Muhle Rocca R94

I recently bought a Muhle R94 - this is a stainless steel razor rather than the more usual Mazak variety that this manufacturer mostly offers and is priced keenly for a razor of this type.

How does it shave? I've got to say I'm impressed: loaded with an Astra blade performance was good but edging on a touch more aggressive than I prefer; loaded with one of Muhle's own blades it worked a treat. I have an average beard as far as I can estimate and the R94/Muhle blade combination suits me very well. I wouldn't class it as aggressive, definitely a bit milder than the R41, but able to give a very close shave indeed.

The head design is good and allows easy shaving under the nose - something I've found to be an issue with quite a few DEs. The razor is a bit weighty, although this means you never get tempted to add pressure where it's not needed. The razor rinses off very easily and has a very high standard of fit and finish. The handle looks like it might be slippery but isn't, it's a good diameter too.

Your mileage may vary of course, but if you're interested in trying a modern stainless DE without stretching the finances I'd recommend this razor as a very good start. There are razors that cost twice as much as the R94; it's hard to imagine that they actually shave better in the same proportion.

It's the old law of diminishing returns. The more you pay the less you get until you pay a lot for very small incremental gains.

Having said that, there are a slew of DEs and SEs that give really good shaves for a great price. I reckon the goal is a shave to equal a straight razor shave and now you can get it with a select few. Of course you will pay to get it.

I used to always say razor x is tops and I can't imagine something better and then something better comes out.