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R41... not as aggressive as I expected.

So, my last purchase came here - ordered it on Friday and it was in my mail box on Monday, kudos to Maggard‘s for super quick turnaround.

Of course, I had to try it right away. I’ve already shaved this morning, but I usually have a visible stubble by 8pm. So, I hopped in the shower, then loaded a Feather on its 3rd run, face lathered Arko, sand did a quick but careful 3 pass shave.

Well... not what I expected at all.

It has less felt blade presence than V3A, it doesn’t feel super aggressive (definitely not harsh), it did not cause any significant irritation despite the fact that this was a second shave of the day and I didn’t shave all too carefully this morning, and while highly efficient, I don’t see it being more efficient than my other favorite razors (Parker Variant or Yintal Bronze / Maggard V3A mutt), and certainly not a one pass deal.

Of course, I may change my opinion with subsequent shaves. But at this point, it seems that both the face eating horrors and one-pass BBS stories are somewhat exaggerated...

Love the finish on it, and while I prefer heavy handles, this one is a beauty. Don’t regret the purchase at all, and am sure that it will become an important part of my weekly rotation.
 

nemo

Lunatic Fringe
Staff member
Good to hear, happy you're happy.

Did you use a steep or shallow angle? My preference with the Mühle R41 and my coarse stubble is steep and not a real sharp blade.
 
Steep angle. I like razors on a little more aggressive side and a steep angle seems to work the best with them.
 
Good information here, thanks for sharing. As a V3A user, I'm always eye-balling the R41 as a step up in aggro but your experience says otherwise.
 
It certainly isn't scary to use as made out to be but it certainly does demand respect it can bite if you get too comfortable, when i first shaved with my mine first few shaves i thought the same having used the more aggressive previous version, the worst nicks i got was from the R41, a lapse of concentration can remind you it demands attention, with the very little blade exposure it is very deceiving, i usually use a soap or cream that forms a thick lather every time i use it, great razor to have in your den for mowing down multiple days of beard growth.
 
Here's my viewpoint on the R41...
The 2011 was known as a face eater due to what I believe to be a bad design!
I used it and found so much blade chatter that it was impossible to get a good, comfortable shave with it.
Hence it's reputation for being "aggressive".

The 2013 (current) model basically changed the top cap to be broader to cover more of the blade width.

To me, the R41 is just a standard open comb that is not aggressive and not very efficient for my stubble. It was meh for me as I couldn't get the BBS I get from my Rockwell on 6 or Karve on D or Progress on 3.5.
 
I just got an R41 on Amazon for $25 before the Black Friday sales. I wanted to try it to see just how ferocious it would be.

It shaves fine like a normal razor. I can say without a doubt, I've used a number of razors that are more aggressive and more efficient. Dart, Blackbird, Timeless OC78, Att SE2, Blackbird Hawk.

The R41 is on par with Fatip OC or RR jaws.

It's nothing crazy or special. It's a fairly normal razor. It's very nice if you're okay with Zamak. For $25, it's a great razor.
 
The aggressiveness of the R41 depends highly upon the blade you install in it. With an extremely sharp blade like a Feather, BIC Chrome Platinum, Nacet, PermaSharp Super, or 7 O'Clock Black it can be quite aggressive. With less sharp blades, it is not nearly as aggressive. For me, the 7 O'Clock Yellow is a good match.
 
The aggressiveness of the R41 depends highly upon the blade you install in it. With an extremely sharp blade like a Feather, BIC Chrome Platinum, Nacet, PermaSharp Super, or 7 O'Clock Black it can be quite aggressive. With less sharp blades, it is not nearly as aggressive. For me, the 7 O'Clock Yellow is a good match.

I use Feathers in all of my razors, and so far the only one that doesn’t seem to like them is Razorock German 37 slant. And that’s not because they are “too sharp” but .. don’t know why. I just don’t get as close of a shave with a Feather in this slant as I get with some other blades.
 
Here's my viewpoint on the R41...
The 2011 was known as a face eater due to what I believe to be a bad design!
I used it and found so much blade chatter that it was impossible to get a good, comfortable shave with it.
Hence it's reputation for being "aggressive".

The 2013 (current) model basically changed the top cap to be broader to cover more of the blade width.

To me, the R41 is just a standard open comb that is not aggressive and not very efficient for my stubble. It was meh for me as I couldn't get the BBS I get from my Rockwell on 6 or Karve on D or Progress on 3.5.

This makes perfect sense. I can’t comment on efficiency of a razor after only one shave, but I can say that it doesn’t feel terribly aggressive. A design change a few years ago would explain why.
 
the R41 is an amazing shaver, reasonably smooth and super efficient.. i get my best shaves with this or the GC jaws after 2-3 days growth but can be used as a daily shaver if careful with pressure
 
This makes perfect sense. I can’t comment on efficiency of a razor after only one shave, but I can say that it doesn’t feel terribly aggressive. A design change a few years ago would explain why.

You should check out the YouTube videos of folks cutting themselves badly using the original version!

It was as if a Chinese company made a horrible clone of an otherwise good razor, but unfortunately that wasn't the case. The original R41 was actually that bad.
 
I'll try the venerable V3A today 1/2 shave vs R41; same blade....see how it goes. I do like the R41; though Karve OC C is a bit smoother. Or maybe you should then try a "real" Futur and take it for a spin. I recently got an example of the old Fatip MK1....did not like it at all.....chaaaatttterrrr
And I do not use Feather blades in them, Nacet is good enough for me....
 
You should check out the YouTube videos of folks cutting themselves badly using the original version!

It was as if a Chinese company made a horrible clone of an otherwise good razor, but unfortunately that wasn't the case. The original R41 was actually that bad.

I’ve got one of the modern R41s, and two of the ”2011” version. I had to buy a backup because I like it that much. I never use my modern R41 anymore. We’re all different!
 
I've got the newer R41 and love it, just about any blade gives me a great shave, no nicks or irritation. Normally I use Nacets, Rapira PL, Polsilvers, Feathers. Much better a shave than the 6S on R6 for me. YMMV I guess.
 
I'll try the venerable V3A today 1/2 shave vs R41; same blade....see how it goes. I do like the R41; though Karve OC C is a bit smoother. Or maybe you should then try a "real" Futur and take it for a spin. I recently got an example of the old Fatip MK1....did not like it at all.....chaaaatttterrrr
And I do not use Feather blades in them, Nacet is good enough for me....

I love V3A, and even more so its twin Yintal Bronze (mine feels just a little smoother). I find it efficient but not at all aggressive. V3A has lots of blade feel but somehow this doesn’t translate into any harshness, it‘s a rather forgiving razor.

I also find Variant at 4-5 both very aggressive and very efficient. It’s actually the exact opposite of V3A - if V3A feels aggressive but is actually forgiving, Variant at 5 feels smooth while shaving, but will punish you for sloppiness.

It will be interesting to see where R41 falls.
 
well i tried the V3A and it's good, it does have less blade feel (used the same handle and blade) on 3d head shave. V3A is identical to Razorocks head. Is it more efficient to R41, probably not. Might need to do more shaves to develop an opinion; but the v3a is definitively one of the better $5 spent this year......
 
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