s polished, but felt it shaved differently, if I remember. He may have moved it on, not sure. But I didn't notice anything, and it may be because I prefer milder razors than Dave.

Alan is recovering after some flooding to his basement, so we agreed that he'd work on it at his convenience, so no real time line. I have plenty to amuse myself with, having bid on various old GEM and Micromatic razors and seem to have winning bids going, so more razors incoming!
 
Yes, I had similar with my beloved Karve. Polishing the brass really made it glide better for me, and then I decided, right before I unknowingly fell into the SE rabbit hole, to have Alan H polish it up for me. Definitely improved the shave and dramatically improved the look (to my eye), but it did cost me some coin. I believe Dave had is 6s polished, but felt it shaved differently, if I remember. He may have moved it on, not sure. But I didn't notice anything, and it may be because I prefer milder razors than Dave.

Alan is recovering after some flooding to his basement, so we agreed that he'd work on it at his convenience, so no real time line. I have plenty to amuse myself with, having bid on various old GEM and Micromatic razors and seem to have winning bids going, so more razors incoming!
There's a lot of vintage razors out that might just fit a guy perfectly.
I like the idea of using gear from years ago, that traditional wet shaving.
My eyes are closing on me so nap time. Talk later.
 
So Eric, what difference did you get from the Vector to the General v2?
Edit: smoother, same efficiency or close?

I like to say the tactile face feel of the Colonial V2 is very similar to a Timeless .68, when you take out the difference in blade performance. What I mean by that is the top cap is pretty curved and feels kind of like the timeless, and there's minimal blade feel when you use the standard width AC blades (not the Feather Super). The Colonial is very smooth feeling in use, similar to the way I think the Timeless feels smooth.

The Vector is not so easy to compare with any other razors because I don’t think it is like any other razor. I don’t find it as smooth feeling, at least not in the same way the Colonial feels smooth. That being said, it’s also not harsh at all, which most people assume if it’s not “smooth”. When people describe it as an extension of your hand it really is, it’s a very “direct” razor in that you feel exactly what you’re doing with it the whole way.

Both give me extremely comfortable shaves but the journey getting there is much different. The Vector gets a slight nod in closeness, but both are leaps and bounds ahead of my favorite DEs (which have all been sold BTW).
 

never-stop-learning

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To me, the Vector wins because it is more nimble and maneuverable plus I find it slightly more effective. They are both excellent razors. :)
 
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