Thanks to Marchigiano@ilRasoio, I am testing the new
Colonial Razor "The General V2".
ilrasoio.com/viewtopic.php?p=339728#p339728Even at the first contact, the razor shows everything that made me fall in love with this project in 2016.
Even without my favorite blades, the result was an excellent BBS in full comfort.
So I'm more than hopeful for the rest of this comparison test.
The new version shows the magnificent technical development work.
Although the geometry of the head is unchanged in practice.
So the transition from the V1 in recent days has been unnoticed.
The improvement plays on small but fundamental details:
• overall dimensions of the head
• axis of the handle
• topcap coverage
• blade positionFor the benefit of exposure, specifications and images.
(V2 AISI 316L vs V1 Aluminum 6061)
Head depth
6mm / 8mm
Head width
17mm / 22mm
Head length
50mm / 50mm
Head Weight
32g / 19g
Section handle (Min. - Max.)
8 - 13mm / 9 - 14mm
Length handle
87mm / 90mm
Weight handle
63g / 25g
Handle axis distance
3mm / 4mm
Topcap distance
2mm / 4mm
Blade distance
1mm / 2mm
Shaver Weight
85g / 44g
Balancing Razor (Head - Handle on Total)
37.65 - 62.35% / 43.20 - 56.80%
The most obvious change is the marked decrease in the size of the head.
They appear to be just a few millimeters, but already by eye we can see a volume of over 42% smaller.
All for the benefit of ease of use in the most inconvenient points.
The 25% retraction of the axis of the handle clearly increases the force vector that is discharged on the blade.
So without changing the geometry, there is greater efficiency even if not so exaggerated given the type of lever.
All with the same comfort compared to the same operating angles.
Furthermore, a 50% increase in blade coverage improves the already excellent seal.
If in V1 I never felt stability problems (chattering), in this V2 the feeling is monolithic.
If I hadn't tried it I'd swear it's impossible to have the same feeling of a wedge cleaver on such a thin blade.
Instead the feeling reminds me a lot of those razors advertised for hard beards with curvy blades both in size and grinding.
To improve the whole there is also a 50% decrease in the distance of the wire from the safety bar.
This without producing an equal increase in unveiling, counterbalanced by the topcap.
Also counter-intuitively this is an advantage, producing instant but gentle feedback of the blade.
A minimal change is that of the pins on which the blade is inserted.
Now less pronounced and above all less rounded.
I would never have realized if I had not had uncertainties in the empty coupling.
Sensation never experienced before with the V1.
Not a problem, but at certain levels they are unexpected details.
In short, in theory we are faced with a marvel of engineering.
In practice it is a jewel, but above all I believe a missed opportunity.
Because the use of a less efficient material compromises some important details.
First of all the weight, which increases by almost 216%, decreasing the control.
But above all the balance that goes from a still good almost 1: 1 to an exaggerated almost 1: 2.
In fact the relative weights change in an incredible way:
• Head from 19g to 32g (approximately + 70%)
• Handle from 25g to 63g (over + 250%)
Which is why I'm talking about a missed opportunity.
In fact, the choice to meet the market in the choice of material produced a lower result.
A more efficient alloy like the original Aluminum 6061 would have made it possible to take full advantage of technical progress.
Which instead lose effectiveness sucked into a dynamic whose physics is obliged.
All this also with a clear increase in production costs.
So ultimately the quality / price ratio.
On this last point I want to be clear.
The new The General V2 SS I believe is a gem.
In today's landscape it is one of the best contenders.
In the coming days I will see better, but from the first impression I would also put it on the Blackland Vector.
That both aesthetic and technical research is certainly a touchstone.
But that's not what could have been done by choosing materially more efficiently.
I am moderately sure that it could have been a real miracle.
An instrument with a q / p ratio that is absolutely unattainable for this generation of razors.
And in a wider analysis a true revolution of the reference system.
But unfortunately it is not so ...
for now.