Does the Zamac R41 clamp the blade as well as the Stainless R41GS?

[AndyPanda]

I have read so many posts here and in other forums where someone will say "The R41 doesn't clamp the blade very well so you get a lot of blade chatter" or something like that.

I don't have a Zamac R41 (I should probably just buy one to test rather than asking) but I was just careful examining my Stainless R41 GS and it clamps the blade closer to the edge than just about any razor I can think of and I don't get blade chatter. Each of the teeth in the comb pinch the blade against the cap right out near the very edge of the cap. Granted it doesn't "bend" the blade as much as a lot of other razors ... and maybe that's what all those posts were trying to say.

I wonder if this is unique to the Stainless model? Maybe the cast versions don't grip the blade as well?

If you have a bit of scientific nature are a geek and you have a Zamac R41, could you please test it for me? You can do this without a blade inserted. Just make a feeler out of a sheet of newspaper (probably the thinnest thing you are likely to just have laying around) and twist the handle to tighten the cap down against the plate and see if you can slide a piece of newspaper between the cap and the top of the teeth. I used a thin strip of newspaper as a feeler so I could compare each tooth individually.

 

[AndyPanda]

I just found this thread where someone was saying that the GS does clamp closer to the edge and clamp better than the Zamac version:

If you compare the GS head to the original you can see the blade is clamped closer to the blade edge. This gives a more rigid and smoother blade feel. The tolerances are also thighter. There is a reason they did not polish the clamping interface between the cap and the base plate.
Blade chatter is not an issue with the gs model, in my opinion.
Great razor.

 

[Brutus]

I never had any issues with securing the blade in either, but then again I have since moved on to two different DE razors.
And I beg for your indulgence if I am not geeky enough to dig these two razors out of some bottom drawer and run an experiment.

To me, the post you quoted sounds a bit like car tuning in as much as many of the perceived improvements are imaginary…


B.

 

[Shaveprentice]

I just found this thread where someone was saying that the GS does clamp closer to the edge and clamp better than the Zamac version:

Interesting Information! I have not tried a R41GS but I have a 2011 R41 which is narrower than the current R41 so when a blade is used that doesn't slice easily through your whiskers it chatters quite a bit. The bottom of the blade rests on the open comb close to the edge. However the top of the blade is clamped tightly but it is not clamped close to the blade edge due to the narrow top cap design. The problem is that as you shave the blade can flex away from the bottom open comb and chatter. It is a nice aggressive shave with a blade that cuts easily but is terrible with a blade that doesn't cut though as easily.

As a side note, in contrast my RazoRock Lupo 95 OC clamps the blade close to the edge on both the top and the bottom of the blade. This results in almost any type of blade working amazingly well for me in the RazoRock Lupo 95 OC. I have tried blades that are unusable in the 2011 R41 but are smooth as butter in the Lupo 95.

 

[AndyPanda]

Thanks for sharing that info. If I understood you correctly, the cap does not extend out far enough to reach the tops of the comb teeth? So only the blade is resting on the comb teeth but isn't pinched down onto the teeth by the top cap?

On my GS, there is barely any blade edge showing beyond the edge of the cap. You can definitely feel the blade on your skin though You still have to treat it with a lot of respect and caution but it is surprising how little blade is revealed beyond the edge of the cap. The tops of the teeth are inside/underneath the edge of the cap so it pinches the blade against the tops of the teeth.

 

[Shaveprentice]

Thanks for sharing that info. If I understood you correctly, the cap does not extend out far enough to reach the tops of the comb teeth? So only the blade is resting on the comb teeth but isn't pinched down onto the teeth by the top cap?

Exactly! Your R41GS top cap extends much much closer to the blade edge than my 2011 R41 top cap does.

As another side note, if I use an EJ89 type top cap(which is wider) on my 2011 R41 it clamps the blade much closer to the blade edge and consequently really helps to reduce blade chatter and smooth out the shave.