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Muhle r41 first impression

I've been wet shaving for 6 months, so still relatively new. Been using the Muhle r89 and really love it. Curiosity got me, and I just had my first shave with the Muhle r41. I use pre-shave oil and Proraso shave cream. Long story short, I had a very close shave but it wasn't for me. It's definitely very aggressive - which is great - but it felt like it was tugging, as opposed to cutting, the hair. I had 3 days of thick, coarse growth. Anyway, may have been poor technique - who knows? Going back to the r89.
 
If you've only tried it once, maybe give it a few more tries. The R41 is fairly blade-sensitive. You need a blade on the sharper end of the spectrum to avoid the tuggy feeling. Shaving with a steep angle (handle more vertical) also helps many people.

Some of my closest shaves are with the R41 using blades such as Personna Med Prep, Perma-Sharp Super, etc.
 
Thanks for that. I used an Astra SP which I had used one other time. Oops. That makes sense. I'll pop a brand new Feather in and try again in a couple days.
 
the astra sp is not sharp enough imo for you. try an astra SS. for me the german wilkinson works best with it. you need a sharp blade that is smooth. you'll still have blade chatter but less tugging.
 
Thanks for that. I used an Astra SP which I had used one other time. Oops. That makes sense. I'll pop a brand new Feather in and try again in a couple days.
Astra SPs have worked well for me in my R41s, and should be sharp enough after just one shave. Maybe it's something else?

The only issue I have with the R41 is that it's not quite effective enough for me (even with a Feather or BIC), but of course we're all different when it comes to razors. I hope you can get it working well for you.
 
Your experience is very similar to mine!

Many like the R41, for sure. But I much prefer the R89 to the R41. For me the combination of a ‘mild/moderate’ razor plus a sharp blade is optimal. Bottom line: you need to try things for yourself!
 
The only issue I have with the R41 is that it's not quite effective enough for me (even with a Feather or BIC), but of course we're all different when it comes to razors. I hope you can get it working well for you.
Interesting, I find the R41 to be pretty efficient. What DEs do you find to be more efficient?
 
I've been wet shaving for 6 months, so still relatively new. Been using the Muhle r89 and really love it. Curiosity got me, and I just had my first shave with the Muhle r41. I use pre-shave oil and Proraso shave cream. Long story short, I had a very close shave but it wasn't for me. It's definitely very aggressive - which is great - but it felt like it was tugging, as opposed to cutting, the hair. I had 3 days of thick, coarse growth. Anyway, may have been poor technique - who knows? Going back to the r89.
It had to be dull/ bad blade? With sharp/fresh blade (like Feather) is it one of a few “2-pass BBS“ capable razors.
 
Astra SPs have worked well for me in my R41s, and should be sharp enough after just one shave. Maybe it's something else?

The only issue I have with the R41 is that it's not quite effective enough for me (even with a Feather or BIC), but of course we're all different when it comes to razors. I hope you can get it working well for you.
Thanks for that. I'm going to experiment a bit and see how it goes. It definitely gave me a close shave.
 

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I've been wet shaving for 6 months, so still relatively new. Been using the Muhle r89 and really love it. Curiosity got me, and I just had my first shave with the Muhle r41. I use pre-shave oil and Proraso shave cream. Long story short, I had a very close shave but it wasn't for me. It's definitely very aggressive - which is great - but it felt like it was tugging, as opposed to cutting, the hair. I had 3 days of thick, coarse growth. Anyway, may have been poor technique - who knows? Going back to the r89.
As others have stated, Personna Med Prep, Perma-Sharp and Feather blades work well in the R41.

If you like to experiment and would like to take your R41 up a couple of notches, get a RazoRock SLOC head (cap is all you need) and replace the R41 cap with the SLOC cap.
20220621_152816~2.jpg

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Less blade chatter. Much smoother. More effective.

Cheap way to get a pretty darn good razor. :)

Just my opinion.
 
I've been wet shaving for 6 months, so still relatively new. Been using the Muhle r89 and really love it. Curiosity got me, and I just had my first shave with the Muhle r41. I use pre-shave oil and Proraso shave cream. Long story short, I had a very close shave but it wasn't for me. It's definitely very aggressive - which is great - but it felt like it was tugging, as opposed to cutting, the hair. I had 3 days of thick, coarse growth. Anyway, may have been poor technique - who knows? Going back to the r89.
Please do not take my suggestion as an offence but you are quite new on wet shaving. So you might have still some;
1- Involuntary pressure applying problems
2- Angle finding problems
3- Right balance of water and soap amount problems in you lather problems,
4- Poor face preparation problems

Every new wet shavers blames first the blade (which I did as well). But generally the problems is hiding in above cited 4 items.

Make sure you are not making any mistakes on the 4 items.

If with your EJ89 you are applying some (involuntary) pressure, EJ89 may tolerate this. But R41 is not a forgiver. Make sure you do not apply any pressure with R41.

Dry lather is another common mistake. Make sure your lather is bright, this shows that your lather is well hydrated.

Pre shave cream is not enough you have to pay attention that your lather is well hydrated and you applied the lather enough time to your face (at least 3 min). You can listen a calming (3 min.)music which will guide you to lather consistently 3 min.

I advise to not change the blade. Astra SP is good choice for 3 days growth and R41. Changing the blade may extend your adaptation to your existing setup. Sticking to one mid range balde is a better strategy for a new wet shaver.
 
Please do not take my suggestion as an offence but you are quite new on wet shaving. So you might have still some;
1- Involuntary pressure applying problems
2- Angle finding problems
3- Right balance of water and soap amount problems in you lather problems,
4- Poor face preparation problems

Every new wet shavers blames first the blade (which I did as well). But generally the problems is hiding in above cited 4 items.

Make sure you are not making any mistakes on the 4 items.

If with your EJ89 you are applying some (involuntary) pressure, EJ89 may tolerate this. But R41 is not a forgiver. Make sure you do not apply any pressure with R41.

Dry lather is another common mistake. Make sure your lather is bright, this shows that your lather is well hydrated.

Pre shave cream is not enough you have to pay attention that your lather is well hydrated and you applied the lather enough time to your face (at least 3 min). You can listen a calming (3 min.)music which will guide you to lather consistently 3 min.

I advise to not change the blade. Astra SP is good choice for 3 days growth and R41. Changing the blade may extend your adaptation to your existing setup. Sticking to one mid range balde is a better strategy for a new wet shaver.

Concur. I recently picked up a R41 having previously used a DE89 for years. The angle is completely different. Treat it like a first ever experience and find the bite mark without comparing to others. I also found not going to heavy with the lather first time. Helps in providing very small pressure.

This might sound controversial but try without pre shave. In my experience I find it gives an extra cover causing me to apply more pressure.
 
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