Impressions of the Muhle R41

[Ryan82]

I recently acquired a Muhle R41 open comb, the dreaded beast, from my wife for a Valentine's Day present. She actually conspired with a forum member here, who sold it to her in the classifieds and kept me in the dark to keep the surprise. Anyway, I've used The Beast a few times now and wanted to share my opinions.

First, the fit and finish. Exceptional worksmanship, to my eyes. The balance is perfect between the head and the handle. I generally perfer head-heavy DE's, and was struck by how light the R41 is. No matter, it seems.

Second, the blade exposure. I loaded a very mild blade, a Derby, for the first handful of shaves. Hell, if it's good for Geofatboy it's good for me lol. The amount of blade exposed over the open comb design looks very intimidating, but much has been written about that. Much has also been written about the carnage this razor can produce too. But then I thought, I'm a straight razor shaver - let's give this a go!

Third, the shave. I could tell from the first couple strokes that this is an aggressive razor. No blood though, so kept going. Eventually I went for the full shave, using my usual 2-1/2 passes. And the result? No blood whatsoever and a super close shave.

My conclusion: I've used this razor a few times now, all shaves were BBS without any blood or irritation. This razor shaves as close as any of my straights, and the shave even lasts noticeably longer than a standard DE, including my Merkur Slant (my former favourite DE). I still find the Slant to be more user friendly, though less aggressive. I have to say that all the fear mongering about this razor is totally overblown. Treat it with respect and you'll be rewarded with a fantastic shave.