Apologies for the late posting. I used the General on Friday morning with a Jurgen Hempel Wave stainless handle. I found it similar to the Mongoose in shave but possibly slightly less efficient. I don't buy into this "mild" reputation it has garnered, much like I don't agree with the Edwin Jagger DE89 being described as "mild" either. Sure both the General and the DE89 aren't as "aggressive" as the Cobra Classic or the Muhle R41 respectively , I'd just say it was an efficient shaver that isn't any more or less difficult to cut yourself with. I love, just like the Goose and Cobra ; how much ground the General covers and it was smooth and efficient for me. I thought initially that the fairly insignificant blade nubs weren't perhaps the best design to hold the blade in place but they worked fine and were a pleasant surprise.
The only thing I'd say it lacks in is what the aforementioned se razors have , heft. That heft does most of the work with them but with the General being much lighter , albeit with a heavy stainless handle as opposed to the lighter Aluminium original a bit more direction or work is required. Of course this is knit picking for the purposes of comparison.
I enjoyed my first go and 2 passes were plenty for a near bbs shave. Those trouble spots for me like my jawline and either side of my Adams Apple were left slightly less closely shaven than I'm used to with the Cobra. However this isn't a bad thing as I can shave again sooner than I was planning.
Before I'm finished with her I will try a shorter and slightly lighter Windrose Aristocrat style handle and finally the Mongoose Dr Bomber Slim handle.
It's a nice shaver and it's slim head is very easy to manoeuvre around the fizog