Any advice before I shave with the R41

[BlackBear]

Gents,
Tonight I will be having a shave with my new R41, I have about 3 days growth as I wanted to see how it performed on a reasonable beard. Have just watched geo's video and noticed he has the handle quite vertical during his shave with it.

Would love some tips or recommendations before I put this beast to my face (other than have a blood donor handy!)

Thanks in advance.

 

[foldinghunter]

NO pressure, a nice slick lather and DON'T be afraid of it! Short but deliberate strokes, take your time, and did I mention NO pressure? It's an efficient razor and I love mine with Astra SP blades. Hope this helps.

 

[BlackBear]

Ok, cheers, I will load it with a new astra SP, probably use coconut oil as a preshave and then TOBS sandalwood cream - styptic at the ready lol.

 

[BIGFURM]

You should get a really good lather with the TOBS. Foldinghunter hit it on the head. Shave after showering and you can probably skip the coconut oil, but YMMV. Maybe you can mix a drop or two into your cream. Anyway, the TOBS cream will be slick enough I think. I would use a face map and maybe just try out WTG and maybe an XTG pass.

 

[BlackBear]

So I had the shave last night, first time with an R41. I put in a new Astra SP took a long shower and washed my 3 day growth with a L'Oreal Men Expert face wash and let it soak under the water for a minute or two.

I rubbed some coconut oil on my beard as a preshave (Artisana 100% organic extra virgin oil) while I made a lather in a bowl using TOBS sandalwood cream.

The first thing I noticed about the R41 was the audible feedback - wow this thing is loud! Maybe it's a combination of the profound blade extension or the hollow handle, but it certainly 'sings'.

I took my time and didn't rush, had one small nick on my neck, nothing major and only did a WTG and XTG shave - honestly it was the smoothest shave I've had to date, even after the first pass, I really love it.

I can see it could be a disaster if you let your mind wander from the task, but even though I have only been using DE for 3 months now, I felt confident in using it. The R41 will certainly be my 'go to' razor when I have a few days of growth to mow down!!

 

[Vickers]

Awesome!

They definitely sing while you are shaving...mine is almost as loud as an SE.

One cool thing about the R41, is once you feel totally comfortable with it (say, 2 or 3 weeks) pretty much every other razor you have will be a piece of cake. Buying one was probably the best educational piece of the puzzle for me so far.

 

[celestino]

Congratulations with the beast! Enjoy the shaves, brave sir.

 

[dpmtherrien]

I'm sure you've found the R41 to be a great razor. The best advice I can think of is to be sure to go with a very light touch. Back way off on the pressure, and the shaves will be really nice.

 

[CB1]

Awesome!

They definitely sing while you are shaving...mine is almost as loud as an SE.

One cool thing about the R41, is once you feel totally comfortable with it (say, 2 or 3 weeks) pretty much every other razor you have will be a piece of cake. Buying one was probably the best educational piece of the puzzle for me so far.

I agree with this. Not only that but after a while you won't even think twice about the R41 as it becomes routine. It's a fantastic razor that shaves true. Every now and then if my face feels a little irritated from sunburn, poor prep or technique, I'll tone down the R41 from my usual Feathers or Gillette Blacks to an Astra or Derby or another milder blade. Other than that it's my daily razor.

 

[sopipari]

That's a fantastic looking razor, I'd love to get a OC. Enjoy!

 

[BlackBear]

That's a fantastic looking razor, I'd love to get a OC. Enjoy!

Indeed it is! I'm not sure what the previous version of the R41 was like, but this head is a kind of 'hybrid' not a pure OC nor a straight bar. But one difference is that the blade sits almost flat, virtually no flex what so ever when you screw the plates together.

 

[Unadan]

For me the R41 works best with less sharp blades like Astras or Personna blades. I've tried the R41 with a Gillette Black and didn't care for the results as much.