I just purchased a 3 razor lot including 52 ss, and 55 / 57 ss flairs. I'm still new to wet shaving, and haven't figured out what suits me best. I have a Merkur 23C, Merkur Futur and a Gem Damaskeene. I find the Futur a bit bulky, slippery and hard to use. I plan on revisiting it in the near futur. Ha! I like my Gem but await decent blades because CVS brand isn't cutting it. Ha x2! I find myself reaching for my 180 on most days but had a hell of a time today with a feather on its 3rd head and face shave. Let me feeling like Freddy. Anyways, how are these models of the SS? Wht should I expect? Yes YMMV but do any of you use it regularly, etc. What blade do you prefer and so on. I'm still finding my way in the daily journey that is wet head shaving. B&B essentials is breaking in amazingly due to excessive practice lathers. RAD signing out! Edit: Here are some pictures. I got all 3 at about $11 each including shipping. With some elbow grease and patience, I think they'll clean up beautifully.
I had a....hmmm, it's been a while. I think it was a '63 Flare Tip Super Speed and it was a mild razor but was fantastic. I missed it enough that I'm actually looking at getting a 50's version that was replated, because it's just a great piece of shaving history. If you *need* an aggressive razor you probably won't like it, but for me it provided a comfortable shave every time.
Thanks. I don't feel I need aggressive because I honestly feel it's more about technique than anything else. The more I shave, the more I find this to be true. I did my first proper barber style preshave technique today and it was awesome. Too bad I used a dull feather and cut my head in several places. On my face, I used a fresh personna and it was smooth as butter .
I have two SuperSpeeds : a Red Tip SS & 'Flair Tip' SS Both are more on the 'mild' scale as far as 'aggressiveness' with the Red Tip being the most; Blue Tip the least, and the Flair tip somewhere in the middle. I like the handles—although I prefer them 'fatter'; the Red slightly larger than the flair. Both are knurled nicely so easy to grip even with slick hands. The SuperSpeeds give a very dependable and comfortable shave; very forgiving if your touch is a bit on the 'heavy-handed' side. I've used nothing but Astra SPs on both these models with satisfaction. Good razors!
Nice score. I have several varieties of the SS, all very good shavers. As to which one I use on a regular basis, I have about three dozen razors, and I use 'em all on a rotating basis. Very seldom will I use the same razor twice within the same two weeks.
I use a 56 flare tip on a regular basis. It's a good, mild shaver. It's my go to when I need to shave extra fast- It's hard-ish to nick myself with that razor and I get less irritation.
I have at the moment only 2 superspeeds at the moment.A 1947 which I think should shave very similar to your 52 and a 1963 (birth year, quarter) which should be like the other two. You are right that it is technique more than anything. I can get BBS from about all my razors at this point although I do lean toward single edge and injectors. Single edge shaving has improved my DE shaving markedly All Superspeeds are a mild pleasurable experience for both novice and experienced alike. The 40s Superspeed is my goto razor of the DEs.
