Ouch, that R41 Grande...

hiver

hiver

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16
Ohoy mateys,

Having been away from DE shaving for a few years, I decided to kick start my DE adventures with some new goodies, including a Muhle R41 Grande.

Being my usual fearless self (read: over-confident), I started out with the R41, and loaded the Derby blade it was delivered with. After some prep (no shower), I went to town, and OUCH - my neck payed the price. Lots of nicks and cuts, even though I was quite careful not to apply too much pressure. Massacre!

Second time around was a little better, but still very bad to the neck area. However, I love the look, heft and sound(!) of the MÜHLE, so will not give up on it :)

I am guessing the trick is in applying no pressure, and probably also more focus on the angle..?

Any thoughts or comparable experiences with this razor/MÜHLE razor head?

(Other razors: Merkur Progress, Merkur Futur, and some more)

Thanks!
 
It's an issue of respect(nice way to say Fear). After reading everything of concern about the R41 I decided to shave with a SE 1912 for awhile before using the R41. Reason: assumed that the angle of the blade would be about the same. Also planned on using a Derby because it was a milder blade.
I went really easy and the plan did seem too work.
 
In short, I think practice is key. It's a new razor to you so it will take a few shaves to learn the optimum angle, and yes, virtually no pressure should be needed. I'm still getting to grips with my new slant, I've only had 3 shaves with it but I'm still not quite there, give it a week or so and I should be better.
Blades are another factor, maybe trial a different make of blade as they can feel very different from one razor to the next.

Everyone seems to be going for mega aggressive beasts recently! If they don't have a R41 it's a Merkur 37 or 39. We must all be getting brave in our old age.
 
I loaded up my new R41 Grande with a Gillette Yellow yesterday morning and had a shave with it. It is by far one of the most aggressive razors I have encountered and one that I would recommend people with sensitive skin be very wary of.

I did get a superb BBS shave with it, but it was obvious that it is a harsh razor. I was left with a couple of weepers, but fortunately, as I have fairly resilient skin, it was nothing major.

I will be persisting with this razor over the coming week to try and get the hang of it as I feel this has the potential to be a great shaver.

One thing that did take me a bit by surprise was the weight of the razor. For its size, I expected it to weigh quite a bit more than it does...
 
It's a beast of a razor. I've only shaved with mine around twice so it's still to be mastered.

To put this in context of aggression, I love my slant and feather combo but I wouldn't even think about putting a feather in this razor l.... Yet :)

Just go slow with light pressure and no risky moves!
 
Canuck said:
In short, I think practice is key. It's a new razor to you so it will take a few shaves to learn the optimum angle, and yes, virtually no pressure should be needed. I'm still getting to grips with my new slant, I've only had 3 shaves with it but I'm still not quite there, give it a week or so and I should be better.
Blades are another factor, maybe trial a different make of blade as they can feel very different from one razor to the next.

Everyone seems to be going for mega aggressive beasts recently! If they don't have a R41 it's a Merkur 37 or 39. We must all be getting brave in our old age.
Click to expand...

I didn't find the Merkur 37 that aggressive - to be honest I found it a very easy and comfortable razor to use. I think the key with it though is to use sharp blades - Yellow and Feathers worked well in it for me - but only for a couple of shaves - once they started to lose their edge, the shave started to become less comfortable.

I found the 37 to be more comfortable to use than the 34.

The R41 on the other hand - now that is a more aggressive razor. I would put it up there with the Futur - although I had better results with the R41 than the Futur - that one is going to need a bit more perseverance I think!
 
Leave your beard to grow a bit, say two or three days of stubble growth. Take that Derby off and load the razor with a medium-calibre blade, nothing too sharp (Feather), nothing too cheap (SuperMax, not that they're bad at all though). Say you try a Wilkinson Sword (German) this time.

Take a shower. Wash your face at the end with a good face soap. After that, go straight to shave. Make very good lather in bowl (with a trusty shave cream) or in the face with a trusty stick or soap. Trusty means you know the soap well and you can control the lather correctly. Leave lather on face for one minute or so and while you load the Grande with the Wilkie.

This razor is like shaving with a DE that does not have a bottom safety bar in its two-piece head - this is important to understand. It is like shaving with an 'open' DE blade. And this is the reason why it is much more dangerous even compared to shaving with a straight razor sometimes. Be careful, but get at it as usual. Find the right angle, do not apply pressure and do not do multiple runs over the same spot during the same pass.

One pass will be enough anyway, two passes will be near perfect. Under the nose area is not hard for me personally, but I read others here recently (my friend James is an example) who found that a bit awkward in the beginning. If your lather is done well, you'll have no issues. If not, it'll hurt while whiskers are being removed - so look for the signs and beware.

Finish off the shave with a cold water splash, towel padding for removing the moisture, and apply your favorite after shave lotion or balm. Thereafter everything will be different, you'll view closed comb DEs from another perspective once you've shaved well with the Grande.
 
Very intriguing.. Given an odd "reversed aggressiveness" curse that stalks me (e.g. I find EJ89 and Techs very aggressive and unpleasant, but - slants, OCs, GEM and straights very mild and comfortable), this just might be my thing :) Need to give it a try sometime.
 
Helveticum said:
Very intriguing.. Given an odd "reversed aggressiveness" curse that stalks me...
Click to expand...

It is odd. Hax says he finds a 37 easier to use than a 34, but I whizz round my face with a 34 and I have to be very careful with a 37.
I'm not sure if familiarity has anything to do with it on my part... probably.
 
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