It's not like me to be lucky, but I'll take it! What looks different to me is the hourglass-shaped marks around the post. They're very faint, and I guess could be milling marks. If they were casting marks I guess I'd expect them to be round?
New Muhle R96 Questions
- Thread starter userzero
- Start date
It's not like me to be lucky, but I'll take it! What looks different to me is the hourglass-shaped marks around the post. They're very faint, and I guess could be milling marks. If they were casting marks I guess I'd expect them to be round?
Yep V4 and they are excellent shavers. Still worth checking over very carefully to ensure base plate rails are level and true; base plate is not warped; top cap edges are true and the female thread in the handle is centred accurately. All the QC problems with V1 thru to V3 are well documented on the UK forums. A good Rocca should be a smooth shaver if it is not look at the tolerances.
@alwinvrm Hi. Here is a picture of V1 (bottom) Rocca head and V2 top. On the V1’s the center post was again hollow and you can clearly see the MiM casting marks on the Top cap and Base plate. These it appears were removed on the V2’S, As well as the center post becoming solid.
might be wrong but I think the construction has changed, on the v1 head the blade securing/centering posts, the actual threaded post and the top cap are all one solid part created with the MIM process (like Rockwell) but on the v2 head the top cap is separate and the posts are added afterwards.
Also above is a comment I found on another site of which I am a member regarding the differences in V1 and V2 heads, I can recall there being some instances of the blade posts falling off in V2 heads!. I have a V2 head and it hasn’t happened yet but it is something to be aware of.
Mine seems perfect, and lockup is tight with zero play. I guess I’ll consider myself lucky to have gotten v4 when I was expecting v3. Wouldn’t mind having that R94 handle, though.
Thanks a lot for this. Knowing there is a V4, I think I will hunt for one. As mentioned, I can buy a second hand V2, but the forum messages, as well as the current owner saying it is a rougher shaver than a R41, got me worried.
Yes i think that is the way to go.If you wait a while i'm sure a V4 will pop up on the BST at some stage!.
Just for your info and peace of mind. I mailed with one of the bigger online shaving stores (no relationship with them of any kind) in The Netherlands. I contacted them because I suspected their stock rotates quickly. They sent me pictures and their Roccas already have the V4 head.
Attachments
Thanks for the pic. I can see the same markings as mine around the post.
My new all metal V4 Rocca. SOTD: First time with the new Rocca. First impressions are good, effective razor up there with Blackbirds, etc. One thing, though, this version of the Rocca is in no way the aggressive and unpleasant shaver that some people reported about a couple of years ago. It is an effective yet smooth shaver, a bit more blade feel than the standard Muhle R89 but definitely not near R41 territory.
Forgot to add, beautiful design, impeccable finish, and perfect tight tolerances in the head and bolt. The Rocca V4 version at least, is a lot of value for money.
I have my Rocca R94 (the pure stainless steel version, handle and head) for quite a while by now but was very hesitant to buy it initially. I got the "V4" head, even asked Mühle about this, though their answer was not very satisfying ("there is only one type of head") and they basically didn't acknowledge the quite profound changes to the head design, very poor communication as these photos document the changes quite easily and without doubt.
This complaint aside, the razor is a marvel. It's very thorough and effective, but not as aggressive as the Mühle R41. Besides the beautiful finish and design it is also a very effective razor. I love shaving with it, the flat head allows shaving even between moustache and nose, the audible feedback and blade feel... and the fantastic result. I smile very often after a shave.
What I cannot forget though is that Mühle risked their reputation and IMO stained it by going through FOUR iterations of the head design. If I would have bought the V1/V2 versions I would probably not buy from them anymore. That's always why I hesitated to buy the Rocca R94 in the first place, this behavior and certain doubts what head I will get.
This complaint aside, the razor is a marvel. It's very thorough and effective, but not as aggressive as the Mühle R41. Besides the beautiful finish and design it is also a very effective razor. I love shaving with it, the flat head allows shaving even between moustache and nose, the audible feedback and blade feel... and the fantastic result. I smile very often after a shave.
What I cannot forget though is that Mühle risked their reputation and IMO stained it by going through FOUR iterations of the head design. If I would have bought the V1/V2 versions I would probably not buy from them anymore. That's always why I hesitated to buy the Rocca R94 in the first place, this behavior and certain doubts what head I will get.
The handles have always been CNC milled. The cap was going through the mentioned 4 iterations, the final version "V4" seems to be CNC milled as well. There are no cast marks anywhere.
If you want to be 100% sure to get the very latest head: The R96 "Jet Black" and the pure steel R94 are the very latest models and guarantee you a V4 head.
Give it a try, I did not regret it. The razor is excellent. Precise, smooth, thorough. It gives a very good shave without punishing little mistakes like my still beloved R41 did.
Thank you very much. I once asked a dealer if the cnc process was possible, and the answer was yes. In addition, I would like to ask the difference between R96 R96 94? Such as gap differences. The answer he gave me was not satisfactory either.
I guess he didn't know or maybe was confused, because there is no difference. All three-four use the very same head.
The only difference is the handle.
They use the same head, so no differences there. How much the gap is? There is no official word and nobody measured it so far either. There are some nice photos in this thread though that should give you an idea.
The difference between R94-96 is the type of handle:
R94 - pure stainless steel handle
R95 - stainless steel + birch bark
R96 - stainless steel + black handle, no idea how they get the black part of the handle black or what it is, only have the R94 myself. It is metal, maybe it is just the same DLC type coating as used for the...
... R96 Jet Black - this is basically a R94 with a black DLC ("Diamond-Like Carbon") coating all over. It's a very durable coating, black multitools e.g. from Leatherman come to my mind, some high carbon knives also use it for protection from oxidization. (Diamond-like carbon - Wikipedia - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diamond-like_carbon)
I also bought s V4 R96 a few months ago. To me it feels pretty aggressive. Not quite as an R41 but still a lot of blade feel and a different sound pitch audio feedback. Solid construction.
Similar threads
- Locked
- Article
