I think I must be a Speed freak!

[dionesius3]

Yes it's true I admit that I am a certified Super Speed freak!

Just got #11 today it's a 4 th quarter 1974 black handle flair tip.
This razor brings my total collection up to 21 razors.
It would be #24 if I had not gave my brother and nephew a razor, pack of blades, and soap over the past weekend, and then gave my mom a lady gillette with blades yesterday.

Now for the new razor, it was scored on ebay for the grand total of 6.58 including shipping.
the razor had lost its c-clip and the TTO knob was dropped due to a worn whatever ya call it.
i disassembled and cleaned it, then made a new c-clip from a saftey pin wrapped around a 10d nail and the snipped with cutters.

There re is a bit of black paint lost where I repaired the dropped TTO knob. It was very easy to fix following Captain Murphy instructions. But the one that I didn't follow was to be easy and not squeeze too hard. I overdid it a little and had to wobble the TTO knob a bit to get it working freely. I then fumbled around with the c-clip for about an hour and couldn't get it on and then I decided to pull the center bar up till the rod was just barely protruding in the bottom and drop the c-clip on top and use a pointed wood dowel to press the c-clip over the rod. Then I just had to push the center bar back down and close the doors and pinch the darn thing closed with two screw driver blades on each side.

well here are the pictures







And I just finished my first shave with the razor. I have been using my Aristocrat for the past seven days and was expecting to be disappointed with the performance of this razor. I loaded it with a new Feather blade and after my normal prep of shower, noxzema, and then face lather with Palmolive stick. I did a tow pass, first pass ATG ( don't be shocked I've been doing it this way all my life and it just works best for me), then one pass partly WTG and partly XTG.

And while it was no Aristocrat shave it was a very comfortable and smooth shave. It took a little more TOUCHUP than when I use the Aristocrat. This vintage of the Gillette Super Speed is not a bad shaver. It suprized me with just how well it did.. Now it could be that the Aristocrat has helped me improve my angle and pressure a bit over the past week and thus those skills helped.

But when I was cleaning and reassembling this razor it was obvious that it is not made as well as older TTO's and there are several shortcuts made in the manufacturing of this razor, but it seemingly didn't affect the ability to give a smooth and respectable shave when used correctly.

anyone else noticed this about the 1970-1980's Flair Tips?

 

[stovepipe699]

Nice job fixing the SS! I'm very partial to my 40's SS, haven't tried the newer versions just yet.

 

[zed117]

Nice! i have only tried a Red and Blue. I like the handle!

 

[dionesius3]

Nice! i have only tried a Red and Blue. I like the handle!

Thanks, you ought to pick one of these up they are much better than I thought. And while the later ones are not made or finished as well as the older ones, they still shave as good in my opinion.

 

[Bahnzo]

I have to agree with you. I just got a '69 SS black handle (bought it because it's a birth year razor, and a super-adjustable is too expensive right now) and with an astra blade it's really great. I've been shaving with my 40's tech (my first razor) up to now, but after a couple shaves with the SS, and then going back to the tech for comparison, I think the tech is going to placed on display.

Maybe it's the SS is milder? But with the Astra (going to try a Feather in it to see if it's noticeably better) a 2-pass shave was easy.

I can see myself eventually trying the older blue/red razors, but I think I've got a sweet spot for the time being.

 

[BSAGuy]

Nice fix. The 70's razors are not close to their earlier cousins for performance, but are very serviceable nonetheless.

 

[wetshaverlarry]

I wish I could fix my own razor.

 

[dionesius3]

I have to agree with you. I just got a '69 SS black handle (bought it because it's a birth year razor, and a super-adjustable is too expensive right now) and with an astra blade it's really great. I've been shaving with my 40's tech (my first razor) up to now, but after a couple shaves with the SS, and then going back to the tech for comparison, I think the tech is going to placed on display.

Maybe it's the SS is milder? But with the Astra (going to try a Feather in it to see if it's noticeably better) a 2-pass shave was easy.

I can see myself eventually trying the older blue/red razors, but I think I've got a sweet spot for the time being.

I don't think the SS is milder than a Tech it's a little bit more aggressive if anything. Do try the Feather blade in it, it's by far the best for me and hopefully will be for you as well.

I have every very variety of SS razor now and I like them all. In my bathroom is Two NDC SS, One triangle slot Tech shimmed, one Red Tip, two Flair Tips (one is a 58 TV special and one is a 56 regular), and my 50 Aristocrat, and this Black Handle, They all get used over the course of a week except when the Aristocrat gets used more than one day. And that happens pretty often.

Many times i shave with one razor and do TOUCHUP with a different razor. That is just my weirdness I guess.

 

[dionesius3]

I wish I could fix my own razor.

You can it's really not that hard to do and you don't need a bunch of equipment to do it. A couple of pairs of pliers, a couple of screwdrivers, a dental pick is also helpful, and a small file to shape a screwdriver tip to work on the SS razors with screws.
They come apart easily and go back together easily, after you have done one or two, and it's nice to know that there is no gunk in the handle of the razor your using.

give it a try, you will be suprized at how easy it really is to fix one.

 

[cwnidog]

I've got two Red Tips, on of which (A3) is a birth quarter, a black tip a '58 TV Special and a couple of 40s style SSs. You could say that I really like them.

 

[jcs266]

I only have one Super Speed, but it's my pride and joy - an immaculate first quarter 1955

 

[dionesius3]

I only have one Super Speed, but it's my pride and joy - an immaculate first quarter 1955

Come on now fella, you gotta get some more SS's, it's required you know. The more you try the more you want to try, kind of like the old joke says!

i like the NDC early SS the best, then the early Red Tip, and then the regular SS from the 50's. The Blue Tip is good but seems too light and too mild in my experience. And the 70's and later Black handle SS is good. It's a bit lighter than I prefer and it is not finished as nicely as the older SS but I would rank it very nearly equal to the 50's SS.

Hope you get another one soon to try out! You might become a Speed Freak like me.

 

[jcs266]

^^^ My Dad told me he'll look for his Gillette TTO and pass it along to me. It's the one I remember sitting and watching him shave with as a kid in the 60's - that one would be very special to have since it was his. When he finds it he'll give it to me ("it's in a box somewhere in the attic").

I'm sure I'll break down and end up with others over time - have no fear! Lol

 

[dionesius3]

^^^ My Dad told me he'll look for his Gillette TTO and pass it along to me. It's the one I remember sitting and watching him shave with as a kid in the 60's - that one would be very special to have since it was his. When he finds it he'll give it to me ("it's in a box somewhere in the attic").

I'm sure I'll break down and end up with others over time - have no fear! Lol

Wow that would be awesome to have your Dad's razor! Hope he finds it for you, and I hope it's a good one.

 

[mswofford]

The black handle SS has an aluminum handle and weighs 46g; The regular flare tip is all brass plated in nickel and weighs 59g. They both shave the same which in my experience is excellent with a Feather.

 

[dionesius3]

The black handle SS has an aluminum handle and weighs 46g; The regular flare tip is all brass plated in nickel and weighs 59g. They both shave the same which in my experience is excellent with a Feather.

I agree completely! As I said above, the two shave almost exactly the same except the regular flare tip is slightly heavier.
the older ones tend to be polished and plated better but the short cuts in the later flare tips doesn't affect the shave quality.