I bought this J3 Regular Super Speed on eBay for a ridiculously cheap price. It arrived in quite fine condition, but I was surprised when I first looked at it. I have been using a Slant, HD, Progress, and most recently, the 38C. Although the Super Speed is all metal with the classic Gillette butterfly head, it looks like a toy razor compared to any of the Merkurs. It is light and has a short, thin handle. I honestly did not anticipate being all that impressed by its shaving ability given its look and feel. I was very surprised!



First impression: I love the butterfly mechanism for loading the blade. It has never been surpassed. Second impression: really smooth feel on the face. Third impression: amazingly easy to use. After using the 38C about a dozen times in a row, this felt like handling a sports car on a curvy road. My hand was liking the light, thin handle and the easy maneuverability on the tricky spots. Fourth impression: My three-pass shave was every bit as good as the one I get with, say, the HD or 38C. For a "toy," this baby has some bite to it. I wouldn't call it aggressive, but it still cuts very effectively with little pressure. Fifth impression: No razor burn or nicks. None.



Although I think this is a perfect razor for a newbie, I will continue to use it. It is more "fun" to use than most razors, and it gives an outstanding shave. I myself prefer the simplicity of non-adjustables. Judging from the price, these must be widely available on eBay.



Michael





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Shaving badly for 35 years.

It looks terrific, a work of Art, high quality, craftmanship!

but for shaving I do prefer the sleek, low profile, scalpel-feeling open comb merkur head to this bulgy TTO head. .

Beginning in the late 1960s or early 70s, Gillette started making Super Speeds with a black handle. Now, I suppose I should decry the use of plastics given what Gillette has done in the last 30-40 years, but I have just acquired one of these later model Super Speeds on eBay (also quite inexpensive), and it is a beauty. It shaves much like the 1964 model reviewed above, but has a slightly better grip. I continue to be impressed -- blown away, really -- at the terrific, irritation-free shaves I get with these razors. It also dawns on me that the name -- Super Speed -- is really appropriate. The razor is so light and manipulable that I find it takes less time to shave. I realize that some would not consider that a virtue, but others might. I continue to love using the Super Speeds.



Michael

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Shaving badly for 35 years.

Shame on Gillette for abandoning their best razor design. After finding this site and Mantic's video's I bought a Schick Injector, and struggled. I bought a '54 Super Speed for under $10. The first time I shaved with it, I was blown away. I got a great shave. My SS must have been loved by its previous owner also. Mine is heavily brassed from use. I would not have it any other way. RAD has caused me to buy many other razors, but I'll never part with my SS.

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--- Ty ---

Veni, Vidi, Ego Tondeo!

I salvaged my father's 1964 Super Speed, and restored it to its now functional state. This is my first honest-to-goodness DE razor (previous ones were of the plastic kind), and I simply love it. I love its weight, so much so that I don't have to apply any pressure at all when shaving.



The only shortcoming I have with the razor is its short handle. Coming from triple blade razors and plastic DEs, I would have wanted a longer handle to further enjoy its heft.



Nevertheless, until my 38C comes, I use this everyday.

I have one exactly like the picture on the first thread. It is very well made and the screw opener is smooth as silk. The grip is great as the milling on the handle is deep and sharp so in spite of the thin handle it always feels solid in the hand. It does feel tiny compared to my Futur, but is solid and heavy for its size. It gives a beautifully smooth very gentle shave, quite different form my HD and Futur, but just as satisfying in a different way. I think I paid £1, about $2 from a "Car Boot Sale", (I don't know what you call them in America), so it was a real bargain. I bought another one in a junk shop and gave it to my 30 year old son, but he has reverted to a multi bladed horror. I must add, that in spite of this we a still on speaking terms, just!!

Cheers,

Martin

I just tried a 1960 Super Speed this morning. I also have a 1971 black handle that looks like the one pictured earlier in the thread.



The Super Speed produces a very good shave. I like the silver handle better than the black handle - the silver is a little heavier and has a thicker head.



The Super Speed is easy to maneuver - but is not very aggressive. That could be good or bad, depending on your preferences. I also have a Merkuer 38C which is heavy and aggressive. The Silvertip Super Speed might be a good starter DE razor or for someone who finds the Merkur razors too aggressive.



The Silver tips are starting to get more expensive on EBay - which is why I gave it a 9 instead of a 10. But they are cheaper than a new Merkur and might be a good way to go if you want to try DE shaving without spending a lot of money.



I will continue to use both my Super Speeds in my "rotation".

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BOTOC member

I decided to get this DE razor to start wetshaving with, I was very pleased with how it shaved. I have no other experience with safety razors besides this one, but based on my prior experience with cartridge razors, using this razor was amazing. the 5 bladed monsters that im used to shaving with all seemed to have a drag factor, with each blade pulling a bit on my stubble. Not with the Super Speed! The razor felt so smooth against my face. Its handle is a little short than im used to, but it felt very natural and found it easy to let the razor do the shaving. I am very happy with this razor and will surely be using it for years to come.











Justin

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Justin

My grandmother told me that she had an old DE that my grandfather used but she couldn't find it, until last week. Turns out it was a 64 Superspeed. I have had it sitting in the bathroom, after a good clean up with the Maas, staring at me wanting to be used for a good week now. I have been exclusively using straights for the past 2 months with superb results all over except the left side of my neck, razor burn city, everywhere else BBS, go figure. Since the razor burn using the straights have not stopped I tried the 64 DE superspeed this morning and was floored!! What an awesome razor! No burn, just clean- far surpassing my '60 Fatboy but not quite as clean as what I get with the straights. I will definitely be using this often and will see if this great morning's shave continues. Price a 10 as it was free. Grip an 8 as it is a bit small for me, and a 5 for agressiveness because it looks like it would be that on the Fatboys adjustable setting of 5 or 6.

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"Freedom is the sure possession of those alone who have the courage to defend it ." --Pericles

Awesome razor. I love the sliver super speeds. The best part about this razor is it's short handle that offers just the right amount of grip. The razor also has the right amount of weight. It's heavy enough to do a good job, but also light and small enough to be easy to handle. I only wish that it was a bit more aggresive, but that's why I've just ordered myself a red tip.

I bought my 1967 SuperSpeed about a year ago to see if it would improve on my Merkur HD. There were two things about the Merkur I didn't like: clumsy balance, and awkward blade replacement. The SuperSpeed addressed both of those. The weight and balance are ideal for me, and I much prefer the butterfly doors. The only negative point is that I sometimes wish the SuperSpeed were slightly more aggressive. If I'm not careful, I'll end up with passes that are well above the skin. This is of course a matter of technique, and I've since gotten used to the SuperSpeed's shaving characteristics. I'm happy with it.

Well, I just cleaned up my Dad's 69 Black handle and I'm gonna have to try it out. Looks like it will get a Derby tomorrow!

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"Let courage rise with danger, and strength to strength oppose."

I had this morning my first shave with 1966 SuperSpeed, same razor as is pictured in the pics above. 3 passes and on the last one I was able to go upwards ATG on my upper lip. This I often don't do with my Merkur HDs.



I got a close shave, almost BBS. This is a a bit milder razor than HD, so one needs to concentrate on technique more to get as BBS. Same time I don't think it is too mild, perhaps just right. All in all I feel very happy about this razor. No nicks or cuts or any irritation and this being my first shave with this razor



The SS is exactly same size as HD, and seems a quality instrument. HD handle is more heavy while SS is lighter, but still no toy look as the original poster commented. I actually like the look of SS handle more than HD and both razors have a fine grip. The profile of the head is not larger than HD's either, despite this being a TTO razor.

I love this razor! In all fairness, up to this point, the only other DE razor I have used is a Ming Shi. I thought the Ming Shi was a pretty decent razor. Certainly better than the cartridge razors I had used.



But, last week I picked up a lot of 4 vintage razors. (A Fatboy, a long handled black adjustable, a blue star Lady, and a '64 Super Speed.) Decisions, decisions. Which razor was I going to use first? I honestly thought the super Speed would be my least favorite. But after taking each on a quick dry-run - bladeless, of course - I decided that the Super Speed had a very nice balance, and felt really good in my, admittedly, small hand.



So, I lathered up with some Mama Bear's, and went to town. The first thing I noticed was that this razor had a more definite bite than the aforementioned Ming Shi. Once I confirmed that, no, I had not just sliced myself open, I found that I really appreciated the extra bite. I was able to more easily feel whether I had the blade at a proper angle. Plus, it is small enough, light enough, and well-balanced enough, to make it really easy to maneuver in those harder-to-shave areas. As a result, I had my best shave yet.



I'm still looking forward to trying the other razors I bought, but I have a feeling the Super Speed is going to become my go-to razor, for a while at least.

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When we remember we are all mad, the mysteries disappear and life stands explained. - Mark Twain

One of the bench marks of the Gillette Company. The SS should be owned by everyone on the forum. It is fairly price, high quality, easy to load and clean, and a great shaver, especially for beginners.

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-Rich-

"Two roads diverged in a wood, and I—I took the one less traveled by, And that has made all the difference." Robert Frost