Ikon Shavecraft Tech vs Spitfire R41: Godzilla vs Mothra

After reading reports about the Ikon Shavecraft Tech and how it was more than a match for the R41, I was inspired to spend some of my tax rebate by investing in the 104 "Tech" head with one of those lush OSS handles:
My favourite DE shaves are the Spitfire R41 and devette, as well as some fierce 1930's bakelites, and the common factors all these razors share are big blade gap, big blade exposure and big blade curvature. All these razors are top tier efficient - the bakelites the smoothest, the devette the most aggressive and the Spitfire R41 the best balanced and a real joy to shave with.
So how will the IS Tech compare?
The first thing to notice is the build quality. The top grade aluminium head and stainless steel handle of the IS Tech are streets ahead of the zamak and printed plastic Spitfire R41 and the stock Muhle handle is very poor indeed (I use a Pakistani Pilot handle instead).
But the tolerances on the German made Muhle are ice cold with perfect blade alignment every time, whereas the 104 Tech definitely has a little bit of play with the alignment and needs more attention when loading the blade.
Also the toothcomb baseplate of the R41 is a beautiful Art Deco thing eh? whereas the baseplate of the Tech is just, well... a Tech isn't it?
And how weird to take design inspiration and the name of a famously friendly and mild Gillette razor, the Tech, for what must be the fiercest DE currently on sale! Why have Ikon done this? Is it ironic humour?

In any case, the shave is awesome and my first impression is that it feels exactly like the devette - a lot of blade feel, very "needley" and really quite loud but also not as smooth as the R41.
But if the R41 is the end of the aggression spectrum then, like the devette, the Shavecraft Tech goes into the ultraviolet. It's shockingly, shockingly and almost unbelievably efficient, it loves the steep angle and there's absolutely no skin irritation.
In terms of keeping the skin calm, both the devette and the Spitfire R41 are magnificent but on this first shave the Ikon Shavecraft Tech was even better.
For me this is love at first shave - the IS Tech is like a perfected devette. The guard plays no role in protection but does add a skin stretching element and that's perfect!
No doubt the Spitfire is smoother and built to better tolerances as well as having that much more attractive toothcomb baseplate, but the IS Tech seems to outclass it in every other category.
But this is only one shave in with the 104 Tech, so we'll see...
Also, top cap of the Tech and the R41 are very similar but the cap of the Tech is slightly more convex (and longer) so I'm interested to find out how the R41 baseplate + IS Tech cap combo will perform.

Tremendous review, and spot on. I don't have the Spitfire, but my experience with the 2013 R41 compared to the Ikon Tech is very similar. I cannot imagine a more intimidating, yet manageable, DE than this Tech. Of course, I haven't tried a devette, and don't really feel the need.

My second shave with the IS Tech this morning:
This razor teaches that there's always room for improvement with technique.
Like seeing how many pins you can get into a glass of water that's already full before the water overflows, and discovering that you can always put in one more pin I am now discovering that however little pressure I am using to begin with, I can always apply even less pressure!

Wow - what a great shave the 104 Tech gives.
And the minutiae of the differences with the Spitfire R41 are beginning to show up, but this is very subtle territory we're in now.
If the R41 is 99.8% brilliant, then the 104 Tech is 99.9% brilliant in a lot of aspects and 99.7% brilliant in others:
- On this second shave, it was clear to see and feel that the regrowth is slightly slower with the Tech. For me I'd only really need to shave every 36 hours with either of these razors to look smart all the time.

- The Tech left my skin with absolutely no irritation whatsoever, the only razor that has ever done this for me, and perhaps as much to do with the aluminium head as anything else. The R41 produces ALMOST no irritation but the IS Tech clearly outdoes it here.

- The stubble is pricklier with the IS Tech than with the R41 suggesting a more oblique cutting angle.

- For face feel while shaving, the R41 is smoother and more comfortable.
With the R41 the blade feels like it's gliding on rails, whereas with the IS Tech it has the needley resistance of the devette especially around the chin area like pushing a piece of furniture across a carpet.

- And for skin condition after the shave both razors are great but very different.
The R41 leaves my skin feeling waxy and moisturised ( a few of my very aggressive bakelites do this too, and it's been suggested that this is due to dermo abrasion by the toothcomb).
The IS Tech on the other hand leaves my skin with a kind of matte finish which resists and tickles my fingertips, a bit like running my fingers over smooth slate.
This again highlights the differences in blade geometry between the IS Tech and the R41.

So both razors are incredible and I wonder if my R41 shaves will be even better now that the IS Tech has upped my technique even further.

And I'm beginning to realise that the geometry of the IS Tech is just absolutely right.
I'd wondered if it was going to be the razor equivalent of how I imagine the Bugatti Veyron to be (any Bugatti Veyron owners out there?), an incredible tour de force of power but impractical for every day use.
But instead the Ikon Shavecraft Tech is turning out to be the devette perfected and a truly magnificent shaver.

I love my Tech. Can't figure out if it or the standard bar iKon is my favorite shaver, but the Shavecraft surely wins in bang for the buck. I rarely ever even use the R41 anymore.

Third shave in with the 104 Tech this morning.
Technique is really clicking with this razor now.
Whereas the R41 and my very light bakelites require a delicate and responsive touch mainly guided by the tactile feedback, this IS Tech seems to prefer a firmer hand but this demands a lot of fine control.

It's going to be extremely interesting to shave with the R41 after this!

Fantastic review, Marcus. You're posts are always so entertaining to read.

BSAGuy said:

Fantastic review, Marcus. You're posts are always so entertaining to read.

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Thanks! This razor is just so great it deserves to be talked about

Let me add, this is my experience also Marcus... I reach for the Shavecraft Tech more than the R41 now. For me it's a smoother closer shave with fewer passes. Steep angle shaving is divine, top of the heap performance.

I was a bit surprised that it was cast. The detail on the company printing on the baseplate is sharp and clear. The head is tight and with a consistent brushed surface appearance.

Three thumbs up , relatively cheap...

Happy to see you are enjoying yours!

davidsilva said:

Let me add, this is my experience also Marcus... I reach for the Shavecraft Tech more than the R41 now.

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I'm hearing this response more and more David - the IS Tech is definitely a new classic.

I revisited the R41 this morning with the same OSS handle:
These two razors feel so radically different on the face, and the Spitfire R41 has a unique feel about it when shaving which, up until now I haven't quite been able to identify.

But this morning I realised what it was - the Spitfire R41 has a definite yet very controlled blade chatter.
It doesn't glide across the face, it walks across it very fast
This accounts for the unique "electric" feel of the shave but also explains why it's not quite as good as the IS Tech for shaving my neck.
Again I experienced very slight irritation with the R41 as opposed to absolutely zero irritation with the IS Tech.

But this was still a great shave - in terms of looks and blade feel the R41 is still No.1 but I think the IS Tech could very well be the winner in every other category.

I own the Tech and the R41 (2013 version).

The Tech is much more aggressive IMO. I'm still trying to get the angle right.

Very well stated mjclark, I haven't been able to describe the Spitfire R41 shave, you hit the nail on the head! Thanks!

This is a very interesting thread for me as I like the R41s quite a bit. MJClark, thank you for the detailed analysis.

I have both the 2013 R-41 and 2011 R-41. I have a very thick beard and I find that I can only shave with these razors if I have less than 24 hour growth. If I have a two day growth the pulling on my beard is really uncomfortable. I use a steep angle and really love them for a second day of shaving. I guess I would call it blade chatter. For more growth, I go with a Neilite 400 or one of my slant razors. (More recently, I've been experimenting with the Mongoose with Super Pro blade). The rigidity of the blades in these razors really helps with thicker growth. With the Ikon Tech, are any of you feeling blade chatter? Do any of you have a thick dense beard? How uncomfortable is it to shave with?

Thanks!

jankdc said:

I have both the 2013 R-41 and 2011 R-41. I have a very thick beard and I find that I can only shave with these razors if I have less than 24 hour growth. If I have a two day growth the pulling on my beard is really uncomfortable. I use a steep angle and really love them for a second day of shaving. I guess I would call it blade chatter. For more growth, I go with a Neilite 400 or one of my slant razors. (More recently, I've been experimenting with the Mongoose with Super Pro blade). The rigidity of the blades in these razors really helps with thicker growth. With the Ikon Tech, are any of you feeling blade chatter? Do any of you have a thick dense beard? How uncomfortable is it to shave with?

Thanks!

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Absolutely no chatter with the Shavecraft Tech - the rigidity of the blade is palpable...
...and the Neillite is one of my Grail razors. You are a fortunate man to have one of those.
Actually it's only my 1930s bakelites that can match the R41 and 104 Tech.

mjclark said:

Absolutely no chatter with the Shavecraft Tech - the rigidity of the blade is palpable...
...and the Neillite is one of my Grail razors. You are a fortunate man to have one of those.
Actually it's only my 1930s bakelites that can match the R41 and 104 Tech.

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Thanks, I'll put this on one of my lists razors to pick up. I'm curious, what bakelites to you enjoy?

Wow great review I'm so excited I have a shave craft tech I'm the mail right now ! I been using a 2013 r 41 with 2 shims lately and it has been giving me fantastic shave but this review made me have to pull the trigger on the tech, I hope it gives me a close more comfortable shave bit no mater just the feel of a new aggressive razor is gunna be awsome! My RAD is out of control ! Ahhhh

jankdc said:

Thanks, I'll put this on one of my lists razors to pick up. I'm curious, what bakelites to you enjoy?

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I like the 1930s bakelites - I have super agressive British HEMO, Italian ZAM and anonymous French which looks like a Wardonia but with bakelite cap and thinner baseplate, all of which are easily as powerful as the R41 but so much smoother.
I also have the gentler Souplex Double Six and roanoite GBS, both of which give very very smart comfortable shaves.
How about you?

mjclark said:

I like the 1930s bakelites - I have super agressive British HEMO, Italian ZAM and anonymous French which looks like a Wardonia but with bakelite cap and thinner baseplate, all of which are easily as powerful as the R41 but so much smoother.
I also have the gentler Souplex Double Six and roanoite GBS, both of which give very very smart comfortable shaves.
How about you?

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I've only tried a couple of other bakelites that weren't slants. I don't remember what they were, but I didn't get as good of a shave as the Neillite. The Neillite's aggressive side just works so well for me. I have the Hurricane top cap, but it just give me too much flex. I like the 2013 better than the 2011 R41 because of this. I did try the RazoRock Babysmooth, (which was modeled after an old bakelite) but was disappointed in it's mildness.

I've not tried the R41 yet should be here sat but I used ikon tech tonight for the first time and I got almost BBS. I've not had this close of a shave since a cart. My face isn't on fire like a cart would do to me. I like the tech so far. I can only get better with it right?

Do you know that the base plate on the R41 (2011) is smaller than the R41 (2013). Therefore your comparison is not truly reflective of the Muhle R41 (2011)