Karve/R41/6S
- Thread starter ralph029
- Start date
- Thread starter
- #22
Very Cool! Im a R41 fan just starting his journey with a Karve. I loved my Rose Gold handled 41 so well, I bought another 41 head and slapped it onto a bulldog. It’s an entirely different experience even with the exact same blade.
Anyway, my Karve is a 3” with a E plate. I’m waiting on a C. And I’m quite sure I’ll be getting an open comb F as well.
Coming from the straight razor world, I was too ignorant to fear the 41. Which is cool because I’ve never had a problem with my 41 shaving with or against the grain. 2 or 3 passes - it’s all good. It’s just an absolutely fantastic shaver for me. Personna Reds are my current favorite. In spite of the milder blades, like I said, in the bulldog handled razor, you’d better slow slow down a bit. That extra weight gets you even closer with considerably less work.
The 41 is so close, I only ever have to use it every other day.
So why on earth did I get the Karve? Boredom? Honestly, I think I just wanted a bronze razor. Everyone says the Karve cuts close and it is bronze so, so why not.
So far I’m only two shaves in. Karve vs. Muhle R41 (post 2013) vs... I can 100% concur with you that the Karve’s angle of attack is different than that of the 41’s. But it seems to me that as close as the Karver gets, its not as close as the 41, and I might still need to shave every day if I use it.
I’m certainly not certain of that though lol. Not yet. But if that’s the case, and I do need to shave everyday with the Karve, maybe the less aggressive C plate would be more appropriate. If it’s smoother than the E, then shaving every day with it will be a pleasure because my second shave with the E was stupid comfortable. I mean dang! But we’ll see what the F open does too.
I’m excited about the Karve. I’ll use a Feather blade next. I have very high hopes. But I somehow don’t think it’ll ever be as efficient as that lovely, lovely 41. But I still have a ton of experimentation to do.
Reading your posts, there is no question in my mind that with a little more experience, the R41 could be the one for you. But I’m also pretty certain the better tool in your case will ultimately be the Karve.
I can’t wait to hear where you land in a couple three months.
Anyway, my Karve is a 3” with a E plate. I’m waiting on a C. And I’m quite sure I’ll be getting an open comb F as well.
Coming from the straight razor world, I was too ignorant to fear the 41. Which is cool because I’ve never had a problem with my 41 shaving with or against the grain. 2 or 3 passes - it’s all good. It’s just an absolutely fantastic shaver for me. Personna Reds are my current favorite. In spite of the milder blades, like I said, in the bulldog handled razor, you’d better slow slow down a bit. That extra weight gets you even closer with considerably less work.
The 41 is so close, I only ever have to use it every other day.
So why on earth did I get the Karve? Boredom? Honestly, I think I just wanted a bronze razor. Everyone says the Karve cuts close and it is bronze so, so why not.
So far I’m only two shaves in. Karve vs. Muhle R41 (post 2013) vs... I can 100% concur with you that the Karve’s angle of attack is different than that of the 41’s. But it seems to me that as close as the Karver gets, its not as close as the 41, and I might still need to shave every day if I use it.
I’m certainly not certain of that though lol. Not yet. But if that’s the case, and I do need to shave everyday with the Karve, maybe the less aggressive C plate would be more appropriate. If it’s smoother than the E, then shaving every day with it will be a pleasure because my second shave with the E was stupid comfortable. I mean dang! But we’ll see what the F open does too.
I’m excited about the Karve. I’ll use a Feather blade next. I have very high hopes. But I somehow don’t think it’ll ever be as efficient as that lovely, lovely 41. But I still have a ton of experimentation to do.
Reading your posts, there is no question in my mind that with a little more experience, the R41 could be the one for you. But I’m also pretty certain the better tool in your case will ultimately be the Karve.
I can’t wait to hear where you land in a couple three months.
- Thread starter
- #24
Thank you for your input. I need a new blade this morning so I think I'm going to try a Kai in it (I have about 100 of these and need to find a razor they works in. It's amazing at what a difference a handle can make. Once I put the Rockwell 6C handle on it, the razor became a pure joy to use. I really like heavy razors. I guess I just like letting the tool do the work instead of me having to do it.
This is me exactly - the R41 is so close I only need to shave every other day. In my case I was contemplating a Karve with OC E/F when a Timeless Bronze OC .78 came up at a good price. So I bought that instead, and no regrets at all - it's my "pretty, beautifully machined high end razor". So I feel I've joined that particular club that seems to get you entry into the high-end shootout threads.
I'd recommend this razor to anybody - much better than the OC .95 SS I had before that, which was smooth and meh. But does it cut better than the R41? I'd say there's nothing to choose between them in terms of a close shave. Both on titanium handles in my case. I don't go above 100g total weight.
- Thread starter
- #26
In another thread I talked about my experience with Timeless. I did not like the way that razor shaved. I tried a couple different configurations and did not like either. I ended up giving my friend the razor. It was a well made tool but it didn't work for me.
I gave a Kai a run in my 41. It reminds me of a Feather. The first shave was too keen, the second was perfection!
- Thread starter
- #28
I have read a few times that the Kai blade was a better shave with the second shave. I did give the Kai a run in my Karve this morning. I wasn't impressed at all. In no way did it perform as well as the Astra SP. I will give it another try tomorrow and see if it performs better.
That’s unfortunate really. I’ll bet dollars to donuts you’ll love it on your next shave. If I remember it correctly, some dudes run them over a cork before the first shave to make that first shave awesome too. If you’ve got a 100, it might be worth the try. At worst you’ll have to consume a bottle of wine.
I’m feeding my Karve a Feather today. I can’t wait to see how that goes.
- Thread starter
- #30
Lol - nice!Please let me know your results. And and BTW, many of my whiskey bottles have corks
Hey, do you have any Feather’s? Because hot dog! This could be the one! Seriously.
The Feather is an awesome blade that I’ve always found too rough on the first shave. I’ve been slowly giving them away and using one now and again when I haven’t shaved in a while. But the Karve with a E plate made for a first shave that was comfortable and of course, stupid close.
I put on some talc after the balm post shave cuz, that was CLOSE. Which means I exfoliated. I’m positive if I didn’t put on talc, I’d of had post burn but yeah, wow. If I can get three more shaves with it...
- Thread starter
- #32
I do have a pack of Feathers. When I first tried them I didn't want to buy anymore. That was many razor tries ago though. I will give them another try once I've done a second try with the Kai. I had a pretty bad experience with Feather on my head so I"ll probably not risk until I'm 100% sure it's excellent on my face.
- Thread starter
- #33
Another run with the Kai blade in my Karve this morning. The shave was much less irritating but still very inadequate in hair removal with a 2 pass shave. It's only been 2 hours and feel like I need to shave again already. 
Tried any Gillette blades?Another run with the Kai blade in my Karve this morning. The shave was much less irritating but still very inadequate in hair removal with a 2 pass shave. It's only been 2 hours and feel like I need to shave again already.
- Thread starter
- #35
I have, both green and black and did not like them BUT I have not tried either in my Karve or R41. The plan is once I am satisfied and have really decided on my "go to" razor to go back through my blade back stock and try them all again. I'm willing to sacrifice my face in the pursuit of knowledge 
- Thread starter
- #36
Well now, here's a new and unexpected twist...
I ordered my Karve plates a couple weeks back and I still do not have them. This is not a knock against Chris. The Canadian and US Postal Services have combined for an epic failure in delivery. No biggie except I really was itching to try something new (I know you all know the feeling). After looking around the B&B I landed on an Ikon B1 OC. I got it yesterday and shaved with it today. My first impression (unboxing) was, meh! The handle was longer and larger (in diameter) than I prefer. The knurling is fantastic but the grooves are too deep. They just don't feel right. The weight of the razor felt quite unbalanced. The head is SS with a Proprietary B1 Coating. The head felt too light for the handle. So I cleaned it up with some alcohol and set it down to await the morning shave.
I loaded the razor with an Astra SP (Ikon even provided a 5 pack with the razor). As I started to shave, I couldn't help but focus on the handle and how I was going to have to swap it out to get the razor balanced. By the time I switched my focus to the shave itself, my first pass was just about complete. All of a sudden I realized how effortless the shave was. I did the fingertip rinse for more later and pass #2. Hot damn, this razor in one pass was equal to one pass with the R41. No way! It can't be! Now I'm focused. Today's shave only needs to be a DFS as it's a work day. Second pass complete and NO irritation. I rinse and get ready for a clean up pass. I, like all of us, have a couple trouble spots that always require attention. These areas still needed attention but the razor shaved equal in closeness to the R41 but with much less irritation. So I went for broke and lathered my head. If this razor is this smooth then my head should be easy peasy. One pass, ATG and only a couple hot spots. WOW! I wish that the handle was a little thinner and the grooves were more rounded. Those two issues would make this razor a 100% pure joy for me.
I ordered my Karve plates a couple weeks back and I still do not have them. This is not a knock against Chris. The Canadian and US Postal Services have combined for an epic failure in delivery. No biggie except I really was itching to try something new (I know you all know the feeling). After looking around the B&B I landed on an Ikon B1 OC. I got it yesterday and shaved with it today. My first impression (unboxing) was, meh! The handle was longer and larger (in diameter) than I prefer. The knurling is fantastic but the grooves are too deep. They just don't feel right. The weight of the razor felt quite unbalanced. The head is SS with a Proprietary B1 Coating. The head felt too light for the handle. So I cleaned it up with some alcohol and set it down to await the morning shave.
I loaded the razor with an Astra SP (Ikon even provided a 5 pack with the razor). As I started to shave, I couldn't help but focus on the handle and how I was going to have to swap it out to get the razor balanced. By the time I switched my focus to the shave itself, my first pass was just about complete. All of a sudden I realized how effortless the shave was. I did the fingertip rinse for more later and pass #2. Hot damn, this razor in one pass was equal to one pass with the R41. No way! It can't be! Now I'm focused. Today's shave only needs to be a DFS as it's a work day. Second pass complete and NO irritation. I rinse and get ready for a clean up pass. I, like all of us, have a couple trouble spots that always require attention. These areas still needed attention but the razor shaved equal in closeness to the R41 but with much less irritation. So I went for broke and lathered my head. If this razor is this smooth then my head should be easy peasy. One pass, ATG and only a couple hot spots. WOW! I wish that the handle was a little thinner and the grooves were more rounded. Those two issues would make this razor a 100% pure joy for me.
