Mühle R41 Review – Man it gives a Close Shave
Mühle R41 Safety Razor
The Mühle R41 is a legend of a razor in the aggressiveness department and plows through thick growth easily. It’s a modern-looking closed comb that’s popular and remains a tool that can stay in my rotation.
Pros
An attractive modern contemporary design
The design of this razor is close to a straight razor
A good choice of various handles
This razor loves coarse growth, and a few days of growth
Fewer strokes because of the blade head design
Attractive and practical handle grip
Good drainage slats
Cons
It is going to be too aggressive for some guys and requires some skill
Handle grip is fine but not as good as knurled types
After reading up about the fierceness of Mühle R41 safety razor I was quite apprehensive about how it would perform on my face and if I would lose any facial parts I might rather keep.
It turns out I had nothing to fear, and it was one of those better-than-expected type of experiences.
As the title of this article states ‘Man it gives a close Shave’, it was super close, excellently close!
Anyway, it’s not just about me and my face; let’s delve into who the R41 might be best suited for and give you some facts, shaving experience, and opinions.
Video
The YouTube video I created for the R41 might provide some additional information, and/or the visuals might help you out.
Description & Features
The German-made R41 is what’s known as a three-piece open comb type. It’s a classy-looking contemporary razor!
- Materials and Finish – Although I cannot find the exact materials used on the company’s website, the handle is likely to be brass, with a die-casted razor head and galvanized surfaces, and chrome-plated.
- Open comb – An open comb razor head means the bottom section of the head is not straight or flat. The R41 has very large grooves that allow the blade to work through a user’s facial hair more easily. Open combs love thick and tough growth to plow through.
- Three parts – When the handle is screwed off, the head comes apart in two pieces which gives you a three-piece setup. The Twist model (more about that shortly) is a two-piece razor.
- Blade replacement – As mentioned, the R41 is a three-piece razor, and the blade is placed on the three posts on the top section of the head. While a three-part razor is not as easy to change blades as a two-part or butterfly –it is much easier to clean.
- Handle – The handle is an engraved type that offers anti-slip. Three types of handles are available for the R41; standard length engraved, grande engraved (long), rose gold standard length engraved, and twist engraved (long-bottom cap twists off).
- Blade gap – I am not sure of the actual blade gap, and with open combs, this is not an important factor when weighing up its aggressiveness. The way the blade is seated in the razor head and the angle at which it protrudes make this blade aggressive.
The Four Versions
The head on the different models remains the same. It’s just the handle length and design type that changes.
Standard
The standard traditional model has a shorter handle length of 94 mm, and it comes apart in 3 pieces when changing blades.
Dimensions: 41 mm (W) x 94 mm (L)
Weight: 64 g
Grande (long)
The R41 Grande is the same as the traditional standard model, with the only difference being the length, which is 107 mm, which also increases the weight.
Dimensions: 41 mm (W) x 107 mm (L)
Weight: 90 g
Twist
The R41 Twist is the same length as the Grande (107 mm). The main difference is that the razor head is removed when twisting the bottom cap off. It’s a two-piece razor rather than three.
Dimension: 41 mm (W) x 107 mm (L)
Weight: 90 g
There is also a rose gold model, ‘R41RG’, which is the same as the standard R41, with a rose gold colored handle.
Which model from the R41 range should you choose? I have found the Grande size is much better when handling the razor, although I must admit that the fiddly bits near the nose and other parts have felt easier with standard-length safety razors in general.
I would primarily go with the Grande, though, over the standard size, for the ease and comfort of using a razor in my hand and for the ‘extra weight which helps the razor do the work’ while shaving from the extra weight!
It will depend on what size your hand is most comfortable with when choosing one of these, and if you have big hands, then the Grande is likely to be much better.
The Twist model is a great feature for those who want blade replacement to be slightly easier.
Handle Grip
The engraved handle grip is not the best kind of grip, unlike knurled and others. However, for me it is fine, although I know others may not favor less grip.
Weight and Balance
The R41 is what you might consider a light-medium weight safety razor (standard 64g – 2.25oz). To me, it does not feel too light, and I generally prefer heavy razors.
In terms of balance, it balances out very well, as it should. A user can allow the razor to kind of lean against their face easily while shaving.
Look & Design
The look and design are a kind of masterpiece in my eyes. Its chrome-plated look and razor style is modern and posh without costing an arm and a leg.
MÜHLE has perfected the head; it’s so precise and keeps the blade perfectly aligned.
Ease of Use
While I find the R41 easy enough to use (although I am quite cautious), I can see others might struggle with the need to be cautious. It is not the same as shaving with the likes of a Mühle R89 or Merkur 34C where a user has room to rush while shaving; however, those who get along with shaving while applying caution will be rewarded with a mega close shave.
Value for Money
I would say this razor is worth every penny or cent ($44 standard, $56 Grande, $57 Twist).
Shaving Experience
Before reviewing the R41 here, I used it for a few weeks shaving to see how it performed with a few days of growth and a couple of days –just to get the hang of it.
On the first occasion of using the R41, I was a little more than apprehensive. I knew it was among one of the top aggressive razors on the market.
I made sure I had 4 days of growth and gave it a shot. It was totally mean on the growth, but still very comfortable.
One stroke of this on certain areas (like the cheeks) removes everything and feels remarkable.
What I would advise is to make short strokes on the first pass. Just an inch or so will do, as this can enable a user to get familiar with the razor, and it just functions much better like this on the first pass when there is plenty of growth.
I did two passes on the first occasion and then continued that way without needing to have three. To be fair, the first pass removed so much, but as I have awkward areas and strange hair growth patterns on my neck, I have to clean up a lot of leftover bits.
Overall, it was loads better than I thought it would be. I had less to fear than I did.
The shave was so close, super close.
Final Thoughts – Who Is It Best Suited For?
There’s no doubt that the Mühle R41 is a mean beard-cutting tool that cuts a very close shave. It’s the closest safety razor I use that I could compare with a straight-edge razor. That’s because the blade is so horizontal; it functions in the same way.
It requires some respect and cautiousness, and small strokes are best taken while getting familiar with using the R41. However, when given respect it is a great tool that gives the best shave.
On suitability, those who might shave every 3 or more days and have tough hair growth may benefit from using this razor.
Beginners who are just starting wet shaving with a safety razor would not really start with the R41. However, if the razor user finds using safety razors easy enough and needs a tool that can remove a decent amount of growth effortlessly in a mean fashion, then they could go for it.
Guys who get lumps, bumps, and spots on their faces will struggle with the Mühle R41. It’s going to chop the buggers off – milder razors are the way to go for these Gents.
My Mühle R41 is a keeper. On a 3 or 5-day growth accumulation, it comes out to play!
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