Muhle R41 GRANDE Safety Razor Open Comb

Outstanding Razor. Love it! If you be big hands, get the Grande.

After watching some of Geofatboy's videos, I wanted to give this razor a try. I appreciate the size and heft of it, and if you have tough stubble, you may end up wanting to try this or a similar razor eventually. I don't have the coarsest of beards, but it does come in thick and feels like sandpaper later in the day, and wanted to see if this razor could do what the videos claim. It can, lol. By watching Geo do the final riding the cap against the grain at the end, I got probably the closest shave I've ever had, and it felt pretty satisfying, gotta admit. For care, I also ordered a blade guard for when I toss it in my shaving kit, and some of the little nylon washers. I notice the handle's threading is exactly sized to twist a q-tip down into to perfectly dry or clean it. Superb Razor - if you're on the fence, go for it!

Pros:
-Gives a great shave!
-Looks great!
-Feels solid!
Cons:
-I was disappointed that the knurling was not better.
-It's not nearly as heavy as I was expecting or would have liked.

Comments: Overall I think it is a great razor and I am happy with it. It will give you a great shave and it looks great. I see some comments about how other people were pleased with the knurling and the weight of the razor but to me, it's lacking in both but my first razor may have spoiled me because it's got plenty of both (I'd say which one it is but I see Geo no longer carries it here). The R41 Grande is a precision instrument and if you let it do all the work, it will do the job and do it well.

I started my safety razor journey last year with the Merkur 23C closed comb. The long handle fits my large hands (I am 6’3”) and the knurled handle is “very grippy”. After reading more reviews and watching more of GEO’s videos I felt an open comb razor would do me well. I selected the Muhle R41 GRANDE open comb razor. I can say that this feels much more hefty in my hand compared to the 23C even though the R41 lists at 2.8oz vs 2.2oz for the 23C. This added weight makes it feel like the razor does the work versus pressing firmer on my shave strokes. The handle is a larger diameter and knurled and doesn’t slip in my fingers. On my first use, I had one weeper near my chin but none after that. So the comments about being an experienced wet shaver are true(before using an open comb). Now that I’ve used it a few times I do see that it shaves closer on the first pass. I still do a 2nd pass out of habit plus I enjoy the brush 😉. Keep in mind that I use quality Proraso shave creams. -cheers!

Build excellent. Need to let the razor do the shave. Don’t force it!