Am I right in thinking you're riding your R41's cap, Nick?
R41 Razor
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Am I right in thinking you're riding your R41's cap, Nick?
I played around with a number of angles. I gave it a good 10 days to experiment when I first bought it 2-3 years ago. Steeper was better if I recall.
I should probably give the R41 another straight week of 7 shaves to see if I can't dial it in.
I got my R41 at about the same time I got my Fatip Piccolo. For me, the Piccolo has just been a much more comfortable and enjoyable razor, so that's what I typically reach for when after a particularly close shave.
R41 was the first razor I bought when I begun my journey with DE "safety" razors. I found it to work best with a steep angle. For me it gives less irritation than most other "aggressive" razors.
Even though I used it as my only razor for a long time, I hardly use it anymore as I have grown to like ultra mild razors that requires good control of the angle or they will not cut at all. I should try a shave with it again.
Even though I used it as my only razor for a long time, I hardly use it anymore as I have grown to like ultra mild razors that requires good control of the angle or they will not cut at all. I should try a shave with it again.
Chandu
I Waxed The Badger.
It's probably my favorite razor, but I do see where you would say that. I've maintained that with the R41 all the discomfort I feel is in the shave itself, once done my face feels smooth and the skin is not irritated in the least. It's better than any other razor for post shave feel for me. I like sharp blades in it. It's the first razor that I thought Feathers really worked well. And your right, mid sharp, smooth blades, need not apply. I don't experience the tugginess you do, but I do feel some. It's YMMV, but I can see your point certainly.
I've used a Karve with E plate, Schone, Fatip, MMOC and other aggressive or efficient razors, not only does the R41 give less irritation post shave compared to peers it also gives me less irritation that milder razors on the whole.
Am I right in thinking you're riding your R41's cap, Nick?
I gave the R41 another shot this morning with a brand new Feather. I gravitate towards low angle (cap riding) for most of my razors, but today I focused on maintaining the highest angle possible. To do this, I took the steepest angle I could, right up to where it stopped shaving, then dropped down a few degrees. For this razor, steeper is definitely better. Much less tugging than usual. It's a bit tougher for me to maintain steep angles while going around "corners" such as the chin and jawline due to muscle memory, but even in these tough spots the tugging was less noticeable. Still not the most comfortable shave, which is my #1 criteria, but it's heaps better than I recalled.
So... I stand corrected. The tugging is greatly improved at high angles. I'm not sure it'll ever be a daily driver, but I think I'll stick it back in the rotation to get some more steep angle practice. It's hard to argue with the BBS it delivers. I'd still give the nod to the Fatip Piccolo overall though for the balance of comfort/efficiency.
Chandu
I Waxed The Badger.
My take on why it's better at steep angles is that the blade, while not clamped tightly will essentially become pinned against the top cap by the tension of the whiskers. Riding the cap on the other hand the blade is probably not pinned in a similar manner.
I think if Muhle could somehow keep the gap and exposure the same but give the blade more support, the R41 would be a favorite of many more.
This seems like a very plausible explanation. Interestingly, many folks who previously had tugging issues with the R41 have had success with swapping out the R41 top cap for that of the SLOC. Apparently it tames the tugging without reducing the aggressiveness. Maybe it supports the blade better from the top because it extends out farther?
At any rate, I've got an SLOC gathering dust, so I'm going to give it a try.
It is so long time since I used my R41 so I decided to take it for a test drive today. I have it paired with a stainless steel handle so it is quite a bit heavier than my normal daily setup (which is all aluminum). First thing I noticed is that I had to lift the razor in order to avoid pressure. Without lifting the first pass would feel uncomfortable. The second pass against the grain was much easier as then the weight pulls the razor away from my face and it was actually really comfortable. The smoothness was about the same as what I achieve with my normal daily setup. Will I change back to R41, which I loved a lot in the past? No, I will keep my simple standardized shaving routine with a lightweight aluminum razor. Still it was fun to try an old favorite again.
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Used my R41 last night. With the less-than-the-razor’s-weight method @engblom mentioned and a neutral-to-barely-shallow angle, Skippy Creamy would be envious of its smoothness, closeness, and my ability to resist devouring it late at night with crackers and self-loathing (we have no Skippy left, the R41 looks as nice as the day it arrived).
Am I the only one that gets significantly better results with the R41 riding the cap?
In my experience, with 48 hour whiskers, the R41 + new Feather is almost unusable riding the comb. It tugs so much its painful. However riding the cap the tugging becomes almost unperceptable and I can get an easy DFS will almost zero effort.
I used to shave with my R41 all the time and I even got the hang of it from my very first shave unlike my Fatip Grande but after a while I didn't really wanted to shave with the R41 anymore. It really is very efficient razor and probably the most efficient razor in my collection next to my Fatip OC and FOCS, but it's nowhere near as smooth and effortless to use and riding the top cap is an impossible task for me as well. Efficiency is very important for me, but sacrificing smoothness and comfort for a slightly more efficiency isn't worth it. It's still a good razor, it's just that there're other options that are slightly better imo.
Lots of people do. When I find splitting the difference between the comb and cap feels too rough, a little capward direction change usually smooths it out.
But you only need to go shallow ATG under the chin and slam that Feather blade into the back of your chin bone once or twice to start shaving at a steep angle and feel it’s a revelation (versus raising the chin just a bit higher and letting off on the pressure on the razor to do the same thing with less edge-to-skin contact…).
Fullly agree with you! I even wrote a post very similar to your points:Hi there! I shaved for YEARS with the R41, as the R89 (basically the same as the Edwin Jagger DE89) was not thorough enough for me.
The R41 cut me badly, but it also educated me how to handle a razor. With a lot of respect and experience. Bottom line, after handling the R41 I had no razor so far that wasn't a mild breeze in comparison.
The R41 can shave very thoroughly, closer and better than most other razors. You will rarely need a correction pass for spots after a pass with and one against the grain. But it can also easily open wounds, slice pimples and cause skin irritation.
I still love it. Don't use it with a Feather - use a Gillette Silver Blue or Voshkod, or a Mühle/Personna (presumably Mühle uses rebranded Personnas), the Feather is driving the R41 over the edge, it's aggressive enough. But it is also efficient and clean. That's why I love it and use it as benchmark.
My current favorite is the Mühle Rocca R94. It is capable of an extremely close shave as well, but it is much more forgiving. And it is made from steel and won't do something like that_ My R41 cap broke from the threads after ... 2 or 3 years. I guess it was due to a drop and water entering below the chrome.
As for the R41 being not for beginners: Well, I started with the R89 and felt it doesn't shave as close as a Gillette Fusion ProGlide. No matter what I did.
I tried the R41 and as I said, I needed a while. But seems learning through direct pain and cut feedback is a very good way for learning how to shave properly. It worked for me, the otherwise great shaving results motivated me to overcome my very visible shaving errors.
Give it 2-3 shaves. By then you should know if you are rather into milder razors or if it doesn't compute for you. I would recommend a GSB, Voshkod or Personna/Mühle as blade. Not so much the Astra and absolutely not a Feather. YMMV.
Muhle R41 - Experience from a newbie on an agressive razor
Hello fellow gents, After spending many hours reading on how getting into the wet shaving world, I decided to follow the recommendation of many here in the forum and go with a R89 Grande to start the journey. I bought all sorts of blades to try on it, and although it was good, I was still...
www.badgerandblade.com
Bottom line, this razor is amazing and you should definitely give it a go if you are someone that is not reckless while shaving
this topic came as ordered for a doubt that i have currently.
i am about to buy R-41 razor, will just check for the coming black friday and christmas if i can get good promotion offers.
in the store where i buy, i have 3 options: lets call basic R41, Grande and Twist.
based on product description, I assume the basic is smaller, and Grande and Twist, should be
longer, heavier and due to that more aggressive.
https://www.timetoshave.se/muhle-r41-grande-sakerhetsrakhyvel?sort=p.price&order=ASC
https://www.timetoshave.se/muhle-r41-twist-sakerhetsrakhyvel?sort=p.price&order=ASC
My question is: Are the Grande and Twist with same dimensions/weight? Is the only difference in the assembly mechanism?
I dont have dimensions and properties in the links that i attached.
If its same, the Twist is definite choice for me. Difference in price is around 2$, and I am used to 2 parts razor,
as i am currently using Merkur 34c.
i am about to buy R-41 razor, will just check for the coming black friday and christmas if i can get good promotion offers.
in the store where i buy, i have 3 options: lets call basic R41, Grande and Twist.
based on product description, I assume the basic is smaller, and Grande and Twist, should be
longer, heavier and due to that more aggressive.
https://www.timetoshave.se/muhle-r41-grande-sakerhetsrakhyvel?sort=p.price&order=ASC
https://www.timetoshave.se/muhle-r41-twist-sakerhetsrakhyvel?sort=p.price&order=ASC
My question is: Are the Grande and Twist with same dimensions/weight? Is the only difference in the assembly mechanism?
I dont have dimensions and properties in the links that i attached.
If its same, the Twist is definite choice for me. Difference in price is around 2$, and I am used to 2 parts razor,
as i am currently using Merkur 34c.
