Silver Flare Tip Super-Speed Variations

How many silver Flare Tip Super-Speeds did Gillette make? I have noticed at least 4 different styles. This does not include the color tip versions (Red or Blue), nor Brit Flare Tip Rockets.
Here is my list with photos. I have noted differences.

Older style w/ end caps, short segment between ring and twist tip(double ring):


Older style w/ end caps, long segment between ring and twist tip(double ring):


Older style w/ end caps, short segment between ring and twist tip(no rings):


New style w/o end caps, short segment between ring and twist tip(no rings):



I am wondering if the following also exist:
- older style w/ end caps, long segment between ring and twist tip(no rings)
- new style w/o end caps, long segment between ring and twist tip(no rings)
- new style w/o end caps, short segment between ring and twist tip(double ring)
- new style w/o end caps, long segment between ring and twist tip(double ring)

I just realized there are also the TV Flare Tip Super-Speeds, and TV Flare Tip Rockets!

I am noticing the newer style w/o end caps (flatter head) shaves a bit more aggressive than my Flare Tip Rocket. I think the older style w/ end caps (taller head) might be closer in design to the Flare Tip Rocket. I might have to get me one of the late 50's Super-Speeds.

Here you see a Superspeed from Brazil. I can`t find the year code, only a 4

Here is mine from England. No date code.

Roger

When you say "end caps" what exactly are you referring to, a plug in the bottom of the handle?

OK, a practical question. How do the endcaps change the feel? Would that make the razor more handle heavy or more balanced?

Achim that's a cool SS there. Never seen one with knurling on the tip!

Gabe, maybe I'm mistaken but all of those SSs you are showing have end caps as far as I can tell. Unless I have a different idea of what an endcap is. Can you highlight the piece you are calling an endcap? You are correct about the seemingly endless variety of SSs. Remember these variations also go for the coloured tips in some cases.

paydepst said:

Gabe, maybe I'm mistaken but all of those SSs you are showing have end caps as far as I can tell. Unless I have a different idea of what an endcap is. Can you highlight the piece you are calling an endcap?

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Yes this is what confused me.

The end cap is not present on this one, it is a "solid" piece:


Take a look at a pre-war Milord or a Senator. They DON'T have end caps.

Here is another picture (thanks Dan) showing a Slim without (left) and with (right) end caps:

More photos:

End Cap:


No End Cap:

Just a note.... End caps have a way of falling off.... Obviously not the case with the Slims above, but with the flare tip in the last picture in the last post, I think that is what happened.

Achim, where in the bloody h***?!?!?!? I just never get used to it....

-Mo

moses said:

Achim, where in the bloody h***?!?!?!? I just never get used to it....

-Mo

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What do you mean?

Achim he's wondering where you keep coming up with those unique razors! It's a compliment so keep them coming!

paydepst said:

Achim he's wondering where you keep coming up with those unique razors! It's a compliment so keep them coming!

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Precisely. It is just baffling. Almost every time you post, it is with a picture of either some pristine example of a rare and fabulous razor that I can barely find, and can't even dream of finding in that condition, let alone thinking of the price it would command... or it is like this, with something I've never seen before are all. And I've looked at tens of thousands of ebay postings, and probably every picture of a razor posted on the major forums in the last two years....

Let's just say I'm impressed with your collection. To put it mildly. And baffled by how you must have put it together. It really is exceptional. Sort of like the Barnes Foundation of razors....

-Mo

Many thanks! My wife is very unhappy with all my razors and other old Gillette things. That´s life ... I´m very happy with my collection.

mr-razor said:

Many thanks! My wife is very unhappy with all my razors and other old Gillette things. That´s life ... I´m very happy with my collection.

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Well, in the interests of your marital bliss, I will gladly give your collection a happy home....

-Mo

It's funny to see so many variations of the same razor. I wonder if they were all produced in the same factory. Also why were the changes made?


===Tom

After doing a cursory study of my cache I have noticed several variations. There is an overlap with 40's style SS's and flare tips in 1954, with Z-1's being 40's style and Z-2's being flare tips. All of my "double ringed" Z code, 1954 though E, 1959 flare tip SS's have end caps. The high bands seem to have been made from Z through C, 1954 through 1957. The low bands appear to have been made in D and E, 1958 and 1959, the '58 TV Special is a low band. The unringed SS's all seem to be low bands and only the first year of production F, 1960 have the end caps (if you don't count the confusing odd D-1 below).

From left to right:
High banded double ringed Z-3; Low banded double ringed D-1, 1958; TV special D-3, 1958; Low banded unringed F-3, 1960 with end caps; low banded unringed K-2, 1965 without end caps.


The un-ringed Superspeeds are confusing too. The first year of (common) manufacture seems to be F, 1960, which all have end caps, the rest of the flared non ringed SS series do not have end caps and are a solid bar 1961 on to L, 1966, when they had the black painted handle and also no end caps.

To throw confusion into the equation I have a D, 1958, code SS without the double rings common to the other D codes I have and is 2 years ahead of the other non ringed SS's and lacks the end caps associated with production 3 years later??.

From left to right: Low banded double ringed 1958 D-1 with end cap; D-1 unringed also 1958 without end cap.





The red tips of mine tell a similar story. The high band is prevelant until 1959 which I have a low band version of, all have end caps.

From left to right: C-1, 1957 high band, E-2 low band.


So it looks like 40's style SS's and flare tip production overlapped in 1954 with the Z-1 being the last 40's style and the Z-2 being the first flare tip. The first flare tips were high banded double rings until 1958 when the low bands appeared. The unringed SS's came in 1959 and had end caps the first year of production and did not from there on out. Gillette liked to screw with our heads with stuff like the unringed low band, non end capped SS I have from 1958. 1958 seemed to be a year of extreme variation such as the TV Special's, the weird unringed non endcapped SS that I have along with the first adjustables the 195's and Toggles. 1958 would have been a great year to be employed at Gillette. Imagine how exciting it would be prototyping and testing different razors.

Does anyone know of any other promotions like the TV Special that the odd 1958 razor I have could correspond to?

If anyone finds any, or multiple, errors please let me know this is all very interesting to me and I'd like to learn as much as I could.