The venerable R41. My favorite razor bar none. I have a Mergress XL, Gillette Slim, Merkur 38c and my beloved R41. Yeah, I nicked a little trying to get used to it, a little blood, but no big deal. I read where a heavier handle improves the performance of the R41, so I ordered a Tradere handle. The heavier handle drew more blood. My R41 with the rose gold handle has the perfect weight for an aggressive razor, and with rose gold, it's sure nice looking. From my experience, Personna Med Prep blades work well with the R41, but really any blade in an R41 does the trick. My first R41 came with a slightly damaged head, so since I ordered directly from Muhle, they sent me a replacement. So I have two R41's. The R41 does in two passes what other razors do in 3-4 passes.
Should I buy a Muhle R41?
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- #62
I got a really good two pass shave with the R41 and a feather blade yesterday. I was quite proud of myself. A couple of tiny nicks that barely bled through the lather and completely disappeared after a cold water rinse and a hit of alum. I'm not sure if the learning curve is steeper for head shaving or if I'm just special, but it's been taking quite a while to get comfortable with this razor. I still get consistently poor results from using too much pressure or too steep an angle, and both of those issues are directly caused by the difficulty I have reaching certain parts of my head while maintaining perfect form. And as we all know, the R41 punishes poor form without remorse. Even using my left hand, while easier in that I do not have to contort my body to maintain form in those spots, is still problematic for me because, well, it's my left hand. I do seem to be making progress with it though, and I think it's something to be proud of. I don't think I would ever attempt to shave my head with Graham. I'm impressed that you can shave your face with him, especially around the mouth, nose and ears. One day I might be confident enough to try something like the 1909, and not to belittle that beautiful beast, because it is still a very aggressive looking she-devil, but I think it's within the realm of my potential. Graham on the other hand looks like a true monster, like an axe wielding brute with a chiseled jaw and stone eyes. He's Christian Bale in American Psycho, I think it's what I'm saying. I don't mind saying again that I am very impressed that you even have the cojones to attempt a shave with Graham.
I consider myself fortunate I don't shave my head. The shape and angles are just so varied, and some areas are difficult to maintain the correct shaving angles. I have little faith in the use of my left hand as well, unless under extreme duress.
Regarding the R41: I shave with it using shallow angles only now. The steep angle approach scrapes my skin too much and causes irritation. I lay the top cap flat, handle straight out, and begin the stroke while adjusting the angle until it is just right. My definition of "just right" is probably different to everyone else's, as it should be, but I know it by its feel and sound. This is the exact approach I take with Graham. Steep angle shaving is a no-no. Case in point was a little while back when an accidental steep angle mixed with a Gillette slide left me with a two inch line on my face for three days. A re-discovery of the Derby blade, when used in Graham, yielded some of the finest results I've had yet. But . . . a slightly distracted shave yesterday left a 1cm long gouge on the corner of my chin due to faulty technique, along with a 5mm gouge in the fleshy part of my chin, also due to faulty technique. Graham takes the "safety" out of "safety razor"!
My technique around the corners of the mouth is to bullfrog, use a very shallow angle, make sure the lather is slippery enough (key item), and press the top cap lightly against my skin while keeping the angle very shallow. Lots of little strokes tell me when I'm in the range of cutting whiskers. The few that remain right in the corner, I expose with my tongue and use a shallow angle and feather light touch to remove. The key is to avoid trying to shave these down to the skin, for that is just too much and will cause irritation. You may notice when you stop exposing them with your tongue, they retract slightly back into the skin. For the moustache area, I bullfrog a bit, use a very shallow angle with the blade just beginning to encroach on ATG territory, and use lots of short XTG strokes. If there's a bit of pain, I adjust the blade back to XTG as well, and maybe even a bit less than that.
Keep practising with the R41. Steep angle shaving in general hasn't worked out for me.
I think it's time a head shaving attachment was developed that mounts a DE razor, providing a more natural way of maintaining the correct angle while being comfortable for one's hand and wrist as well. I've seen the head shavers for cartridge blades, so why not something similar?
I used a Fat Boy for a few years and then got big time RAD that was pretty much ended with the purchase of a FAtip Grande and R41 2011. My 2011 likes Astra SPs for daily use. Feathers can be a bit harsh, so those usually go in the Fatip.
Seeing that someone is 3-D printing a top cap for 2013's, though.... I was looking at ATT H1 also, but I've got other distractions currently, like raw denim.
Seeing that someone is 3-D printing a top cap for 2013's, though.... I was looking at ATT H1 also, but I've got other distractions currently, like raw denim.
At first it is a shaving razor difficult to use ... no time. But it is somewhat aggressive with the skin and for everyday use is not entirely adequate.
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- #66
So far my R41 works best with feathers and then Astras. But I can get away with going a little ATG with the Astras, while the Feathers will make me look like Ray Liotta at the end of Hannibal if I go ATG even a little bit. If I keep my patience and use short strokes with a little, tiny bit of pressure XTG both ways (i.e. R-L and L-R), I can get a DFS pretty regularly, if not always a comfortable or bloodless shave necessarily. Bossies, I can't tell if maybe you misread me, but I too shun the practice of steep angle shaving. Even the Parker 82R, which will let me get away with using a steep angle without blood, yields a much, much closer and more comfortable shave with a very shallow angle. And in my opinion, or in my experience anyway, if you use a very shallow angle and don't go crazy ATG, you can, or even perhaps should, use a bit of pressure. For me, the pressure seems to be entirely on the cap, and when I have it perfect, it's as if the edge of the blade were hovering a Planck length above my skin, as physically close to touching it as scientifically possible without actually touching it. That's really what it feels like, and it's honestly COMFORTABLE, not just in absence of discomfort. It feels good. But it is very hard to shave two or three passes keeping this perfect form flawlessly throughout, even when, as it is with the R41, the consequences of imperfection are blood and the sting of alum and alcohol.
My sentiments exactly.
I have one . It is a great razor and very aggressive. Started with Edwin Jagger 89LBL. Also a Merkur HD 34C. These are all good razors in my opinion and the Muehle R41 is the most aggressive. Let the razor do the work. NO PRESSURE. I think you will love it once you get used to it. Great choice!
if you do what I did, and got a Feather ACSS or CJB, you'd wonder what all the fuss was about the R41 being an aggressive razor. That first straight shave is an eye opener, and then you'll want to finish up with an R41 to clean up!
my 2011 was the second razor i bought and probably my last. it's a fun shaver and its reputation for closeness is well deserved.
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- #71
Given that I bought this razor this year, I assume it's a 2013 model and not a 2011, but is there a way to know for sure?
This thread should help you identify it. But I'm convinced it will be a 2013 model.
http://badgerandblade.com/vb/showthread.php/365662-My-2011-vs-2013-Muhle-R41-Comparo
EDIT: The 2013 R41 has less blade exposure, so it's the one on the right.
http://badgerandblade.com/vb/showthread.php/365662-My-2011-vs-2013-Muhle-R41-Comparo
EDIT: The 2013 R41 has less blade exposure, so it's the one on the right.
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- #73
Yup, it's a 2013. Thanks for the link!
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