Today's Shave...

~ Today's Shave, September 22nd, 2010 ~

Cream/Soap: C.O Bigelow/Proraso
Brush: Hoffritz Vintage Pure Badger
Razor: Muhle R89
Blade: Derby
Balm: Very Sexy for Men

 

At times our decisions are controlled entirely by emotion and the recent purchase of this Muhle, model R89 open comb razor qualifies.. it was based purely on aesthetics.  In fact, the reviews from users were pretty clear that the shave was nasty aggressive.  Yet, I liked the lines of it.  

In the case of the chrome plated R89 and it's sister the nickle plated R41, the source of the less than perfect shave comes from a defect in the cap plate.. the top flat plate that clamps the blade between it and the bottom curved comb.  Reports offered that the cap isn't flat and as a result a wavy blade is presented to the skin.  Just talking about it creates a weak feeling in my knees and a knot in my solar plexus...bad things are likely to happen.  But there were also reports that a simple block sanding would flatten the underside of the cap such that the blade sits flat and there-by tames the shave substantially.

I made a connection with Bob from Bob's Razor Works before I ordered the razor and he was willing to do the block sanding for me but as I ponder it, such a minor surgical procedure is well within my skill set and my tool inventory, so I might tackle it myself.

I've shaved with this razor for the past three days.  It is a fine enough razor as is.  I've had two DFS's and this morning enjoyed a BBS on par with any of my other DE's.  There is something to be said having confidence and determination and had I judged the razor on my first impression I likely would have returned it.  I'll come back to my initial impression in a moment...

I shared an email with my good friend and follower of this blog, Jack, who has decided to give DE a try..  To get him going, I offered my 1954 Gillette Super Speed and in follow-up he emailed me "I cut myself twice...is that good for the first time?"  After I finished laughing I wrote back that I should have told him..  YOU WILL CUT YOURSELF!!  That's just how it is.  It's inevitable..  I reiterated to Jack the important points I had mentioned when I handed over the razor and two fresh blades; 

• No Pressure with the razor!  
• Hydrate well
• Lot's of lather
• Do multiple light passes with a rinse and lather in between
• Start with the grain for the first pass, then across with the next pass.
• Think base hits... not a grand slam.. Passes = Reduction of the beard with each pass

I hope Jack sticks with it and doesn't let a little blood or a scar on his face turn him off..

Back to the Muhle..  Maybe I am a razor snob, but the fit and finish of the Muhle is.. well, not good.  Putting aside the cap plate issue, there are machining marks on the side the comb plate (seen below); the chrome finish is pimpled in places; the handle is hollow and somewhat light [read:cheap-ish]; the blade needs to be manually aligned when tightening the cap as failure to do so will have an uneven blade exposure on each side...  a result of the having substantial wiggle room on the alignment posts. 

It is the long pointy alignment posts and the dramatic, overstated curve of the comb that attract my eye, but for as much as I like the looks of the curves, the over-all experience with this razor is missing something and I fully expect I will ultimately be passing this one on at some point..