Recently I picked up a birth year Gillette Black Handle Super Speed (1974) and gave it a try. I have to say I'm surprised at how much milder the Super Speed is than my Van Der Hagen-Weishi 9306. Has anyone else compared the two razors, other than Friendship Shaving on YouTube? What were your thoughts?
The best of the super speeds were the 40s style. That doesn't help you if your birth year was 1974. The VDH is a nice clone.
My first razor IIRC was a hand-me-down black tip W-4 Super Speed that was almost a decade old at the time. But I find I get about the same results with a Weishi 9306 as with my Super Speeds.
I find the earlier super speeds, late 1940s, to be more aggressive than the later, 1970s, super speeds.
Just my personal observation ... I found the standard Flares (50's and 60's) milder than the 40's Super Speeds. That would back up your observation if the Weishi is a clone of the 40's SS. This all said, I've never used a Weishi.
I found that the 40's wasn't milder. It was just easier to get a good shave. Possibly the words to use would be 'somewhat more forgiving'. Aristocrat, 40's, flare tip, black handled, weishi 9306 - all handled exactly the same way. The difference seems to be weight and handling, not really the head itself.
They changed the construction also in the late 50's....Thats when the SS picked up it's tell-tale rattle... Still shaved good but no longer felt solid when you shake it... I think everyone the least bit interested in Super Speeds will love this required read: http://theshaveden.com/forums/threads/asylumguidos-guide-to-super-speed-identification.8461/ Thank you asylumguido for this labour of love....and thanks to MTgrayling for his comment additions to the above post....most informative.
Weishi is an fifties SS clone. I've done the comparison. Good razors, but very mild. The mjaor downside with all the mild SS designs is the lack of gap. This causes some new converts to apply pressure to make the razor cut efficiently when coming from carts. The lack of gap leaves the user a small window for ideal attack angle, and the razor performs best when the pressure is toward the cap. Most shavers outgrow this design as too mild, and move on to more open razor heads.
Not so much of a fifties clone as it is a 1960's design. Much more slimmed down head. The 50's heads are much more bulbous. With the introduction of the Slim Adjustable in the early 60's the flare tip heads followed the same course. I've got both decades. It does a decent job. Comparable to any of the superspeeds at least for me. Lacks in build quality to the vintage ones, but I still use mine in the mix. I love tto razors but my favorite is the simple Fat Handled Tech! That and the Fasan Twist! Sent from my SM-G920V using Tapatalk
I find that the Weishi puts less bend on the blade and demands that you use a shallower angle. I can get great shaves from my Weishi and if Im going to go DE, I go Weishi all day because its such an easy razor to use. I disagree that people, "outgrow" the Weishi. People only outgrow it because they hear people say its a beginner's razor and that theres better options out there. Ive personally owned just about every DE that is out there and Id put any of my Weishis up against them, confident that, when used with a proper angle, they can match or exceede any other DE on the market. The problem with the Weishi isnt the razor itself, its that the user doesnt know the proper angle to shave with it. When used with a shallow angle, a Weishi can deliver BBS shaves with no nicks or irritation. A lot of people prefer a more open head design because it allows for more variation of angle while still allowing the blade to contact your skin.
I've found that the Weishi 9306 does require a sharp blade to get the best shave possible. When I tried the Feather blades, they cut my face up badly, except when I used them in my Van Der Weishi.
I too think the expression "beginner's razor" is one of the silliest things I've ever heard, and it is usually propagated by those who think you have to shave with the most aggressive, and most expensive razors out there. I'm quite sure I could shave for the rest of my life with a $5 Wilky Classic, or a $9 TTO Feather and get great results.
I've always found it interesting that people think you need a more aggressive razor but the old Super Speed is still very popular. I've got a couple Weishis and they both give great shaves with a Feather or Kai.
But hey, how can you call yourself a real man if you don't risk your life every morning with an apparatus that looks like it just just stepped out of a medieval torture chamber?
Exactly! I have aggressive razors but mostly purchased them to experiment when I started shaving this way 5 years ago. The old Superspeeds and even newer versions of it such as the Weishi / Vanderhagen work just fine for me and other than a Fat Handled Tech are pretty much all I use on a daily basis. They have been around for as long as they have because they get the job done without ripping you up. I usually do two passes one with the grain and one which is kind of a catch all pass going across and against just real quick and I'm out the door. 5 min. Shaves are pretty much the norm for me. Sent from my SM-G920V using Tapatalk
Out of my flare tip, weishi, and black handle, i have found the black handle to give me the most efficient shave. I couldnt tell you which one is more aggressive, just that for me the 70s superspeed gives me the closest shave. The weishi is my travel razor, my flare tip i never use.
