Gillette 1948-50 Super Speed

I have tried about 20 other types of safety razors including Merkurs, Schicks, and other Gillettes. This razor is tied as my favorite. The other is its close cousin, the Rocket. It has the perfect level of aggressiveness and works well with different blades like Swedes, Crystals, and Derbys. All around, there really is nothing I would improve.

Bought this razor right and because it is my birth year razor or at least a razor that could have been made in 1948.

Only one of six razors I own but it is becoming my go to razor. Great balance when moving it across my face and neck with a great lather.

I was so surprised at how well it worked for a razor that is nearly 60. I put a Derby blade in it for I don't know why and I have enjoyed three of the best and fun shaves of my life.

Of course the quality is pretty darn good because it was made in an era when things were just made very well and they lasted too.

This razor is not aggressive so I gave it a 9 because I don't really like an overly aggressive razor.

As for adjustability, well that is easy I gave it a 9 because you can't adjust it thus you don't have to worry about what setting you need to use. Just pop in a blade and shave away. Nothing more simple than that.

I really like this razor and at the moment, I use mine in regular rotation.

To me it has a really vintage look - it's the type of thing that one imagines one would see in one's grandfather's (or depending on one's age) great grandfather's medicine cabinet. And to my mind, that's a big plus.

The TTO mechanism is very accurate, it feels like a precise bit of machinery.

This is a gentle razor, and one that can give one a BBS shave without any difficulty.

Top marks.

I found one of these at a junque/antique store. It was dull, caked, scaled with soap, but still operational. After bargaining it down from $2.50 to $1.00 I took it home, boiled in vinegar/water, scrubbing bubbled, polished it with Mother's aluminum/mag polish, scrubbing bubble'd again, and soaked it in mineral oil. I could not find a date code so it must be this model.
It now shines and operates smooothllllyyy and shaves beautifully. I now have this, a red tip. two slim adjustables, one fat boy, and another SS. Not too bad for someone who just started this obsession in November. Oh yea, back to this razor. The grip is a bit small for my hand and there is no adjustment outside of how you angle it. The balance is great, but most of all, it glides through its intended purpose. The aggressiveness relates to how well it works through my whiskers. You know, it does a great job with a Derby- verryyy comfortable, no irritation with a BBS finish.
This is going to be an active member of my growing rotation. I give it a two thumbs up
Headdoc

This may well be my single favorite razor. When they say they don't make 'em like they used to, this is what they're talking about.

NB: I rate aggressiveness as a 10, because I seem to disagree with everyone's assessment of what a 10 means. There seems to be an impression that a 0 is very mild, and a 10 is very aggressive. Why should a mild razor be "punished", numerically, for being mild?

Instead, I think a 10 should represent one's perception of perfection in terms of aggressiveness. I you disagree, feel free to dilute my rating by posting whatever level of aggressiveness you deem appropriate.

Excellent review Pierre. I find this to be a fantastic razor. I can't imagine a DE being easier to shave with. I started with a Merkur LHC, and switched to this, which I found much easier for a beginner. My 5th shave ever was with this and a feather, and I did not produce a drop of blood. GREAT razor.

I docked it one point on price, because these have been driven up a bit in price of late. You can get a Tech, for example, for a lot less. On the other hand, if you spend enough time on ebay, you can still get one of these that just needs a little cleaning for US$5-6, plus shipping.

I also docked a point on grip, because, besides not being that pretty, it is a little slippery.

I docked a point on balance, because I like heavier razors, but this one is still very good.

Finally, I just don't get aggressiveness on these. I put a five, because it isn't putting a lot of blade out there. Unlike the other categories, though, I don't view this one as a representation of quality of the razor. It shaves very very well.

General Notes
It's the well-known Gillette model made between 1948-50. Just like the 1947 before it, the first post-war model of razor put out by Gillette, it carries no date code, and is only distinguished from the 1947 model by the presence of a notch in the bar to facilitate easy blade loading.

Physical details
It's a traditional TTO model. Mine came to me pretty dirty, but with some boiling water/vinegar, toothbrush and dish soap, polish and mineral oil bath, and this thing is good as new. They're built to last, and the action on the silo doors is smooth. I can see this razor lasting another 60 years, and maybe more. Impressive construction. It has really nice heft, feels really good and well balanced, and is very easy to grip. It's may not be the prettiest star in the Gillette universe with knurling on the handle carried right down onto the twist knob, but everything about the design says simplicity and facility.

Shaving
I can only compare this to my Merkur HD as that is the only DE safety razor I had previously used. The HD had always given me great shaves, and I still intend on using it, but the Super Speed actually elevated my shave to a new level. The razor is slightly heavier than the HD, and the balance makes it much easier to shave without applying pressure. The angle seems to just find itself, even going along different facial angles like straight down the chin then down the neck. As close to seeing-eye shaving that I have experienced.

The doors seem to close down tightly on the blade, but not so tight that the blade becomes rigid. That makes it more forgiving and, in my opinion, a great shaver for a neophyte wet shaver. I hate the term "Aggressiveness" because it denotes the Razor versus my face. It was really easy on my face, but it still shaved really well, so I only gave it a 5 on the "Aggressiveness" field because I didn't know what to say. I used a Derby, but an Israeli, Merkur or Feather would be just as at home and would probably yield similar results, especially if you already use one of those blades in your Merkur HD now.

Conclusion
A simple three pass (N-S, ear-to-nose, then S-N), with a bit of touch-up around the muzzle, and I can honestly say that it was the easiest, closest, and most comfortable shave I have ever had. It makes a clean and obvious cutting sound when the angle is right (which is really easy to do), and the head of this razor is shaped to go anywhere, including right under the nose, with ease. If you can find one of these, or the 1947 model, buy it. Remember that there are a lot of these around, so they're not so rare as to spend your child's college fund, but for under $25 you should be able to pick a good example and clean it up yourself. It's worth the time to get to know it, and then you'll be pleasantly rewarded with great shaves, maybe for the rest of your life.

Peace,

Pierre