A Super Speed is a great vintage to start with since they are aplenty on the net and very low priced. As indicated above they are bullet proof and will give you a very nice shave while introducing you to the vintage trek. From there if it works you can branch out and acquire additional vintage.
I just wanted to say thank you all for the advice. You've been more much helpful than I'd hoped for even. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
For a brand new shaver I would recommend a three piece vintage or new. I've found that they hold the blade tighter than a tto.
I started with a 56 SS Flare love it as its a great medium aggressive shave. I have since picked up a late 40s aristocrat that is my favorite but I still use my Flare. Of course a tech is always a great place to start as well. Sent from my SM-G930P using Tapatalk
@Spyder mentioned three piece razors. Here are my two: 1932-1940 Gillette NEW Short Comb Fleamarket find and my first vintage razor. $5. It did not look like this when I found it. But some Scrubbing Bubbles, a stiff nylon brush, toothpaste and some MAAS metal polish put her back in shape. 1911 Gillette OLD Type. It was in what looked like it's original case. Ditto on the above cleaning regime. Another fleamarket find. $20. By all means hit the Interwebs, but keep an eye out at the fleamarkets. I enjoy the hunt, so I might be a tiny bit prejudiced!
My suggestion is to go to a junk shop, or Etsy, or fleabay, and grab a Gillette Ball End Tech. Pay no more than $10.00 to have it in your hands. If we can win a war with a four banger jeep and our men shaving with a three piece razor, it is good enough for me and you, and anyone else looking to get off of the over priced cartridge system razors. Plus, you do not have to worry about a TTO working or not. A three piece either has good threads or no threads.
A Weishi 9306 is a modern clone of a super speed. Sold as Van Der Hagen a Micro Touch One. Same performance as vintage. Don't let the reviews fool you, they are good razors, and very good quality for the price.
The owner there is a stand up guy. He is also a member of the 30 Day crew. That is a great thread to work on technique and in general get solid advise.
Those who master the tools can maximize the results. All razors are the same really, simply a handle for guiding a blade in a path parallel to the skin. I've seen guys staple DE blades to sticks and get a dfs. I can see the value in all stainless for razors. It has been my observation over time that many products are simply maligned for their common nature or price.
That's essentially true for SE and injectors but not at all for DE blades which rely on the frame for stability. How a DE frame stabilizes the blade, utilizing its ability to be bent and twisted, fully supported or hanging out there, varies widely and is in part why DE razors deliver different shaves with the same blade. Sent from my Nexus 5X using Tapatalk
Solid technique irons all that out. A tech deliveres as good a shave as a double ring or anything else when used properly. Most people who have problems with a blade in a certain razor lack solid technique. This assumes no defective equipment.
I know you believe that, I don't. Different razors may require a technique that either delivers different results or comparable results but with greater effort. The effort it takes to get the back of my head to BBS with a Superspeed is not the same as with an Ikon Tech, and respectfully, my technique does not suck. On the beard the difference is not so stark. Sent from my Nexus 5X using Tapatalk
You are correct, safety razors differ in design and cutting efficiency. Some razors are too safe. However, they all present a blade to the skin, at a low angle of attack, and the bevel of the blade never changes, regardless of head geometry. Hence, they are all the same. Grips and presentation angles (relative to head geometry) may change as the user tries accommodating different models. The underlying interaction of bevel and beard occurs identically, regardless of design, in every shave ever done correctly, ever.
Of course blade bevel is unchanging but available angles of attack, and blade stability (absence of chatter) going ATG at various angles does vary -- none of which is relevant shaving the flat of the cheeks of course where maintaining angle is not an issue. Maybe we're parsing words here but I'll stand by my Superspeed v Shavecraft Tech comparison. I mean I liked my SS just fine but show me all those guys getting two pass BBS head shaves with one and I'll retreat to my corner. Now the Gillette Tech, while mild, does have stability ATG and some folks do love them for their head shaves, but these are folks who dont chase BBS or buff after three passes, and my arms get tired.. Sent from my Nexus 5X using Tapatalk
@whispers76, I would strongly suggest you take Andrew @Linuxguile up on this offer. In particular, I would urge you even if you don’t do so to consider his suggestion about joining the 30 Day Thread in the Shave School. I have found it enormously helpful in getting all aspects of my technique under control as well as being a lot of fun. Just my two cents here.
I would like to find the original WW II Gillette kit (complete with original tin) that was issued to the G.I.'s, in excellent condition. THAT'S where it really all began for the DE shaver!! Wait a minute!!! Hold the presses!!! Can it be??!! Here's an ad for a military-issued razor set from "1918????" I could have SWORN that the DE razor didn't enter the picture until 1940??????? https://coinsandmoreonline.com/inde...vD_BwE&zenid=75b7c257934c346d1d6ed083965ccefc