Thread: My first DE

I was looking around in a local antique store this morning and found this little razor lying in a drawer. It opened smoothly and they didn't want but a few bucks so I took her home and put some polish on her. She cleaned up quite nicely. I've never used a DE before but I just ordered a bunch of blades and am getting excited. I'm not quite sure what model I have here. I think it is a Gillette "Super Speed" from looking on Google. Anybody know? If it IS a Super Speed, it looks like these came with different degrees of "closeness" - how do I know what version I have? Thanks!

Yup, looks like the old super speed flare tip model. You did well sir, especially if it only cost you a few bucks. Drop in a nice blade and let us know how she shaves!

Thanks! Here's another thing I'm wondering - I was reading somewhere that these razors had different colored handles to designate different levels of shave aggressiveness (kind of like the color differences for the dovo shavette blades if I understand it properly). However, my razor doesn't seem to have any color or indication for this designation at all. Am I missing something?

Hello, mrbison:

Yes, I agree with my friend Ryan. That is the super speed flare tip, probably from the 1960s. The other razors you refer to are the Gillette super speed red tip, black tip and blue tip, with the red tip considered as the most aggressive of the group. All are great vintage razors.

Regards,

Obie

Thanks for the help guys. I can't wait to get my blades in the mail.

Don't be surprised if you start singing the Gillette commercial jingle while using it: Gillette!...The best a man can get...

Oh man, oh man. I loooove this DE shaving business. After shaving with straights for the last 4 months, it almost makes me feel guilty how easy it is to get a wicked close shave. I still like straights of course, but I'm not giving up on DE's anytime soon either!
Shaving with a straight razor might not be for everyone, but I've decided that there is no reason why every man shouldn't be using a DE instead of that throw away plastic junk!

Originally Posted by mrbison

Oh man, oh man. I loooove this DE shaving business. After shaving with straights for the last 4 months, it almost makes me feel guilty how easy it is to get a wicked close shave. I still like straights of course, but I'm not giving up on DE's anytime soon either!
Shaving with a straight razor might not be for everyone, but I've decided that there is no reason why every man shouldn't be using a DE instead of that throw away plastic junk!

That's easy to answer. Even a DE requires a degree of skill while the cartridge types require really none at all. You need to really try hard to cut yourself with one. it's all about the convenience to most.

Originally Posted by thebigspendur

That's easy to answer. Even a DE requires a degree of skill while the cartridge types require really none at all. You need to really try hard to cut yourself with one. it's all about the convenience to most.

Too true - what a sad state of affairs...

The Superspeed you have is from the '50's, since it has 2 horizontal rings around the TTO (twist to open) knob. If you look on the bottom of the razor's head, you'll see a letter and a number. These will tell you when your razor was manufactured. "Z" is 1954, "A" is 1955, "B" is 1956, and so on, while the number (1-4) will tell you the quarter of the year. The silver TTO knob was the "regular" superspeed, with the Red Tip being "heavy" and shaving more aggressively, and the Blue Tip being "light" and shaving less aggressively. Hope you enjoy shaving with it!