Upgrade on merkur/muhle open comb?

[MrSmith83]

For about a decade I've been using a pre-2011 muhle R41. This is essentially the same head as a merkur oc; the muhle was likely manufactured by merkur.

Since I bought it the variety and quality of modern DE's has taken off exponentially. I have a couple of superb modern handles, my favourite probably being the satin IKon bulldog.

It might be time to upgrade the business end of the thing; recommendations for better quality (preferably stainless steel, though I'm open to anything) versions of the merkur/old muhle head piece are much appreciated.

Cheers

 

[BigJ]

You may need to get a Wolfman custom piece. I don’t know any DE that is more aggressive than your R41. (That one is simply too much for this old guy.)

 

[Esox]

A Mk.1 Fatip might fit the bill. The downsides being they may be difficult to find and the handles you have likely wont fit. I believe the earlier R41's were made by Fatip but @Raven Koenes will need to confirm/explain that.

I believe this is the only seller for NOS Mk.1 Fatip razors. I have no idea what he might have left in stock, you may need to contact him if interested.

RASIERHOBEL - Kleiner Griff- Fatip Piccolo Rasierapparat für Rasierklinge Neu ! | eBay

 

[Renato1]

I have a Merkur long handled open comb razor, which I don't like much at all.
I bought a fairly inexpensive and solid "Weaponry" open comb razor on Ebay from Texas, which I like a lot more.
Regards,
Renato

 

[Emancipator12]

A Mk.1 Fatip might fit the bill. The downsides being they may be difficult to find and the handles you have likely wont fit. I believe the earlier R41's were made by Fatip but @Raven Koenes will need to confirm/explain that.

I believe this is the only seller for NOS Mk.1 Fatip razors. I have no idea what he might have left in stock, you may need to contact him if interested.

RASIERHOBEL - Kleiner Griff- Fatip Piccolo Rasierapparat für Rasierklinge Neu ! | eBay

Before i knew there were a Mk.1 and a Mk.2, I ordered the Fatip Picollo on ebay, and got the Mk.1

The UK seller i bought it from is the.original.shaving.company on eBay

 

[les24preludes]

I have a 2013 R41, Timeless Bronze OC .78 and Karve OC E plate. I would rule out the Timeless because although it's a nice head, it isn't better than the Karve or R41 and the handle is 85g making the whole razor 129g. I personally don't want to use any razor over 100g so the handle is in its box, making the purchase uneconomical. I had a Timeless OC .95 but the Bronze head was better. There's very little between the R41 and the Karve. If you just fancy a bit of a change get the Karve head with OC E and F plates. I use a variety of handles, as you do, and prefer titanium or fat aluminium at 50-60g.

The bottom line is that you already have a top quality efficient head in the R41, and it's right up there with the expensive artisans. I don't see a Fatip as an improvement, though I just have the later model, and I expect the Karve E and F to better it. I can't comment on other efficient heads I haven't tried - ATT H2, Charcoal Goods, Blackbird OC etc. You may be able to get just the H2 head as discounted model on the ATT website, but otherwise you're going to be paying for both the head and a handle.

I say Karve head with OC E and F plates. Brass at present (and cheaper), but SS is coming. Incidentally, your R41 top cap should also fit the Karve if you want to be frugal. I'd fit a titanium handle myself - plenty from Russia on the Bay.

Stainless Steel Razor Plate OC

 

[romsitsa]

I maybe sound boring, but get a Single ring or Rotbart. If you prefer thick handles then a Gillette Bulldog, Big Boy.

Adam

 

[McNutt]

I have a Timeless 98 OC in SD and it's the bee's knees.

The only downside to that razor is that it's so easy to use that it doesn't have the quirks you have to work around. It's a mindless razor that consistently delivers BBS shaves.

 

[MrSmith83]

Thanks for all the recs, I'll so some googling.

One quick comment about the different iterations of the muhle r41 head; holding them side by side, the modern (muhle made, notoriously aggressive) version is a significantly better made, more sturdy, better finishes piece of kit than the old pre-2013 (merkur made) versions. They are my favourite functionally, but my daily driver has lost a lot of playing and is looking dingy. The new one is still I guess cheap chrome pot metal, but it's sturdily built and doesn't look or feel out of place at all on a nice stainless steel handle. So just as an aside muhle dev gets two thumbs up from me for increasingly their quality over the old merkur pro used parts.

Cheers

 

[MrSmith83]

Edit, pre-2011 I mean.

Cheers

 

[Macfrommichigan]

Time to try a straight??

G'luck.