Muhle RE89... What's next?

[Iridian]

I prefer the synthetic brushes, they are easier to wash out. I particularly like the F-400 XXL brush from Razorock, combine it with a huge salad bowl kind of lather bowl and go to town!

The R41 Twist, I prefer simple 3 piece designs, they are the most easy to clean thoroughly and the simplicity appeals to me. In general I am not a fan of fancy mechanisms like TTO doors or adjustable razors.

The Blackbird and the Vector, both are SOOOOOOOOO light, maybe rather get it in SS and polished than in Ti. Just my thoughts!

And hold back for a while, you will spend a lot of money if staying here for a while anyways.

 

[bartje-p]

Don't know about availability of Razorock in your country, but I'd give the Game Changer or Lupo a try. As a step up from the R89 (which I also owned) would be Game Changer .84P or Lupo .72. I own a GC .84 and a Lupo .95 myself, I reckon they are one of the best razors for the money they cost.

But then again, I think, with the right experience, I can now honestly say that you can get great shaves with a lot of starter razors, including the R89. Do experiment with the blades though, I recommend Gillette Nacet, Platinum, Perma Sharp or Personna Comfort Coated (Lab blue) or the Astra's you already know. Good luck!

 

[Tonikallinn]

I think your basic problem is that in your problematic areas you didn't map the direction of beard growth properly or you miss the correct angle. I would work on this. An aggressive razor cures the symptoms.

If you want another razor I would recommend the Rockwell 6s which is smooth and efficient on higher plates without being extremely aggressive. It's my daily driver at setting R3. The R89 is something like R4.

From my understanding, the R89 was supposed to be a very mild razor, which is why i went and bought it as my first razor. That's what i got from what everyone was saying. Apparently it isn't that mild... And i honestly expected the R3 plate to be more aggressive. Im guessing that the R3 and R4 plates are more efficient, though. Based all the praises im seeing for these razors, at least

 

[Tonikallinn]

Don't know about availability of Razorock in your country, but I'd give the Game Changer or Lupo a try. As a step up from the R89 (which I also owned) would be Game Changer .84P or Lupo .72. I own a GC .84 and a Lupo .95 myself, I reckon they are one of the best razors for the money they cost.

But then again, I think, with the right experience, I can now honestly say that you can get great shaves with a lot of starter razors, including the R89. Do experiment with the blades though, I recommend Gillette Nacet, Platinum, Perma Sharp or Personna Comfort Coated (Lab blue) or the Astra's you already know. Good luck!

Oh, i've seen Muhle and Merkur.... that's it, beside some cheap chinese Razors. I quickly browsed through the Razorock site, and was quickly confused with all the numbers... 084, 0.72. As i'm not sure what how blade gaps exactly affect the shave. Just efficiency? And is it a 1:1 comparison between razors? I found that the R89 as 0.76 blade gap, does that mean that it's more efficient than another razor with 0.72 ?

 

[flash75]

Blade gap and exposure isn't the only thing. There are too many variables.
The idea of trying the R41 is quite nice and after trying you will see clearer. For some people an aggressive razor and fewer passes work better.
Btw Mühle sells the head only too, as you already have a Mühle handle. Another option would be to buy the grande version with a bigger and fatter handle. Then you have both in regular and grande version.

 

[bartje-p]

Oh, i've seen Muhle and Merkur.... that's it, beside some cheap chinese Razors. I quickly browsed through the Razorock site, and was quickly confused with all the numbers... 084, 0.72. As i'm not sure what how blade gaps exactly affect the shave. Just efficiency? And is it a 1:1 comparison between razors? I found that the R89 as 0.76 blade gap, does that mean that it's more efficient than another razor with 0.72 ?

Most people - including myself - would compare the R89 it more or less to a RR GC .68 or Lupo .58 with a safety bar. Anything higher in RR terms would be an increase in shaving performance. I (man, 51 years) can easily use the GC .84 for a daily shave, or the Lupo .95 for every other day, to give you an idea. Some people like the GC .68 as well for a daily shave, I prefer the .84 for a "less hassle" shave. ;-)

 

[ivan_101]

41C is a step down from R89.
Do not be fooled by the open comb. It has negative blade exposure. The only advantage vs the the R89 would be it will be easier to shave a few days growth.

 

[Beto Salatini]

Hello my friend!

Welcome to the world of wet shaving. I started a year and a half ago and like you, my first razor was a DE89 (Edwin Jagger, in my case). After some time I bought a Rockwell 6C to try new types of shaving with the plates and from that I went for a classic adjustable one, the Merkur Progress. With it I was able to better regulate aggressiveness levels to a more advanced level. Then, I set off for the Muhle R41, with fear and respect and I had the pleasant surprise of doing well with it, but always with very little pressure and a lot of caution. Today, I use a Greencult 2.0, which has a larger gap and considerable blade exposure (with 4 baseplate options), and the Fatip (Piccolo and FOCS) for traditional OC. I continue to use all my razors in rotation. Each one gives me a different pleasure.

I hope I have contributed in some way to your search.

Have nice shaves!

 

[Guido75]

Welcome to B&B! The R89 should give you great shaves. It might be mild, but it is still a staple in DE wet shaving. A step up would be a Fatip or a Mühle Rocca - both are very effective while not being as forward as the R41 is (which is equally a magnificent razor).

But you could indeed first experiment with different blades or check if your preshave routine is supporting your shave.

Finally shaving in accordance with your beard map may increase effectiveness as well.

Cheers,

Guido

 

[Goblin]

I just wanted to add that the "Red" Personnas you mentioned earlier now look like this:

That is why you couldn't find them. Great blades. If you like Astra SP, you will probably like these too.

 

[Jens]

Just on choice of razor:

In general, many people will endlessly chase the "perfect" razor for themselves, which is a nice pursuit, BUT, the truth is that you will probably be better off (financially, and in terms of the quality of shaves) just using what you already have, and concentrate on developing your technique, and experimenting with blades. An important point with any razor is that it takes time to get familiar with it and learn how to get the most out of it. If you change razors frequently, you will miss out on that. The Muhle R89 is a fine razor, truth told you probably don't really need another razor.

I speak from experience - I spent loads of money and have all kinds of razors, including very aggressive ones (like the Muhle R41), thinking I would somehow get better shaves and be a more "advanced" shaver, with much more aggressive and open comb razors. Of course, I now have experience with a lot of different razors, but for regular shaving I have mostly gone back to milder closed comb razors again, and worked more with my technique, and explored different blades instead. The Merkur 34C was for a long time that "milder" razor I returned to. The Merkur 34c is quite comparable to the Muhle R89. The Merkur 34, along with the Merkur "Futur", where my first two DE razors. The Future is crazy aggressive, the most aggressive DE razor I know.

An important question to consider here, is how often you generally like to shave. If you -- like me -- enjoy to shave every day (as a kind of morning ritual when waking up), you don't really want a super aggressive razor like the Muhle R41, unless you have really heavy beard growth. It's doable, its an interesting challenge, but not exactly the nicest thing for your skin to endure every single morning. It's not the aggression in its own right that is the problem with the R41, its more the particular "open comb" design of the R41 that is simply too poky and scratchy for my taste. On the other hand, the R41 may be a more suitable choice if you only shave a couple of times a week. These are generalizations of course, and every person is different.

These days I have a stainless steel Razorock Lupo .72, which I really enjoy, it is a fantastic razor, surgical precision tool for touch ups! For daily shaving I would not want anything more "aggressive" than this Lupo.

I can't recall if I already suggested the Merkur 37C slant to you, but I find that to be a very nice combination of a smooth and efficient razor. Unless you want to spend a lot of money for a stainless steel Lupo, I'd say the Merkur 37C will be sufficiently different from the R89 to be worth the investment. If I was to recommend one razor to you, it would be the Lupo .72 or the Merkur 37C, depending on your budget. I would pick a slant before I would pick an open comb, if the goal is shaving comfort and efficiency for everyday shaving. And as for the R41, you can buy just the R41 head, since you already have the Muhle handle for your R89, same handle (as someone else already pointed out).

 

[Curkio]

I would suggest using a shim first. Although it will be slightly more aggressive, it will be much more efficient with less strokes needed which could be the cause of the irritation. If it works, you have saved some money. If not, I went to a Merkur Progress and 37C which I will never get rid off now. Even though the slant will effect your OCD, the effiency of the razor will outweigh it I am sure. Both tackle problem areas my milder razors could never reach,

 

[BigJ]

Great advice above!!

To reinforce the key (IMO) messages:
1. Try a few more blade options.
2. Map your beard.
3. Only after the above, consider another razor.

 

[sternej]

I've been also looking towards the Rockwell 2C/6C (worried if the 3 plate wouldn't be enough of a step up)

That Gunmetal color is also fantastic...

The sides below the mouth are exactly my trouble spots. I usually do two passes. WTG then ATG and a touch up pass if needed. I need to go over that area 4-5 times in my touch up pass. But my chin seems to be no problem.

"I've been also looking towards the Rockwell 2C/6C (worried if the 3 plate wouldn't be enough of a step up)". Man, trust me, it is THE PERFECT next step. Slight more exposure, the heavy weight giving it just enough more agression

 

[Tonikallinn]

Blade gap and exposure isn't the only thing. There are too many variables.
The idea of trying the R41 is quite nice and after trying you will see clearer. For some people an aggressive razor and fewer passes work better.
Btw Mühle sells the head only too, as you already have a Mühle handle. Another option would be to buy the grande version with a bigger and fatter handle. Then you have both in regular and grande version.

Yeah, did notice that the shop here in iceland had spare heads, as well. Was gonna ask if it wouldn't fit. That's a great cheaper option, if i only get the spare. Wouldn't mind trying the Grande, though...

 

[zalaros]

I've been shaving with a de razor for almost a year now. I did the mistake of buying a lot of razors in order to find "the best" for me instead of trying to master my technique. One of them was the Merkur 41c. This is by far the most mild razor out there. Despite that, I managed to get a decent shave out of it by shimming it. 3 shims did the job. Never used it again after that. Now I mostly enjoy shaving with the Merkur Progress, the Fatip lo storto oc (FOCS) and the R41. (I'm a daily shaver with thick hair and sensitive skin).

 

[Tonikallinn]

I just wanted to add that the "Red" Personnas you mentioned earlier now look like this:

View attachment 1740677
That is why you couldn't find them. Great blades. If you like Astra SP, you will probably like these too.

Ahh, damn. I already ordered. But if i even want to order another sample, i'll keep it in mind. Thank you

 

[Tonikallinn]

Just on choice of razor:

In general, many people will endlessly chase the "perfect" razor for themselves, which is a nice pursuit, BUT, the truth is that you will probably be better off (financially, and in terms of the quality of shaves) just using what you already have, and concentrate on developing your technique, and experimenting with blades. An important point with any razor is that it takes time to get familiar with it and learn how to get the most out of it. If you change razors frequently, you will miss out on that. The Muhle R89 is a fine razor, truth told you probably don't really need another razor.

I speak from experience - I spent loads of money and have all kinds of razors, including very aggressive ones (like the Muhle R41), thinking I would somehow get better shaves and be a more "advanced" shaver, with much more aggressive and open comb razors. Of course, I now have experience with a lot of different razors, but for regular shaving I have mostly gone back to milder closed comb razors again, and worked more with my technique, and explored different blades instead. The Merkur 34C was for a long time that "milder" razor I returned to. The Merkur 34c is quite comparable to the Muhle R89. The Merkur 34, along with the Merkur "Futur", where my first two DE razors. The Future is crazy aggressive, the most aggressive DE razor I know.

An important question to consider here, is how often you generally like to shave. If you -- like me -- enjoy to shave every day (as a kind of morning ritual when waking up), you don't really want a super aggressive razor like the Muhle R41, unless you have really heavy beard growth. It's doable, its an interesting challenge, but not exactly the nicest thing for your skin to endure every single morning. It's not the aggression in its own right that is the problem with the R41, its more the particular "open comb" design of the R41 that is simply too poky and scratchy for my taste. On the other hand, the R41 may be a more suitable choice if you only shave a couple of times a week. These are generalizations of course, and every person is different.

These days I have a stainless steel Razorock Lupo .72, which I really enjoy, it is a fantastic razor, surgical precision tool for touch ups! For daily shaving I would not want anything more "aggressive" than this Lupo.

I can't recall if I already suggested the Merkur 37C slant to you, but I find that to be a very nice combination of a smooth and efficient razor. Unless you want to spend a lot of money for a stainless steel Lupo, I'd say the Merkur 37C will be sufficiently different from the R89 to be worth the investment. If I was to recommend one razor to you, it would be the Lupo .72 or the Merkur 37C, depending on your budget. I would pick a slant before I would pick an open comb, if the goal is shaving comfort and efficiency for everyday shaving. And as for the R41, you can buy just the R41 head, since you already have the Muhle handle for your R89, same handle (as someone else already pointed out).

It does seem ''cheaper'' adjustable razors, tend to be way to aggressive, even at setting 1. I ordered a Yaqi TFC, which should arrive tomorrow, which will probably have the same issue.... But it seems like the Rockwell T2 and Rex Ambassador at setting 1 are actually mild. From what i've seen, anyways.

Gotta say, the Lupo is a looker....

And i shave every other day. Even with the R89, my skin doesn't seem to like me shaving every day. I only tried it once, so it might've just been a bad shave, but i had slight irritation.

 

[Alex Jr]

Let me tell you something about the 89. I have it, like it and I use it often but I don’t find it the gentlest razor out there, specially on the ATG pass.

I’m talking about feel here, not results. For me the Rockwell, tech, super speed, slim, all of those are way more comfortable on the skin.

The same goes for the progress. I love it, it’s VERY efficient, but I find it quite agressive even on 1. Again, for the ATG pass.

You can tell I rank my razors by the against the grain feel. I don’t find any razor aggressive enough when used WTG/XTG only.

 

[Tonikallinn]

Just on choice of razor:

In general, many people will endlessly chase the "perfect" razor for themselves, which is a nice pursuit, BUT, the truth is that you will probably be better off (financially, and in terms of the quality of shaves) just using what you already have, and concentrate on developing your technique, and experimenting with blades. An important point with any razor is that it takes time to get familiar with it and learn how to get the most out of it. If you change razors frequently, you will miss out on that. The Muhle R89 is a fine razor, truth told you probably don't really need another razor.

I speak from experience - I spent loads of money and have all kinds of razors, including very aggressive ones (like the Muhle R41), thinking I would somehow get better shaves and be a more "advanced" shaver, with much more aggressive and open comb razors. Of course, I now have experience with a lot of different razors, but for regular shaving I have mostly gone back to milder closed comb razors again, and worked more with my technique, and explored different blades instead. The Merkur 34C was for a long time that "milder" razor I returned to. The Merkur 34c is quite comparable to the Muhle R89. The Merkur 34, along with the Merkur "Futur", where my first two DE razors. The Future is crazy aggressive, the most aggressive DE razor I know.

An important question to consider here, is how often you generally like to shave. If you -- like me -- enjoy to shave every day (as a kind of morning ritual when waking up), you don't really want a super aggressive razor like the Muhle R41, unless you have really heavy beard growth. It's doable, its an interesting challenge, but not exactly the nicest thing for your skin to endure every single morning. It's not the aggression in its own right that is the problem with the R41, its more the particular "open comb" design of the R41 that is simply too poky and scratchy for my taste. On the other hand, the R41 may be a more suitable choice if you only shave a couple of times a week. These are generalizations of course, and every person is different.

These days I have a stainless steel Razorock Lupo .72, which I really enjoy, it is a fantastic razor, surgical precision tool for touch ups! For daily shaving I would not want anything more "aggressive" than this Lupo.

I can't recall if I already suggested the Merkur 37C slant to you, but I find that to be a very nice combination of a smooth and efficient razor. Unless you want to spend a lot of money for a stainless steel Lupo, I'd say the Merkur 37C will be sufficiently different from the R89 to be worth the investment. If I was to recommend one razor to you, it would be the Lupo .72 or the Merkur 37C, depending on your budget. I would pick a slant before I would pick an open comb, if the goal is shaving comfort and efficiency for everyday shaving. And as for the R41, you can buy just the R41 head, since you already have the Muhle handle for your R89, same handle (as someone else already pointed out).

Soooooo just an update on this quote:

It does seem ''cheaper'' adjustable razors, tend to be way to aggressive, even at setting 1. I ordered a Yaqi TFC, which should arrive tomorrow, which will probably have the same issue....

I just got the Yaqi The Final Cut (TFC) adjustable and had a shave with it. I'm not sure how to explain it, there was definitely more blade feel than with the R89, and it was more efficient (seemed to be a closer shave after WTG pass). But it also seemed like that it was just as smooth, if not smoother....Felt like it would be very hard to cut/irritate my skin. I had a fantastic shave with it at setting 1. It's a fantastic buy, especially at 28 bucks! Seems like you can also fully take it apart for cleaning

I also ordered a collapsible silicone bowl from Yaqi for 8 bucks. It's great, as far as i can tell. I had a metal bowl that wasn't the widest, and im so happy im rid of the sound of banging the brush against it. Also seems to lather a bit better.

Best 36 bucks i've spent in forever! +15 bucks for that Yaqi Tuxedo Synthetic i got from WCS. For a seller on AliExpress, Yaqi has fantastic products...