Muhle R41 vs. Whatever You Had Before

Obviously, there are MANY posts from people praising the Muhle R41 as an awesomely aggressive razor that mows down stubble like no other. I've considered purchasing one to see how it suits me but wanted to get some sort of relative comparisons before taking any sort of plunge.

Now, I'm currently using a Merkur 38C and enjoy it quite a bit. My blades of choice would be Astra SP, Gillette Yellows, and Feathers in that order. If I want a BBS, its a 3 pass shave (WTG, XTG, ATG) + j-hooking touch up pass. Since I don't like giving up quite that much time in the morning, I usually go for a 2 pass (WTG, XTG) that gets me to what I'd call an average shave.

My biggest question is are those of you that have switched to an R41 noticing a smoother shave in less passes compared to your previous/other razors? Is there another option out there that could possibly provide me with a near-BBS in less passes than my current setup?

Well...I think you have a number of choices that can accomplish that. The Fatip and Joris certainly can, so can a Gillette Old Type OC. The Tradere can also get you there as can the Mariner and the Merkur Slant. The R41 is the most aggressive of the lot, but you can get some amazing shaves from the ones I've listed - and no doubt many more. I don't think the R41 has a headlock on 3 pass BBS shaves - not by a long shot - but it certainly holds the title for most aggressive DE razor; at least for now.

I would take an Old for a spin before I dove into the R41. They cost about 1/3, and depending on what you're coming can be "Holy Hell mah face!" aggressive. It was for me after using a SuperSpeed.

Samjax said:

Well...I think you have a number of choices that can accomplish that. The Fatip and Joris certainly can, so can a Gillette Old Type OC. The Tradere can also get you there as can the Mariner and the Merkur Slant. The R41 is the most aggressive of the lot, but you can get some amazing shaves from the ones I've listed - and no doubt many more. I don't think the R41 has a headlock on 3 pass BBS shaves - not by a long shot - but it certainly holds the title for most aggressive DE razor; at least for now.

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+1

The R41 is extremely aggressive and not very forgiving.

Futur will and can be more comfortable

The R41 is king for me, I use it about 60% of the time. My second in command is the FaTip, which I love and it gives a damn fine shave, but my problem area under the chin/jawline on the left side of my face (grain is pretty much 360º spirals) still requires an insane amount of buffing and J-hooking to get and I often end up with bad burn in that area. The R41 I can mow that area down with very little effort and have no burn whatsoever.

Any vintage Gillette adjustable TTO...I use that for one pass BBS

Wildalaska said:

Any vintage Gillette adjustable TTO...I use that for one pass BBS

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One pass bbs i sure cant get that with the r41 and a feather still takes me 3 passes YMMV
If you enjoy the 38c the long handled progress has almost the same head and can be real aggressive cranked up. Good luck on the new razor hunt you will get all kinds of opinions here lol (including this one)

I can get a bbs shave in 2+ passes with the R41, Joris/Plisson, Fatip, Futur and Vision. On the other hand, I can get a bbs shave in 3+ passes with almost any other razor if I'm using a Feather blade (even a Jagger). The one, slight difference is that the shave lasts longer with the R41 than any of the others.

I try to make the daily task of shaving as interesting, efficient, and comfortable, as possible. I keep about a dozen razors to do that. My collection is not for looking at, I use them all, though I use some more than others. The one I use least is the R41. As others have noted, it is extremely aggressive and quite unforgiving. For me, it's just too much trouble and discomfort to bother with. My Cobra and Joris are less trouble to use and give me just a good a result as the R41. I think it's telling that there are so few Joris's and Cobra's available on the used market, and so many R41's. The good news in this is that you can pick up an R41 fairly cheaply to try. You might find that its just what you're looking for. In my case, with a tough beard and sensitive skin, and contrary to prevailing wisdom, I can get just as close a shave without a nick, with my 2010 R41, DE89, or Tradere, as I can with more aggressive razors. Its as much to do with blade selection and beard preparation as anything else, and the razor is only one part of the formula. JMO.

The obvious one word answer is.......


Slant...


Give the Merkur slant razor a shot before you jump into an R41...

I found that the results of the R41 and the FaTip were similar; I got a very nice long-lasting shave with two very careful passes (WTG, ATG) with both. However, the "face feel" of the R41 was much harsher. It felt much rougher than it actually was.

This is definitely a YMMV thing. I am a newb, but my R41 experiences are that it is much easier to use than my Merkur 34c I started with, and with a feather I get good shaves in 2 passes with little irritation. I don't understand the attention that this thing demands, I find it easier to shave nick free with no weepers with this than the merkur as well, and my technique is not that great yet.

As my wood shop teacher said, the most dangerous tool in the shop is the dull one. A sharp tool lets you work without fighting the tool, and is therefore safer. R41 + Feather seems to be the shaving equivalent of this advice for me.

Also, I am the tough beard, sensitive skin type.

Right now I am shaving with a Super Speed. I have been DE shaving for about a month. I feel very consistant. I feel my shaves are very smooth if I shave in consecutive days. I have not had very smooth results shaving with the Super Speed if I have +2 day growth. Based on a number of different discussions including this one. And PaulHFilms' R41 consecutive shaving videos: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xw3WsrLANws. I am very very seriously considering picking up an R41. It isn't that I don't like shaving everyday. I don't mind it at all. I really like having very smooth shaves, but I also like shaving twice a week. I am thinking about picking up an R41 because I am getting the impression that the R41 mows down three day growth like most everything else mows down one day growth.

I like it. More likely to finish a shave in a couple of passes than my Feather. No fiddling like my adjustables. Not quite as dangerous as my Feather Artist Club DX. Upto you.

rob_NH said:

This is definitely a YMMV thing. I am a newb, but my R41 experiences are that it is much easier to use than my Merkur 34c I started with, and with a feather I get good shaves in 2 passes with little irritation. I don't understand the attention that this thing demands, I find it easier to shave nick free with no weepers with this than the merkur as well, and my technique is not that great yet.

As my wood shop teacher said, the most dangerous tool in the shop is the dull one. A sharp tool lets you work without fighting the tool, and is therefore safer. R41 + Feather seems to be the shaving equivalent of this advice for me.

Also, I am the tough beard, sensitive skin type.

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Very good comment!

rob_NH said:

This is definitely a YMMV thing. I am a newb, but my R41 experiences are that it is much easier to use than my Merkur 34c I started with, and with a feather I get good shaves in 2 passes with little irritation. I don't understand the attention that this thing demands, I find it easier to shave nick free with no weepers with this than the merkur as well, and my technique is not that great yet.

As my wood shop teacher said, the most dangerous tool in the shop is the dull one. A sharp tool lets you work without fighting the tool, and is therefore safer. R41 + Feather seems to be the shaving equivalent of this advice for me.

Also, I am the tough beard, sensitive skin type.

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I agree with this 100 %. I've been using the r41 daily and have had very little irritation, just to mix it up I used my merkur 38c and found it a little harder to use, ended up with some irritation. I do a 2 pass shave with the r41 and I'm done, I do have to pay attention while using this razor, but it pays off.

I'm still in the process of evaluating my Muhle R41, so these are the impressions of a relative newbie to the razor.

It is definitely more efficient than my closed comb or slant bar razors (Muhle R89 and Merkur 37C respectively). It demands a more accurate technique than either of these two, particularly the maintenance of a shallow blade angle. Any lapses result in a shave that leaves the face feeling more raw, but I haven't cut myself or produced any weepers with it (yet).

It's noticeably more efficient on the XTG and ATG passes and I don't have to do as much clean up with the R41 than with other razors.

I find it the least comfortable of my razors to shave with but, that said, it leaves me with a close shave and no irritation.

The thing I'm trying to work out is whether it is too much razor for my needs: my growth isn't especially heavy or coarse, and I shave daily; so it's perhaps going to be a bit too heavy-duty to be my go-to razor. However, this view may change as I get more and more familiar with it. As things stand, I would keep it in my rotation of razors to use, but I would use my slant considerably more often.

One thing to keep in mind is that the R41 sold today is not as aggressive as the ones were when this thread was started. With that said, I'm getting my best shaves yet with a new model R41.