Muhle R41,The combined thread

The new Muhle R41 might be the perfect razor for me. I consider the Muhle R89 to be the most beautiful modern DE razor but I had to sell mine because it was on the mild side. The new, super aggressive R41 has the R89 handle making it the perfect razor.

Today I shaved with it for the first time with my favorite blade the Personna RP and after 3.5 traditional passes, I had one of the closest and most comfortable shaves of my life. I expected a lot of razor burn but was happily surprised at how great my face felt.

Any fans of aggressive razors owe it to themselves to try the new R41.

I love aggressive razors, too. This is the nicest I've found. I like it so well, I'm selling others from my rotation to get another R41 as backup.

Let us know if you have any problems with blade life, would you?

It is the only razor I have where I have developed a clear preference for a blade.

I've tried about a half dozen different blades and it works best with feather blades for me.

Mine is currently out being passed around and should make it back to me in a few weeks.

I plan to use various blades and will push each blade to determine durability. I'll update here if I find anything interesting.

Codfish said:

I love aggressive razors, too. This is the nicest I've found. I like it so well, I'm selling others from my rotation to get another R41 as backup.

Let us know if you have any problems with blade life, would you?

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dalecooper51 said:

It is the only razor I have where I have developed a clear preference for a blade.

I've tried about a half dozen different blades and it works best with feather blades for me.

Mine is currently out being passed around and should make it back to me in a few weeks.

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Awesome! congratulations, I can see this becoming a cult in the razor world, it is simply fantastic, what a great razor.

noahpictures said:

The new Muhle R41 might be the perfect razor for me.

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Welcome to the fan club.

I personally prefer to cal it "efficient" rather than "aggressive" because "aggressive" has a negative connotation to it, and this razor has no negs in my book.

Codfish said:

I'm selling others from my rotation to get another R41 as backup.

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Roger this. I just took delivery on my second R41, and am seriously considering a third.

KM-instructor said:

it is simply fantastic, what a great razor.

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Infinity +1

Count me in as well. Impressive shaver. Makes you pay attention to what you are doing, but the results are worth it.

noahpictures said:

The new Muhle R41 might be the perfect razor for me. I consider the Muhle R89 to be the most beautiful modern DE razor but I had to sell mine because it was on the mild side. The new, super aggressive R41 has the R89 handle making it the perfect razor.

Today I shaved with it for the first time with my favorite blade the Personna RP and after 3.5 traditional passes, I had one of the closest and most comfortable shaves of my life. I expected a lot of razor burn but was happily surprised at how great my face felt.

Any fans of aggressive razors owe it to themselves to try the new R41.

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I agree with your aggressive beauty description. It was very different shaving with another razor after using the R41. So far, I've only tried a Personna Medical Prep with it. So is this razor going to cure your RAD and end your search for a chrome/gold Futur?

KM-instructor said:

Awesome! congratulations, I can see this becoming a cult in the razor world, it is simply fantastic, what a great razor.

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Thanks.

ras120 said:

Welcome to the fan club.

I personally prefer to cal it "efficient" rather than "aggressive" because "aggressive" has a negative connotation to it, and this razor has no negs in my book.

Roger this. I just took delivery on my second R41, and am seriously considering a third.

:

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You're right about the "aggressive" having a negative connotation. The R41 is certainly efficient.
I am considering buying a backup.

eldonanda said:

Count me in as well. Impressive shaver. Makes you pay attention to what you are doing, but the results are worth it.

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I agree with the need to pay attention. I am sure someday the razor will bite and remind me to pay attention at all times.

AABCDS said:

I agree with your aggressive beauty description. It was very different shaving with another razor after using the R41. So far, I've only tried a Personna Medical Prep with it. So is this razor going to cure your RAD and end your search for a chrome/gold Futur?

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I've been thinking about it most of the day, whether I should continue searching for a chrome/gold Futur or just get a backup R41 or maybe buy some EJ razors just for the handles or buy a custom handle. The possibilities are endless...for a madman.

noahpictures said:

I've been thinking about it most of the day, whether I should continue searching for a chrome/gold Futur or just get a backup R41 or maybe buy some EJ razors just for the handles or buy a custom handle. The possibilities are endless...for a madman.

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This one. I'm currently awaiting delivery on a BRW handle to use with my R41 head.

In one of the many R41 threads, someone made the comment that the Barbasol from the 1930’s has a similar “tooth comb” design as the new Mühle razor, which, in fact, it does. However, upon closer inspection, they also have similar head profiles and each razor holds a blade at roughly the same angle.

In this picture you can see that the combs on the Mühle (on right) are higher than the Barbasol, and reach up to the cap. The Mühle also has one less comb (8 vs. 9), and more space between the combs. Oddly, although the Barbasol has a much larger blade gap, it shaves a little more mildly than the R41.



From the side, you can see that the heads are nearly identical in shape, and the blades are coming out at just about the same angle.



The true test, of course, is in the shave quality. Shaving with the Barbasol requires the same steep angle and super light touch, and the post shave feel is equally as smooth as when I use the R41. The biggest similarity was in the longevity of the shave. It takes about 16-17 hours before I feel the onset of stubble after shaving with the R41, and the Barbasol was slightly behind that at 14-15 hours. Either way, those are some outstandingly long lasting shaves.

Now I wonder if someone at Mühle came across a Barbasol and used that as the inspiration for their new design, or is it just pure coincidence that two different companies in two different countries came up with nearly identical razor designs about 80 years apart? Are there any other razors floating around with this particular design?

Excellent post!! More I read about this Muhle R41 I am getting tempted to buy it. I have the old OC Muhle R89(Fat-Tip) which has a reputation for being aggressive, I wonder how that old model compares to there new model.

nice post, didnt know that

Very interesting post. I appreciate the attention to details. If I had to bet money, I'll bet that the great people at Muhle studied the Barbasol design while creating the new R41. Coincidence? I think not.

Nice idea for a thread.

The Gillette Guard, blasphemous though it may sound, might also be an influence on the design of the head.

I'm shocked at how little curvature the R41 gives the blade.

franz said:

I'm shocked at how little curvature the R41 gives the blade.

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Yeah I was too. Though I'm sure people like it, I found it a little ridiculous to be honest. The cap from the R89 does a better job and makes the razor more enjoyable to use IMO.

Sledgehammer39 said:

I wonder how that old model compares to there new model.

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Night and day IMO.

I thought the barbasol shaved nice, until I used the R41, although similar they shave so differently.

KM-instructor said:

Night and day IMO.

I thought the barbasol shaved nice, until I used the R41, although similar they shave so differently.

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So which of the two is more aggressive the Old Muhle R89 (Fat-Tip) or the New Muhle R41? I know the old muhle had some cap quality issues, but it is pretty aggressive.

Sledgehammer39 said:

So which of the two is more aggressive the Old Muhle R89 (Fat-Tip) or the New Muhle R41? I know the old muhle had some cap quality issues, but it is pretty aggressive.

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For me the new shines way more brightly in the Aggressive department, I equate it to taking fluf balls off of cotton to shaving off tree bark from mighty oaks, the R41 could be used by woodworkers for stripping Vaneer...

THANKS FOR THE INFO