Which AC Razors Should Be On My Radar?

[bobmsp]

In the last 6 months, I've become a big fan of the AC format. I've been fortunate enough to acquire the General v2, a Cobra Classic, a RR Hawk v2, and a knock-off of a Feather DX kamisori. I'd say that the General is the razor that consistently give a very nice shave. I've found a blade that works really well for me with the Cobra (Feather Pro Super), but the combo will definitely not become a daily driver for me. And the Hawk does surprisingly well for its price. (I'm not a huge fan of aluminum razors because of the light weight.) I'd consider the Hawk to be a decent travel razor. I gouged my face the first time I tried the Kamisori, so I've been a little gun-shy with it.

So I could easily stick with this combination of 3 for the foreseeable future. I'm wondering, though, whether there's anything else out in the market that I should be looking at. To be clear, I'm not looking to just expand my AC collection with things that shave as well as what I've got. Rather, I'd only like to consider things that would either fill in a gap or would improve my shave. The ones that I'm thinking might be out there are the Asylum RX, the Enoch, and the (soon to market) SS Hawk. I'd also think about getting a more expensive Feather once I have better mastered the Kamisori.

Anything else I should be thinking about in the medium- to long-term future?

 

[Dave in KY]

I owned/tried all three Generals, Asylum RX, Occam Enoch, Occam OREN, Occam Hiram, ATT SE1 and some I'm not remembering probably. The Blackland Vector has them all beat as far as a close BBS shave that lasts the day and can be done daily with a Schick Proline blade being my favorite and no irritation. That's my take and experience but everyone is different.

 

[bobmsp]

I owned/tried all three Generals, Asylum RX, Occam Enoch, Occam OREN, Occam Hiram, ATT SE1 and some I'm not remembering probably. The Blackland Vector has them all beat as far as a close BBS shave that lasts the day and can be done daily with a Schick Proline blade being my favorite and no irritation. That's my take and experience but everyone is different.

Forgot about the Vector. I tried one for a shave or two and really liked it. I'm wondering if it will give me a signficantly different shave than the General. You're right, though, that it seems to be a great razor.

 

[NurseDave]

Happy to let you try the RX

 

[Spider]

There’s a pass going on with the Oren and The Enoch if you want to try those. I’ve been through just about all of the available types and the Hiram and the Vector are tops for me.

 

[bobmsp]

There’s a pass going on with the Oren and The Enoch if you want to try those. I’ve been through just about all of the available types and the Hiram and the Vector are tops for me.

I worked hard to get into that pass around and am looking forward to trying them all!

 

[CBLindsay]

I’ve been using a Feather SS clone for the month (and most of a January too) and really enjoying it. I just HAPPEN to have several of them available on my website (no logo or anything). I really like the folding type AC razors but there are some fantastic safety razor designs available these days.

 

[gvw755]

If you are looking at straights, I highly recommend the chinese clones of the latest version of the Kai razors with the dimples which I reported on in this thread:

Latest Chinese clone of a Feather AC razor

After just getting through the last pass around of two Chinese clones of Feather AC straight razors, one being a Feather SS clone with some QC issues, and one being a Kai Captain clone, which was slightly better but will never be mistaken for a real one, we now have the latest clone straight...

theshavingcadre.com

For the safety razor version, my favorite is the King Cobra. Shaves very efficiently but I do not experience the aggressiveness that most folks talk about with the Cobra Classic. Also, RR is about to release the Hawk v3 which is stainless steel and comes with a regular, aggressive, and open comb base plate options, so you might want to watch out for that.

 

[DeepSea]

If you are looking at straights, I highly recommend the chinese clones of the latest version of the Kai razors with the dimples which I reported on in this thread:

Latest Chinese clone of a Feather AC razor

After just getting through the last pass around of two Chinese clones of Feather AC straight razors, one being a Feather SS clone with some QC issues, and one being a Kai Captain clone, which was slightly better but will never be mistaken for a real one, we now have the latest clone straight...

theshavingcadre.com

For the safety razor version, my favorite is the King Cobra. Shaves very efficiently but I do not experience the aggressiveness that most folks talk about with the Cobra Classic. Also, RR is about to release the Hawk v3 which is stainless steel and comes with a regular, aggressive, and open comb base plate options, so you might want to watch out for that.

I knew about the V3 coming out but didn’t hear about the additional base plates. That’s great news and it will most likely be my first AC safety razor. Since I have the blades for the Kamisori it would only make economical sense to have one of these as well...

 

[bobmsp]

Since I have the blades for the Kamisori it would only make economical sense to have one of these as well...

A+ rationalization! You're basically losing money by NOT having one.

 

[GearNoir]

The General v1 brass was the top of the AC chain for a while for me after trying the more notable AC razors. The Vector is now just as good for me (though a very different shave) and I have no doubt I’d enjoy a v2 General just as much as you! I’d say Vector.