I recently found two used razors on Ebay that a fellow in Puerto Rico had put up for sale. A Muhle R41 (2011) and a FaTip Picolo in Nickel. It was a perfect find because I had been wanting to get a 41 and someone on this Forum had advised me to try out the FaTip before investing heavily in Joris.
Most comments about the R41 that I had read have obviously described it as an extremely aggressive razor and it is almost like you either love it or hate it. My opinion was not firmly made up until the fourth time around this morning. The first three shaves were very difficult. I had smooth moments and very uncomfortable ones. This morning there were two factors that affected the final outcome. I had watched a YouTube demo a couple of weeks ago and recalled that the angle that the "expert" was using had the razor handle almost exactly parallel to the face. I started out with an almost new Feather Blade that I had used the day before. One edge seemed extremely rough and uncomfortable while the other edge was smooth and pleasant. I immediately relathered the small section I had attempted..... and changed blades. I unwrapped a new Astra SP and from that moment, using the parallel handle angle, the shave was extremely comfortable and amazingly close. I think maybe I might feel a little stubble in a few days. So the bottom line is that I think I have the angle right for my face. The other thing I am reminded of is that quality control by razor blade manufacturers can fail on occasion. I haven't used a lot of Feathers in my shaving career, but this is the first time I had a bad experience with one. I have used lots of Astras over time and I have gotten a bad blade on very rare occasions. Astra is pretty much my most trusted and dependable pack of blades to reach for. The Derby Extras I haven't tried in the R41. That experiment may be quite far down the road. I loved my Derby blades. I had a great buy on Amazon when I first tried them out and was very pleased. Then the next bulk order from Amazon (probably a different vendor) had very poor quality from about 30% of the blades I have used so far. Oddly enough, the Wilkinson Sword blades from Wal-Mart have a perfect record with me so far. I may try the Wilkinson out in the R41 before I take a chance on a Derby.
This morning was a wonderful experience. The new Muhle seemed much tamer and the shave was comfortable and extraordinarily close. I have only tried the FaTip out a couple of times and I will reserve judgement until I have given it a completely fair trial run. It seems to be a decent OC and I am sure it will shave very well.
The R41 is a completely new experience for me. I had three razors in rotation before the Ebay acquisitions. A Merkur 34C, a Muhle Sophist R89 CC and a Muhle Sophist OC R41 (2009 model). These three razors are quick and comfortable shaves using basically the same angles and techniques....... So the new R41 was a bit of a learning curve. My modern razors had not had any learning curve after years and years of using my father's Gillette Super Speed (which my son uses now daily).
If you are contemplating this very aggressive razor, give it a chance when you get it, you could possibly be pleasantly surprised when you find the "sweet spot=correct angle". This morning I discovered how much I love my new razor.
Most comments about the R41 that I had read have obviously described it as an extremely aggressive razor and it is almost like you either love it or hate it. My opinion was not firmly made up until the fourth time around this morning. The first three shaves were very difficult. I had smooth moments and very uncomfortable ones. This morning there were two factors that affected the final outcome. I had watched a YouTube demo a couple of weeks ago and recalled that the angle that the "expert" was using had the razor handle almost exactly parallel to the face. I started out with an almost new Feather Blade that I had used the day before. One edge seemed extremely rough and uncomfortable while the other edge was smooth and pleasant. I immediately relathered the small section I had attempted..... and changed blades. I unwrapped a new Astra SP and from that moment, using the parallel handle angle, the shave was extremely comfortable and amazingly close. I think maybe I might feel a little stubble in a few days. So the bottom line is that I think I have the angle right for my face. The other thing I am reminded of is that quality control by razor blade manufacturers can fail on occasion. I haven't used a lot of Feathers in my shaving career, but this is the first time I had a bad experience with one. I have used lots of Astras over time and I have gotten a bad blade on very rare occasions. Astra is pretty much my most trusted and dependable pack of blades to reach for. The Derby Extras I haven't tried in the R41. That experiment may be quite far down the road. I loved my Derby blades. I had a great buy on Amazon when I first tried them out and was very pleased. Then the next bulk order from Amazon (probably a different vendor) had very poor quality from about 30% of the blades I have used so far. Oddly enough, the Wilkinson Sword blades from Wal-Mart have a perfect record with me so far. I may try the Wilkinson out in the R41 before I take a chance on a Derby.
This morning was a wonderful experience. The new Muhle seemed much tamer and the shave was comfortable and extraordinarily close. I have only tried the FaTip out a couple of times and I will reserve judgement until I have given it a completely fair trial run. It seems to be a decent OC and I am sure it will shave very well.
The R41 is a completely new experience for me. I had three razors in rotation before the Ebay acquisitions. A Merkur 34C, a Muhle Sophist R89 CC and a Muhle Sophist OC R41 (2009 model). These three razors are quick and comfortable shaves using basically the same angles and techniques....... So the new R41 was a bit of a learning curve. My modern razors had not had any learning curve after years and years of using my father's Gillette Super Speed (which my son uses now daily).
If you are contemplating this very aggressive razor, give it a chance when you get it, you could possibly be pleasantly surprised when you find the "sweet spot=correct angle". This morning I discovered how much I love my new razor.
