I bought the GS R41 online from Muhle (Michigan) they offered them to me so I acceptedCool move.
Saw these in their online shop.
I was tempted to buy a pair of these cufflinks since I wear this type of shirts for business purposes now and then... anyway, no such free offer included for the german based customers
Muhle is launching a LE R41 Stainless Steel
- Thread starter macintoshBR
- Start date
Oh - my SS 41 is supposed to arrive tomorrow. I hope they included the cufflinks with my order. I will definitely get some use from them if so.
I am importing TO Europe from Canada, from Italianbarber. They deliver via Canada Post, it's 7-11 days so far, had 4 shipments.
While Canada Post isn't super cheap and final delivery speed depends somewhat on your national service, it's working out nicely.
EU countries also don't have to fear taxes unless you order for some 250 EUR+ or something like that due to the CETA trade agreement.
I can also recommend the Outlaw from either Executive Shaving or Alpha Shaving, both very good shops.
M
member 119848
At first I thought to myself "there are no better designs, but just different designs". But I´m curious how others assess a good design.
So without wanting to challenge your opinion, I´d genuinely like to know on which criteria you rate a design.
All I can think of are these two characteristics:
- the ratio "smoothness/efficiency"
- blade chatter
Personally, I enjoy blade feel but can´t get along with blade chatter as it can pull my hair (for me it is discomfort).
Update: I still don't have enough hair for a proper shave, but I just looked at my razors from above, and noticed the cap of the Z0 clone is noticeably smaller/shorter. The angle is a bit different unfortunately, the handle of the Mühle is longer. But see yourself, it's not a trick of the perspective, the blade exposure is much more pronounced on the Z0, even when looked at from directly above. Maybe it's indeed rather based on the 2011 than the 2013 head design.
Edit: i also just cleaned the Z0, it is not worse polished than the R41 GS. Mea culpa!
Edit: i also just cleaned the Z0, it is not worse polished than the R41 GS. Mea culpa!
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My priorities are
1. close shave -> my first razor was a R89, didn't find the shave satisfying, went straight to the R41 and loved it. Go figure!
2. with few passes (maybe that should be rolled in one criterium...)
3. The ratio of aggression to efficiency: The R41 is very efficient, but also a bit dangerous, you can't wildly swipe it around in your face. It's not a total beast, it gives fair warning if it is about to bite.
4. How easy it is to "shave" with the razor: Some razors like the Rockwell 6S, the Game Changer, the Outlaw very much guide you or just happen to work nicely with the angle I would pick for them by default.
My absolute favorite razor is the Outlaw: While not being overly aggressive in my opinion, but still very efficient. Though I can't quite get this extra half day of no stubble from it as from the R41 e.g..
Similar things could be said about the Game Changer .84. There I like the OC baseplate the most of the SB/OC/JAWS plates.
I heard about blade chatter and I can see what it is (mostly with the Futur), but it is not a criterium of relevance for me. I don't have problems with ingrown hair, but I think it might make the Z0 more aggressive than the R41 GS, because its blade has more exposure and is not as much clamped down, and therefore probably might chatter more.
This said, I should somewhere add the point blade feel between 3 and 4... I love it. I don't like razors without blade feel. I also love knurls and hate slippery polished handles. That's why DSCosmetics is driving me nuts with their polished knurls. And you can guess how much I love the Superknurl handle from Razorock and the Alpha Bravo of the Outlaw. I also love large lather holes, one of the things I dearly miss on my Rocca. I also managed to clog up my Game Changer .84 with a particular shaving gel once. Hehe...
The design of the R41 made very little concessions to safety or comfort, but it did: The 2011 head vs the 2013 e.g.... which might be similar to Z0 vs R41 GS. Let's see, probably on Wednesday.
As usual, the perfect razor is highly subjective. And that's the beauty of shaving. I still have to get an Envoy/Ambassador, just to see if I fall into the camp that loathes its exposure no matter what gap setting, or if I will love it.
Had a stunning shave this morning with quite a lot of blade feel (I guess that was amplyfied by the KAI, to some degree). 2 passes, some minor touch ups. No nicks, no irritation - absolutely flawless.
BBS galore.
Hello fellow shaving enthusiasts,
This is a comparison of the R41 GS stainless steel edition of the R41 with the DSCosmetic Z0 with the so called "Destroyer" handle and to a lesser degree the usual R41 "Chrome" with the standard handle.
Z0 clone to the left, R41 GS and R41 to the right.
Differences between the R41 GS and the chrome version with standard handle are just the larger handle and metal having more weight. I must say the "Grande" handle is very well balanced and I could just put my little finger under the butt, all in all I liked it much more than the for me relatively short standard handle.
All measurements of the R41s are identical, except for the handle, ofc.
Between the R41 GS / R41 and DSCosmetic Z0 clone there are are some minor differences. The tabs of the razor blade very minimally protrude on the R41, a similar design to the Rocca. It's not exposed, but it's not fully covered either. It's actually a very nice design, in general I prefer them fully covered.
The teeth are slightly differently rounded, which might be due overpolishing by DSCosmetic. They even polish handles with knurls quite slippery, but their razors shine for sure.
The major difference is the cap: It's infinitesimally less wide and exposes the tabs a litte bit more, but the blade exposure is much more pronounced, as the cap is much shorter than that of the R41. The angle of the heads is a bit different due to different length handles, but it's not a trick of the perspective, the blade is much, much more visible on the Z0.
This might indicate that it is based as the more aggressively rated "2011" head design of the Mühle R41. Both my Zamac Mühle R41 and my R41 GS made from stainless steel use the 2013 design.
The test was done with 3 days between shaves, due to home office and the urge to try a new razor at noon. The first shaves were done with the R41 GS to become familiar again with the razor. The R41 was my second razor, my first was a R89, which wasn't efficient enough for me. It taught me shaving the bloody way, and up to now I say rather take a milder blade and not a Feather for the R41.
I chose to compare Z0 and R41GS with Cella (Red) soap and Gillette Nacet first use blades. I also shaved with the R41 before going on to the R41 GS. Both are quite the same.
The R41 GS got more gentle to my skin on the second shave, initially it was quite a feeling of exfoliation. I also experienced tugging on my very first try with the R41 under the nose. The initial contact with the rigid blade was a bit unpleasant, but the result is a spectacularly close shave. I also didn't suffer injury.
I told friends my skin feels like polished marble, it's true, a truly fantastic result. Corrections under the jaw were not needed, this happens quite often to me. No cut, but some irritation. Basically, Old Spice after shave did quite burn me. This went away after the second shave with the R41 GS. Seems I needed time to adjust.
Now enter the Z0…
It might be even more efficient. Not much though, it's quite the same. But the blade is felt harsher on the skin. Maybe clamping down a bit more in the 2013 head design wasn't the worst idea. I cut myself on my chin. A slight scratch/injury got cut and did quite a lot of bleeding and my alum stick got used again for the first time in ages.
On the neck I had to do another pass. I was too timid with the blade, as it is felt more harshly. Also audibly it is louder. This might be due to the head design or due to the different handle, I am not sure.
Verdict: All three give you a marble skin, all are quite aggressive and demand careful handling. The Z0 lets you feel the blade a bit more harshly, might be due to a bit more blade chatter due to the smaller cap leading to more exposure and less guidance of the blade. Initially I thought it not different from the two other original R41s though. They are milder though, I wonder if having seen the difference biased me, but now after a direct comparison I must say I prefer the R41 2013 head. It's still aggressive enough. The Z0 didn't gain efficiency for the harsher feeling, it rather made me supposedly timid to shave the neck with it, which required a correction pass.
Nowadays I mostly shave with the Outlaw, Mühle Rocca R94, Game Changer .84 OC or the DSCosmetic S9 (a clone of the Game Changer .84 with a solid bar). These are my favorites. The Lupo DC with its .95 and .72 side is roughly similar, but a bit more harsh.
For that absolute wow-feeling BBS like a Greek God or marble statue, the R41 is highly recommended. But for daily use, I got lazy over the years, and the razors mentioned enough work for me when I am singing with closed eyes. I prefer the Outlaw, Game Changer .84 OC, DSC S9 or the Rocca (the Outlaw has a bit more blade feel and a lovely knurled handle, the Rocca is a bit milder). The ratio of efficiency to aggression is better for them. But the R41 tops them in efficiency, at the cost of being unforgiving to errors in technique and shaving carelessly.
This is a comparison of the R41 GS stainless steel edition of the R41 with the DSCosmetic Z0 with the so called "Destroyer" handle and to a lesser degree the usual R41 "Chrome" with the standard handle.
Z0 clone to the left, R41 GS and R41 to the right.
Differences between the R41 GS and the chrome version with standard handle are just the larger handle and metal having more weight. I must say the "Grande" handle is very well balanced and I could just put my little finger under the butt, all in all I liked it much more than the for me relatively short standard handle.
All measurements of the R41s are identical, except for the handle, ofc.
Between the R41 GS / R41 and DSCosmetic Z0 clone there are are some minor differences. The tabs of the razor blade very minimally protrude on the R41, a similar design to the Rocca. It's not exposed, but it's not fully covered either. It's actually a very nice design, in general I prefer them fully covered.
The teeth are slightly differently rounded, which might be due overpolishing by DSCosmetic. They even polish handles with knurls quite slippery, but their razors shine for sure.
The major difference is the cap: It's infinitesimally less wide and exposes the tabs a litte bit more, but the blade exposure is much more pronounced, as the cap is much shorter than that of the R41. The angle of the heads is a bit different due to different length handles, but it's not a trick of the perspective, the blade is much, much more visible on the Z0.
This might indicate that it is based as the more aggressively rated "2011" head design of the Mühle R41. Both my Zamac Mühle R41 and my R41 GS made from stainless steel use the 2013 design.
The test was done with 3 days between shaves, due to home office and the urge to try a new razor at noon. The first shaves were done with the R41 GS to become familiar again with the razor. The R41 was my second razor, my first was a R89, which wasn't efficient enough for me. It taught me shaving the bloody way, and up to now I say rather take a milder blade and not a Feather for the R41.
I chose to compare Z0 and R41GS with Cella (Red) soap and Gillette Nacet first use blades. I also shaved with the R41 before going on to the R41 GS. Both are quite the same.
The R41 GS got more gentle to my skin on the second shave, initially it was quite a feeling of exfoliation. I also experienced tugging on my very first try with the R41 under the nose. The initial contact with the rigid blade was a bit unpleasant, but the result is a spectacularly close shave. I also didn't suffer injury.
I told friends my skin feels like polished marble, it's true, a truly fantastic result. Corrections under the jaw were not needed, this happens quite often to me. No cut, but some irritation. Basically, Old Spice after shave did quite burn me. This went away after the second shave with the R41 GS. Seems I needed time to adjust.
Now enter the Z0…
It might be even more efficient. Not much though, it's quite the same. But the blade is felt harsher on the skin. Maybe clamping down a bit more in the 2013 head design wasn't the worst idea. I cut myself on my chin. A slight scratch/injury got cut and did quite a lot of bleeding and my alum stick got used again for the first time in ages.
On the neck I had to do another pass. I was too timid with the blade, as it is felt more harshly. Also audibly it is louder. This might be due to the head design or due to the different handle, I am not sure.
Verdict: All three give you a marble skin, all are quite aggressive and demand careful handling. The Z0 lets you feel the blade a bit more harshly, might be due to a bit more blade chatter due to the smaller cap leading to more exposure and less guidance of the blade. Initially I thought it not different from the two other original R41s though. They are milder though, I wonder if having seen the difference biased me, but now after a direct comparison I must say I prefer the R41 2013 head. It's still aggressive enough. The Z0 didn't gain efficiency for the harsher feeling, it rather made me supposedly timid to shave the neck with it, which required a correction pass.
Nowadays I mostly shave with the Outlaw, Mühle Rocca R94, Game Changer .84 OC or the DSCosmetic S9 (a clone of the Game Changer .84 with a solid bar). These are my favorites. The Lupo DC with its .95 and .72 side is roughly similar, but a bit more harsh.
For that absolute wow-feeling BBS like a Greek God or marble statue, the R41 is highly recommended. But for daily use, I got lazy over the years, and the razors mentioned enough work for me when I am singing with closed eyes. I prefer the Outlaw, Game Changer .84 OC, DSC S9 or the Rocca (the Outlaw has a bit more blade feel and a lovely knurled handle, the Rocca is a bit milder). The ratio of efficiency to aggression is better for them. But the R41 tops them in efficiency, at the cost of being unforgiving to errors in technique and shaving carelessly.
Perhaps this is a bit off-topic, so forgive me for that.
Out of curiosity or perhaps nostalgia (as R41 was my first DE razor), I took out my R41 a few days ago, inserted a fresh Feather yellow blade in it and had a great shave. Yup, it's close, it's efficient, everything was fine. No nicks or cuts. Mild sting post-shave.
That said, Vector with OC plate is every bit efficient, albeit not as harsh as R41.
To me, the clear and substantial advantage of an SE razor like Vector is having zero blade chatter compared to R41, which due to its large blade exposure and thin DE blade nature, does produce a noticeable blade chatter.
While R41 can do the work, it's not a razor I'd use daily.
When I think about it in all honesty, there is no other razor I'd use daily except for Vector, altering between its SB and OC plates.
Out of curiosity or perhaps nostalgia (as R41 was my first DE razor), I took out my R41 a few days ago, inserted a fresh Feather yellow blade in it and had a great shave. Yup, it's close, it's efficient, everything was fine. No nicks or cuts. Mild sting post-shave.
That said, Vector with OC plate is every bit efficient, albeit not as harsh as R41.
To me, the clear and substantial advantage of an SE razor like Vector is having zero blade chatter compared to R41, which due to its large blade exposure and thin DE blade nature, does produce a noticeable blade chatter.
While R41 can do the work, it's not a razor I'd use daily.
When I think about it in all honesty, there is no other razor I'd use daily except for Vector, altering between its SB and OC plates.
Hannah's Dad
I Can See Better Than Bigfoot.
Great comparison report!
That's a pretty hardcore combo.
Thank you for sharing your meaningful review and thoughts. Well done!
For most, Gamechanger. 84OC/Jaws or the Rocca indeed might be the better suited daily driver (and for some even those razors are still to aggressive to use them on a daily basis).
As of yet I have shaved with GS approx. every two/three days (and chose a "less" aggressive razor in the interim, daily shaver here since the begin of 2021), this worked out well for me (but's a clear case of ymmv).
And I fully agree: the R41 (GS) is not the best option if have to catch the bus...
Finally... "polished marble" - that's a nice picture!
Have some great shaves!
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If you seek to illustrate "blade feel" to someone not being familiar with it I recommend to go down this road.
But after all, it wasn't too bad.
M
member 119848
So, I shaved with the new R41 this morning.
A very pleasant shave!
I just got one little nick in the moustache area, but that´s because of my carelessness.
Other than that, I´ve got a very close shave without irritation. And it was a quick shave... in two passes, and it didn´t take many strokes.
At the end of the day, it´s an R41 Grande with a bit of weight to it.
Which place would this razor have in my collection? That will be my quick shaver. It takes just a few minutes to get a clean shave.
And it´s fun to use.
If I could compare razors to cars, this razor would be the Porsche (the bulky Cayenne) of my collection.
A very pleasant shave!
I just got one little nick in the moustache area, but that´s because of my carelessness.
Other than that, I´ve got a very close shave without irritation. And it was a quick shave... in two passes, and it didn´t take many strokes.
At the end of the day, it´s an R41 Grande with a bit of weight to it.
Which place would this razor have in my collection? That will be my quick shaver. It takes just a few minutes to get a clean shave.
And it´s fun to use.
If I could compare razors to cars, this razor would be the Porsche (the bulky Cayenne) of my collection.
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I've done two shaves with my R41 Grande in Stainless. Maybe it's appropriate, but I would say the R41 feels like a Fatip going up a gear in efficiency. It feels closer to a Fatip than an Ikon Shavecraft Tech/"Tek", which is another aggressive razor I have that I use. The R41 almost shaves like it doesn't have a blade in it, compared to the Ikon Tech. I like the longer handle, because it makes it easy for you to change shaving angles on the fly, and there's a nice weight to it. So far, I like it. Nowhere near the beast it was made out to be, but I'm not exactly surprised.
I've used mine 4 times (4 days in a row). I'm not sure if I'm going to keep it. I can only use it at a steep angle, and the blade is nearly perpendicular to my face at a steep angle. I'm getting scrapey shaves, and I usually like that sort of thing. I'm just not gelling with it. The Rocca V4 has become my favorite razor, FWIW. Makes me sad, but the cuff links are SWEEEET.
I read too many threads.First Stainless R41 SOTD
Brush: Semogue Torga-C3 Finest Mistura 22/49
Soap: TFS Tabacum Crepito
Razor: Mühle stainless R41 head on custom olive wood handle
Blade: Personna Platinum Chrome (1)
ASL: Clubman
A good shave.
ANOTHER new razor! This time the new Mühle 316L Stainless Steel version of their R41. It's called the R41GS, GS standing for Grande Stainless. I'm just calling mine a stainless R41, as Grande refers to the handle it comes with (similar to Fatip nomenclature). I immediately changed the handle to my favorite 75mm olive wood custom job.
The Mühle stainless Grande handle is HUGE (to me anyway)... the gripping part is 14.1mm diameter (not that it's that grippy) and the length is 99mm (so it's vaulting pole length but caber thickness)! It weighs in at 78g, so obviously not solid stainless steel.
My olive wood handle weighs 13g.
The loaded head weighs 36g.
It'll take me a few shaves to get the hang of the thing (after a solid month with the Wolfman), but it was an enjoyable shave.
AND, another new TFS soap today! Excellent. Its scent followed by the Clubman ASL was a complementary mix (and I'm still enjoying the aroma now [two hours on]).
The brush and the blade were faultless, as ever.
Happy shaves guys.
