I was not a fan of the super speeds, but in the beginning of November I decided to us SS's in my rotation 3-5 days per week. (models from 50's, 60's and 70's) I was going to find the Love for these extremely popular models. My initial difficulties with the SS's were not a flaw of the tool, it was the operator. Well, almost 2 months into this and with tons of practice I can proudly say I can finally get an awesome shave with almost all super speeds, but 1 style. So here's my question. I have a 1953 (non flair tip) SS, that seems way more aggressive than the Red Tip. Is that normal ? Or do I possibly have a poorly made example of the non flair tip? (it looks fine and the blade gap appears normal) I could use a Red tip everyday, but this 53 SS leaves me feeling like a newb shaving my first time with the merkur hd and merkur blades (lot's of pain).
Are you using the same blades with all of these? Reason I ask is because I have been using Wilkinson/Wal-Mart cheapo blades in my red-tip until a few days ago when I tried a new feather blade and my shave was far more aggressive than usual...a bit painful actually!
I have a 50's Super Speed, and I find it to be a wonderfully gentle razor, which gives me excellent shaves day after day.
My '52 Black Tip is a 40's style with the nickle plated steel handle and head base plate...It's a fabulous razor that I love very much...I would have to say that it falls between a #6 or #7 on my Slim Adjustable, where the Flair Tips I've tried were closer to a #4 or #5...Blue Tip between #2 or #3...I've never had the pleasure of trying a Red Tip so I can't make that comparison...It's hard to compare to the settings on the Slim because of weight differances, handle styles etc. For some reason the Super Speed can defy reason with how good it shaves...But the above is the closest I can come. I'm curious if mine is a routine example of a 40's style, I'd love to hear some others thoughts on this...I certainly wouldn't call it a non-aggressive razor...But on the other hand, even though it clears whiskers similar to a #7 setting on my Slim, I can shave faster and more recklessly without mishap, than said Slim on #7. If I shaved that quickly and thoughtlessly with the Slim even on #3 I'd be bleeding. Although the Slim shaves great even on #9 but I must pay attention to detail...That said, the Super Speed also gets the job done in 2 passes, or 2 with touch-up...If I go for a full 3 passes I really have to be careful on the 3rd to avoid a possible slight burn. There can be differances between models of the same year so I'd be interested to see what the experts have to say, but this is how mine compares...There are too many cats here with alot more experiance than me....Bill comes to mind right away, he's forgotten more than I'll ever know about these razors... But there are alot of other cats here too, whose knowledge always amazes me.
Aggressiveness in a razor may be a bit like spiciness in a pepper. Yes, there may be actual ways of measuring it, but mostly it's about individual perceptions. I found my 1948-50 Super Speed to be more aggressive that my birth year C4 flare tip, which was maybe a touch more aggressive than my 1975 black handled one. I tried a Red Tip, and it didn't impress me as much different from my regular flare tip, tried a Blue Tip, and it really was mild. None are all that aggressive compared to a number of other razors I have, but then again, that's just the way it seems to me.
