The new old stock black handle Super Speed I bought off of ebay arrived last Friday and I am totally loving this razor. I have heard many good things about the vintage Gillette Super Speed razors, but until a few days ago had never had the chance to try one. It's kind of strange because I prefer TTO razors over 2 or 3 piece razors, mainly because of the convenience. I also prefer a milder razor because I like to shave everyday and have fairly sensitive skin. The first razor I bought was a Parker tto which seems a little too aggressive for me to use everyday. I next bought a Merkur 23c which gives me a very nice comfortable shave, but I still wanted a good tto to use daily. I eventually purchased 2 vintage Gillette Slim Adjustables, which work very well, but am just now getting around to trying a SS. I am a complete believer in how great this razor is. I have shaved with it ever night since I got it (3 so far) and have been rewarded with a very close and smooth shave each time. I always do 3 passes with some clean up. I am addicted to that bbs feeling I get from a great close shave. Because I am usually trying for a bbs shave, I get some irritation on my neck from time to time if I use a razor or blade or shave cream or soap that doesn't perform well, or if my technique is a little sloppy. Each of the three shaves I have had so far have been dfs to bbs using the same Shark blade and Proraso Red shave cream. No irritation at all on the sensitive areas of my neck and to my surprise, when I put the after shave splash on, no burning. I almost always get some slight burning sensation when putting an alcohol based after shave on after a three pass shave with a DE razor. This is definitely my daily shaver from here on out. I am very impressed with my little black handle super speed. This is what shaving should be like. I finally found the perfect razor for my face.
Thanks, I was watching for a clean one for a while. Most I found looked a little rough, so I kept searching. I'm glad I found this one. It sure is a nice little shaver. I need to try one of the blades that came with it next time I shave.
I could not keep one in its original wrapper either. A razor was made to shave. That is really cool. Enjoy your shaves. That is a nice shaver.
I bought one just like that back in 1970 and in fact used it this morning. And yup. It's still one of my all time favorite shaves.
That's fantastic! Glad you are still enjoying it. Nice trio of razors. I think the black handle looks great with the silver color of the head and the knob on the end.
An aside: The Schick Krona was contemporary with the Gillette SS but appeared before the Black Handle SS. I often wondered if it was the Schick Krona that inspired Gillette to issue the Black Handle? I need to do some pictures of the SS and Kronas just for the fun of it. Maybe as soon as the sun gets high 'nuff...
I was looking at a Krona a few months ago. I wish I had bought it, they are so inexpensive. I will try and pick one up sometime. I like the looks of them also. Definitely similar to the black handle SS. Pretty good shavers, too from what I hear.
I have a Krona and I love it. It outshaves Gillette Super Speeds by a mile. It's probably one of the most underrated DE razors. Yeah, they are really cheap too since everybody overlooks them. You can probably find a NOS one for pretty cheap too.
Some PRON: From top: Late model Schick Krona, mid 50s Gillette SS Early model Krona, Gillette Black Handle SS I wouldn't go so far as to claim the Schick was superior to the SS and will claim I tend to use my Gillette razors far more often than my Schicks but the Krona is a nice dependable razor.
That's a nice razor. I have a few Flair Tips, but I like the looks of my black handle one much better. If you used the blades in the pack, they are good blades, but try some modern DE blades. I personally like using Personna Lab Blues in these razors and consistently get BBS shaves from them. I also have a Krona and use it from time to time, but for me, the Gillettes give me slightly better shaves, but everyone has different preferences. But try different blades, you could find one that will give you less irritation while shaving.
Thanks! I'm loving it so far. I have shaved with it 3 times all with the same Shark blade (which I used to get bad shaves with) and have had fantastic results every time. I have some Personna Lab Blues at home, I'll put one of those in to try tonight. I'm super impressed with this little razor!
Also, if you still have some irritation, try using cold water. I used to get some irritation no matter what razor I used. But since I switched to cold water, much better and irritation free on my shaves.
I didn't have any irritation from my shaves with the ss. I usually get some on my trouble areas of my neck, but not these last 3 shaves with the ss. Even when I went to put the after shave splash on, I felt no burn, but still had a dfs to bbs on my face. I really haven't had shaves this close without some irritation, no matter what razor or blade I had used. This must be the right combo for me. I will still try some other blades to see how they work with the super speed.
very cool and congrats. I was watching that one on the bay and I am glad it found a good home. like a time machine that it was in the original packaging and not used ... thx for posting pics. enjoy it.
Thanks, Rhody! I'm loving it! It has exceeded my expectations. I use to hate the Shark blades, they always left a lot of weepers and irritation before. I found recently that I could use them in my Lady Gillette razor with good results, so I figured it would be a good test of the razor. Outstanding results each time. I will try a Personna Lab Blue tonight!
I've never tried the reds. I know many seem to like them. By the way I like your avatar. Omega Speedmaster! Great watch. Wish I had one.
