Colonial or RR Hawk v2

Thoughts on which to try as a newbie?

Thoughts on which to try as a newbie?

Depends on which variants of the Geneal & Hawk you're referring too. I don't have either one in aluminum, so I can't speak on how they shave. Many here and other forums like them enough.

I will speak though on the SS General & the SS Hawk DLC.

The SS General= Good weight, excellent balance and the knurling on the handle is pretty much spot on. Shave feel is very nice and smooth with very good efficiency and just a slight touch of blade feel. Uses all AC style blades without any problems. I prefer Feather Pro Super blades in the General. It amps up the blade feel just a little and gives excellent audible feedback while still being relatively smooth and comfortable. Can be a daily without a single issue. To me at least. Fit and finish are pretty darn good too.

RR Hawk SS DLC= Just a very smooth, mild and efficient razor. Also exhibits excellent balance and feel in the hands with top notch workmanship that belies a more expensive razor. Works well again with most AC style razors and fitment is excellent. As with the General, here with the Hawk I prefer using the Feather Pro Super as well. It gives it just that little touch of blade feel that gives it great feedback when shaving while staying smooth and comfy.

They are both great additions to a shave den. Unfortunately, the SS Hawk DLC is not available at the moment, but it was an excellent value for $60. The SS General for $65 is just as good a value. (Though the price has gone up to $99, I still think it's a great value).
As I stated before I can't tell you how their aluminum counterparts perform, but they can't be that far off on shave quality. Just the weight I think would be the biggest difference vs stainless steel.
Hopefully someone else can comment on both versions and alloys to give you a better idea on what you're looking for. Personally, I enjoy them both and you can't go wrong with either one.

Thank you -very insightful !

I have the Hawk V1, V2 and General (and the ATT SE1), all aluminum.
The V1 and V2, as the product description indicates, shave the same. The Hawk design is outstanding: very efficient without being too harsh nor mild. It is very hard to fault it.

The General is a tad milder, smoother and a bit more efficient.
If you can get it go for it.
Currently, only the stainless steel is available for sale.
I don't care much for heavy razors.
When a titanium version comes out i am getting it for sure.

For a newbie though, 100$ on a stainless steel razor might be a stretch and the Hawk is a hell of a lot cheaper.

On the other hand, you would most likely get hooked on the artist club blades and buy the stainless General anyway so why wait.

The SS General no longer cost $65, new cost is $100 + shipping

Colonial is stretching it for $100, that’s for sure.

I was just going through the same dilemma the last couple weeks. Pretty much every thread I read people seemed to like the General more but as was already mentioned the General just took quite a price hike. I ended up going with the Andonized Blue General along with a pack of the Schick AC Proline and Feather AC Pro blades and got it all for less than the General.

Pics please and enjoy.

They feel very similar to me. I was able to try an Aluminum General late last year and got a Hawk V2 for Christmas. Using the same blades, they feel very similar to me. The big differences in the SEs come into play with the different blades. I say pick up the Hawk. It's not a bad investment at all. I do prefer mine on a heavier stainless handle, though.

I have all versions of the General and the alu V1 Hawk. For me, the General gives me a smooth, carefree, effortless BBs shave on a super pro. The Hawk I used a couple of times but It's been such a long time since, I cannot remember why I didn't like it as much as the General. As my favourite SE blade is the P-30 Proline, I put the Ikon El-Jefe aka MR-SE before the General and the Hawk, as for me both are ineffective with the Proline. I do though love the streamlined small head of the Ikon. Now for a different feeling and a bit more efficiency, I have the ATT SE2 OC.