Smaller cap allows greater blade exposure— trying to replicate the 'feel' of the 2011 version of the R41, which many find harsh, by the way. The thing is the base plate on the 2011 is also significantly smaller than the current so I'm not certain how a smaller cap will play out on a larger base.
I got a BBS shave with it. Going to have to shave with it a few more times to tell if its better than the original cap. Great shave I need and love these mean razors.
I've never heard the term "cap span". I've always used the term "blade exposure " to indicate how much blade is visible sticking out from under the cap as you look straight down from the top. When talking about the distance from the blade edge to the top of the bottom plate I call that "blade gap".
Same here Sir....Two razors can have an identical blade gap but one can be more aggressive than the other because it has more blade exposure on the Horizontal Plain because the comb is sitting further back...Some razors like the PAL Adjustable have a tiny blade gap on the Vertical Plain but have a lot of blade exposure on the Horizontal Plain...That smaller cap above is going to allow more blade exposure on the Horizontal Plain ... Billy...
Cap Span is a less used term, but as Gillette is likely considered authoritative, you can find "Cap Span" on page 3 of this vintage (1957-59) "New Salesmen's Manual" from Gillette. (note: I don't believe this is the original source of these scans, but somebody else combined some uploads into one easily accessible imgur link) https://imgur.com/a/s0S06#f8G7U13 If a top cap is decreased in depth, then the Cap Span will increase (the amount of blade that can be seen when looking straight down from the top). Shrinking the depth of the top cap might also increase Blade Exposure ... but not if the top cap were also increased in height/thickness. Blade Exposure is the part sticking out past the plane as drawn between safety guard and top cap. Blade Exposure is usually very small. Even microscopic differences can make a difference ... I believe even 0.1mm of Blade Exposure makes for a moderately aggressive razor. I believe ~0.2mm of Blade Exposure is around Muhle R41 territory. Differences such as these aren't really discernible from typical razor photos.... For clarification of the various measures, I made these photo illustrations based on definitions shared from commonly-accepted wiki pages and from a vintage (1957-59) Gillette Sales Manual. (note: These images are not associated with any forum, and I license them as public domain, "No rights reserved" Creative Commons CC0 license.) Blade Exposure (Primary measure of a razor's aggressiveness. Even microscopic differences can make a difference ... I believe even 0.1mm makes for a moderately aggressive razor) Blade Gap (While this is easier to measure, I believe it is mostly relevant towards its influence on Guard Span.) Guard Span (Not as easy to measure as Blade Gap, but probably more relevant towards influencing a razor's pressure sensitivity.) Cap Span (Probably only relevant in reducing blade chatter (bending/vibration). Sometimes confused with Blade Exposure.) Do these help to clarify? Cheers, Shawn
Truthfully I don't have an engineering or mathematical bent. I've gotten great shaves from all sorts of razors. Some aggressive, some mild, so the actual measurements mean little to me. In my world, if a razor looks sexy, or unusual, I'll try it. If I like it, it goes in the rack. If I don't like it, it gets sold or PIF'd.
Ok from what I've been reading you should be able to get a good shave with any razor you pick up. Technique they say. I don't thank for one min that a micro touch one will give a shave that a R41 will. Somebody tell me if I'm right or wrong?
IMO your correct depending on what you mean by the same shave. A R41, a Micro Touch or a Gillette tech will all shave differently even on the same face. Are all these razors capable of delivering an irritation free shave? YES Are all capable of giving you a BBS? Absolutely. Technique is the factor IMO that most determines how a razor will shave your face.
