@Nicked, Hey mate, I'm a huge R41 fan having tried every single version of it but humbly I only own the 2013 R41 now and a DSCosmetic ZO in Stainless Steel. The ZO I have is version one and exactly like the 2011 R41. Currently DS only makes the version 3 ZO which is like the current Muhle R41 head, smooth and fairly mild.
I would need to know what R41 you are using or when did you pick it up, I'm guessing yours is version 3 which was the design released after 2019 and the best one for beginners and experienced shavers alike. Muhle tamed it for that reason.
Coming to blades, the R41 can be blade fussy and the recipe for me is easy, more efficient the razor - the sharper the blade. High efficiency razors are designed for Sharp blades so you can do fewer passes and have an irritation free shave. It is a huge mistake that i used to make by using milder blades in mid to high aggression razors, was disastrous and always gave me a bad shave that left my skin raw due to multiple touch ups and the need to apply pressure. I'm listing the Blades I've used in the R41 and my own personal experience. In no way is this a debate of what works better for others or what their number one blade is etc. Each one has their own opinion and experience with these blades. Mentioning that here as this is not meant to offend anyone's fav blade choice.
1. Wizamet Super Iridum - My go to blade. Sharp but smooth as ever. Any new razor that i need to try out, I chuck a Wizamet in first to get a good idea of the way it shaves. The Wiz is a perfect match for me in the R41. The blade is sharp on the first use, perfection on teh second and above average on the third. I personally chuck the blade after three uses.
2. Polsilvers - Great blades and rebranded as Wizamet. Have used a 100 of them in the past and while I always found them smooth and sharp enough, The Wizamets edge them out as my fav blade. They work beautifully in the R41 for the 1st, 2nd and 3rd use. Having said that, I wouldn't pay the crazy asking price for them nowadays and would ather spend my money on acquiring a new razor.
3. Kai Stainless - from a company known for the finest and sharpest kitchen knives with their roots steeped in sword making. The Kai blade which is slightly bigger than the regular blades is the sharpest DE blade i have used and the reason being that while Feather focuses on sharpness with a touch of smoothness, Kai only focuses on sharpness, that's what they are known for. I would not chuck this into an R41.
4. Feather Stainless - The world's most popular sharp blade and the most annoying. Bitey on the first use, shines on the second use and gone with the wind on the third. Works nicely in an R41 on the second use and provides a lovely efficient shave. I chuck this blade after two uses anyway.
5. Gillette 7 o’clock Super platinum Black - One of my top five Blades. Think first use like a Kai, Second use like a smootehr feather and third use like a Wizamet. I love the way this blade has layers of character. Produced in India and the most premium blade there, I get 4 shaves from it.
.Second and third use in an R41 is amazing as it provides a high efficiency shave but you have to be careful when using it, lose focus and it might remind you.
6. King C Gillette (Russia) - One of the greatest blades I have ever used and I could even pull 6 shaves out of each. Super smooth and super efficient but only the Russian made ones. No longer available and tsellers often sell them at crazy prices or dupe the buyer by sending them teh current China made ones. Even Amazon did that and I got them to refund me the purchase amount. If you can find the Russian made ones, they shine in every razor including the R41 and Vintage Gillete razors.
6. Merkur and Muhle Blades - Tried them both and chucked them half through the shave with the R41. Found both very inefficient for me.
7. Astra Super Platinum - Had and used every version of these. A lot of shavers consider this their grail blade. They are cheap and easy to find even the vintage ones. As for me, I wouldn't scrape the crap out of my commode with these blades, using them to scrape paint would be a grave insult to the paint itself. I have tried them in every razor possible to prove myself wrong but the blade always won. I find them inefficient as ever and even a baby couldn't clear any hair with these blades. It was the blade that taught me why shavers find so many razors aggressive and not up to their liking, it just ruins the beauty and character of every razor I have used it in. In an R41 it will give you the worst shave ever. I had to do many touch ups with it due to it lacking efficiency and that it is the only time teh R41 nicked me. I gave a 150 away free and now fellow shavers near me pont blank refuse to take these. In fact, two shavers who are mates of mine in my area, often send me tucks of Astra in the post as a cruel joke and then have a heart laugh about it. I would really have to hate someone to give these blades away too now and since I hate no one, I recently chucked a 100 of these into the bin.
So, this is just my personal experience, don't stretch the uses on a blade to save money, it will only lead to crappy shaves. Go with Blades 1,2, 4 and 6 which I have listed in the R41 and you can't go wrong mate.