How different is the muhle r41 from the 41 grande? want too buy one!

[ziggy1706]

Hi all again, at badger and blade! the webs best shaving discussion and fact website
Well, i am wishing to purchase from westcoastshaving...a muhle r41! the reason? Do have a muhle 34c, a muhle 89, and a merkur 1904 comb. the comb is jsut too aggressive for me. the 89 seems a tad too aggressive as well. I am preping correctly...the 34c is pretty much just right. But not close enough. have sensitive skin, but corse hair. i shave daily.
so! reading about the muhle r41 here...i see thiers a grande and r41 the tweaked one. is the tweaked one just as good if not better than the grande? Shave just as close or closer or less?
oh also have a 37 c i believe it is...the short handle version of the sledgehammer slant..didnt like it too much. shaved clos n smooth..but not for me.

 

[alex2363]

Are you referring to the new less aggressive R41 [tweaked] to the R41 2011?

R41/Grande, has the same 2011 head but it has a bigger handle and is heavier -125 grams

the comparison's:



Weight 2011: 11 grams
Cap Weight 2013: 13 grams

Cap Height 2011: 41.18 mm
Cap Height 2013: 42.04 mm

Cap Width 2011: 18.54 mm
Cap Width 2013: 19.89 mm

Baseplate Weight 2011: 15 grams
Baseplate Weight 2013: 16 grams

Baseplate Height 2011: 41.26 mm
Baseplate Height 2013: 42.23 mm

Baseplate Width 2011: 24.99 mm
Baseplate Width 2013: 25.20 mm



New r41 [ from mantic59]

 

[Jeff_H]

Alex hit all the info you will ever need on the R41. The only difference between the standard R41 and the R41 Grande is the handle size. I prefer the length of the Grande handle, but find it a bit too thick. The thickness of the standard handle is better.

I actually get the best shaves using the R41 with a different handle. I've used it with a Weber Classic handle and the handle from a Cadet razor. The extra weight and length of either of those handles helps me control the razor more effectively and I enjoy the shave more.

Best of luck.

 

[creekwalker]

The R41 that West Coast Shaving carries is not the 2013, or tweaked version of the 2011 model. What they carry is still the un-tweaked 2011, as effectively stated in their description: "Muhle create a new head design in 2011. There is some rumor that the design changed in 2013, however, Muhle has confirmed this to be a rumor. The design that we carry is the latest version. " It is not the latest version, but West Coast doesn't know it because US vendors have not been given the new version--and Muhle is giving the US vendors bad information. (Who knows why...)

As far as I know all British and European vendors are carrying the 2013 version. The cheapest I've found is at Connaught. If you go through their ordering process (without having to finalize) you will be given the price minus the VAT, (which you will not have to pay) and with their (cheap) shipping cost, after you enter the US as country to ship to.

 

[Jeff_H]

Good info creekwalker. Really good.

 

[keithmax]

Hi all again, at badger and blade! the webs best shaving discussion and fact website
Well, i am wishing to purchase from westcoastshaving...a muhle r41! the reason? Do have a muhle 34c, a muhle 89, and a merkur 1904 comb. the comb is jsut too aggressive for me. the 89 seems a tad too aggressive as well. I am preping correctly...the 34c is pretty much just right. But not close enough. have sensitive skin, but corse hair. i shave daily.
so! reading about the muhle r41 here...i see thiers a grande and r41 the tweaked one. is the tweaked one just as good if not better than the grande? Shave just as close or closer or less?
oh also have a 37 c i believe it is...the short handle version of the sledgehammer slant..didnt like it too much. shaved clos n smooth..but not for me.

If you find Merkur 1904 and the Muhle 89 too aggressive then likely you will find the R41 way too aggressive. It is the most aggressive razor I own by a wide margin.

 

[aimsport]

I finally found an r41 thread that I can resist posting in.

Oh, wait, I just did.... snap!

 

[ziggy1706]

ok! so it was a rumor the new r41 head was tweaked..that is a rumor?
I know, and thought about it..if the 89 was aggressive, the 41 is prob too aggressive. too take into account...what makes the 89 and others aggressive is, the blades. i do have some gillette 7 oclock green packages left, thiers smoothis. have used blue birds in the recent past, very sharp, but my skin didnt like the feel of the metal. right now, i am using CVS pharmacy blades. $7.99 for a 10 pack, thier the sharpest that i can buy around me. Have used recently, stop and shop store blades, walgreens, blak package ones, local walmart had wilkinsons sword 10 pack blades, which i didnt think were sharp enough at all. the cvs ones outperfromed al, but may bed easy after 2-3 passes on my facial hair. have been looking at personna blues or the medical prep blades, or mybe use the blue birds again... but those i have not used in the muhle 89 or 34c yet....blades bend = ripped up skin...
so! my concensous is, using the better quality blades in a r41.
that weird...because it was westcoast or lees saftey razors i think..they had the r41 listed for $61 and the grand for $69 so the only differnee is the new has thicker handle and no tweaked head?

 

[bryan1980]

If you find Merkur 1904 and the Muhle 89 too aggressive then likely you will find the R41 way too aggressive. It is the most aggressive razor I own by a wide margin.

^^This. The 1904 is considered by many to be one of the mildest OC's available. IMHO, I think you need to try an adjustable. Merkur Progress if you want to go new, or any one of the Gillette adjustables (Slim, Fatboy, or Super Adjustable). With any of these, you can dial-up just the right amount of aggressiveness for you, and even change it up between passes.

 

[engblom]

Do have a muhle 34c, a muhle 89, and a merkur 1904 comb. the comb is jsut too aggressive for me. the 89 seems a tad too aggressive as well.

This I do not understand either. As already commented 1904 OC is as mild as you can get. I can only understand it if you try to force a BBS shave with 1904 OC. 1904 OC has no blade exposure at all and is only able to shave because of slight pressure flexing the skin to the blade. If you get a true BBS, you have used a lot of pressure and several passes wearing out the skin.

Check out this picture (from the thread "Photo Analysis of Razor Designs"): View attachment 381074

No pressure with a Merkur OC really means the blade is not even touching the skin. All Merkur OC razors have the same head. I have 15C and I know this with the blade exposure is true as you do not get a real BBS. I could easily get a true BBS with R41.