R41 2013 first impressions

 R41 2013 first impressions

First shave: R41 head on Icon handle (really heavy), Bolzano blade, Palmolive Sensitive Cream - very slow and careful shave, close but with couple of nicks and a little razor burn.
Second shave: Same setup but more shallow angle, very close shave, no nicks, no razor burn. Feel the blade on the skin but if you respect the razor you will be fine. Not the monster then I read about.
I have to give this razor a long run to learn it, but I have the impression that it have very wide angle range and that the shallow angle gives more smooth shaves.
Did I right about it?

I'm a lover of the R41, so take what I'm about to write with a smile as it's intended.

If you walked away from the shave you did fine. You need to use it the best way for you. It's pretty close to using a DE blade glued to a stick. Yes, it demands respect and light but firm hand. It sounds like you did good since 911 wasn't dialed to rescue you and give blood. :-)

Can I tell you the angle I use it at? No. I've never examined it that closely; I just use it intuitively. I could use it differently every time that I use it, but I'd bet that I don't. I do know that I use it with a very light hand, a sharp, smooth blade, and a huge amount of respect. When the respect isn't there trouble follows; I've done that too when I was using it frequently.