Did a search and didn't find anything so, here goes ... Who uses one of the full stainless steel R41 razors from Muhle? How does it compare to the two Zamak versions (Grand and Regular)? Or, put another way, if you were going to spend ~$150 on a new stainless steel safety razor, what would you get and why? Or, am I being foolish in overlooking Titanium versions? TIA, Sid
I wouldn't get an aggressive 'niche' razor like an R41 for my first stainless razor. I'd want something a bit more versatile. I'd probably go with a Blackbird, or one of Yaqi's or Italian Barber's stainless offerings. Maybe the Greencult 2.0. There's a lot of $100-$125 stainless razors out there. You don't have to spend $300 to get a really good stainless razor anymore these days.
I agree with @PLANofMAN, no need to get $150.00+ stainless razors. The Greencult and Rockwell go for about the same price. One advantage with the Rockwell 6S is that you can fine tune your shave by trying the different plates to see which aggression level suits you.
Honestly, if I was looking for a moderately aggressive razor for a one pass shave, knowing what I know now, I would have to go with a G. E. Jones Shake Sharp. All the efficiency of a GEM single edge, with all the blade choices available to DE shavers. There's a nice chrome one on eBay right now, and the seller is accepting offers. Edit: the only downside to it, imo, is the handle is on the shorter side.
Yep, thanks to the references here and in other threads, I'm seeing some good alternatives in the same ~$125 range.
Absolutely, a really mild or "plain jane" razor is not what I'm looking for and is not what I generally like. Especially now that my whiskers are getting coarser and tougher.
It was in a previous thread that he discussed what he was looking for from a razor. I'm sorry if it looked like I was jumping down your throat. I just didn't want Sid to wind up with a razor that he almost certainly would dislike, given his preferences.
Only DE. The patent covered a razor that could take both, but it was never produced. Only the DE model was. It does shave exactly like a GEM SE razor though. I actually shaved with mine this morning after I got frustrated with my Thiers Issard Spartacus straight. Stuck a blue blade in it with an unknown number of shaves already on it. Great shave. Checked the Spartacus and it failed the HHT (hanging hair test). It's going to go on the hones later.
How does the Italian Barber RazoRock Game Changer .84-P and .68-P compare to each other and a more modern Muhle R41 non-stainless/Titanium version? At $55, they sure look tempting compared to 3x the price for a stainless Muhle R41.
Now I can safely speak... I own both the GC .84 OC and a 2011 Mühle R41 and there is a BIG difference. Love the GC. Excellent Fit 'n Finish. Terrific shave. The R41---especially the 2011, is a much more "Blade forward" razor, which'll take some technique upgrades, whereas you can jump right in with the RR. I vote Game Changer.