My impression of Muhle R41

[Ron R]

"I'm sorry, I don't do impressions. My training is in psychiatry."
Dr. Stone 1982


Sorry, couldn't resist...

Ok, so I've been curious about this razor for a while now so when I saw one going at a good price a few weeks back I decided to pick one up. I have no idea which version it is but the seller says it is brand new having only been removed from the box to take pictures so it's a reasonable assumption it's the latest variant (is there a way of telling just by looking...)?

First a quick disclaimer in favour of the R41. My regular razors are a MK1 Fatip Piccolo and, more recently, a Fatip La Storto open comb (FOCS) and due to the extensive use they have had it's fair to say my technique is far more developed than with the R41 which, at the time of writing, is on it's 3rd use.

I'm not going to bother describing packaging, finish and what it looks like as it's a popular enough razor.

My focus is on how it performs in use:

So, loaded up with a Gillette 7 o'clock yellow and off I went.

First impressions are that although the blade exposure is less than that of my Piccolo it seems to have more blade feel. I played around with the angle a little until it felt comfortable and then got into my WTG pass. Completed with no real issues.

Onto the 2nd pass, XTG. Definitely started to feel a bit "bitey" now. At both shallow, neutral and steeper angles I was far more aware of the cutting process than usual in terms of touch and sound. I put this down to the reduced rigidity of the blade vs the Fatip. Again completed with no untoward incident though.

Hmm should I quit while I'm ahead me thinks.............

No, of course not - onto pass 3, ATG!

I think this is where I started to appreciate it a little more as it was clear that the razor was naturally shaving close without much need for adjustment on my part. I was a bit nervous here so paid a lot more attention than normal to applying minimal pressure - I've heard the tales of the damage this thing can do and all through the shave I've had the feeling that it would if given the chance.

Ultimately completed 3rd pass with no real problems except my top lip. Granted a notoriously challenging area but I wasn't able to find the right angle on this occasion which meant that it felt very tuggy, very bitey and very scary!

Cold splash, deep breath, alum block...........................all good, one small area of tingle on lip. Breathes sigh of relief.

Quality of shave vs that which I am used to? Notably less smooth (see disclaimer), may be close to DFS if I'm being generous. I did feel that I had maybe given it a bit too much respect though (bordering on fear perhaps) and felt sure both it and I can do better.

This was born out in the second and third shaves where I let the razor off the leash a bit more and which improved on each occasion. The 3rd outing was today and most of my face was BBS with the exception of my top lip which I've still not dialled in yet.

But here's the thing. Apart from the small area on lip on first shave I've had zero irritation or alum block sting, which was a very pleasant surprise.

In comparison to my Piccolo I would say that the Fatip is smoother in use and, at present, gets me a closer shave as I'd expect in part due to the length of time I've been using it. A fairer comparison might be vs the FOCS which I've only owned and used for a few weeks before the R41. The word that springs to mind here is "intuitive". With the FOCS I got all over irritation free BBS on it's very first outing whereas the R41 has a learning curve. In use the Fatip slant feels smoother but quality of shave is too close to call (notwithsanding top lip - I'll get there).

In conclusion I like it and am very glad I bought one. I doubt it (or anything else) will ever replace my Piccolo but it's definitely earned a place in my regular rotation and looking forward to seeing what it can achieve with more practice.

And I notice the Ikon Tek is on sale......

Great review, someday I will give it a try.

 

[Settling for DFS]

So I finally, after looking at the tuck in my drawer for a year, broke out the feather blades a couple weeks back. Whooo, that’s a tricky beast in the R41. I faired reasonably well. As long as my lather was on point I got through most shaves with nothing more than a small weeper or two. But it definitely made me pay attention to what I was doing, and the shaves were not as smooth as I expected.

This past week, just for fun, I broke out the 34C for the first time in ages and plopped in a Feather. Wow, what a smooth, easy and trouble free shave. I mean, EEEEZZZZ. I would have had to go out of my way to draw blood, and the shave was damn near as close as the R41 when all was said and done. I may have to spring for another 34C, as my son will start shaving this month and I was going to be giving him mine. Looks like he’s either getting a brand new one now, or I am, because these shaves are heavenly.