Review: Muhle Rostfreie Rasierklingen blades

[Monsta_AU]

This thread is for the review and discussion of the new Muhle Stainless blades kindly provided by MÜHLE Rasurkultur for our members to experience and review. We are the first shaving site provided with these, and I would like to publicly thank Muhle and specifically Christian Müller for the generous offer of a full pillar (200) blades.

Just to be completely transparent, all that I tried to organise was maybe 2-3 packs worth of blades, and distribute 2-3 blades to 10-15 members. Christian was not having a bar of it and just sent 200 blades. Full marks to him and it just goes to show how generous the worldwide wet shaving community is, including the vendors that we all purchase from.

I would like to see all members receiving these blades to post an honest review. Please note that these reviews will likely be posted to our Twitter and Facebook pages. Part of the fun will be to make a guess at who makes these blades (yes, I already know but it is a secret). Quote the following passage and fill it in in your review:

In my opinion, the Muhle blades are manufactured by ____________ to Muhle specification.

Please note that there will be a Zero-Tolerance for off topic posts in this thread. Your opening post in this thread should be your initial shave review - you are then free to discuss the blades and further shaves within the thread.

General discussion of the PIF (postage, delivery, questions) should go in the PIF thread.

Smooth shaving everyone!

 

[Nick the Knife]

Well I just received my blades, again my sincere thanks to Monsta and Muhle for their generosity in making them available.

And without any further adieu......*drum roll*

In my opinion, the Muhle blades are manufactured by PERSONNA to Muhle specification.

They're very well packaged (plastic dispenser) with all blades individually wax paper wrapped - which is always nice as naked blades packed in this manner can sometimes have a tendency to stick etc potentially cutting users upon ejecting. I also personally like blades that come in packs of 10 rather than 5 - as it's essentially got the same footprint/size as any 5 pack but double the contents - whats not to like. Again little stuff but no glue or anything on the blades/paper which is a very minor PITA for some otherwise excellent blades on the market. So all positive so far.

The 'tell' for me that leads me to believe that they're manufactured by Personna is identical packaging (dispenser, wax paper, number of blades, even the stock of cardboard used for the dispenser label) - the grind on the blades appears to be identical. However, I've been surprised to note that several vendors that sell both Personna Platinum Chrome & Muhle Rasurkultur blades have the Muhle blades cheaper! Whereas I expected it'd have been the other way around - but several factors could still influence this.

Now Monsta was very adamant that he wanted the 1st post to also be a review of the blades so despite the fact it was the middle of the day I've just gone and used so I could post this and not risk some teutonic inspired retribution

Equipment used: EJ89 (with Weber Bulldog handle), Mikes Natural Soaps Barbershop, Virginia Sheng Synthetic and obviously Muhle Rasurkultur blade.
Thoughts: I'm not one for overly verbose reviews and I was pleasantly surprised by the blade. I have in my possession but do not specifically recall having used the Personna Platinum Chrome blades that I suspect by be the Muhle's doppelganger. As this was an impromptu shave I didn't shower beforehand but wet my face down and allowed it several minutes to soften the 2 days growth I'd accumumlated.

I bowl lathered the MNS Barbershop and applied. Now my initial impression wasn't great as I had a single shim in my renownedly docile EJ89 to up its aggressiveness. This resulted in slight 'pulling' whilst shaving so after several strokes I removed this. Immediately this was shown to be the correct move as the pulling ceased. That said I'd not feel this is a blade whose strength is it's pure sharpness as one might with a Feather or Gillette Silver Blue. It's strength clearly is its smoothness, as I completed 3 passes and had a very high standard of finish and noticed when I walked around the corner to put something in the bin that my face felt completely natural like it hadn't been shaven only seconds ago - that is absolutely no hint of irritation at all!

I'd suspect that this blade will work best when matched with mild to medium aggressiveness razors. It was a very good match indeed for the Edwin Jagger 89, which is a quirk as they're noted sisters for Muhle's own range of closed comb safety razors.

I don't know that I can grade it as such given that it's only a single use but if I got 3-4 shaves of that calibre out of the blade I'd grade it on performance alone at 8/10.

 

[filobiblic]

Mühle Stainless Steel Blades
Thank you to MÜHLE Rasurkultur and @Monsta_AU for providing these blades.

In my opinion, the Muhle blades are manufactured by _PERSONNA__ to Muhle specification.



It has an identical case to the Personna 10 pack. I like the Muhle wax paper for being so clear- it adds a level of class since you don't need to brand the paper as you can see through it. I also like the simple stamp on the razor blade itself. No glue dots is very good.

I enjoy the Personna Med Preps and Supers ("Lab Blues") which are made in the USA. I used to get good shaves with the Personna Reds or Israeli Personnas (or Personna Chrome) but since trying other blades I found them a bit harsh paired with the wrong razor.



So today, with my 2 day growth, I encountered something similar. I found them to be sharp, but not so smooth. Perhaps it was the razor (or the operator!), but it didn't feel as comfortable as I was anticipating. The sharpness was good though.

I'm going to have to pair it with a different razor and give it a few more shaves.

Edit: Added photos and minor wording.

 

[filobiblic]

Hey @Nick the Knife - it's interesting that we ended up in slightly different directions. I'm not an expert by any means with blades, I just felt this was wasn't as smooth as the Personna Super I used two days ago. I haven't used an IP for a while so I can't directly contrast but it felt similar to what I recalled. It would be interesting for you to try an IP and see what you thought.

 

[filobiblic]

Mühle Blades: Shave 2
Well thought I'd take a different approach with my second shave and a good choice too. The milder (small blade gap, low head angle) vintage Gillette Rocket (Superspeed in US) paired very well with the sharp Mühle blade.

Three passes and smooth all over. Much more comfortable as well in the Gillette Rocket. I could wizz around the face with no worries. The perfect match IMO.

The pairing with the "mild" razor confirms my thoughts on the Mühle being a sharp blade with slightly lower smoothness. The razor balanced out the sharpness, and allowed it to shine. I think this would match well with the "milder" Mühle razors (but would taste blood in the R41 - just sayin'!!!!).

 

[Nick the Knife]

Had my 2nd shave with the Muhle blades, alas as stated in my thread on my new CRSW soaps I made the silly choice to use both together and probably didn't load enough of the soap, hence had a quite poor shave. This was MY FAULT, not the products - so am not reading into it that much.

 

[filobiblic]

Mühle Blades: Shave 3
I continued with using the vintage Gillette Rocket/Superspeed. Very nice indeed. I think I've found the combination that works for me with these blades. It makes for a very good daily shaver. Wipes off the stubble easily enough and doesn't irritate.

 

[stillshunter]

First shave for me with the new Muhle blade - big thanks @Monsta_AU for the opportunity to review. Right from the get go, Muhle has not failed to satisfy the shaving aesthetic. Much like their razors and brushes you get a feel of genuine quality when unwrapping your blade. Plain old school wax paper, no glue spots and a nice matte finish. I appreciate these small touches, as they contribute to the whole experience.

Based on @filobiblic feedback I decided that loading the blade into a Weber would probably be best. Without degrading this as a SOTD, I can just say that this blade is darn sharp and is pretty smooth. It was a little scary actually as I felt I could do no wrong with it in the Weber. So to test this, and humble myself, I initiated an ATG phase and the blade (and razor) worked a treat. Did pop a weeper in my trickiest area on the chin, but then this would have happened to a deft Morrocan brandishing a freshly honed straight I reckon.

Based on this first shave my initial feel is that this blade isn't coming out of the St. Petersberg factory, so in my (early) opinion, the Muhle blades are manufactured by Personna to Muhle specification - just not sure if it's more akin to the Blues or Reds.

Looking forward to shave no.2 tomorrow to see what gives first, the sharpness or the smoothness.

 

[filobiblic]

Mühle Blades: Shave 4
No signs of letting up! Super smooth now. The added pre-shave oil of the Proraso probably helped, but it was an effortless shave. No sign of weepers at all. The vintage Gillette Rocket/Superspeed pairs very well with this razor.

 

[Pjotr]

Mühle Blades: Shave 4
No signs of letting up! Super smooth now. The added pre-shave oil of the Proraso probably helped, but it was an effortless shave. No sign of weepers at all. The vintage Gillette Rocket/Superspeed pairs very well with this razor.

Well that officially takes it out of MUM blade territory. Mr Muhle should be happy about that. I'm not ready to start with one yet because I'm stuck with a never ending P74 in my go to razor. Maybe I'll get my Super Adjustable out to give it a try. By the way like the packaging of the Muhle.

 

[filobiblic]

By the way like the packaging of the Muhle.

Yep. Made an otherwise generic case and wrapper just that little bit different. It's what separates companies...

 

[filobiblic]

Mühle Blades: Shave 5
Getting a little shaky now, so I'm pulling up stumps and calling it a day. 5 shaves on a modern blade ain't bad at all.

Overall, I feel it's a good blade when paired with a suitable razor. It's got a high level of sharpness which wears down nicely over time.

This is all after using a single blade so it'll be good to slowly use up the full pack of 10 blades over time.

 

[borked]

How many passes per shave ?

 

[filobiblic]

How many passes per shave ?

With the Rocket/Superspeed and Mühle blades I did 2 & 1/2 passes with some clean up. WTF / XTG / XTG (ATG on chin & cheeks).

 

[stillshunter]

Sorry for the lateness - I mysteriously lost access to P&C overnight????

Shave two with the Muhle was actually better than shave one. I don't think it was the software so much, more felt like the blade had tamed a little. Very smooth and yet quite sharp. Things got a little scratchy right at the very end - on the short clean-up pass - but I have a suspicion this was down to something else with my software setup…a separate issue.

So far I'm really quite impressed with these blades. This morning - shave 3….keen to see if I can match @filobiblic

 

[stillshunter]

Shave #3 and I got to say I am impressed. None of the smoothness or sharpness has been lost, if anything smoothness has gone up a notch. What I've found with these blades, which I haven't found with many others, is that they respond well to a little confidence. Most blades demand you to remain timid otherwise they bite - and think Feathers they bite hard! - while the Muhle's seem to prefer, not so much more pressure, but a surer more positive stroke. I know, I know, this don't make too much sense. Look I'll explore it a little further on shave #4.

BTW: how much for 100 of these blades?

 

[filobiblic]

That's ^^^^ my experience as well. First shave a little too sharp but then moves into a smooth but sharp shaving experience. [emoji106]

 

[eggbert]

Doesn't that sound more like a feather than a personna?

 

[Monsta_AU]

BTW: how much for 100 of these blades?

They come in 200-blade pillars, and cost USD$50 per pillar at shaving.ie

 

[Pjotr]

Plonked a Muhle in the Super Adjustable. Not mt favorite razor by any means. The exact opposite of what I look for in a razor. Heavy with large clumsy head. Love the mechanics which is why I've still got it. Anyhow, in spite of those drawbacks had a good first shave with the Muhle. In addition I managed to get some scent off the Jermyn Street. Very nice indeed.