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Muhle R41 in stainless steel or, some other option?

There are many great stainless razors in your price range. If it were me I would look no farther than the razors below....all will provide R41 type close shaves, but with better comfort. I have a stainless R41, but never use it. It is very rough and uncomfortable to me when I compare it to my other razors.

Blackbird
Lupo 95
Yates 921-H (or M)
Tatara Nodachi
Vector
ATT X1
if it's too rough, you're too soft. ;)
seriously though, try a sharper, high quality blade in the r41.
 
if it's too rough, you're too soft. ;)
seriously though, try a sharper, high quality blade in the r41.

I used an R41 with a brand new Derby Extra blade which is by no means a 'good' blade for most razors but, it worked fine on 4 days of growth of tough whiskers. No burns on bleeds. After the fact, I had two small weepers under my nose and slight redness on my Adam's Apple but no real irritation was felt.

A single pass on my cheeks with these overgrown tough whiskers was a DFS. It could have been BBS I think with a good blade. The R41 pulled the FORREST off my face with ease so, a total win for me today.
 
I used an R41 with a brand new Derby Extra blade which is by no means a 'good' blade for most razors but, it worked fine on 4 days of growth of tough whiskers. No burns on bleeds. After the fact, I had two small weepers under my nose and slight redness on my Adam's Apple but no real irritation was felt.

A single pass on my cheeks with these overgrown tough whiskers was a DFS. It could have been BBS I think with a good blade. The R41 pulled the FORREST off my face with ease so, a total win for me today.
if you allow me to give you just one advice, friend, never use derby extra blades. i have used one of them a few years ago when i started with the r41. after a few passes, i tossed it together with the 5 blade package away in the bin. i never had a full shave with these blades, thats how bad they are and i'm usually not someone who down-talks blades or shaving gear in general. it has to be said though, derby extras don't cut your beard, they merely pull on it.
 
if you allow me to give you just one advice, friend, never use derby extra blades. i have used one of them a few years ago when i started with the r41. after a few passes, i tossed it together with the 5 blade package away in the bin. i never had a full shave with these blades, thats how bad they are and i'm usually not someone who down-talks blades or shaving gear in general. it has to be said though, derby extras don't cut your beard, they merely pull on it.

Like a butter knife, they have the uses in the right application. 😉

An R41 is questionable at best IMHO but, in today's test, it worked better than I expected. An EJ89 is a good place to use them IMHO. For someone learning to wet shave, they are more forgiving.

In fairness, I generally use Nacet, GSB, and Personna Platinums.
 
You have allot of alternatives. I have two r41. One stainless and the twist. Grate razors. However, I shave daily, so the r41 is a little too efficient for me.
The Henson +++ gets allot more use. Efficient, but can be used daily.
I also like my Karve OC F plate.
You also have the Blackbird, which I can use daily. This is just as efficient as the r41, but requires a different technique then a German razor.
 
Funny how experiences vary. The Henson was not nearly efficient enough for me. I would not recommend a Henson if you prefer an efficient razor. If you like the R41, my guess is you wouldn't like the Henson too much. (Of course, these are only my subjective opinions and I could be completely wrong.)
 
I'm not into direct clones that rip off someone else's hard work. The Dscosmetic Z0 seems like a blatant copy based on limited research when I first saw it in another thread.
It's all merely opinion.

All modern safety razor makers have cloned their 3 piece designs to a very big part .. they all look similar .. but with very small differences the non-safety razor enthusiast would not even notice ..

They are all just blade holders that rely as much - if not more - on preparation and technique: The right blade; correct temp water; foam consistency, correct technique.


Where the likes of Timeless, CarbonSaving, Henson, or Wolfman come into their own is the boutique feeling .. that your holding a razor that cost £350 to shave instead of £50.
However, either one will only shave well if you get the prep correct as above - and nobody outside your empty bathroom will even know, and less care, your using it.

Draw your own red lines and be led by your own opinion.
 
R41 in rose gold is a pretty handle.
They also make a silver one if you feel like cashing in your tax return.
Stainless steel version.
And the zamac version that looks like chrome.
Try a horn handle if you need something with more style and match it to a shave bowl.
 
It's all merely opinion.

All modern safety razor makers have cloned their 3 piece designs to a very big part .. they all look similar .. but with very small differences the non-safety razor enthusiast would not even notice ..

They are all just blade holders that rely as much - if not more - on preparation and technique: The right blade; correct temp water; foam consistency, correct technique.


Where the likes of Timeless, CarbonSaving, Henson, or Wolfman come into their own is the boutique feeling .. that your holding a razor that cost £350 to shave instead of £50.
However, either one will only shave well if you get the prep correct as above - and nobody outside your empty bathroom will even know, and less care, your using it.

Draw your own red lines and be led by your own opinion.

My issue is not with 3-piece heads in the general sense. That's a bit like trying to patent the wheel or the sail from days gone by IMHO.

While not a Harley Davidson fan generally, that's a bit like saying a Japanese cruiser is essentially the same as an HD with its rumble going down the road. The sound, ride, and style are all pretty specific to HD and there are patents for things like the sound of its V-twin.

There is a distinction between outright counterfeits and knock-offs stealing Intellectual Property but, that is a distinction lost by most people. Chinese corporate theft of IP is huge and I don't want to support it, PERIOD.

China has a long history of unique design and culture so, there is a lot of room for them to build a unique product that works well without stealing someone else's hard work IMHO. Most people think of cheap Chinese junk but, they are capable of building high quality products but, most consumers won't pay for anything of higher quality generally in the consumer domain.

With a Muhle R41 being ~$44 and widely available CONUS, why would a ~$20 knockoff from China that arrives in 2 weeks to 2 months be a much better deal overall? I can get an EJ89 from Amazon for $25.
 
My issue is not with 3-piece heads in the general sense. That's a bit like trying to patent the wheel or the sail from days gone by IMHO.

While not a Harley Davidson fan generally, that's a bit like saying a Japanese cruiser is essentially the same as an HD with its rumble going down the road. The sound, ride, and style are all pretty specific to HD and there are patents for things like the sound of its V-twin.

There is a distinction between outright counterfeits and knock-offs stealing Intellectual Property but, that is a distinction lost by most people. Chinese corporate theft of IP is huge and I don't want to support it, PERIOD.

China has a long history of unique design and culture so, there is a lot of room for them to build a unique product that works well without stealing someone else's hard work IMHO. Most people think of cheap Chinese junk but, they are capable of building high quality products but, most consumers won't pay for anything of higher quality generally in the consumer domain.

With a Muhle R41 being ~$44 and widely available CONUS, why would a ~$20 knockoff from China that arrives in 2 weeks to 2 months be a much better deal overall? I can get an EJ89 from Amazon for $25.
You lost me when you started comparing a simple 3 piece safety razor to a motorbike.

Best of luck with the new razor👍
 
If you want the R41 stick to Zamak. For me I liked it better than the stainless

While I have never used the stainless version. The chrome plated zamek seems to shave perfectly fine for me.

You would need to purchase seven zamek heads to equal the price of the stainless steel version. As I have several handles, buying the head alone for $25 is fine with me.

For a bit more comfort and 90 percent the R41 closeness, get the Rocca.

While I slightly more prefer the shave I get with the R41 head, I am in complete agreement with you.

I think you do get 90% of the R41's closeness with an easier shave.
 
If you want the R41 stick to Zamak. For me I liked it better than the stainless.

For a bit more comfort and 90 percent the R41 closeness, get the Rocca.

I have a Muhle Rocca scheduled to arrive on Monday! Shipping via USPS mail on this order was almost like 2-day FedEx!

While I have never used the stainless version. The chrome plated zamek seems to shave perfectly fine for me.

You would need to purchase seven zamek heads to equal the price of the stainless steel version. As I have several handles, buying the head alone for $25 is fine with me.



While I slightly more prefer the shave I get with the R41 head, I am in complete agreement with you.

I think you do get 90% of the R41's closeness with an easier shave.
I scored a gently used R41 for slightly more than the cost of the head along from popular sources. So far, it has proven to be awesome on a 4-day growth of my harsh whiskers and, on a next day shave was really good but the second pass on my throat left a little redness which I attribute to "user error".

It sounds like the Rocca due Monday will hit the "sweet spot" for me as a daily driver! I am also looking forward to giving the Edwin Jagger 'twin' with the open safety bar a spin.
 
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