What's new

The reward for no fear shaving.

When I first got into traditional shaving a little over 6 years ago my goal has always been a BBS shave. As my technique improved I continually wanted to improve my razor inventory. I read a lot and kept seeing the comments about the danger many experienced with the Muhle R41. I was curious so I ordered just the head from Maggard for $25. After a few cautious shaves this razor became a favorite. Shortly after that Muhle began offering the R41 in stainless so I ordered one of those. What a great razor.

Along with razors I began learning about brushes. I tried synthetics, boars and badgers, and found badgers were what I liked best. I tried a number of mid to upper end brushes and the ones I liked best were the ones with untreated hair. Simpson lead the way with Manchurian and Best hair (Best is my favorite) along with Shavemac 2 band silver tip. Again I read the warnings about Shavemac DO1 2band knots having such strong backbone you could use one to “jack up your car”. I had to order one and it is now my favorite brush along with 3 more of its brothers.

I just wanted to through this out as encouragement to try what some might feel is scary, but could be something you find to thoroughly enjoy. I’m really glad I did.
 
I just wanted to through this out as encouragement to try what some might feel is scary, but could be something you find to thoroughly enjoy. I’m really glad I did.

I had a similar experience with open comb razors. When I first started experimenting with de razors I read many comments that in one way or another stated that OC razors were more dangerous and harder to use than SB razors.

However, my experience has shown that, at least for my face, OC razors are superior and easier to use than SB razors. I get a better shave with less irritation from things like a Gillette New SC or Timeless OC than I do from a Gillette Slim adjustable or Timeless SB razor.

Just goes to show that you never know what will work for you until you try it.
 
When I first got into traditional shaving a little over 6 years ago my goal has always been a BBS shave. As my technique improved I continually wanted to improve my razor inventory. I read a lot and kept seeing the comments about the danger many experienced with the Muhle R41. I was curious so I ordered just the head from Maggard for $25. After a few cautious shaves this razor became a favorite. Shortly after that Muhle began offering the R41 in stainless so I ordered one of those. What a great razor.

Along with razors I began learning about brushes. I tried synthetics, boars and badgers, and found badgers were what I liked best. I tried a number of mid to upper end brushes and the ones I liked best were the ones with untreated hair. Simpson lead the way with Manchurian and Best hair (Best is my favorite) along with Shavemac 2 band silver tip. Again I read the warnings about Shavemac DO1 2band knots having such strong backbone you could use one to “jack up your car”. I had to order one and it is now my favorite brush along with 3 more of its brothers.

I just wanted to through this out as encouragement to try what some might feel is scary, but could be something you find to thoroughly enjoy. I’m really glad I did.
The Mühle R41 won't damage you so bad that you have to go to the ER, but it is a pretty aggressive razor that does command respect. I got mine about 2.5 years ago and it's one of my favorites. For me, the sharper the blade that goes into it, the better the shave. Just use your technique and take your time, it rewards you with a smooth BBS shave. About 3 weeks ago I got a solid brass Pearl Flexi Open Comb. That razor is more aggressive than the Mühle R41 and I love it. A setting of 3 (it's an adjustable) is all I need for a smooth BBS shave.
 
I still find these larger blades a little scary, especially after too much coffee;)
The day you stop being intimidated they will remind you who's the boss!
20240907_115637.jpg
 
I had a similar experience with blades. For years and years all I read about was how awful the Derby Extras were. Finally decided to give them a try only to discover that I like them. They are mild blades so they tug a little, but they allow me to easily go against the grain with no real consequence, something I have to be careful of with sharp blades (part of my whiskers grow almost parallel to skin).

Interestingly, when looking back to the first years of this site, Derby Extras were well regarded then.

I think “choruses” develop on all sites that tend to drown out individuality.
 
@Cannon Cocker ,I've found I can effectively shave with a variety of tools and software so long as they don't have significant design flaws such as uneven blade exposure in a razor. The key is to tailor my technique for differences ranging from razor aggressiveness to soap lathering characteristics. If one sees significant enough perceived benefits from new equipment they likely should not fear making the leap to purchase.

Seeing sufficient incremental perceived benefits versus the cost (both dollars and effort to adjust technique) is the key to making a new hardware purchase decision.

In my case, when it comes to hardware, I've landed on three $15-25 razors that provide a nice range of mild to moderate aggressiveness that regularly deliver BBS shaves. Since I've no desire or need for anything more aggressive and don't want to acquire a shaving hardware collection the only likely benefit to me from an "upgraded" razor would be more precise manufacturing tolerances that would eliminate the need to check blade alignment after loading a new blade on two of my three razors. Not a big deal for me as my blades typically last 7-10 days on average. Hence there is no fear in play here, just a lack of perceived benefits that are significant enough to warrant the added expenditure and effort to modify my shaving technique for a new piece of equipment.

Same thing for my boar and two synthetic brushes that work amazingly well for me. Again this is based on my personal benefits/value equation where YMMV applies as we each make our personal decisions.

@Frito Ray , second you view on Derby Extra's. They were my first blade five years ago and are one of the three brands in my rotation. Note that we may be fortunate in that we started DE shaving a few years after Derby redesigned these blades to use thinner metal (.09 vs. .1mm thick) with a slightly sharper edge that, per reports from other B&Bers, significantly improved performance. All my Derby Extra's are post-2016 blades.

The choruses you mentioned are sometimes based on dated information (e.g. experience with pre-2016 Derby Extra blades). Found the same thing with my favorite Dorco blades were there was a similar perspective based on older "made in Korea" production even though manufacturing had been moved to new modern equipment in Vietnam years earlier resulting in excellent blade.
 
The Mühle R41 won't damage you so bad that you have to go to the ER, but it is a pretty aggressive razor that does command respect. I got mine about 2.5 years ago and it's one of my favorites. For me, the sharper the blade that goes into it, the better the shave. Just use your technique and take your time, it rewards you with a smooth BBS shave. About 3 weeks ago I got a solid brass Pearl Flexi Open Comb. That razor is more aggressive than the Mühle R41 and I love it. A setting of 3 (it's an adjustable) is all I need for a smooth BBS shave.
Curious, what do you see as the primary benefit from a more aggressive razor? Is more aggressiveness required for a BBS smooth shave due to your beard characteristics or is it to enable a faster shave with a simpler technique or something else?

Using my mildest razor requires an extra touch up pass riding the cap to achieve a BBS shave. For my beard my moderate razor delivers BBS efficiently in 2+ passes. Benefit of mild is almost no chance of a weeper in return for the additional shaving effort.
 
Curious, what do you see as the primary benefit from a more aggressive razor? Is more aggressiveness required for a BBS smooth shave due to your beard characteristics or is it to enable a faster shave with a simpler technique or something else?

Using my mildest razor requires an extra touch up pass riding the cap to achieve a BBS shave. For my beard my moderate razor delivers BBS efficiently in 2+ passes. Benefit of mild is almost no chance of a weeper in return for the additional shaving effort.
It's mainly because I have a pretty wiry beard that medium to aggressive razors work best. But there is exceptions. My Schick Krona razor is medium/mild, but it works for me quite well. The Goodfellas Smile Bayonetta is another medium/mild in my collection that works for me. Another medium/mild that works for me is a cheap Chinese made Weishi long handle butterfly razor that I have in my collection. Those are my 3 best mild razors. The Merkur 34C doesn't work for me so well. Too mild.
 
When I first got into traditional shaving a little over 6 years ago my goal has always been a BBS shave. As my technique improved I continually wanted to improve my razor inventory. I read a lot and kept seeing the comments about the danger many experienced with the Muhle R41. I was curious so I ordered just the head from Maggard for $25. After a few cautious shaves this razor became a favorite. Shortly after that Muhle began offering the R41 in stainless so I ordered one of those. What a great razor.

Along with razors I began learning about brushes. I tried synthetics, boars and badgers, and found badgers were what I liked best. I tried a number of mid to upper end brushes and the ones I liked best were the ones with untreated hair. Simpson lead the way with Manchurian and Best hair (Best is my favorite) along with Shavemac 2 band silver tip. Again I read the warnings about Shavemac DO1 2band knots having such strong backbone you could use one to “jack up your car”. I had to order one and it is now my favorite brush along with 3 more of its brothers.

I just wanted to through this out as encouragement to try what some might feel is scary, but could be something you find to thoroughly enjoy. I’m really glad I did.
Great opinion. I saw the title and thought it would touch more on shaving with confidence. I think this is one of the key things for me when I got back into DE. I was tentative at first and learning technique after decades away. The nicks/cuts/uncomfortableness of shaves went away almost suddenly when I was able to comfortably just save with confidence and no hesitation. I think this enabled me to shave at an appropriate speed - not slowly dragging the razor which is just awful IMO. Hope all is well.
 
A few years back on this site, the Feather + Merkur Slant was considered the "Devil's Combo". New shavers were warned away from using this combo until they had some months of shaving under their belts.

It's the way the muhle41 + Feather combo is spoken of today.

And yet, the so-called Devil's Combo, is one of the smoothest shaving combos I have found. In fact, after 1 month of the Merkur HD, I ordered the Slant, loaded it with the Feather and never looked back. Now, it's a combo I use when I don't want to think about my shave and just shave.

The OP is right; what appears to be scary, most times isn't and could be preventing us from having a great shave. Then again, I'm still somewhat fearful of using a straight! :straight::straight::straight:

marty
 
Top Bottom