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2011 R41 - The Quest Achieved!

Yes indeed a Grail razor!
A boxed 2011 R41 with original handle sold last week on eBay UK for £185.

Rare and magnificent :001_smile
Well, I'm really glad you got what you wanted and are pleased with it!
I guess I never got the hang of shaving with mine; I never really liked it.
 
And next up - 2011 R41 vs Rapira Platinum Lux DE:
IMG_7021.JPG

The Rapira DE looks like a very cheap Tech and it IS very cheap with a thin steel baseplate and thin pot metal cap as well as a hideous plastic handle.
But it shaves like a demon!!
Surprisingly to everybody, the Rapira PL has quite amazing geometry.
There's a discussion thread on it here:
Rapira Platinum Lux - the Razor not the Blade

IMG_7022.JPG


The Rapira held up very well in this contest and it's a similar story to the Eclipse RR on max exposure - the Rapira was smoother than the 2011, just as manouverable but the shave was not quite as close.

A good comparison to the Rapira shave would be 2013 R41 and FaTip which is quite amazing for a razor which costs <$10

Over the first 12 hours after the shave there's really nothing in it - waxy BBS from the 2011, marble BBS from the Rapira.

It's minimal irritation steep angle shaving from both razors.
But once again the stubble from the 2011 was pricklier and the shave was marginally closer.
 
And next up - 2011 R41 vs Rapira Platinum Lux DE:
View attachment 775329
The Rapira DE looks like a very cheap Tech and it IS very cheap with a thin steel baseplate and thin pot metal cap as well as a hideous plastic handle.
But it shaves like a demon!!
Surprisingly to everybody, the Rapira PL has quite amazing geometry.
There's a discussion thread on it here:
Rapira Platinum Lux - the Razor not the Blade

View attachment 775330

The Rapira held up very well in this contest and it's a similar story to the Eclipse RR on max exposure - the Rapira was smoother than the 2011, just as manouverable but the shave was not quite as close.

A good comparison to the Rapira shave would be 2013 R41 and FaTip which is quite amazing for a razor which costs <$10

Over the first 12 hours after the shave there's really nothing in it - waxy BBS from the 2011, marble BBS from the Rapira.

It's minimal irritation steep angle shaving from both razors.
But once again the stubble from the 2011 was pricklier and the shave was marginally closer.

Based on your remarks in the referenced thread, Marcus, I splurged the $10 to acquire it last year. I like the shave, but can't get it close enough for my liking. I'll have to pull it out and try again. It's kind of like the Barbasol in that regard...
 
Based on your remarks in the referenced thread, Marcus, I splurged the $10 to acquire it last year. I like the shave, but can't get it close enough for my liking. I'll have to pull it out and try again. It's kind of like the Barbasol in that regard...
I find the Rapira PL works great with a steep angle (and the Rapira Lux blades!)
 
I find the Rapira PL works great with a steep angle (and the Rapira Lux blades!)

I'll give that a try. With most razors, the steep angle creates a lot of tugging for me. With some razors, the shallow angle used to give me irritation and weepers, but doesn't anymore. Ergo, my affection for the shallow angle. I need to experiment with the Rapira. By the way, what a bargain, eh? And my particular razor seems not to have any flaws (that I can notice). One of the better values in the DE razor world. (In the SE razor world, there are tremendous values, especially many vintage Gem-blade and injector razors.)
 
So here we go then - 2011 R41 vs New Improved Big Fellow:
IMG_7040.JPG

I've seen the Big Fellow likened to the Barbasol Floating Head.
It's a big heavy fierce thing and more aggressive than my Old Type Big Fellow (which is a big heavy beautiful thing!)

Of course the shave from the Single Rings and Old Types seems to vary from razor to razor but there's no denying that the NIBF is aggressive.
It's adjustable in the same way as the Eclipse RR and Single Ring - an 1/8 turn of the handle boosts it right up.

And ergonomically the Big Fellow is amazing.
It's got a long handle (obviously!) with superb grip and it weighs about 86g which is a lot for a razor from 1921.

And the New Improved Big Fellow certainly gives the 2011 R41 a run for it's money.
The silver plated NIBF is smoother and has a much better grip.
And the shave is almost almost almost as close when it's adjusted for aggression.

One of the Big revelations for me in these comparisons is that the 2011 R41 is NOT in a class of its own but it is in an elite class.

The 2011 R41 is a magnificent triumph of geometry and there are few other DEs that can match it but there are some.
And the New Improved Big Fellow is one of them!
IMG_7041.JPG
 
And now from the sublime to the ridiculous, here's the Sik Bay up against the 2011 R41
IMG_7087.JPG

There's an excellent thread about the Sik Bay here:
World's Cheapest New Razor: The Sik Bay

It has vast blade exposure and a bit like the Roedter 1909 it can deliver a great shave with a light touch but it is made of cheap plastic and looks foul.

Really this was a no contest - the Sik Bay delivered a very very close shave but it doesn't match the 2011 R41 because of the guard geometry.
The Sik Bay is a lot of fun though and only 99p with free postage!
IMG_7086.JPG
 
So here we go then - 2011 R41 vs New Improved Big Fellow:
View attachment 776142
I've seen the Big Fellow likened to the Barbasol Floating Head.
It's a big heavy fierce thing and more aggressive than my Old Type Big Fellow (which is a big heavy beautiful thing!)

Of course the shave from the Single Rings and Old Types seems to vary from razor to razor but there's no denying that the NIBF is aggressive.
It's adjustable in the same way as the Eclipse RR and Single Ring - an 1/8 turn of the handle boosts it right up.

And ergonomically the Big Fellow is amazing.
It's got a long handle (obviously!) with superb grip and it weighs about 86g which is a lot for a razor from 1921.

And the New Improved Big Fellow certainly gives the 2011 R41 a run for it's money.
The silver plated NIBF is smoother and has a much better grip.
And the shave is almost almost almost as close when it's adjusted for aggression.

One of the Big revelations for me in these comparisons is that the 2011 R41 is NOT in a class of its own but it is in an elite class.

The 2011 R41 is a magnificent triumph of geometry and there are few other DEs that can match it but there are some.
And the New Improved Big Fellow is one of them!
View attachment 776143
Keep them coming Marcus, I enjoy the comparisons.
 
And now up against the White Bakelite Slant -
Germany has produced some fine razors and this White Bakelite Slant is one of them.
It's very similar to the NOS models that were sold by Italian Barber a while back but this one has a fluted guard:
IMG_7095.JPG

IMG_7096.JPG

As we all agree the 2011 R41 is a masterpiece and the White Bakelite Slant is also a triumph of design - this Slant has only small blade exposure but a very big blade gap making it simultaneously smooth and aggressive.

The blade is torqued so that it's twisted for great rigidity.
This makes a very comfortable shave and gives superlative ATG performance.

And the slant itself means that the razor is locked into a permanent Gillette slide which takes care of troublespots and whorls like no other razor can.
It gives the best neck shave for me of any Razor ever.

Slant slicing strokes are also more effective with the original carbon steel blades than cutting strokes, but with our stainless steel blades this factor does not come into account.

The 2011 is noticeably more nimble and manouverable around the jawline and gave a marginally closer shave though only just.
Certainly for the first 12 hours there's almost nothing in it and I was reminded what an awesome razor this White Bakelite Slant is.
Both it and the 2011 R41 demonstrate that thoughtful and intelligent design can produce a truly superb razor!
IMG_7097.JPG
 
Up against the Knockout now!
The Knockout Razor has got to be one of the most collectible of all Vintage British DEs.
It's a "pins up" White Bakelite toothcomb with amazing packaging.
And it shaves beautifully but in terms of aggression it's a step down from the 2011 R41.
In fact it's somewhere between a British NEW and a FaTip so really this was a no contest.

But it's such a COOL razor!
IMG_7129.JPG
IMG_7130.JPG

The Knockout was marketed by the entrepreneur F C Cartledge after WW2 and the packaging is fiercely patriotic.
It was made using the tooling from pre-War Sheffield Bakelite DEs (which were identical and marketed ingreen, brown and black by various distributors) and Cartledge is also famous for trading cards featuring famous boxers and wise aphorisms.

The Knockout is a gorgeous razor and a hard hitting performer but the 2011 R41 still shaves closer.
 
Up against the Knockout now!
The Knockout Razor has got to be one of the most collectible of all Vintage British DEs.
It's a "pins up" White Bakelite toothcomb with amazing packaging.
And it shaves beautifully but in terms of aggression it's a step down from the 2011 R41.
Sounds like your slightly more aggressive Philite should be next.
 
Marcus, I look forward to your A/B testing of the R41 2011 against both the PAA DOC Evo and the Barbasol Floating Head. Much fun ahead! Thanks for driving this thread forward...
 
Marcus, I look forward to your A/B testing of the R41 2011 against both the PAA DOC Evo and the Barbasol Floating Head.
I'm not Marcus but I have done a side-by-side with a 2011 R41 and a Barbasol Floating Head. I used a stainless Maggard MR1 on my R41 - closest handle I had to the Barbasol.

The Barbasol was much smoother. Not that I find the R41 harsh at all, I just find my Barbasol super smooth.

The R41 whooped it in closeness of shave. I never chase BBS because it sometimes gives me ingrowns. The Barbasol gets me to exactly where I want to be after 3 passes. With the R41, I have to be careful to not overshoot and get too close.
 
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