Muehle R106 Safety Razor

Being new to DE shaving, I needed to browse, measure, and touch various products at a brick and mortar store. This was Art of Shaving's middle-of-the-road offering. Using AoS' recommended method of prep, lather, shave, and moisturize, I was getting good shaves from the first try. Surprisingly, I had practically no nicks, cuts, or weepers and had lost less than half a drop of blood the first week. If you use successive passes WTG, XTG, and ATG you will get BBS.
As a DE razor, it did better than cartridges at clipping back the sideburns. As a learning tool it has been forgiving.
The only major surprise that I got was after a blade change, after which I was not even getting a shave. Repeat blade change, it worked again. On checking into this and various other forums, it was likely that I had overtightened the threads when I put the head back on, which can push the blade edge into the guard. Only the lightest tightening, to the end of the threads and just a hair more, is recommended.

I have been using this razor for about a week now and I have to say that my first impression of it was great. I first saw this razor at an Art of Shaving store and thought it was the nicest looking of the bunch that they had. I then was drawn to it again when shopping for a razor on Amazon and ended up getting it. This is my second DE razor and it shaves incredibly close without giving razor burn. I can be as heavy handed as I want without the worry of getting nicks. I will probably end up getting a second one to use in my D-Bag so that I do not have to worry about packing one.

With Muhle I can really hear a clear crisp sand paper sound. Apparently it is more aggressive than Gillette 1930s/1940s New Open Comb which is - for me at least - a safer alternative. R106 has bigger handle but thanks to the plastic design it is remarkably light. Hard to say which one is lighter the aforementioned Gillette or Muhle but at least Muhle has a lighter handle than a Merkur 39 C. This is definately a razor for lightly used De Blades. I get a maximum of 5 comfortable shaving sessions per blade. When I´m using the New Open Comb Gillette the blade seems to last longer. All in all this is the most beautifully designed DE razor I have ever used. I´m using the one with the white handle (R102) and it is stunning. Even though it might look really shiny the plastic handle provides as comfortable grip as chrome or nickel plated handles. Sure it gets wet from exposure to soap but it is easy to wipe clean between passes. Awesome razor I may not need to purchase a new DE Open Comb in a long time.

Have been shaving with a Merkur adjustable and was pleased. I used Crystal blades in the Merkur. I tried Feather in the merkur but got one or two weepers per shave. Now that I have the Muehle R106, I use Feathers all the time and no weepers, just a close safe shave. The razor is a very well made piece of equipment. I am going to buy a second to have as a backup.

I recently purchased the Muehle out of necessity since losing my Merkur HD. I tried ordering another, however the Merkur was out stock.

I'm glad I purchased this razor, it was slightly cheaper than HD, but in my opinion has superior, balance, finish and aesthetic. Looks wonderful on the bathroom counter top, along with my Rooney brush, and shave bowl.

I used my normal Red Personna blade, and this is where my only criticism comes in. It's a 3 piece razor, and its fiddly securing the blade, as opposed to a two piece.

As for the shave, well I think it provides a superior shave to the HD too. It seems to be more efficient but forgiving, and using it for the first time, provided me with a 3 pass BBS with no irritation, knick or weeper. A great way to start the day.

A great razor, I would certainly recommend to a newbie or seasoned pro.

I got this razor as a Christmas gift (hence the n/a for price). It is by far my favorite DE razor I own. It is my first 3 piece razor, so changing the blade was a bit interesting at first, but is not a problem now.
The razor is amazing quality and very easy to use. Even though the handle is sleek and smooth, your hand doesn't slip while holding the razor. As for aggressiveness, I don't really understand what perspective it is coming from so I will say this. I first used a Feather blade in it and I could not feel the blade drag across my face. It was amazing as I couldn't feel the blade, as I can in my other razors, but it was giving an excellent shave. I tend to get a few nicks every shave, but it was no problem with the Muhle. Also, I have never had a shave be so smooth for so long, as I have with this razor. So it doesn't seem to be aggressive, but it gives an exellent shave...one of the best I have had. The balance is also amazing too. The razor is longer than my Gillettes, but seems much more balanced and not as top heavy as my other razors.

This razor was a great gift and I love it.

This mid sized razor arrived nicely eco-packaged with the trademark minature badger brush tag of the brand. Clever cross-sell strategy (MÜHLE are a world-class brush manufacturer - http://www.muehle-shaving.com/) given how soft the baby bristles are, easily a match for my evergreeen 20year old silver tipped Kent.

Beautifully made, great balance and a compact small head makes it highly manoevrable. The instructions propose a half turn of the 3 piece design for the more angular parts of the face, and this does make for an even closer result at the expense of the risk of a little neck irritation, except it is difficult once half-turned to prevent the head from working loose further. With a little collar of very fine cork holding the blade a smidgen further away from the closed comb edge, the razor would become more aggressive, though it would be fiddly to adopt this kind of Heath Robinson route given it is a 3 piece.

As it is it's a very safe shave, no risk of nicks unless exceptionally heavy handed, and ideal on that basis for travelling and fast early morning passes.

Load a Feather blade into the R106 and the result is fabulous, close, encourages you to use assertively without any fear, and gives an absoutely smooth jawline.

Put a Gilette Swede into the R106, and the result on day 1 is superb. Day 3 or4 may not be as efficient as with the 38c, but it does get the job done.

Next to the Merkur 38c it is better finished, lighter and the better for it, but there's a little bit more pressure and buffing involved to achieve a perfect result with any other blade other than a Feather.

As a comparison, Merkur's 38c plus Swede produce a great shave with slightly less buffing, whilst the smoothness of a Swede feels to me superior to a Feather, confirmed with a quick pass of the alum block afterwards.

Load a Feather into the 38c, and the R106 is much the preferred implement. The slightly closer set of the blade to the comb on the R106 tames the quiveringly sharp Feather edge whilst cutting through very cleanly. Feathers blunt rapidly, so there's only 2 really good shaves in it, the next 2 being comparable to a 4 day old Swede.

The Merkur remains my go to razor for its marginally more aggressive profile, and for its perfect suitability with Gilette Swedes, which I'm well stocked up on. But one day they will run out and when that happens, faced with the Gilette 7 o'clock Russians rebranded and repackaged as Gilette's European Safety blades as the closest substitutes, and having already rejected Merkur and Derby blades as just not sharp enough, I'll probably swing over to the R106 + feathers exclusively.

As it is I'm using the R106 a great deal because it's such a well balanced razor and so safe to use.