My initial reaction to the new Mühle R41 razor was that it’s a stunning piece of craftsmanship, with flawless, shiny plating that reminded me of polished sterling or rhodium. When I picked it up for the first time, I found it lighter than the heavyweights I normally use, and with a shorter handle than my barber-poles, but with a size and heft that felt good in my hands. The balance was perfect for easy use and made holding it very pleasant. I opened it to insert a new blade, and turned it over to examine the alignment. When I saw the blade exposure, my jaw dropped. This was not like any DE I’d ever seen before (see picture below). The new R41 appeared to be beautiful, lean and quite possibly—mean. I was surprised again when I put it to my cheek and took a few light practice strokes and heard scratching sounds as if I hadn’t shaved in a day. I had just had a fine BBS shave two hours earlier. I touched my fingers to my face and felt nothing. I decided to do a quick shave. I was a little intimidated at first by the blade exposure. I loved the pronounced audio feedback. I relaxed after a minute or so and began to enjoy being guided as much by sound as sight. All the way through, the sound of whiskers being mowed down was a helpful guide. I took care to use only feather-light strokes. After the second pass, I stopped and cleaned up. No sting at all from my alcohol-lased Booster's aftershave, and none from the Tabac cologne that always highlights any irritation that Booster's might have missed. I developed an appreciation for the effective job the razor did to mow whiskers down. This was an awesome shaving tool. During the six weeks that I’ve used it a daily, the R41 became my favorite DE razor. I am a fan of aggressive razors and sharp, smooth blades. I also prefer substantial razors with longer handles. The Muhle, while shorter and lighter than my barber-poles, but felt very comfortable and well-balanced in my hands. It was significantly more nimble than the long-handled models. I was surprised that the normal blade life I usually got from Iridiums was cut by at least a third. This held true with the next five brands I tried. I finally found that Perma-Sharps and Personna Med Preps worked best for me and would give me at least three good shaves per blade. This review is my impression of the Mühle R41 2011 after six weeks of daily use: Price: The cost of this razor depends on how carefully you shop. I bought mine for $45, and I’ve seen prices ranging from $36*-$61. No matter what the price, the razor offers high value for the money. Quality: This is a beautiful and functional piece of craftsmanship. Mühle is known for high quality manufacturing standards and Rolls-Royce quality plating. I found the R41 to excel in every dimension of quality. I wouldn’t be surprised to see it win manufacturing awards or find it displayed at the Smithsonian in Washington or Museum of Modern Art in New York. User Friendly: I actually prefer two- and three-piece razors for ease of cleaning. The extra few seconds it takes to replace a blade every few days I find negligible. The grip and balance contribute to great control and performance. I felt this razor made sure, close and comfortable shaves easy. Grip: The grip overall finish of the R41 are two of its finest features. The texturing is attractive and provides a secure grip under slippery conditions. The handle is large enough to be well-suited to most users, but small enough to be very nimble. Ease of Blade Replacement: Personally, I like three-piece razors, especially this one. The quality of construction is even evident in the cut of the threads that bind it together. It is so well fitted that the screws into the head as smoothly as if it were coated with grease. Aggressiveness: This is an aggressive and effective razor capable of giving really fine shaves. With a sharp blade like Feathers, Perma-Sharps or Personna Med Preps it is arguably in a class by itself. I own a number of razors that are considered aggressive, and I generally use adjustable at their highest settings. Other than a straight, I haven’t used anything that compares with this. One of the pictures in this review shows the blade exposure from underneath and may explain why. This razor does give really fine, close and comfortable shaves. If the rating scale went higher than "10" it would deserve it. However, it is not for everyone. I’ve seen “For Sale” offers from users who didn’t like it and found it too aggressive. Adjustability: This is a non-adjustable razor and I think it’s perfect the way it is. Balance: I like the overall weight and balance of this razor very much. It is slightly weighted toward the head and pleasant to hold and use. Overall: I still have difficulty holding back my enthusiasm for this razor. It’s just that good. It is a beautiful piece of craftsmanship and for me, shaves better than any DE or SE razor I’ve ever used. I would hesitate, however, to recommend it to anyone who doesn’t like very aggressive razors. I also think it would be irresponsible to recommend it to a new shaver, or anyone whose shaving skills are not fairly well tuned. This is as close to a straight razor as DEs have come, at least in my experience. I should point out the one issue I’ve had with it: it can be hard on blades. My Iridium Supers that work so well for me in the other razors in my rotation have 30-40% less life in the R41. Other owners that I've talked tohave had similar experiences. Collectively we’ve tried many potential candidates, and for the most part agree that sharp, smooth blades seem to work best. Feathers, Personna Med Preps and Labs, Russian Perma-Sharps and Gillette yellows work well for most of us. I have never before come across any other DE that would deserve the enthusiastic reception that the R41 is getting. *Connaught Shaving--$36 delivered to the U.S.
The R41 is not for everyone. Even the Mühle website cautions it was developed for experienced shavers who like a straight razor experiemce.
I am a massively huge fan of the R41 and can echo your praise for it. Freaky Avatar Dude = have your test shaves and send me my Baby back! I will be selling off most, if not all of my razors soon.
Really? I hope I like it too, then I'll get one and have it, my slant, and my 89. Done! Free up some space in the bathroom!
You know, now that you mention it.......its a sickness but it ain't crack! Looks like I picked the wrong week to stop collecting razors
Bob, when you get done with the R41, you're going to look just like Lloyd Bridges, and you won't even need the glue!
The R41 is a really good shaver for me. I can see myself keeping the 89L, Cobra, Futur, Rolls, and Sir Grapefellow and dumping the other 9,999,999 razors that I have.
Astonished! I used it this morning and I must say that for the first shave it was perhaps the best shave I've had to date. Not uncomfortable but certainly difficult to describe. That was during the shave. Shortly after the shave was over and the "wow, that was just weird" sensation wore off, about a minute, I noticed that I was BBS everywhere, even the jawline and neck. 2 passes! I did get a tiny nick on the corner of my mouth on the left side, but it is already a non-issue. I'm gonna give it a go everyday for the next week and see what develops with blade life and technique impovement. So far, it is an incredible thing. SOOOO different! Still excited
The R41 is the only razor I've used since I got it. I'm selling off most of my collection to buy a backup, a matching case and matching silvertip brush. I've run a lot of blades through it, and found that Russian Perma-Sharps and Personna Meds give the smoothest and longest lives. Let us know what works well for you. P.S. How do I make those quotes like you guys do?
I got mine in today and ran it through it's paces. The fit and finish are impeccable; the shave decisively different from any other DE shave I've had. Never uncomfortable, it just feels like it has the potential to cause havoc if you lose your concentration. It's a supreme whisker remover, more efficient than a Slant with a new Feather. A welcome addition to the Den and will definitely be my go to for a quick one pass shave. Enjoy!
+1 pretty succinct description. After 2 shaves, I'm sold. I will have one of these of my own at some point in the near future. I think I'm going to sell off some of my other razors to fund it. With this, the 89 , and the slant, they aren't going to see much use anyhow.
That's pretty much my line up, but add a Parker 96R in there as well. Hopefully Peter gets more R102's in, I want the white handle!
I think someone said Connaught has them both at $36 shipped. I think that is a really good deal. I'd pay a bit more for it though....if I had to. The white handle is really nice but I like the texture on the 41. I'd take either though because the handle is so very not important to me with this razor, as long as it is similar in weight.
