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Muhle R41 GS Review – Follow the Leader

The R41 GS is a razor that requires you listen and do what it says. The shaving sensation is exactly how one would imagine a razor-sharp blade scraping across your face. Unlike many razors where the safety bar smooths out the blade feel, the R41 takes the gloves off. The trick is to follow its cues.

In practice, this means if the razor starts to feel like it's scraping too deeply, stop and switch to another spot. If the blade starts to feel too sharp, apply less pressure. If at some point you sense a move could be risky, go slowly. All of this sounds obvious, but if the shaver is impatient, tired or on auto-pilot, they may get an unwelcome surprise. The R41 GS is a razor which requires mindfulness and practice.

The R41 GS is the stainless steel version of the Grande and was released in 2021 on the 10th anniversary of the redesigned 2011 R41. My understanding is that the head is CNC-milled, while the handle might be cast (unconfirmed). The razor weighs 113g and is 106mm long, not too heavy, and perfect for a large hand. Neither the blade gap or exposure are disclosed, but the gap appears narrow while the exposure is positive and feels high.

The head design is iconic and has likely influenced numerous modern razors which followed including the much beloved Lambda Athena. The R41’s blade clamping is excellent due to its very wide clamp width, which is the straight line distance between clamping points when looking at the side of the head. The average DE blade has a width of 22mm and the R41’s clamp width is 20mm, leaving only 1mm of overhang on either side, with a blade reveal which is likely equivalent at 1mm as the top-cap doesn’t extend beyond the clamp points. Interestingly, the Athena also has a clamp width of 20mm.

R41 (left), Athena (right)
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Another iconic feature of the R41 is its deeply scalloped safety bar, with scallops which are so large that the razor is often classified as “open comb” despite not being completely open. Here, the Athena takes another cue with a unique scalloping which looks reminiscent of the R41 but leads to two internal lather channels and is not as deeply carved, making for a much smoother feel.

R41 (left), Athena (right)
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As the Athena also has a clamp width of 20mm with the top cap ending at the clamp points, the reveal is similar to the R41 at around 1mm on each side.

R41 (top), Athena (bottom)
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But as can be seen from the photo above, although the reveals are similar the Athena’s base plate extends out beyond the top cap, while the R41’s base plate is narrower and more scalloped, which likely accounts for its stronger blade feel and higher efficiency.

The R41 GS is extremely efficient, and when paired with a Wizamet delivers an Efficiency Rating of BBS+/BBS. Despite its superlative efficiency, for which I ascribed the maximum score of 10, its composite score came in at only 27 due to lower scores for other attributes. For Comfort, I scored the razor a 4 because at times it can feel like the blade is scraping the skin, leaving it raw. For Ease-of-use I scored it a 5 because it requires practice and experience to master, and also requires the shaver to remain extremely mindful. Consistency was high at 8.

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In sum, the R41 GS is a well-crafted and aesthetically beautiful razor with extremely strong blade-clamping and class-leading efficiency. Although with time and practice I’m sure it could be mastered, and for some could even become a daily driver, it’s a razor which requires attention and patience at the onset. Personally, I find it’s deep blade feel and high efficiency extremely enjoyable and gratifying and intend to make it a part of my rotation.

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I remember using the Grande earlier this year and it was a fantastic shave. Smooth and efficient. It is clearly not the R41 of years past. I sold it off cheap as I wanted the SS version but bought the DSC Z0 instead and that razor's basically a weapon. Terrible shave and just irritation for days. It is the only OC razor that I truly enjoyed. Might just go hunt for a GS now.

It's odd that your gave it a 4 for comfort as I had the opposite experience but like you said, with time and practice!
 

Iridian

Cool and slimy
This really made me wonder how a more SB style scalloped R41 would shave compared to the OC-style scallops.

Would it be as mild as the Athena?

@idjekyll did you get the Z0 used or straight from DSCosmetic? Their Z0 prototype had a shorter/less wide cap and that one was more like the 2011 R41, the later version has a better clamped R41 2013 style cap.

I have the prototype version of the Z0, I was thinking about getting the Z0 non prototype as well, but felt that it would be redundant with the R41 GS I have by now. Seems there is still quite a significant difference between the two.
 
This really made me wonder how a more SB style scalloped R41 would shave compared to the OC-style scallops.

Would it be as mild as the Athena?

@idjekyll did you get the Z0 used or straight from DSCosmetic? Their Z0 prototype had a shorter/less wide cap and that one was more like the 2011 R41, the later version has a better clamped R41 2013 style cap.

I have the prototype version of the Z0, I was thinking about getting the Z0 non prototype as well, but felt that it would be redundant with the R41 GS I have by now. Seems there is still quite a significant difference between the two.
I must have gotten the prototype cause the top cap is visibly shorter hence why it's closer to the much-feared earlier versions of the R41. I'm assuming the GS would be the exact version that is milder but oh so efficient and satisfying. The only issue is I would have to buy the whole razor and that handle is not to my liking. How would I know if the Z0 is a non-prototype version?
 

Guido75

Is it swell time?
This really made me wonder how a more SB style scalloped R41 would shave compared to the OC-style scallops.
Wouldn’t you get a R89 if you did that?

Both razors pay homage to the Eclipse Red Ring in my view where we see this type of safety bar emerge. But the Red Ring could have take its design from an even earlier razor of course - likely French design if so.
 

Guido75

Is it swell time?
Lee, if you have a Yaqi Mellon or RR SLOC at your disposal that might be helpful to tone the R41 a little down.

In addition the R41 GS is likely modelled after the R41 2011 as that’s when it came out first. That would make it more aggressive than the current Zamak R41, because that has further iterations since then. I cannot confirm that because I only have the new Zamak, but deducing this from available information.
 
Hol' up. Wait a minute.

The blade reveal on this R41GS looks WAY less than on the the zamak R41 I had circa 2019. I know they tweaked the design of the zamak one recently, but is the R41GS changed even more compared to the original post-2011 zamak razor?

It makes me wonder if I should try the current version - if the blade clamping has improved that much it might solve my issues with the razor.
 

Iridian

Cool and slimy
Wouldn’t you get a R89 if you did that?

Both razors pay homage to the Eclipse Red Ring in my view where we see this type of safety bar emerge. But the Red Ring could have take its design from an even earlier razor of course - likely French design if so.
I am absolutely not a fan of the R89, but like the R41 a lot, soo...

I don't have my razors right here to take a look, but the baseplate and cap of both are wildly different.
From memory, the baseplate of the R89/DE89 curves upward and has two not so wide contact points with the cap/blade only, while the R41 clamps down over the length of the baseplate and cap. The caps are also not interchangeable, the R41 cap is noticeably wider.

The R41 GS is modeled after the 2013 model, I think you made a typo or mixed it up, it is milder than the earlier 2011 version. I still have my broken R41 here, the difference seems to be only the cap, which is shorter/not so wide on the 2011 model.

This said, I would love a SB version of the R41. If only to figure out how much of a difference it makes or if it basically turns into an Athena. :)

You know that I love the Lambdas, the ares just a bit more than the Athena.
 

Iridian

Cool and slimy
Hol' up. Wait a minute.

The blade reveal on this R41GS looks WAY less than on the the zamak R41 I had circa 2019. I know they tweaked the design of the zamak one recently, but is the R41GS changed even more compared to the original post-2011 zamak razor?

It makes me wonder if I should try the current version - if the blade clamping has improved that much it might solve my issues with the razor.
Might be you had a 2011 model in 2019. The R 41 GS has a fairly narrow blade reveal and is less harsh than the 2011 version or the DSCosmetic Z0 prototype.

Some reported it also differs compared to the R41 from 2013, but I ofc shaved with R41 GS and R41/2013 and both performed quite similarly, the GS felt so close, it might be just material. Looking at the blade seen from above, the 2013 model looked indeed to have a slightly wider reveal, to my surprise. But I looked again and again, it turned out they are actually the same. The Zamac cap is just more reflective and I had to go to a different room to get rid of this optical illusion.
 

Guido75

Is it swell time?
It makes me wonder if I should try the current version - if the blade clamping has improved that much it might solve my issues with the razor.
What I found Jim is that a SLOC cap makes a difference as well as changing the angle when shaving with the OEM cap. I have tried a Fatip cap once as well (the Piccolo was the original R41 after all). That certainly amped the aggression levels. I have also tried a Chinese clone - likely modelled after an older version. And that tore up my face. Worst shave so far ever.
 

Flanders

Stupid sexy Wing Nut
Thank you so much for this review, it helped me out with my decision to skip the Z0! Do you happen to know the weight of the head alone, I am trying to pick out a handle ahead of time?

Edit: never mind, found it's 35g
 
I love the quality of my R41 GS but I shave everyday so I haven't been using my OC razors for ages. In fact I've had my R41 GS in the BST. I pulled it out for a shave this morning and WOW what a great razor! I had forgotten just how efficient it is - I could have stopped after one pass but was enjoying the shave so much I went ahead and got BBS without any drama at all. Shaving with a light touch came back to me just like riding a bike :)
 

Flanders

Stupid sexy Wing Nut
I love the quality of my R41 GS but I shave everyday so I haven't been using my OC razors for ages. In fact I've had my R41 GS in the BST. I pulled it out for a shave this morning and WOW what a great razor! I had forgotten just how efficient it is - I could have stopped after one pass but was enjoying the shave so much I went ahead and got BBS without any drama at all. Shaving with a light touch came back to me just like riding a bike :)
I am a bit surprised that you had yours on the BST, I didn't even think to look. :cuppa:
 

Phoenixkh

I shaved a fortune
I was just about to try my Zamak R41 with a Mellon cap and then, use the R41 cap on the Mellon base plate.... but I overshaved a bit with my Rocnel Elite 2023 with a German Schick... and two days later... I can still feel the burn.... Oooops. I haven't done that in ages... OK... Months.

I think I'll need a La Faulx shave next time to smooth things out and recover... Not today, though...
 
I was just about to try my Zamak R41 with a Mellon cap and then, use the R41 cap on the Mellon base plate.... but I overshaved a bit with my Rocnel Elite 2023 with a German Schick... and two days later... I can still feel the burn.... Oooops. I haven't done that in ages... OK... Months.
Welcome to my Elite experience. I haven’t had any irritation in years before the Blutt and Elite got a hold of me. Sorry to hear it got you too. I don’t feel so bad now knowing it also happens to those familiar with the razor.

Speaking of the R41, if you have a newer Zamak one it’s much easier to use than prior issue. I’ve had several over the years and bought another one a year ago or so and it shaves nice and smooth compared to the ones I had before. I actually like it now.
 
I was just about to try my Zamak R41 with a Mellon cap and then, use the R41 cap on the Mellon base plate.... but I overshaved a bit with my Rocnel Elite 2023 with a German Schick... and two days later... I can still feel the burn.... Oooops. I haven't done that in ages... OK... Months.

I think I'll need a La Faulx shave next time to smooth things out and recover... Not today, though...
Did you ever use your R41? Interested to hear your thought knowing you like a little less aggressive razors.
 
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