Lets talk about the Muhle R89

**Soulcraft** · 06-29-2009, 06:49 PM

God I love my razor, and it is also the first DE razor that I bought. It gives such a close and comfortable shave it is outstanding. I usually use Derby or Feather blades in it and it is heaven.

I bought a superspeed f2 not too long ago from Maher (thanks bud) and a week ago I went back to the Muhle. The Gillette performs well with a derby blade, but destroyed my face when I loaded a feather blade in there, and did the same thing with a yellow rusky. I will still use it once in a while because I love the fact it was made when I was not born, and is also a piece of history, but I will never use it on a daily basis again I think because it is way too mean to my face.

I love my Muhle. Do you?

**scottish steve** · 06-30-2009, 07:28 AM

The switch to Gillette took me a while to get right as well. I do prefer the R89but am glad I have a few vintage items too.

**kingfisher** · 06-30-2009, 10:15 AM

Is the Muhle milder than a SS? I use a SS every day and it doesn't destroy my face. I'm curious as to why the Muhle works better for you.

**talibeard** · 06-30-2009, 10:39 AM

I guess you mean the '09 model (actually since nov. '08) and yes I do love it; it retired my merkurs .....

**mmack66** · 06-30-2009, 10:43 AM

Some day I will own one of the old style R89's.

**Soulcraft** · 06-30-2009, 12:40 PM

Originally Posted by kingfisher

Is the Muhle milder than a SS? I use a SS every day and it doesn't destroy my face. I'm curious as to why the Muhle works better for you.

I am fairly certain it is the ergonomic of the razor. In order to get a close shave with the SS I need to angle it differently than the R89 and my face does not respond well to it. The blade on the SS is also a bit more exposed, which makes the shave a bit more aggressive. My SS with a derby blade is all right but I need to be a bit more careful than I usually am. With the R89 I use a feather blade and I could shave with my eyes closed.

**bonusmarple** · 06-30-2009, 01:43 PM

I wasn't that impressed with this razor, but I think I will give it another try after all the good press received recently.

BTW, 1K posts!

**will44** · 06-30-2009, 02:18 PM

I have tried several razors: Merkur 1904/ HD/ Progress, Parker, Weishi, EJ Chatsworth and the Muehle R89 is my best razor

.

It can be controlled very easily, the handle size is perfect (for me) and the shave provided is irritation free. The EJ Chatsworth has the same Muehle head but I don't feel comfortable with long handles.

Wilfried.

**Obelit** · 06-30-2009, 02:31 PM

Gentlemen,

The Muhle 89R, along with my Edwin Jaggers, have compelled me to sell all my Merkurs, except for the 34C, which I plan to sell soon.

The Muhle 89R deserves all the accolades I have read thus far on this forum. For me, the Muhle 89R and its Edwin Jagger 89L counterpart, are almost perfect in every way, from weight and balance to workmanship and shave.

What a delight to experience something so well made.

Obelit

**talibeard** · 06-30-2009, 02:42 PM

Originally Posted by will44

It can be controlled very easily, the handle size is perfect (for me) and the shave provided is irritation free.
Wilfried.

There you have it; a big +1 !!

Originally Posted by Obelit

What a delight to experience something so well made.

Obelit

So true; they reduced my merkurs to factories 2nd choices in looks and craftmanship. For me it is all coming together in the new Mühle R89 and even more in the new R41 OC.

**spinyeel** · 07-01-2009, 03:48 AM

The old R89 open comb is a spectacular shaver,but demands a lot of respect.

**hockey_magnet** · 07-01-2009, 04:03 PM

My new R89 shaves beautifully with a feather. I'm going to try it with an Astra next. To me it's almost perfect but I would like a TINY bit more weight in the handle, say to bring it up to 2.5 instead of 2.2. I was looking at the Bull Mastiff handle for it but I think it 's a shade too much for the head.

The 3 top attributes

Quality - superb
Aggressiveness - just right for me on an everyday basis - sometimes I like to be "quick" and it's mild enough to allow for some speed but still gives a great shave
Maneuverability - can't say enough about this, it just handles amazingly well in the tough areas, nose, around the mustache and goatee. This is where it blows my Futur away.

**mbrossar** · 07-01-2009, 04:17 PM

+1, the R89's a great razor. It easily replaced my Merkurs. I find it an agressive (gives me good shaves) yet forgiving (tough to irritate or nick - even with feathers) razor. I put mine on a Bull Mastiff handle. Definately a different experience. Too much handle? I don't think so. Keep in mind you can get a very classy wood end on the Bull Mastiff that is significantly lighter than the popular metal tip.

All that said, I had my first NEW Bull Mastiff shave this morning. As much as I like my R89, holy crap! That's a nice shave. I'm going to need to shave with it a while and then go back to my R89 to see if it survives.

If you're thinking about trying a Bull Mastiff handle, you'll probably have to run the head threads through a dye. They tend to get a little plating on them. Makes the stock handle a little looser when you first start screwing it on, but it works just fine if you ever want to go back to the original light, agile, head heavy R89.

**wwoof** · 07-01-2009, 05:04 PM

One needs to be licensed for razors of this ilk. I tried twice and two transfusions later went back to my Gillette set at 4.

**Tobacco** · 07-06-2009, 07:43 PM

I use the Muhle R89 and Gillette Slim @4-5. Thus far I have gotten better shaves with the Muhle, in fact yesterday with it had what I'd consider my first Damn Fine Shave. The Gillette doesn't cut me but I feel like I'm scratching my face more with than with the R89.

It's probably technique and I'll keep working with both tools, especially since the Slim was my pop's.