Thread: Question about safety razors

Hello all I have been shaving with a Gillette adjustable safety razor that I bought from an antique store for some time now. I have been wanting to get a Dreaonought spartan safety razor cause I really like the look of it. Just wondering if there is any performance differences? I know it is a fairly basic technology but maybe a newer razor has a plus side. Any opinions? Here is a few pics of my current razor.

I will start by admitting that I rarely use a DE, due to my infatuation with straights, but I own a DE like yours above that I also picked up at an antique store some time ago. I also recently acquired an Edwin Jagger DE-89, which I read is the razor that sports the dreadnought logo. It is an excellent razor, mild, but very effective. Instead of adjusting aggressiveness with the dial, you just have to manually adjust with blade angle. On those rare occasions when I grab a DE to shave with, I use the EJ-DE89. I don't think you can go wrong with it, IF DE's are you're thing

Regards,

JC

That looks like you have a Gillette Super Speed not an adjustable, it's a Twist/turn to open or commonly referred to as a TTO, nice shaver! I think you may find the weight of the EJ razor to be better, and of course the finish, the razor blade ends won't stick out from the sides, I think that is an improvement. I'm not sure if the Razor your talking about has a plastic handle (I suspect it does) so the weight may be more toward the head. I have a EJ barley that I really like, it has some weight to it, really great shaver with a thicker handle (more comfortable to hold) than the Gillette SS. You won't know how you like it unless you try it. I don't think you can go wrong with an EJ. By the way really like the razor/brush stand.

Every DE has its own quirks and preference for blades, so yes there will be performance differences. Experimentation with different DE's and blades is almost as complex as using straight razors, and is often overlooked - afterall, it's "only" a safety razor lol.

I think owning the Superspeed and an EJ89 or Drednaught would be a nice balance of old vs. new. I have owned both, and the identical Superspeed. I would say the aggressiveness was fairly close, with the EJ being slightly more smooth.

They are both excellent razors! Also, try cleaning the Superspeed in some Oxy-clean. It did great things for my finish.

Ryan 82, I'm your neighbor to the South. My wife and I just moved to Calgary.