The R41

when i saw this razor compared to a straight edge i thought i'd take the plunge and see how it worked. granted i've not done a straight shave. i just wanted to see what the hype was all about. wish me luck. i have one on order from across the big pond

 

Just drag the razor over your face so to speak and you will be fine; pressure is a bad thing.

 

OK, so I stand corrected. In terms of aggressiveness, the R41 has the Darwin beat hands down. There.

 

I drank the R41 Kool-aid. The 1st couple of shaves were pretty rough. They are slowly improving though. So far I can get a DFS from a 2 pass wtg shave. Atg, xtg and 3 passes cause too many weepers. Definitely no blade buffing for me. It is a good razor, but I think it will take a while for me to master this razor.

 

Don't be confused though, it is so very much NOT a str8. People make that analogy with this razor and I don't see why really. The mechanics are so very different and you still have a guard. It is a DE unlike any other DE but it is still a far jump from a str8.

I'm afraid people will keep up with that analogy and a bunch of people are going to think its time for a str8 and end up losing a bunch of money. You can learn the R41/R102 out in a few shaves, str8s take a bit more finesse and more than a few shaves to figure out.

Just my $.02, take it for what it's worth.

 

I agree; the new open comb isn't as insane as people are making it out to be.

 

I have to agree with this also. While not my favorite razor, the R41 is no where near a straight razor. It is not even close to any of the SE razors I use. The flexible DE blade with lack of curvature is unique from any of the DE razors I have tried.

 

I used the straight razor analogy because like the straight razor, with the 2011 R41 you've got nothing but blade edge on your skin. The guard doesn't even touch unless you actually slice yourself deep enough for the blade edge to go all the way in.

Incidentally.. I'm sitting here face-turbating. Just had a shave with my 2011 R41. While it takes me longer with this razor - because I go slow - the results are fantastic. Smooth as glass. A baby's butt has nothing on this.

 

So has the R41 replaced your other DEs now Jody? For shaving quality that is.

 

I'm not sure about that yet, as far as replacing. The shave it leaves behind is amazing but I still love my '34 Aristocrat. With the Aristo, I can zip around my face/neck and be BBS in 5 minutes. With the R41, it's slow going because I can tell if I went at it the way I do with any other razor, I'd need plastic surgery when it's done. I think if I can get the R41 "trained", it'll definitely be my most used. And at $36+change shipped from Connaught, it's one hell of a bargain in my book.

 

Because it's so noisy and shaves so closely.​

 

With respect to faceturbating, I can tell as soon as I rinse with the R41 that it was a close shave. It's like petting a dolphin.

 

Okay. I have decided that I will try as best as I can to have a 2 day beard growth for when Bob comes to visit this Thanksgiving, just so I can put this revelation safety razor to my own test. I'm beginning to think that I may be seeing a new razor in my near future, IF it's as good as everyone is claiming it to be. Between the soaps, brushes and razor for me to try, and all of my Aftershaves and colognes for him to try, in the matter of 3 days, we may end up walking around with a smooth face, leg and possibly arms lol. Can't wait!

 

Thanks for that comment Dale. All these posts about the R41 were starting to make me think about trying it out. However, if it doesn't compare to SEs & that's coming from a fellow MMOC wielder, then my curiosity for this razor is severely diminished. I'll just keep working on honing & stropping my Rolls.

 

Don't rule out backs and chests. I know we ain't hairy, but it IS real estate.......:biggrin:

 

One last shave with the R41 tonight, and I'll clean/sterilize it and get it sent back to you.
Thanks again for the test drive. Not sure yet whether I'll get one or not, but I am thinking about it.
I haven't shaved in 2 days. I got a good batch of stubble for the R41 to mow down tonight.

 

I can't wait.

 

Last shave with the R41 tonight. Derby blade, Omega boar brush, Palmolive Refreshing Lemon shave cream from India. Master Bay Rum AS afterward.
The R41 gave me one of the absolute best shaves of my life. No bleeding, and smooth as porpoise skin.
It mowed through 2+ days of growth like it was nothing. I really like it.
The down side is that the Merkur Progress and 37C and a few really old Gillettes are in line ahead of it. Then, there's always the EJ Chatsworth.

If the R41 had the same curvature to the top and bottom plates as the EJ DE87, it would be at the top of my list.

So many razors, so little money.

 

Then it wouldn't be a 2011 R41!

 

There is always a second job or crime........