R41 advice please

Canuck

Canuck

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Hitchin, Herts
Can some of the R41 users help me please?

I just shaved with mine for the first time today. I'd like to think I'm pretty comfortable with aggressive razors, I whip a 34 HD around my face at light speed and I use a slant on weekends and I've not had an uncomfortable shave in months, let alone a cut.

The shave today was extremely uncomfortable, it was very noisy and raspy, and it felt draggy. Blade was a brand new 7 o'clock green. After 2 passes I was smooth as a baby's bum but I was sore. No cuts or nicks, and I used zero pressure, but for some reason it didn't feel nice.

Is there a secret to this razor? I shaved at a shallower angle than normal as I heard stories about a "rough scrape" if the razor is too perpendicular to the face. It still felt like a rough scrape.

Your thoughts are very welcome.
 
When I had mine, it did take a bit of getting used to. I found that it worked best with sharp blades, your talking a minimum of a 7 o'clock yellow. You know what I think of greens to date, they would be a nightmare for me in this razor.

After the blade, I found you should only let the blade touch your face once the lather is perfect. You may want to give it a touch more water to get that little extra slip.

After the lather, I found I could get BBS in 2 passes so maybe you should do one less pass?

With regards to angle, I found the right one straight away so I can't really comment on this.

After all this experimenting, I no longer have a R41. With this new stage I'm in of this hobby of ours, I now like to keep things more consistent so this razor feel straight out of my rotation. I found it just too aggressive to use every 2 days so off it went to a new home.

Hope that helps a little!
 
Canuck said:
Can some of the R41 users help me please?

I just shaved with mine for the first time today. I'd like to think I'm pretty comfortable with aggressive razors, I whip a 34 HD around my face at light speed and I use a slant on weekends and I've not had an uncomfortable shave in months, let alone a cut.

The shave today was extremely uncomfortable, it was very noisy and raspy, and it felt draggy. Blade was a brand new 7 o'clock green. After 2 passes I was smooth as a baby's bum but I was sore. No cuts or nicks, and I used zero pressure, but for some reason it didn't feel nice.

Is there a secret to this razor? I shaved at a shallower angle than normal as I heard stories about a "rough scrape" if the razor is too perpendicular to the face. It still felt like a rough scrape.

Your thoughts are very welcome.
Click to expand...

I found 4 sweet spots with his one. Try the angle prescribed/adviced by Muhle: a bit more than 30 degrees. To me that gives as close a shave as the almost perpendicular scrape mode, but comfortable.
 
The angle was as prescribed by Muhle but still felt like it was scraping. I'll try a sharper blade next time and see how we get on, but I don't think me and this razor will get along. Very smooth but very ouch-ey! I might stick to a slant.
 
Canuck said:
The angle was as prescribed by Muhle but still felt like it was scraping. I'll try a sharper blade next time and see how we get on, but I don't think me and this razor will get along. Very smooth but very ouch-ey! I might stick to a slant.
Click to expand...


The 30-35% angle is the best. With the R41 prep is key and your lather has to be slick. If it is even a little on the dry side then it can be draggy. I found that when I add a touch more water to the lather it helped tremendously.

Your point about fresh blades is true to. I find I have to change blades with it more often

Don't know if that helps. Good luck ..if you get it dialed in it is a great razor
 
Echo what others said on the need for perfectly good lather. This is very important to get right.

On the angle issue I'm with Dipesh. I also discovered the angle naturally, without checking if at the end of the day it actually was 30 or 35 degrees. As you've said yourself, you must have got the angle pretty ok. That's good. When the angle is not right, you can feel it, but of course experience helps here considerably (as does with lather).

The blade is also very important but as on this one everyone has their own preferences, I cannot really comment. I personally use contemporary Wilkies (German ones).

Make sure you use only the weight of the razor when applying pressure. Your shave was very uncomfortable, and this is not good. Anything not comfortable should not be practiced. Make sure you make very good lather, select a safe (by your measures) blade and apply close to none pressure. Do not do more than two passes, and you should do much better next time (but let your face take a break first).
 
I too have just started using an R41 with 'interesting results'.

Re blade angle advice. I'm sorry, I'm not sure what the point of reference people are using for setting the 30-35 degree angle (Is it blade/face, handle/face, head/face or something completely different?)

Could someone clarify, should I be 'rocking back' on the head, to make a more acute angle for the blade against the face, or 'rocking forward' onto the teeth, to make a more obtuse angle?

Yours, in confusion

Jules
 
It refers to the former Jules, the angle between blade and face, so in effect you start with the head cap on your skin and then rock it forward slightly just enough for the blade to come into contact with the face. That's supposedly the optimum angle for this razor.

Having said all this (and that's the angle I used yesterday by the way), I just watched Geofatboy shave with an R41 on Youtube and his blade is almost perpendicular, it must be nearly 90 degrees. He seems to get a good shave with it.

Ah well, back to Merkurs until next weekend, no time for learning this week.
 
Canuck said:
It refers to the former Jules, the angle between blade and face, so in effect you start with the head cap on your skin and then rock it forward slightly just enough for the blade to come into contact with the face. That's supposedly the optimum angle for this razor.

Having said all this (and that's the angle I used yesterday by the way), I just watched Geofatboy shave with an R41 on Youtube and his blade is almost perpendicular, it must be nearly 90 degrees. He seems to get a good shave with it.

Ah well, back to Merkurs until next weekend, no time for learning this week.
Click to expand...

Thanks.

Geofatboy? Is that the guy that wet-shaves with a bandana on his head? If so, saw him shaving with a straight at nearly 90 degree angle a while back. Maybe its his 'thing'....?

Cheers again, now I know what you chaps are talking about.

Jules


Dipesh said:
Hi Jules,

I refer to blade angle. I'm sure others are too.
Hope that helps!
Click to expand...

Ta, knew I could rely on you.

Jules
 
I'm dreading mine dropping through the letterbox in the morning so many negative comments about this razor in general. Also Shaving Shack aren't helping discontinuing their sales for some reason or other.
 
Whilst the R41 is the razor I "fear" most (for want of a better description), it is also a razor that gives me one of the closest smoothest shaves. That's my sole reason for holding on to mine for the time being.

I think using it has helped me improve me technique too as this morning, I went with my Futur and got the best shave I've ever had from that particular razor.

Looks like I've still a lot to learn and a lot practice on technique still to go.
 
Julese34 said:
Canuck said:
It refers to the former Jules, the angle between blade and face, so in effect you start with the head cap on your skin and then rock it forward slightly just enough for the blade to come into contact with the face. That's supposedly the optimum angle for this razor.

Having said all this (and that's the angle I used yesterday by the way), I just watched Geofatboy shave with an R41 on Youtube and his blade is almost perpendicular, it must be nearly 90 degrees. He seems to get a good shave with it.

Ah well, back to Merkurs until next weekend, no time for learning this week.
Click to expand...

Thanks.

Geofatboy? Is that the guy that wet-shaves with a bandana on his head? If so, saw him shaving with a straight at nearly 90 degree angle a while back. Maybe its his 'thing'....?

Cheers again, now I know what you chaps are talking about.

Jules


Dipesh said:
Hi Jules,

I refer to blade angle. I'm sure others are too.
Hope that helps!
Click to expand...

Ta, knew I could rely on you.

Jules

Click to expand...


No worries Jules.

With all due respect to Geofatboy, while he puts together a great vid and gets his thoughts across well, I could never shave like him. I also think he holds his razor in quite a different way to what I would call the norm, he cradles it which i think leads to his really steep angle. My skin is quite tough but an angle as steep as his and the R41 would kill me.

He's got some seriously tough skin!
 
I find the R41 to be quite blade specific. Astras, Gillette green, Personna red, and yes, Derby's I find do well.
Tried a feather for the reck of it, found that with a light beard it was ok. Not sure why?
 
That's an interesting point because I find the Merkur 25C open comb razor works well with a Feather, and I have a medium beard. Also, there is little razor aggression.
 
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