Actually after spending a week with the R41 as my daily razor, I find it very comfortable. Many people describing at scrapping, and I think if that is the case, you really need to adjust your angle. I do find that the proper blade combo makes a HUGE difference, with my personal favorite being the supermax super platinum, and my least favorite being the sputnik, even though I loved the sputnik in the NEW.
It is a nice razor and one that I use frequently. It's liked most blades that I've tried. Yes if you're thinking about getting one, do it. Does shave well and you'll have bragging rights.
Just tried out my new r41 for the first time with a shark super chrome. Being fairly new to wetshaving I was a bit intimidated by all the scary posts and its aggressive reputation, but all my other razors(50's SS, EJ89) just seem so tame at times. Needless to say I made it through unscathed, definitely not like Mantic59's new video . Something tells me this razor will grow on my immensely and will probably force most others into storage. One shave in and I love the way it feels!
Tried the Super Iridium in the R41 and all I can say is WOW!! they are nearly three times the cost of my go to blade but what an incredible shave!
I had my first shave with the R41 and a Red IP.I felt the scrape then changed my angle and it was smooth sailing.Maybe not the smoothest razor out there but it's sure the most efficent.I shaved at 5am and it's now 3:30pm and I still have BBS.
Ok, here's the thing with the R41 IMHO. The blade is presented very flat compared to most DEs. This puts less tension on the blade & therefore the blade has a higher potential to flex while shaving. The thicker & coarser your stubble, the more liklihood there is for the blade to flex, rebound, & bite you leaving you with weepers & contributing to that rough shave feeling. If you can shave with a more traditional closed comb DE with good results then I'm pretty confident that you won't notice this with the R41. However, if you are like me where you can't get a smooth shave in a DE; you find that either a Slant (which torques the blade, increases stiffness, & decreases flex) or a SE or injector with their stiffer blades work much better for you (& I mean a world of difference better), then you have a much higher chance of your stubble providing enough resistance to cause the blade to flex & thus be rough & cause weepers. This has been my experience with this razor, just mine. I've tried to reason through this in a means to understand why so that it could possibly help someone else. I could be very wrong & actually reserve the right to be so. I am still a rookie being a traditional shaver for less than a year. However, I feel confident in my ability to get the most out of a razor but there are still going to be things that just won't be for me... hardware & software, that while excellent products just don't mesh well with my shaving stage. I hope those of you with the R41 enjoy it, but I'll be sticking with my Sledgehammer Slant for my DE shaves now & for awhile. I'd actually love to see Muehle manufacture their version of a slant. That razor I'll buy immediately!
Thanks to all the hype I picked up an R41 and had my first shave with it this morning. I can't say enough good things about it. Fit and finish are impeccable, and yes the blade gap is ridiculously intimidating however all it needs is a little respect and good technique, well...a little more respect than other razors that is. It's extremely efficient and I got DFS+ on 2 passes and absolutely no blood. The thing even gave me a great shave with a blade that has never once worked for me - Derbys! I think this is going to be my new razor for the field and deployments. It works very quick and very well.
I just completed my first 3 shaves with my new R41 (with a Rapira Lux blade) and experienced the same "high angle" requirements cited above. Once dialed in, the last 2 shaves were superb, giving DFS's on 2 passes, and BBS's on an optional last 3rd pass. Usually my neck requires a 4th pass to "chase the baby." I find the R41 to be a little more aggressive than a Fatboy wide open, as aggressive as the OCMM (but much more forgiving). My only weepers (2) were on the first shave when my angles were off. So far I find this to be a fine shaving razor.
I absolutely love the shave I get from my R41 loaded with a Feather blade! My other razors don't get to see much time on the mound anymore since I have acquired the R41|
Many seem to like the Feather in the R41. I'll have to try that next. The old adage "mild blade - aggressive razor" does not seem to apply to the R41. So far, the sharper the blade, the better.
The Joris has a similar aggressiveness and is one of the most beautifully made instruments. These razors R41/Joris require diligence and lots of patience. However, with good technique they shave very very well.
As nice as the 2011 model s the 2013 is just as effective but has a larger margin of error. It's perfect!