First shave w/R41 Toothcomb - some q's

[maxzoran]

So I have my first shave with the new R41 and while I didn't have any cuts, I didn't get as close a shave as I would with my Aristocrat. I also have an ingrown hair; something I haven't had in months. I used a Feather just as I normally would, got a good lather with TOBS avocado and everything else went as normal. On to the q's

1. Should I use a less sharp blade?
2. I normally go WTG, XTG, and ATG in that order, do I need to change that up?
3. Should I alter the angle on my face due to a more aggressive razor?
4. What else should I try?

Thanks!

[Slappy]

You sir, are a luckier / more skilled man than myself...I had several minor cuts from my first few uses of my new R41. What has helped me adjust so far is slightly more blade angle and WAY less pressure. I've only got a handful of shaves in with this thing but I did prefer using a Shark blade over the initial try with a Derby. I'm still pretty inexperienced with DE shaving in general and I'm still working my way through my blade sampler pack so I can't offer much more input. What I have noticed though is my technique has been improved since starting with this razor and I've been experiencing better shaves with my Edwin Jagger since. We'll see what the experts have to say.

[noahpictures]

So I have my first shave with the new R41 and while I didn't have any cuts, I didn't get as close a shave as I would with my Aristocrat. I also have an ingrown hair; something I haven't had in months. I used a Feather just as I normally would, got a good lather with TOBS avocado and everything else went as normal. On to the q's

1. Should I use a less sharp blade?
2. I normally go WTG, XTG, and ATG in that order, do I need to change that up?
3. Should I alter the angle on my face due to a more aggressive razor?
4. What else should I try?

Thanks!

1. Nope. Start with your favorite blade and work your way through a blade sampler. Surprisingly my favorite blade performed average.
2. No need to change the three passes. I do the same. I use shorter strokes with negative pressure.
3. Yes. Use a shallower (less aggressive) angle. Instead of 15-30 degrees I use maybe 0-5.
4. Practice. I get less irritation with the R41 than the EJ89 or Futur on the highest setting. Most important points are finding the right blade (don't say Feather) and the correct angle.

[Codfish]

1. Nope. Start with your favorite blade and work your way through a blade sampler. Surprisingly my favorite blade performed average.
2. No need to change the three passes. I do the same. I use shorter strokes with negative pressure.
3. Yes. Use a shallower (less aggressive) angle. Instead of 15-30 degrees I use maybe 0-5.
4. Practice. I get less irritation with the R41 than the EJ89 or Futur on the highest setting. Most important points are finding the right blade (don't say Feather) and the correct angle.

+1

I agree.

With regard to blades, I found my normal blade worked well but did not give me the usual three good shaves I expected. I found that the sharpest and smoothest blades (Perma-Sharps and Personna Meds) worked best and gave four great shaves.

[maxzoran]

Thanks for the help guys. I tried a much shallower angle this time and that helped a lot. I finished the Feather I loaded the other day and it was about average. It will be interesting to see how other blades work with the R41. I did get a pretty good shave today though, with very little irritation.

[RfD Dallas]

I've been using the Meds and get 4 to 5 shaves per razor. I started with a shallow angle and now shave at almost 30 degrees with very little pressure. I take short strokes WTG and ATG with just a slight touchup XTG in my one rough spot.

My opinion: It's a great razor. I did cut myself this morning but it was because I coughed as I was shaving near the adams apple.

[KM-instructor]

Congrats Justin.
Just Lather up and enjoy the razor and blade combo's, you'll know when your doing it right, just as you do with your Aristocrat, when you pick that up it is probably plain sailing? as will the feel for the R41

[Angry__Panda]

Congrats Justin.
Just Lather up and enjoy the razor and blade combo's, you'll know when your doing it right, just as you do with your Aristocrat, when you pick that up it is probably plain sailing? as will the feel for the R41

I agree with this. I found that the R41 is actually really good at giving feedback. It lets you know when you need to change something. I have tried a Gillette Yellow and a Personna Red in mine now and the red was much better than the yellow for me. I'll be trying several other things after this red is done.

I also didn't change my passes, you could try going with less (taking out the XTG perhaps?), the razor is quite efficient. I go with two, one WTG and then one ATG and then sometimes I will do a quick touch up on some spots under my ear lobes and on my neck in a couple spots.

I would say my first shave wasn't as close as I expected from the razor, still a DFS, but I chalked that up to just being a little bit weary of using something everyone claims is so dangerous. Get confident and just go to town IMHO. I also did long purposeful strokes as opposed to the normal short quick ones I do with other razors.

I also kind of fooled with the angle a little while I was shaving, just to see the difference. I ended up just shaving with it like I do my other DE's (not a very shallow angle lol). Doesn't hurt to try some of these things as long as you are careful. For the most part though if you have your technique down you should be fine.

[WillR41]

I really enjoy the R41, and even more so with a recent change in my shaving technique with this particular razor.The change is that I don't rinse the razor until I'm done shaving.The razor doesn't get clogged, but always holds some lather in the toothcomb.So, if I need to retouch a spot with another pass, it works almost as smoothly as it did on the first pass.I wonder if the iKon Bulldog has the same quality, as it looks very similar to the R41 but without the comb texture on the open guard. May be a similarly great shave for those who don't like a comb feel.This method may be old news, but it was very counter-intuitive to me.On blade angle,There's another B&B thread where someone measured this and found that if you hold the handle at 45 degrees to the shaving surface, you get the standard 30 degree blade angle. This results in the blade and comb touching at nearly the same time. I started with this angle, a very light touch, and, like others, long smooth passes. In my mind, it deserved the same attention and respect as using my straight razors, which is what I wanted to emulate in anyway, but without the hassle of blade maintenance.