used this razor tonight b4 i went out. wow, this razor is for real. i saw a lot of complaints about the handle in this forum...i think it was made light for a reason . that reason being not to decapitate yourself. it was the closest and best shave ive had. along with a per prep blade the noise of it removing my mane was loud. i loved it. makes my 39c slant feel like a Gillette fusion. this thing is great and cant believed people knock it! thoughts from peeps who used it? let loose!
I just used mine about a half hour ago, but I don't have the grande; I just have the regular. I love the thing! At least for me, it's worked out to be a pretty easy razor to use. With a REAL light touch you can obtain a super close and comfortable shave without any trouble. YMMV though, of course.
Never used the Grande, but did use my sons 41 when he visited last year. As far as I'm concerned, the R41 will be my last purchase of a DE razor as it gave such a fine shave. There seems to be no need for anything else IMO. I am glad that I had several others to use as I learned the ins and outs of DE shaving. I couldn't imagine having used such a meat slicer while trying to learn the art of shaving safely. Now, I have all of my adjustables set on the most aggressive setting to get the closest shave possible. One day, I will get off the wallet and get a Grande.
with the way you guys describe the r41, it sounds very similar to the grande. yes, very light hand ...very light. thats really why i think the handle is so light. when i picked it up the first time i thought the same thing. felt.... light. but when you put it to your face everything changes lol i absolutely love it. a very respected member told me that if you can master it, it will deliver the closest shave. im no master, but im on my way thankx for the feedback guys
I love the shaves I get from my R41, but I don't have the Grande - longer handles aren't my forte anymore.
I didn't care for the pre-2011 R41. When they redesigned the head, of course I had to try it again. Excellent razor. But like many others, I wanted the handle to be longer and weigh more. Then they came out with a longer handle for it that you could buy separately or as the complete kit called R41 "Grande" - same head pieces as the 2011 R41, just longer handle. Considering what they wanted for just the handle alone - almost more than I paid for the complete kit with the short handle - I passed on buying the "Grande" handle and instead bought a used Bob's Razor Works Bull Mastiff Deluxe XXL With Flared Knob handle. Perfect length, perfect weight, perfect balance and a beautiful handle that I can use with any razor head.
I'm also a fan of the R41. Just need to really take to heart that you cannot use any pressure while using the razor.
I hated the R41. The flat blade presentation allows it to flex too much against my stubble and leads to a very rough shave with tons and tons of weepers. My skin/hair combo requires a stiffer blade that is less likely to flex. This is why I prefer SEs and slants. Congrats to all of you who can get good results from this razor. I'm just thankful that someone let me try his so I didn't waste the time and money on it.
+1 on this. The ol' Stinger (Jeff) let me test drive his before I got mine. It's a very valuable experience especially on a razor as loveable/hateable as this one is. I've lent mine out a few times for people to try and am slated to give it to a guy at work beginning tomorrow so he can see if he wants to ride the lightning or not. He loves his slant so I figured he may want to try "the reaper".
wait.... are you saying that the blade you insert into the r41 bends on your stubble ?? bend and flex basically mean the same so..
Yes there is more exposure with the R41 than other razors, allowing the blade to flex more. Not insane amounts of course, but enough to cause irritation towards some users.
Yes, I can feel the blade flexing during use and it causes me lots of weepers. My stubble is pretty coarse. Standard DEs don't work well for me at all. Only a torqued blade in a slant or a SE can give me an enjoyable and irritation free shave. When I rarely use an adjustable (Gillette Slim) I open it all the way up to 9.
No. It doesn't compare. It is drastically different. The angle of attack on this is so different that I think making any comparison to existing DE razors is difficult. It's just different.....
