A Week With The MÜHLE R41 Open Comb Razor A few weeks ago the MÜHLE R41 was released as the razor "For men with a denser, stronger beard growth or for those prefer to sport three-day stubble" (Yes that exact phrase, grammatical error and all is from the MÜHLE site). This specimen is Dale's, who was gracious enough to loan it to me for a week, what you read below are my thoughts and impressions after using the razor. The design of the razor is somewhat unique in that the base plate and top plate of the head allow for little to no curvature of the blade. In a sense, its shares similarities with a SE or injector, rather than a traditional DE razor. The "Teeth" are not traditional in the sense as they're not totally open. The base plate is formed like a closed comb yet totally flat, with a pronounced row of grates, with a stop in between each tooth. This image illustrates the one major design piece that separates the razor from others, as seen here you can see the row of teeth "Grates" and flat base plate. The R41 isn't messing around, the blade exposure is also closer in line with shaving with a SE or injector, as you can see here, the razor isn't afraid to bare its teeth. Pay close attention to the blade, notice like I mentioned earlier, the head plate design allows for little to no curvature of the blade. Note: the handles are no different, they're the same as what's currently being used by MÜHLE, a webbed chrome handle and black or white high-grade poly resin. The shaving media, I tried several different soaps, creams and blades with the razor and several other techniques to pull the best performance out of this razor, but before I go into detail, I would like to address the aggressiveness.I have seen several individuals say the razor is simply too "Aggressive" this, I do not agree with and I will elaborate, from MÜHLE "The safety razor with an open tooth comb has been developed specially for practised wet shavers. Due to the principle of its construction, which features a special blade angle, the new model allows a vigorous, very direct shaving technique" take heed to this message. We tell a newcomer trying a DE for the first time, no pressure, watch your angle and go slow, the same applies with the R41, however more so. Any resulting errors, nicks, cuts, or undo aggressiveness are considered to be operator error. There are precise points were you can feel exactly what your blade angle is and where exactly the blade is on your face. Tilt the head too far the wrong way and you will feel it, its an easy catch to recover from, however too much pressure will draw blood. The blades used for the shaves: Super Iridium, Gillette 7 O'clock Super Platinum *Dark Blue*, Rapira Swedish Supersteel and Walmart Wilkinson's. Due to the nature of the razor, blade choice is key in getting a great shave more so than your traditional razor. What I found odd, using a smoother less aggressive blade such as a Gillette 7 O'clock Super Platinum resulted in a harsh shave. The blade that fared the worst was the Walmart Wilkinson, I find these blades to give a very comfortable shave in the EJ DE86. The Super Iridium's felt at home with this razor, their nature of a balanced blade really shines here, the Rapira Swedish Supersteel was only marginally worse. The one serious issue I do have with this razor is the diminished blade life that seems to coincide with its design, tugging and dragging come on much sooner. You're braver than me if you shave more than twice with the same blade. I will be honest, no matter the blade, the traditional smooth sensation of dragging a razor over your face is not going to apply, it is somewhat harsh but you do only need two passes, one with the grain and the other against it. There are some things you can do to help reduce this: technique, if you have ever used an injector or SE razor, you're familiar with using short sweeping strokes, paying attention to the angle as you sweep. Choppiness or long strokes from one side of your face to the other don't seem to work, there's more room for deviation which could cause too much pressure or a faul up on the angle. I will also make a controversial recommendation here and say use a cream, yes, a cream a good one at that. The extra cushion found using a cream helps with the roughness of the shave, the path of the least resistance doesn't always work, such as a soap. MÜHLE also recommends stretching the skin at all times as you would using a straight razor, I personally found this unnecessary. The only area that this seemed to make any difference was on my neck just above the adam's apple, but I always pull on my skin in that area regardless of what razor I'm using. A two pass shave with very minor touch up using Musgo Real cream and a Super Iridium resulted in one of the finest shaves I have ever had. The actual shaving experience isn't overly pleasant, the Merkur Sledgehammer proves much smoother, however not having any signs of stubble after twelve hours is miraculous. One extreme to another, the flat base plate of the R41 and the overly curved baseplate of the Sledgehammer. Now that the razor has been forwarded on to Jeff, I do miss not having it. It's ease of a great shave, even if it wasn't overly pleasant cut down my time shaving when I was in a hurry and left my face feeling great. It would be nice to have one preloaded with a blade for those days when I'm running behind. I feel MÜHLE's description and purpose for the R41 is somewhat misleading, it can be used everyday if you so desire, the blade angle of being nearly flat makes for excellent sideburn trimming and would make a great beard, eyebrow or even mustache trimmer. Saying its only meant for men with denser beards, three day stubble, or even practiced shavers is not totally true. It doesn't take long to master, if anything people coming straight from cartridge razors might want to pick one up, however I would recommend sticking with canned goo if you're new to this, thin or dry lather won't work very well here. I know after reading all of this, you're still going to say its an overly aggressive razor, which depending on how you look at it is true, but once you actually use it and tame it, you will understand its much like a lion. You may never be able to domesticate it, but if you show the razor respect and pay attention, it is as harmless as a pussy cat.
Great write-up Aaron. I've been looking at getting one of these in the future and I think you just cemented the idea even better. Nice review and well spoken sir.
Great write up Aaron! And nope, not for me... I agree the razor looks very interesting, but anything that takes away from the pleasure of my shave, even if it results in a close shave at the end, just isn't for me. I would rather skip a shave, and I have, if it means coming back later and enjoying my shave time more.
Excellent review. Beautiful razor. From your write up this razor mimics in aggressiveness my 1930's Pal razor which I can only use very mild blades if I wish to use it at all. Like Bill stated above, this is one I will have to leave alone. I have a medium to stout beard, but my skin is sensitive so this would not work well for me.
Great review, very nice write up. I think I too will pass, I look forward to my shaves everyday and tend to go with a more mild razor.
Excellent write up, I enjoyed reading it. Now for a question. DE blades are made from a flexible steel ribbon thus allowing the head & baseplate to bend the blade. So my question to whoever knows these things is this; does the blade act more rigid (stiff) when bent or when allowed to be straighter? Whatever is happening with the blade, my theory is that the flatter blade position is what is contributing to the shorter blade life & "rougher" shaves. So in contrast, which razor bends the blade the most & can you tell if blades last longer in it? You may start your ponderings, & as always they are greatly appreciated.
As Aaron has stated, "There are precise points were you can feel exactly what your blade angle is and where exactly the blade is on your face. Tilt the head too far the wrong way and you will feel it, its an easy catch to recover from, however too much pressure will draw blood." This again is done by feel and your hand must automatically change its position to compensate for the change in the blade stance. This is no different than when I change to an Injector or an SE. Check out the Georgett that Jody has on the site to better understand that this is not new. The wear in blades will be no more for this than any other razor.
I'm just going off what I've seen many people say they notice when using this razor. A majority of users report getting about half as many shaves as they usually do. Are you suggesting it's just from poor technique & that as they use the razor better that their blade life will go back to normal? Again, I don't have the razor & haven't experienced this first hand. Just posing a question based on some common, albeit early, opinions on this razor. Besides, the little bit of physics & chemistry I've had make me think that a blade being bent will have different properties compared to a blade that's allowed to remain in a more neutral position. The more flex in the blade makes me think that there is more stress on the blade, thus rendering a stiffer blade. If this holds true, then I suggest the flatter orientation would create a blade that is more likely to flex while cutting hair which could be the cause of the rougher shave & potential shorter blade life.
In this particular razor, rigid didn't do so well, I'm assuming that's why the Walmart Wilkinson's were the worst blade I tested, they seemed to be the thickest... I was trying to think of a better example of illustrating face feel, so far the closest thing I came up with was hand stropping, strop your favorite blade at a 90 degree angle, and that should give you some idea of how its going to feel using the R41 on your face.
Not poor technique. You do not use the same form using an injector or an SE as you do a DE. Remember that the original DE design was closer to an SE blade then it is now. Very little flex in the blade because the blade was much thicker. Go look at some old three hole razor blades and you will see what I mean. Example: I have a PAL razor from the 1930s that has a very open blade situation which requires four things if I wish to use it. The first is a VERY, VERY mild blade (this is why I keep some Dorco blades around). The second is greater control of my strokes because I must be much more precise with the more open blade gap. Three I must use a thicker cream and more pre shave preparation to add some protection. Four because it is hyper aggressive, I will not shave with a single blade as many times not because I am concerned about blade life. With this razor, I could care less about blade life. I am concerned about the closeness of shave. This is a one pass razor because it cuts extremely close. It was designed for the blades of the 1930s which were carbon steel blades that had no special coatings or treatments as our modern stainless steel blades have. I rarely use this razor because I know what it can do and my face is well aware of the weepers it can cause regardless of technique. I can use it once in a week but it will give me a BBS single pass shave that lasts over 14 hours but my face cannot handle that but maybe once every two weeks at the most. I know some people who have skin types that the PAL would not even cause an issue with. Four major areas of concern when shaving and this is the order in which I place the priority of success in shaving: 1. Skin / Beard Type (Mine is Sensitive Skin / Medium to Course Beard) (Worse combination by the way) - This is a fixed item that you cannot change. The next two I hold equal or so close I cannot differentiate by much. 2/3. Technique - This can be varied by the user. Changed depending on hardware and preparation. 2/3. Preparation (including lathering) - This can be varied by the user with different products soaps, creams, oils, application methods, steam, cold water, etc. 4. Hardware (razors / blades) - This is a substitutable item (you cannot generally change the design of an existing item very much but you can change the item out to gain improvements). Ultimately there is an science and an art. Science can only take you so far. It is like music, once you know the scales, keys and chords, the rest is an art form where practice and application is crucial to success or failure.
Actually, no I haven't tried the old R89, but if anyone around here has the Fattip or a Joris open comb I'm sure they can chime in as its the same razor.
Hiya, I wanted to thank the OP for an excellent review on a razor that's getting lots of press right now. I'd read some reviews about it before, but nothing this well done. This is a type of razor that has zero appeal to me, and there's a few important reasons why............heh. Let me mention I've used many aggressive OC types in the past and can alter my technique with even the Old Type varieties, so any problems I have are most likely not gonna be due to that issue. First thing that comes to mind is the comfort level. That means a fair bit to me. Then there's how much attention to detail I need to deal with. I don't wanna have to worry about no room at all for error...........kind of a pain. Sounds like this razor has both of these things going on. Yeah, I'd bet the shave itself would be extremely close. Almost all OC types I've used shave closer than a fixed head Gillette, and some OC models (most aggressive ones usually) shave a lot closer. I never use those types, no matter how smooth my face is afterwards. Yep, I will pass on this nice looking piece, Martin
I had a chance to try the R41 and bought it. The only thing that I would change is a heavier handle, but other than that it is a fine shaver. Thanks for your review!
It sounds dreadful for my skin, and if I have to think too much about technique it takes away from the whole no worries for a half hour for me.
