Mühle R41 Zookeepers?

[thombrogan]

Dear Zookeepers,

May I please have access to your lair so I may learn all the magicks involved with The Beast?

When I clicked the link, it said to log in. So I joined and still can't peek around.

Many thanks.

From lurking on publicly available material, I've got the following stuff:

•Maggards MR-3 handle
•Maggards V3A head (to be tried some time. It was a $3.95 add-on with the handle)
•R41 head
•Sample pack of blades (Feather, Astra SP, Voskhod, Gillette Platinum, Wilkinson, Israeli Personna)
•Alum block
•Neutrogena Sensitive Skin Shaving cream

From here, learned to go for steep angles instead of cap riding. Pesky neck hairs removed in one pass instead of 3+

Totally not worthy, but please let me read the forbidden arcana

 

[Stuart Ganis]

Welcome from West Tennessee..

Sent from my SM-T387V using Tapatalk

 

[thombrogan]

Thanks very much

 

[RayClem]

I have a tough beard, so I like aggressive razors. However, I also have sensitive skin, so I do not like razors that are too aggressive. The only way I can use the R41 is with a less aggressive blade. 7 O'Clock SharpEdge is my favorite in that razor. The very sharp blades I love to use in less aggressive razors are too sharp for the R41.

Personally, I find that open comb type razors, including the R41, seem to benefit from a shallow blade angle. I use a more neutral angle with most solid bar razors. I do not like steep blade angles as it feels like the blade is scraping off skin cells along with the beard hair and I get razor burn. However, use whatever works with your beard and your skin.

 

[Nacp]

R 41 is aggressive, yes. But not very efficient, due to lack of rigid blade support. Works Ok, with sharper blades and some areas of my face. With milder blades, I have to be careful around the neck and chin.
I like the Schone (Fatip Grande) or the RR gamechanger.84 jaws much more as they due to their rigid blade support are more efficient and fun.

 

[thombrogan]

RayChem,

Got a similar setup here with wiry beard hair and sensitive skin. Because of that and hours of reading and video reviews of the Parker 24/26C, I decided that cap-riding would be the way to use the R41-2013. The hair on my cheeks/sideburns love the idea. Neck, chin, and moustache-area were all critics.

Of course, being so new to this, I must still be doing many things wrong and could easily see going from comb-booping back to cap-riding once I figure out more things. Unknown unknown at this time.

Thanks for sharing how you make your R41 work with me.

Nacp,

Thanks for your insights on the R41 and your preferred alternatives. As I already have a Yaqi Mellon slowly on its way, I feel bad looking at even more razors. Still do, but feel bad.

My first R41 shave used a thick lather from a bar of Irish Spring. It worked great with all my disposables, but ATG under the chin wasn't effortless and had me scared. Switched to the Neutrogena Sensitive and could shave that way again, but had generally been roughing up my neck with bad technique.

If I don't get the hang of the R41 and stopgaps like under-blade shims don't help, I'll look deeper into the Fatip/Schöne and Game Changer options.

Trying to get the hang of this R-41, though. It's a lot more fun than my 5-blade Walmart Motionsphere.

Thank you

 

[RayClem]

RayChem,

Got a similar setup here with wiry beard hair and sensitive skin. Because of that and hours of reading and video reviews of the Parker 24/26C, I decided that cap-riding would be the way to use the R41-2013. The hair on my cheeks/sideburns love the idea. Neck, chin, and moustache-area were all critics.

Of course, being so new to this, I must still be doing many things wrong and could easily see going from comb-booping back to cap-riding once I figure out more things. Unknown unknown at this time.

Thanks for sharing how you make your R41 work with me.

Nacp,

Thanks for your insights on the R41 and your preferred alternatives. As I already have a Yaqi Mellon slowly on its way, I feel bad looking at even more razors. Still do, but feel bad.

My first R41 shave used a thick lather from a bar of Irish Spring. It worked great with all my disposables, but ATG under the chin wasn't effortless and had me scared. Switched to the Neutrogena Sensitive and could shave that way again, but had generally been roughing up my neck with bad technique.

If I don't get the hang of the R41 and stopgaps like under-blade shims don't help, I'll look deeper into the Fatip/Schöne and Game Changer options.

Trying to get the hang of this R-41, though. It's a lot more fun than my 5-blade Walmart Motionsphere.

Thank you

I have shaved with Irish Spring as one of my evaluations. It produces a slick lather, but a rather thin one that does not provide much in the way of protection from the blade. Thus, I would not want to use it with the R41.

I suggest you take a look at the shaving soap forum threads. There are soaps that will provide great slickness, great cushion, and great skin nourishment.

 

[thombrogan]

I have shaved with Irish Spring as one of my evaluations. It produces a slick lather, but a rather thin one that does not provide much in the way of protection from the blade. Thus, I would not want to use it with the R41.

Yep. First shave and then on to Neutrogena Sensitive Skin Shave Cream.

I suggest you take a look at the shaving soap forum threads. There are soaps that will provide great slickness, great cushion, and great skin nourishment.

Will do. Going to get forum-knowledge rich and experience poor on that while brushing up my R41 technique and running through the Neutrogena and VO5 conditioner currently in my stash and then get experience in mixing bits of animal bristles in animal fat. Thanks again!

 

[CJB3]

Personally, I find the R41 to be very efficient and a top performer. Ditto on using a better soap.

 

[NicksDad]

I do a two-pass shave, WTG and XTG, and so far the R41 has been the most efficient razor I’ve tried. Others I own are RR SLOC and Muhle Rocca R96, and ones I no longer have are EJ DE89 and Merkur 34c. I’m thinking about adding Karve, Nodachi, or GameChanger JAWS soon.

 

[thombrogan]

I do a two-pass shave, WTG and XTG, and so far the R41 has been the most efficient razor I’ve tried.

Awesome! A billion questions if that‘s okay, please.

What type of results are you gett with two passes? BBS? DFS?

Are you using a steep or shallow angle?

Was the efficiency you experienced a duck-to-water thing or a relearn-a-lot thing?

 

[NicksDad]

Awesome! A billion questions if that‘s okay, please.

What type of results are you gett with two passes? BBS? DFS?

Are you using a steep or shallow angle?

Was the efficiency you experienced a duck-to-water thing or a relearn-a-lot thing?

I get DFS shaves every time with sharp blades and a steep angle (riding the bar). Feather was my favorite until I tried Personna Med Prep. If Feather is a 10, PMP is an 11 for me.

I started with an Edwin Jagger DE89 and tried a few others before finally trying the R41. It felt natural to me.

 

[thombrogan]

I get DFS shaves every time with sharp blades and a steep angle (riding the bar). Feather was my favorite until I tried Personna Med Prep. If Feather is a 10, PMP is an 11 for me.

Thanks for the tip on the blade. Given the price, do these last crazy long times or is their behavior so amazing for your skin/hair/technique/lather that not spending the extra scratch would cost more?

I started with an Edwin Jagger DE89 and tried a few others before finally trying the R41. It felt natural to me.

Cool! Theoretically, there's hope for me yet!

Trying to use what I have and work towards consistently obtaining a one-pass CCS. Finally getting a generously interpreted SAS.

 

[NicksDad]

Thanks for the tip on the blade. Given the price, do these last crazy long times or is their behavior so amazing for your skin/hair/technique/lather that not spending the extra scratch would cost more?

They probably last for as many shaves as any other razor on your face. I prefer them because they slice through my wire bristles more easily than others. I was able to get 4-5 shaves out of a single blade before noticing any drop in performance.

 

[thombrogan]

Some friends got me a deluxe wet-shaving kit Friday night. Badger brush, lather bowl, glycerin soap, alum, razor, and blades. All after upping the lather game was mentioned.

I’m worse at making foam than shaving.

Also worse at sticking to one pass if I have new toys…

 

[thombrogan]

Found it! Search engine links didn't show its new location.

Zookeepers of the Mühle R41 Beast

 

[thombrogan]

Lots of pure gold in the clubs/associations subforum. Working my way through Excalibur (having finished the R41 and SASA threads to date) and getting lots of ponderables on prep and getting the most out of gear at hand.

Have finally gotten a good lather from the Gentleman Jon’s glycerin soap (though so-so hand lather mixed with Neutrogena sensitive non-foaming shaving cream also did great) and found that Kiss My Face shaving cream can easily make anything from the slick coating the 2013-R41 craves to full on Santa beards with minimal fuss from a brush against face.

Able to get a consistent 3-pass BBS with the steep angle shave. Looking forward to getting my skills to where the alum block stops telling me what was done wrong…

 

[thombrogan]

If I were a smart person, I'd just keep on keeping on with steep angles and reeping the rewards. If I were a wicked smart person, I would stick with shallow angles and work to get irritation-free shaves with them.

Tried the Maggards V3A head a few days back and it wouldn't work with steep angles. Worked a charm with the shallow angles. Got a BBS shave that felt as good and lasted as long as steep angled BBS shave from the R41 head.

Then I tried that Yaqi Mellon head that finally arrived. My Wife tried warning me against using it because the bag it was in was labeled "Wish." Thing is, that double open comb looks so stinking precious! And even though the blade is barely above its bottom comb, you can see sooo much of the blade peeking through the top cap. And it only allowed very shallow angles and it took me several passes to get a less-than-SAS with it. But I'm still very new to DE shaving and shallow angle shaving, so maybe it's better with time/skills.

Went back to the R41 after last night and used the same shallow angles used with the Yaqi. Felt like glass and was done so soon. Then the alum block asked me if I was shaving with glass.

Initial conclusions:

•The R41 is awesomesauce at all angles, but I'm barely smart enough to use it at steep ones.

•The Maggards V3A only operates at shallow angles (bends the blade towards the
sultry, scalloped safety bar to do so), but gives same, long lasting BBS shaves I get from dragging R41 steeply over face and neck.

•Regardless of whether the Yaqi Mellon is a lemon or find extraordinaire, if my Wife says "don't do it," I'm better off listening. I bet smart people use it and love it. And I'm jealous as it just looks cute.

After my neck settles down and I've gotten more steep, 2013-R41 fun enjoyed, definitely loading that V3A onto the handle again. Seems to be a fool-resistant gem

 

[tenreasy]

Gave the R41 for a 2nd spin. I had two days growth. Wow the shave was terrible. Kept felling tugging with the razor on the first WTG pass. Felt like driving on a gravel road. Could it be due to blade chatter? Bailed on the razor and put the blade in a Fatip Grande and had no problems.

 

[camoloc]

I'm new to this razor but quickly found that there are differences depending on blade selection. my maiden shave I used a derby premium. I immediately knew I would want to switch to my preferred feathers.

point being is that it is blade picky in my opinion.

I would assume you tried adjusting angles to avoid this sensation? with this one you can get by with very steep and shallow riding the cap. I quickly found that somewhere before or after 30 deg. it does feel like it wants to chatter or blade hop.

I now intuitively just find the angle that is smooth to me.

no pressure. short strokes. (these two are of vital importance.)

as you become learned......can even get by with J Hooking the neck area.

this has been my two week experience with this as a daily driver.

camo