After a couple of months re-introducing myself to the joys of DE shaving through the Muhle R89 and the Merkur 37C slant bar, today was the day that I moved on to the Muhle R41, loaded with a trusty Astra SP. I thought I'd share these initial impressions.
I felt the extra blade exposure right from the very first stroke, and the teeth from the open comb felt a bit weird. I didn't notice any difference in performance with the WTG pass, but felt the razor really came into its own on the XTG and ATG passes. Usually I have to do a lot of fiddly clean-up work on one cheek and around the jawline, but after the third pass there was hardly any remedial work left for me to do. No nicks, no weepers: I chickened out of the Fool's Pass as I didn't want to push my luck, but will give that a go when I've got a few more shaves under the belt.
This razor has been described as "aggressive" by some, but that feels too harsh a judgement. It's certainly a less mild shave than with either of my two other razors, but then again, if it gets the job done in fewer passes that's probably a good thing overall. I think this one will be less forgiving if you don't show it the necessary respect, but I think that all razors should be respected, and none feared.
I wouldn't recommend this razor for an absolute beginner. When I first started with the slant after a few weeks with the R89, I felt that I could have used the slant from day one. Not so with the R41 - it will punish mistakes and inadequacies and I'm glad I resisted the temptation to use it until I felt more confident with my technique.
So far, so good. Doubtless I'll adjust to the feel of it over the next few weeks, but overall this was a good shave and this could be the beginning of a beautiful friendship.
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Muhle R41 - First Impressions
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