Hey guys, It's really nice to sign up and post here. I've been lurking for a couple weeks now, as I've been bitten by the wetshaving bug. I've been shaving with canned gel and using cartridges since I was in high school but I recently uncovered my great grandfather's DE safety razor and it sparked an interest in me. I've been using it along with the Van Der Hagen set you can pick up at Walmart and I'm totally into it. Since I'm completely new to this world, though, I'm having a little trouble confirming just exactly what kind of model this Gillette is. There's no date or anything anywhere on it, or the case. Through my own research I think I can pinpoint it to maybe a 1948 - 1950 Gillette Superspeed but I'm not 100%. If anyone can help I'd appreciate it, and it's great to be here!
It is a flair tip super speed. It should have a letter and number on the underside of the head Z=1954 (1st year), A=1955, B=1956 etc, the number 1, 2, 3, or4 denotes the quarter of the year it was made. Hard to tell from the pictures but it could be an English version known as a rocket. If so it would have patent numbers instead of the date code.
That is a great razor to start using. Mild but not overly mild and good for a beginner. Since you are new to the Double Edge world, here is the advice I received when I started with a DE and so I freely give it to new users. The most important things in shaving are, your skin and technique. All other things fall in line behind those two things and to support them. Since the skin is a given fixed item, the next major item is technique. It is called THE 30 DAY RULE. THE 30 DAY RULE is as follows: Find a razor, then a blade that will not cause issues with your skin (that may take a few different blades in a sampler pack to find a suitable choice or it maybe the first out of the gate) and select a soap or cream that is easy to generate good lather. Once you find those, and it may take a couple of weeks to find this combination, order a quantity of that blade enough for 30 days, and then spend 30 days using nothing else until you build up your technique. (Note that only one brand blade is used for 30 days after each blade in the sampler pack is tested to make the decision on the blade brand to use for 30 days.) The 30 day clock starts when you have the right blade for you. After 30 days, change one and only one variable and work for another week then change another after another week. At that point you should be able to make better decisions because your technique is now in place. This will help you to avoid buying too much gear and stuff too soon without having the technique down to enjoy it all. This really does work. Oh and one more thing ... Welcome to the Den. We know you'll fit right in. So grab yourself a comfy chair, and give our threads a spin! Burma Shave
Welcome. Thanks for sharing the pics of your granddad's razor. That is awesome that you have it and shave with it.
