Okay.
Looks like once again I am wrong and Yes Virginia, there really is a Santa Claus.
I began exploring new razors a couple years ago but honestly while almost all were really good none were better than the ones I've been using for many decades.
The Feather AS-D2 was as nice as a Tech but not better, the Rockwell was okay but felt clunky and again did not shave as effortlessly as my Techs or Super Speeds and was not as variable as any of my Gillette Adjustables, Merkurs (Many) and Edwin Jaggers and the Weishi and Baili were really nice but certainly not better. I tried some others that friends raved over, and they left me cold. The brass General was awkward and unbalanced and the handle slippery; the Hawks nice but did no better than my GEMs; the injector razors were lifeless.
But recently I kinda ended up with a few razors that may just change my mind, two surprisingly from one company and one I had not considered. The jury is still out so no final verdict is in, but the ATT G1 with the revised head and the ATT S2 really do seem to be at least every bit as good as the best of my oldies and maybe even better. I will say that the ATT G1 certainly provided more pleasant shaves than even my GEM 1912s so in GEM format razors it has become my benchmark.
This coming month will give me a chance to compare that ATT S2 (as well as a few other modern OC razors) against some of my favorites like my Gillette Sheraton which has been my favorite open comb razor. The ATT S2 is certainly not as pretty or sensual or experienced or nuanced as the Sheraton but it will be interesting to see how the shaves compare.
The other big surprise was the OneBlade Core. Once I learned how to use the thing it performed wonderfully and with absolute comfort. It was one razor that shaves way above its current price level even when paired with half century old blades. In that blade format I must admit it was way better than my Valet AutoStrops using the same old and new blades.
If picking based on aesthetics likely one of my Gillette Adjustable Aristocrats or a GEM Damaskene.
