In praise of the Super Speed

Discussion in 'Safety Razors' started by '65 G-Slim, Apr 8, 2017.

  1. RetLEO-07

    RetLEO-07 likes his penguin deep fried, with pink sparkles

    :eek: :happy102:
     
    crackstar and wchnu like this.
  2. gorgo2

    gorgo2 geezerhood

    Good post.

    My love of adjustables finally burned itself out some time back. Nothing against them; I decided I just no longer want or need one, so they're gone.

    What I do have on hand is all in storage at the moment since I'm 30 days into a beard, but for me they're all I need (more than I need...one would suffice): President, a late '40s S.S. that I saved from malfunctioning scrap, and the Red Tip. All three are high points within a family of Gillette classics.

    While I prefer the shave of my Clix three piece, and the Canadian Tech is indeed surprisingly fine, for me there's no such thing as a bad Super Speed shave. And I still have two Lady Gillettes and a Krona put back for my girls.
     
    Last edited: Apr 9, 2017
    Jim99 and '65 G-Slim like this.
  3. drone115b

    drone115b Active Member

    I got my first Super Speed Flare Tip a little while ago, and I was surprised how much I enjoyed it. The first was a '54. (You see where I'm going with this?) The second was a '65... the third...
     
    gorgo2 likes this.
  4. Jayaruh

    Jayaruh The Cackalacky House Pet

    Supporting Vendor
    I have a bunch of Super Speeds, but not that many. One of my favorites is my birth era 46-47 Super Speed.
    47ss18s.jpg

    47ss07.JPG 47ss18s.jpg 47ss19.JPG 47ss20.JPG
     
    preidy, Herm2502, gorgo2 and 2 others like this.
  5. '65 G-Slim

    '65 G-Slim Well-Known Member

    My 22nd SS (or 23rd, 24th...I forget) should be here next week. I boxed up another 8 or 9 razors (including two of the Milords and both Rockets) to take to my grandson next weekend (along with the majority of my coffee pots to give to the youngest one). My current in-house collection will be down to 19 as soon as that A3 SS gets here.

    I *think* the only (American) SS I don't have is a (cased) '54 TV Special. I'll find it...someday.
     
    Last edited: Apr 9, 2017
    gorgo2 likes this.
  6. Jayaruh

    Jayaruh The Cackalacky House Pet

    Supporting Vendor
    I just counted them. I have eight SS razors, and I have one Rocket which is kind of like an English SS.
     
    brit and gorgo2 like this.
  7. Bookworm

    Bookworm Well-Known Member

    *mumble*... I guess it's bad that I don't know for sure? Three flare tips, one flare black, five Slims, one FB, three/four 40's SS, one black tip aluminum handle, blue tip flare, red tip flare... Weishi 9306CEL.. RazoRock TTO, Baili TTO..... And an aristocrat on the way!
     
    Herm2502 and gorgo2 like this.
  8. wristwatchb

    wristwatchb wristwatch "danger" b

    I enjoy using my Super Speeds. Here's a Z3, my Bride's birth quarter.

    SOTD_040917.jpeg
     
    preidy, brit, Shave Fu and 2 others like this.
  9. RaZorBurn123

    RaZorBurn123 waiting hardily...............

    When it comes down to it, my 1962 Gillette Super Speed Flare Tip is the best razor I own. Simple. Smooth. Gets the job done
     
  10. gorgo2

    gorgo2 geezerhood

    Tastes are what they are, but I don't know how anyone with good technique and an honest try could not like, or at least respect, the Super Speeds. I've seen a few over they years say they hate them. Won't even try to figure that out. *shrug*
     
  11. Morman Bridge

    Morman Bridge Well-Known Member

    1962 is my birth year. I have two from that year. One is cased on display, and one in my travel kit. Damn fine razors both of them. But my favorites are the 1940's style SS. Especially the 1946/47.
     
    RaZorBurn123 and Jim99 like this.
  12. Taipan

    Taipan Well-Known Member

    One of my favourite razors is a 1954 Rocket 500HD. I don't think there is a direct USA equivalent, but I stand to be corrected.
     
    Jayaruh and Jim99 like this.
  13. Jim99

    Jim99 Gold Water Shaver

    I'm with you on the late 40s super speeds. I get great shaves from them.
     
    jtspartan likes this.
  14. Jim99

    Jim99 Gold Water Shaver

    I have a rocket HD 500 and I'll dare to say it's one of the finest DEs ever made. The weight and balance, the silky smooth TTO mechanism, the right balance of aggressiveness and efficiency! What's not to love?
     
    Jayaruh and Taipan like this.
  15. RaZorBurn123

    RaZorBurn123 waiting hardily...............

    It's my birth year as well.
     
  16. SRNewb

    SRNewb Well-Known Member

    The Super Speed is IMO the ultimate DE. There are a lot of flavors to choose, and they're all good. If I weren't so hooked on straights, the SS would be my daily driver. I have a 40s, a Red Tip, and Black Handle, in case my hands start to tremble too much for straights anymore.
    I started on a Black Handle in the late 70s. I've been through a lot of different kinds of razors, but they were all judged against that original Black Handle Super Speed. Many were lovely shavers, but none were better.
    YMMV.
     
    Jim99 and gorgo2 like this.
  17. Bookworm

    Bookworm Well-Known Member

    I really like the SuperSpeeds - as you can see, I have a bunch. However, I have found that the FH Techs work much better with certain razor blades. I'm going to be bringing over some of the material I wrote on another site, with more information.
     
    PLANofMAN likes this.
  18. Bama Samurai

    Bama Samurai with Laser-like Focus

    I used an SS and it's modern clone, Weishi, with good results while learning the whole DE thing. The Super Speed is the iconic TTO, and it's design elements never really changed because they worked so well.
     
    Herm2502 likes this.
  19. Bama Samurai

    Bama Samurai with Laser-like Focus

    SS is a bit mild for my taste these days, but it's a well done razor. I'd totally buy into easy Bbs if I tried one tomorrow. FWIW, "riding the cap" and good skin pulls seems to make it shine, but alas, those techniques work on any decent razor. For what is, SS is about right. It's design makes scrapes more likllely than anything more than a very minor cut. In reality though, one has to err pretty badly to get actually hurt with the SS, so it's quite user friendly.
     
  20. Bookworm

    Bookworm Well-Known Member

    I wonder why people think that a mild shaver is bad. If you're a daily shaver, I would expect you'd want a mild shaver. An aggressive shaver is more useful when you have more hair to remove, or have the kind of beard that requires twice a day shaves.
     
    tuxxdk and Shave Fu like this.

Share This Page