Well I was going to wait till the weekend to do this shave comparison as I wanted a little more time but because of the weather ( SNOW ) my day kind of canceled out so I thought why not go home and have a good slow shave.
Since getting the ATT SE2 and + the #1 baseplate I have been wanting to do some comparisons which I have at home but not on B&B or any other shaving forums. I will start off with I'm not sure the SE1 baseplate is something I will use very much. I have yet to get a really great shave out of it which surprised me as I read so much on here about what a great shaver it is. Example I get a closer and smoother shave out of my Brass General and even more so with my newly acquired Schick adjustable injector using the Schick 11 Twin blades. In fact it may be in the same league as these 2 razors. That shave is up next on my list.
Anyway I won't make this to long a read. You can see the tools and shave gear. Proline blade in the SE2 and Feather in the CG.
I will make it known that I've already did this shave off already last week but things were a little different. For one I didn't like the Atlas handle I ordered with the SE2 as it was a little to short for my hand and it felt like the balance was off at least for me. I just got the Kronos yesterday in the mail and it immediately felt better. Anyway with the absence of the ATT handle last week I used a Maggards MR 11 which is similar to the Ikon Bulldog which fits my hand ok but it's a little lighter weight than a real Ikon Bulldog and for that reason again the balance was off by a bit. So using both a Proline and I also tried a Kai Pro Guard which I didn't like at all and in fact I took like 2 or 3 strokes and took it out and put a Proline in and it was in my opinion much better. Anyway when I did this shave comparison last week I assigned the SE2 the right side of my face which is more difficult to shave due to cowlicks on my neck and some tuff to mow down hairs on my jawline. Also not having a good handle I felt like the SE2 was not at it's best. I only did two passes and the Charcoal was a clear winner as I ended up with a closer shave and it was even more apparent as my beard started to grow out. A note I used a Posliver in the CG at the time.
Anyway on to today. I told Anthony before getting the SE2 that I wanted to do a side by side shave comparison with my Charcoal Goods razor only at that time I said let's see how it does against the Level 3 OC baseplate. Well I abandoned that idea after the first shave and I can tell it's no match for that plate as far as efficiency goes. So I thought the level 2 plate was a better match up and it is.
I want to make a note. I don't usually use a Feather in either my CG L2 or L3 and truthfully I'm not a big fan of Feathers as I feel they are a little ruff on the face compared to some other blades I prefer and I know a lot of guys would debate that analogy but it's what I've experienced in my 8yrs of wet shaving using Feathers.
I did a 3 pass shave today. A WTG then to a ATG and then finished with an XTG. Reason I did an ATG 2nd was I've gotten BBS with the CG after 2 passes using a skin stretch short stroke technique which for me reduces the number of passes I need to make using any razor in my den. Anyway today I did not use that technique but used traditional long strokes.
PASS # 1 WTG - This time I gave the task of shaving the more difficult side of my face to the CG and the easier side to the SE2 just to switch things around from the previous shave. Lathered up and started with the CG and this razor like the SE2 both give some clear audio feedback and have a decent amount of blade feel which I don't mind. The CG and Feather combo took down my 2 day growth easily without any blade chatter or skipping. I have to say the Feather is sharp but the familiar ruff drag was there but not as much as I had remembered. Maybe it was the new Wholly Kaw shave soap as it had nice glide which I notice right away and I finished and did a quick feel and my cheeks felt like I could have just stopped if I was doing a work shave as it was at a DFS already. Neck with the bad cowlick would need another pass for sure but it was very good for a 1st pass especially considering I was using long strokes. So over to the SE2 side and what a difference in face real estate covered with the big head and much longer blade. Nice first pass as it also mowed down the 2 days growth with no chatter or skipping. The angle is very easy to find on the SE2 and I really like the Proline blade. At least on my face and I'm pretty certain I'll never put a Kai Pro Guard in this razor again! So at the end of the pass doing a face feel both sides were very close. So nice 1st pass by both razors.
PASS # 2 ATG - Ok this is where I noticed a difference right away. The SE2 started to jitter a little mostly on my face but not on my neck. There was just a tad of hesitation as well. I didn't like the feeling so I slowed things down a bit and things went better but still not a overall great pass. I finished the pass and It may have not felt so good and all but it had taken down a lot of what it missed on the 1st pass with no weepers so I was fairly happy. Next up was the CG and on the ATG pass I gotta give this to the CG it was smoother as far as glide, more maneuverable than the SE2 and there was no hesitation or interruption in the pass. Only thing is I can feel the damn Feather blade being there nasty selfies as I detected a just a little redness after the pass. Stubble wise I'd say the CG took down a tad more than the SE2 as my face and neck felt just a little bit smoother. Still had one more pass so final judgement is yet to come. Note there was not redness on the SE2 side which I appreciated and I'll use a pre shave cream next time I use a Feather blade.
PASS #3 - XTG Ear to nose was just what the dr ordered for the SE2 as if felt much smoother than the ATG pass. I could hear feedback as it cleaned up the remaining stubble and what I tried which I had never done before with any razor except the Genesis and O Ring clone is shave east to west across my Adams apple and no issue at all so I was impressed to say the least. Finished the pass and I could feel a little left over stubble around my mouth and nose so I buffed a little bit there and all was fine. Next up the CG and this was also a nice smooth pass and I got a little less audio feedback than I did with the SE2 so I'm thinking I've got to be at or very near a BBS shave after this pass. Well I was and I'd say a very solid BBS l bordering on a level 2. Going back to the SE2 side I was also at a BBS but from experience and hand feel I thought this shave and these two razor have delivered a very closely matched shave. If someone had held a gun to my head and said you have to pick one side or the other I think I'd have to give my face to the CG and my neck to the SE2 as far as which BBS will last longer. I mean this shave is neck and neck pretty much and now only the next 8 -12 hrs will tell who the winner of this very close comparison shave is. I have to try this shave off again using the next up most efficient razor in my den which is the Timeless . 95 OC as I feel like it's just a tad more efficient than the CG level 2 but not as efficient as the CG level 3 which is at this moment #1 in my den efficiency wise.
If I had to through in any cons on the SE2 I'd say like all stainless steel razors that have a satin finish there is always that little bit of drag that is not there with a polished SS razor and I will be polishing the head a couple more times and I'm sure it will improve with time and usage. Also the knurling on the Kronos is in my opinion is a little on the sharp side and although it's not going to cut me or anything it could be a little smoother IMO.
Thank you!
Since getting the ATT SE2 and + the #1 baseplate I have been wanting to do some comparisons which I have at home but not on B&B or any other shaving forums. I will start off with I'm not sure the SE1 baseplate is something I will use very much. I have yet to get a really great shave out of it which surprised me as I read so much on here about what a great shaver it is. Example I get a closer and smoother shave out of my Brass General and even more so with my newly acquired Schick adjustable injector using the Schick 11 Twin blades. In fact it may be in the same league as these 2 razors. That shave is up next on my list.
Anyway I won't make this to long a read. You can see the tools and shave gear. Proline blade in the SE2 and Feather in the CG.
I will make it known that I've already did this shave off already last week but things were a little different. For one I didn't like the Atlas handle I ordered with the SE2 as it was a little to short for my hand and it felt like the balance was off at least for me. I just got the Kronos yesterday in the mail and it immediately felt better. Anyway with the absence of the ATT handle last week I used a Maggards MR 11 which is similar to the Ikon Bulldog which fits my hand ok but it's a little lighter weight than a real Ikon Bulldog and for that reason again the balance was off by a bit. So using both a Proline and I also tried a Kai Pro Guard which I didn't like at all and in fact I took like 2 or 3 strokes and took it out and put a Proline in and it was in my opinion much better. Anyway when I did this shave comparison last week I assigned the SE2 the right side of my face which is more difficult to shave due to cowlicks on my neck and some tuff to mow down hairs on my jawline. Also not having a good handle I felt like the SE2 was not at it's best. I only did two passes and the Charcoal was a clear winner as I ended up with a closer shave and it was even more apparent as my beard started to grow out. A note I used a Posliver in the CG at the time.
Anyway on to today. I told Anthony before getting the SE2 that I wanted to do a side by side shave comparison with my Charcoal Goods razor only at that time I said let's see how it does against the Level 3 OC baseplate. Well I abandoned that idea after the first shave and I can tell it's no match for that plate as far as efficiency goes. So I thought the level 2 plate was a better match up and it is.
I want to make a note. I don't usually use a Feather in either my CG L2 or L3 and truthfully I'm not a big fan of Feathers as I feel they are a little ruff on the face compared to some other blades I prefer and I know a lot of guys would debate that analogy but it's what I've experienced in my 8yrs of wet shaving using Feathers.
I did a 3 pass shave today. A WTG then to a ATG and then finished with an XTG. Reason I did an ATG 2nd was I've gotten BBS with the CG after 2 passes using a skin stretch short stroke technique which for me reduces the number of passes I need to make using any razor in my den. Anyway today I did not use that technique but used traditional long strokes.
PASS # 1 WTG - This time I gave the task of shaving the more difficult side of my face to the CG and the easier side to the SE2 just to switch things around from the previous shave. Lathered up and started with the CG and this razor like the SE2 both give some clear audio feedback and have a decent amount of blade feel which I don't mind. The CG and Feather combo took down my 2 day growth easily without any blade chatter or skipping. I have to say the Feather is sharp but the familiar ruff drag was there but not as much as I had remembered. Maybe it was the new Wholly Kaw shave soap as it had nice glide which I notice right away and I finished and did a quick feel and my cheeks felt like I could have just stopped if I was doing a work shave as it was at a DFS already. Neck with the bad cowlick would need another pass for sure but it was very good for a 1st pass especially considering I was using long strokes. So over to the SE2 side and what a difference in face real estate covered with the big head and much longer blade. Nice first pass as it also mowed down the 2 days growth with no chatter or skipping. The angle is very easy to find on the SE2 and I really like the Proline blade. At least on my face and I'm pretty certain I'll never put a Kai Pro Guard in this razor again! So at the end of the pass doing a face feel both sides were very close. So nice 1st pass by both razors.
PASS # 2 ATG - Ok this is where I noticed a difference right away. The SE2 started to jitter a little mostly on my face but not on my neck. There was just a tad of hesitation as well. I didn't like the feeling so I slowed things down a bit and things went better but still not a overall great pass. I finished the pass and It may have not felt so good and all but it had taken down a lot of what it missed on the 1st pass with no weepers so I was fairly happy. Next up was the CG and on the ATG pass I gotta give this to the CG it was smoother as far as glide, more maneuverable than the SE2 and there was no hesitation or interruption in the pass. Only thing is I can feel the damn Feather blade being there nasty selfies as I detected a just a little redness after the pass. Stubble wise I'd say the CG took down a tad more than the SE2 as my face and neck felt just a little bit smoother. Still had one more pass so final judgement is yet to come. Note there was not redness on the SE2 side which I appreciated and I'll use a pre shave cream next time I use a Feather blade.
PASS #3 - XTG Ear to nose was just what the dr ordered for the SE2 as if felt much smoother than the ATG pass. I could hear feedback as it cleaned up the remaining stubble and what I tried which I had never done before with any razor except the Genesis and O Ring clone is shave east to west across my Adams apple and no issue at all so I was impressed to say the least. Finished the pass and I could feel a little left over stubble around my mouth and nose so I buffed a little bit there and all was fine. Next up the CG and this was also a nice smooth pass and I got a little less audio feedback than I did with the SE2 so I'm thinking I've got to be at or very near a BBS shave after this pass. Well I was and I'd say a very solid BBS l bordering on a level 2. Going back to the SE2 side I was also at a BBS but from experience and hand feel I thought this shave and these two razor have delivered a very closely matched shave. If someone had held a gun to my head and said you have to pick one side or the other I think I'd have to give my face to the CG and my neck to the SE2 as far as which BBS will last longer. I mean this shave is neck and neck pretty much and now only the next 8 -12 hrs will tell who the winner of this very close comparison shave is. I have to try this shave off again using the next up most efficient razor in my den which is the Timeless . 95 OC as I feel like it's just a tad more efficient than the CG level 2 but not as efficient as the CG level 3 which is at this moment #1 in my den efficiency wise.
If I had to through in any cons on the SE2 I'd say like all stainless steel razors that have a satin finish there is always that little bit of drag that is not there with a polished SS razor and I will be polishing the head a couple more times and I'm sure it will improve with time and usage. Also the knurling on the Kronos is in my opinion is a little on the sharp side and although it's not going to cut me or anything it could be a little smoother IMO.
Thank you!
