Halland vs Friesland?

They play completely differently, they're not at all similar. Friesland is like a very light HE-spamming cruiser and ideally you want to be playing it in fairly close confines around islands, etc. You end up trying to ambush destroyers that outspot you (6.4km is the best concealment on Friesland) or farming larger ships. Conserving your health pool early in the game is essential because as you note, there's no heal so any flexibility late game requires having retained a fair amount of hp. Obviously, the lack of torps means no alpha strike.

Halland is a much stronger ship but it's a completely different playstyle. The question is really whether you'd enjoy the super-light-cruiser HE style or not.

/r/WorldOfWarships Thread