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Is there an equivalent non-zamak R41?

Esox

I didnt know
Staff member
Yikes! Glad they did.

Yeah, but I've seen pictures that I didnt save of the very thick plating cracking on the cap. Then the pot metal under it rots and swells lifting more of the plating.

They have such thick, and smooth plating, for a reason. Its meant to protect whats under it. If the plating fails in any way, buy a new razor.


Mine has got plating loss around the stud on the bottom of the top cap.

Being a solid brass razor it will have no effect. How old is it and which plating material is on it?
 
Being a solid brass razor it will have no effect. How old is it and which plating material is on it?

No idea I bought it second hand. Yes it will have no effect but it doesn’t look good. I guess the point of a good SS razor is that it will look good for ever. Some people like me are more anal about such details
 

Esox

I didnt know
Staff member
No idea I bought it second hand. Yes it will have no effect but it doesn’t look good. I guess the point of a good SS razor is that it will look good for ever. Some people like me are more anal about such details

The only thing I can think of to explain that is over tightening of the handle.

Stainless, the same as brass, will dull over time. With either material, a quick polish quickly brings back the shine.

I fully expect mine to look as nice 20 years from now as it does today.

Heres my Grande next to a Gillette Single Ring from 1917.

IMG_2601.jpg
 
If you want efficiency...



I use mine directly ATG first pass at ~48 hours growth. One buffing pass, one very light clean up over 2 swirl growth patterns on my neck for a 8-10 hour BBS. As long as I do my part I dont even feel like I've shaved. Total shave takes 3-5 minutes.




The only plating I've seen wear on Fatip razors is the black gun metal finish. I havent seen a nickel, chrome or gold plated Fatip with any plating issues.

I've been using my gold Grande almost a year now and it looks as good as the day I bought it. @Raven Koenes has several Fatips, one from the 1980's. None have plating issues.




I've heard they did make that change. The plating on the threads was wearing prematurely, and below is what happens.

View attachment 884376
the black fatip does fades, but underneath the black plating there is a layer of nickel plating, also the fatip is all brass so no worries if the plating wears off fully
 

Esox

I didnt know
Staff member
the black fatip does fades, but underneath the black plating there is a layer of nickel plating, also the fatip is all brass so no worries if the plating wears off fully

No worries to me anyway. All my razors are brass.
 
Why not a high quality adjustable razor, a razor that through adjusting that will enable one to mimic the aggressiveness of virtually any razor?
I don't think I'd recommend any adjustable as a replacement, none of them are nearly as rigid as the r41, and obviously none of them are open comb. Way to different of a shave.
 
So can anyone tell me why the R41 wont last forever. I bought one recently. How long will it last and what is the reason it wont last forever?
 
So can anyone tell me why the R41 wont last forever. I bought one recently. How long will it last and what is the reason it wont last forever?
It's because it's made of zamak, but it's not like it's a piece of junk, muhle knows what they're doin.
While zamak will rot away fairly quickly if exposed, they have a pretty thick coating of chrome surrounding it to prevent this (someone mentioned this earlier in the thread).
Lets say you drop the razor and the top cap smacks right on the corner of the sink, and the chrome plating gets dinged and the zamak is exposed.
That razor isn't gonna last much longer, especially not if used frequently and stored in the bathroom where it's moist.
Granted it has to hit pretty hard for this to happen, so your razor is likely to last a decent portion of your life, you could probably get it to last your whole life if you care for it properly.

A lot of people (including myself) just love the feeling of higher quality material, and the idea that it's not made from a cheap cocktail of metals. I especially love how smooth the threading is on the fatip's, give the head a spin and it screws itself on honestly, you don't get that from zamak heads, at least not any I've tried.
 
Razorock "The Beast" in 316l SS. At $50, there is no better way to tell your face: "the beatings will continue until technique improves..." :001_tongu
 
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With all due respect I think you guys are missing the point. The gentleman is specifically asking for a high quality razor. I had both the Fatip and the R41 and they soon started to lose the coating. Not a big deal for some, but a big deal for me. This won’t happen in a nice SS razor [emoji41]
Nobody is missing the point - people are just giving the OP options so he can keep using an R41 as long as he wants.

@OP, buying backups is definitely something to think about. How do you think the Air Force or Navy keeps hardware running for decades? They do an analysis of how many spares they need to achieve the service life that want, and just buy them up front.

Also, not all Zamak is created equal. I have a Zamak top cap Tech that belonged to my dad that he narrowed, exposing the bare Zamak. He used it every day for 30+ years and I still have it - no rot. The R41 is built using a better alloy then the cheap Chinese clones. I'm sure the razor will last at least a decade, probably more.
 
Nobody is missing the point - people are just giving the OP options so he can keep using an R41 as long as he wants.

@OP, buying backups is definitely something to think about. How do you think the Air Force or Navy keeps hardware running for decades? They do an analysis of how many spares they need to achieve the service life that want, and just buy them up front.

Also, not all Zamak is created equal. I have a Zamak top cap Tech that belonged to my dad that he narrowed, exposing the bare Zamak. He used it every day for 30+ years and I still have it - no rot. The R41 is built using a better alloy then the cheap Chinese clones. I'm sure the razor will last at least a decade, probably more.

I use the monarchy approach to my favorite zamak razor myself (RR TeckII). An heir and a spare...

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I don't think I'd recommend any adjustable as a replacement, none of them are nearly as rigid as the r41, and obviously none of them are open comb. Way to different of a shave.
I have no clue what are you saying, the latest version of the R41 is not an open comb. One can say is mimicking open comb or hybrid between OC and scalloped bar. As of now the only adjustable that creeps in the aggressiveness of the R41, Fatip OC, Ikon Tech is the Gibbs Adjustable when cranked up to #6. I will see if the Rex is in the same vicinity once its delivered to me since the group buy is already over
 
With all due respect I think you guys are missing the point. The gentleman is specifically asking for a high quality razor. I had both the Fatip and the R41 and they soon started to lose the coating. Not a big deal for some, but a big deal for me. This won’t happen in a nice SS razor [emoji41]
Lose the coating? Can you post a picture, please?

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So can anyone tell me why the R41 wont last forever. I bought one recently. How long will it last and what is the reason it wont last forever?
50-100 years maybe, but it is not enough for eternity (:)

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I have no clue what are you saying, the latest version of the R41 is not an open comb. One can say is mimicking open comb or hybrid between OC and scalloped bar. As of now the only adjustable that creeps in the aggressiveness of the R41, Fatip OC, Ikon Tech is the Gibbs Adjustable when cranked up to #6. I will see if the Rex is in the same vicinity once its delivered to me since the group buy is already over
Curious if you have tried a Mingshi/Qshave clone on setting 6,or even 5.Some consider that to be quite "aggressive".
 
I emailed Muhle about a Stainless R41, they have no plans at present to produce one.
Take heart there are Zamack razors from the '50's still around and functional. With luck and care your R41 may last decades. Personally I got a second R41 as backup from The Modern Man for under $40 delieverd to USA.
For me the razor that feels closest while shaving is the Muhle Rocca, about the same blade feel, slightly less smooth and almost as close a shave.
More efficient but with more blade feel and not as smooth - Ikon Tech, Charcoal Goods Level 3, Timeless Bronze .78 OC.
Slightly less efficient with less blade feel Timeless SS and Titanium .95 OC and Rockwell SS Plate 6. Sadly no other razor I have tried combines exactly the same level of efficiency and moderate blade feel of the R41.
 
...there are Zamack razors from the '50's still around and functional. With luck and care your R41 may last decades....

+1!

This thread has a number of great suggestions for non-Zamack razors! For the sake of completeness, I would add the Wolfman with custom blade gap to the list.
 
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