At the request of a WEdger, I did a comparison shave today, using a Mühle R41 (thrazor in front) and a Merkur 37G (same as the 37C except gold instead of chrome finish). As it happened, I also used two brushes: the R&B brush in the photo and also the undyed Pro 48 (model 10048). I wanted to use both because I was told with great confidence that the two brushes were the same except that one used “fancy colors” on the handle. (The person telling me this had not used the R&B.) I was curious to see just how different the brushes were when used side by side.
The “fancy colors” were not, of course, simply some random colors to dress up the handle: they are the three colors of the Italian national flag. And the R&B handle is sold resin, the Pro 48′s hollow plastic of a chrome color. The two knots are much the same.
The Pro 48 is noticeably stiffer on my face: the R&B felt *much* softer and gentler. Of course, some like a stiffer brush, and that preference seems to depend in part on the loading technique. When making lather from a tub of soap, I start with a dripping-wet brush and hold the tub on its side over the sink as I brush briskly and firmly, letting excess water spill away and continuing a couple of seconds past the point at which the bubbles being formed are microscopic. This takes around 10-12 seconds.
The man preferring the stiffer brush starts with a damp brush and brushes the soap until he accumulates a kind of paste on the brush, taking again about 10-12 seconds. Then he brushes that onto his beard and gradually works water into it, adding a small driblet to the brush, working that into the lather, and repeat. He also tends to use circular motions, while I mainly use sideways brushing, with a little up and down. (I also start with a dampish brush when using a shave stick, for obvious reasons, and similarly work water into the developing lather).
He likes stiff brushes because they make the paste better/faster; I like soft brushes because picking up soap isn’t an issue with my technique and I prefer the softness on my skin. Indeed, the Pro 48 didn’t feel all that good when used immediately after the R&B, though I never much noticed it when I use it alone, as in a normal shave.
Okay: the razors. I thought I’d stop after the first pass (WTG) so I could see how well they did, but both left a fair amount of stubble I could feel when I rinsed. So I went for a second pass (XTG)—again, the 37G on the right side, the R41 on the left. I was going to stop there, but I still felt a little stubble here and there, so I thought, “To hell with it,” and lathered again for a third pass (ATG), whereupon I was satisfied and splash on some Stetson Sierra (both sides: I thought using one aftershave on one said and another on the other would be taking it too far.)
In feeling my face now, I detect no noticeable difference in the results. During the shave, however, the difference in the razors was quite noticeable: the 37G felt comfortable on my face—not so comfortable as the Stealth or the iKon or the bakelite slant, but *much* more comfortable than the R41, which felt somewhat unpleasant in the harsh direction. It also felt as though it would nick, but it never did: no nicks at all this shave.
So were I to choose, it would be easy: the slant beats the open-comb for a good (i.e., pleasurable and effective) shave. Still, some do like the R41. It’s a YMMV activity. But for me the choice is easy.
Filed under: Shaving
