Give an open comb a try?

[CZSteve]

Alright - I've been enjoying my conversion to wet DE shaving...

Routine: Currently using an Edwin Jagger DE89L w/ Astra platinum blades and Tweezerman brush.
- Soak brush (cold water) while I'm in the shower; shave a couple minutes after shower.
- Cold splash of water on face; then pat dry.
- Face lather.
- Two passes w/ soap third wetting of face for final touch-up w/ blade.
- Getting 2-3 shaves per blade.

I'm now thinking I'd like to try an open comb. I have a medium-heavy beard - I've been very pleased so far but curious if an open comb might be even better.

I like the look of a Muhle R41 but not sure about the aggressiveness combined w/ the open comb - afraid of it being a cut fest, especially on mornings when in a hurry.
Also looking at the Merkur 1904 - seems to be less aggressive and have good reviews. I also like the price point of the 1904; but also want to spend wisely.

Thoughts? Other recommendations?

EDIT: FWIW - I have no problems w/ cuts using the DE89; there was an expected learning curve for the first few shaves at first but quickly found the right technique.

 

[kcb5150]

OC 1904 is a great razor. The Merkur OC head is actually a great one to break yourself in with. It won't rip you apart if you make a mistake like some oc do. IDK if you are into vintage but a NEW is also a nice one to start with.

 

[jamesspo]

+1. The 1904 would do you just fine, and is a nice mild razor. If you're keen on vintage razors, you can't go wrong with a NEW (Long comb or short comb). It'll be a little more aggressive than the 1904, but nothing like the R41.

OC 1904 is a great razor. The Merkur OC head is actually a great one to break yourself in with. It won't rip you apart if you make a mistake like some oc do. IDK if you are into vintage but a NEW is also a nice one to start with.

 

[jim9112]

I love the the 1904 OC. Use it every day. Very mild though the stock handle did not have great grip for me when wet. At that price point I did not mind swapping another handle in.

 

[nemo]

Merkur 1904 open comb is a classic razor design, you can't miss.

 

[CZSteve]

Thanks for the reply's.
I can definitely appreciate vintage things and the Gillette NEW looks very interesting.
- How does the NEW rank as far as aggressiveness?
- I have also read reviews about the R41 being better described as 'efficient' as compared to aggressive - I like the efficient aspect; just sounds like it may have a bit more of a learning curve and be less forgiving.

Thanks again and keep the input coming.

 

[sgtd]

Don't be scared. Get the R41. It's an awesome razor. The NEW is great too. Less aggressive than the R41 but a smooth shaver. You can't go wrong with either one.

 

[CZSteve]

Don't be scared. Get the R41. It's an awesome razor.

I'm kinda leaning towards the R41 some more again. I do find myself going over several tough spots on my face to knock down hard to get hairs and wonder if the more 'efficient' R41 would make sense...

 

[kcb5150]

Have you ever figured out the grain of your beard all over? It is really helpful to getting that extra bit closer. That r41 head is cool but not really necessary. That oc merkur head could get your face like glass paired with a good blade. If you have some persistent trouble spots, get an oc micromatic se and some good se blades. That thing will plow through anything as if it were nothing.

 

[kcb5150]

I find my short comb NEW to be fairly mild, actually. It's really good. Another plus point about the merkur head is it seems to get along with a wider variety of blades than most of my razors do.

 

[jamesspo]

The R41 is good choice too, but it is about as aggressive as you can get in a DE, so keep that in mind. It's somewhat like shaving with shavette (straight razor that takes half a DE blade). It'll give you fantastic shaves, but you'll need to expect some learning curve.

On your question about the NEW, if the 1904 is "1" and the R41 is "10" on the OC agressiveness scale, the NEWs are probably a 4 or 5. I don't notice much difference between short and long comb NEWs. The Cadet OC and Fattip are around a 6-7. This is all just my opinion of course .

I'm kinda leaning towards the R41 some more again. I do find myself going over several tough spots on my face to knock down hard to get hairs and wonder if the more 'efficient' R41 would make sense...

 

[ItsAllGravy]

I bought my first OC a couple of weeks ago, i went for a Fatip Piccolo it is a great shaver. The handle is tiny like a Tech, after a couple of shaves with that i put my Weber Bulldog handle on it as i prefer heavier razors.

Fatip / Weber Bulldog is an awesome shaver.

 

[Mick]

I want to spend wisely.

The rule here seems to be........ "Spend wisely but spend often"

Soon you will be after razors like these OC beauties

 

[CB1]

I have a similar beard to the OP - a bit more than medium heavy though and thick (and greying ;-|) with direction going left ear to right ear from jawline down.

I have the Merkur 11C, Gillette Old, New LC/SC, Fatip, Cadet and R41. Since I got the R41 a month or so ago I've used very little else. In fact I got another one so I would have one as a daily driver at my house and my girlfriends house where we split time.

The R41 can be turned up or down with effectiveness/aggressiveness (or whatever you want to call it) by using different angle, blade, pressure etc.. so it can be versatile once you get the hang of it. As a matter of fact this morning in a time crunch I did a quick three pass shave all WTG. DFS. I never go hard core ATG on mustache or jawline/neck. More of a cross between ATG and XTG. That's even with the mildest of razors though. I do have a Weber Bulldog handle on both of mine. I actually already had a Weber handle and have never actually even tried the R41 handle. I should try that some time.

I'd say right now my next favorite is the Cadet OC. A tad less efficient than the R41 but very smooth! So those are the two I'd recommend - the Cadet OC or the R41. There are a couple new handle style's available now on the Cadet's which look attractive being that they are offering some short handles which I like. And because I have trouble controlling my RAD I ordered one....... there I admitted it...

 

[Attila]

I have owned a Merkur 1904 and a Cadet OC. They are on opposite ends of the spectrum. For me, I found the 1904 to be a smooth shaver but very, very mild. A bit too much work to get a BBS shave, if I wanted one. I ended up trading it, as well as my Cadet OC which I found to be not smooth at all and a bit too aggressive for my liking. I was able to get good no cut shaves with it but I just wasn't enjoying using it when I had other razors much smoother and just as efficient. I traded them both for a replated 1930's era Otto Roth long comb (equivalent of a long comb Gillette New). Best trade I ever made. I traded two extremes for one very, very smooth yet efficient razor. I agree with Jamesspo above about it being middle of the road for efficiency. An excellent razor for me that is definitely a keeper. I use an iKon Bulldog handle on it or the OSS handle depending on my mood. The heavier handle and better grip modifies the razor nicely.

I also use an EJ DE 89 with the two aforementioned handles and find that the heavier handles made the DE89 a much more efficient razor. I get great shaves with no irritation from that one as well in my rotation. One of my favorites along with my 37C Slant.

I would highly recommend you try the Gillette New Long comb based on my own experiences. I think you would be pleased. You could PM Korona Kruser, he is a member here and on the Hobbyist BST site he frequently sells Long Comb New razors. He can keep an eye open for you if he gets any new ones in.

As to the R41, I have never used one and don't really plan to. For me, I get great shaves out of the more moderate level of aggressive razors and feel no need to try a razor that is on the extreme side for aggression. Some folks love it though as you can see above. If you did try it and didn't like it, you would likely be able to sell it very easily for a small loss.

 

[Batman]

1904 is the one to train on. I got a LC New and ripped my =face off -didn't know why everyone liked it so much. After honing my skills and angle on the 1904, I now love the LC New.

The only thing I disliked about the Merkur was the slippery handle. Other than that, nice mild OC.

 

[london]

I've just got my first OC a Fatip which is a great razor as long as you use a very light touch.

 

[catfat]

I don't recommend the merkur 1904 at all. I have the 15c that shares the same head and it is one of my mildest razors. Try the cadet open comb or a fatip. If you like the fatip in terms of agressiveness and you want a little more then get the R41 as well. Can never have too many razors lol.

 

[celestino]

Get yourself a vintage Single Ring or an Old Type. The 1904 is a very, mild razor, more so than your EJ89 in my opinion, although a very fine shaver. Good luck.

 

[dynagroove]

Have you ever figured out the grain of your beard all over? It is really helpful to getting that extra bit closer. That r41 head is cool but not really necessary. That oc merkur head could get your face like glass paired with a good blade. If you have some persistent trouble spots, get an oc micromatic se and some good se blades. That thing will plow through anything as if it were nothing.

+1!

If you are looking for the R41 to do a better job on those hard to knock down spots, you're not going to be "amazed" by the R41, or any other razor out there. The R41 is an amazing razor and a keeper for me, but I still have to go over those same spots with the R41 just as I do with any other razor. The R41 is an excellent, but different "comb" design and there are many others out there that will do just an amazing job - albeit in a different way. I have also recently learned that open comb does not necessarily mean a more aggressive razor. There are several OC razors on the market that are milder than many SB razors I've used. This has to do with blade exposure and blade gap, not the "comb" portion of a razor. I have an 11C which has a similar head to the 1904 and I think that you can't go wrong with that razor, especially considering the price.