Gillette Heavy Super Speed (Red Tip)

Love this razor, it is about the same level of aggressiveness as my 1969 Super Adjustable on 8 which is my sweet spot. It's quality Gillette made and replacing blades is a snap. There are times I want a less aggressive shave and this can't be dialed down, but it is super sweet as it is. I might need to replate in the future, but for now I'm very pleased.

My Dad gave me a red tip when I was 16. I had to discard it in military basic training as it was to groady for them. I returned to wet shaving a year ago. My son gave me an Edwin Jager D89. I now have 4 DE razors. Slim adjustable, red tip super speed, a blue tip super speed and the EJ. So I have lots of comparisons. When I use the Slim I tend to adjust it to the same aggressiveness as the red tip so I wind up using the red tip the most. For some reason the angle of the Gillette gives a smoother shave than the EJ and results in greater blade life. I've tried both several times with the same blade and at the same time on different places on my face to reach this conclusion. My razor was all rusty from some old blade and after cleaned up looked near new. Mostly using Gillette blades made in Russia. Happy shaving.

I managed to get ahold of my Red Tip from an eBay auction. The razor was one of the best as far as condition that I had seen. This was my second TTO, most of my DE's are 2 and 3 piece. I didn't expect much from a TTO but after using this one I was sold and have since purchased a few more. The Red Tip is a fine piece of 60's shaving engineering and I have not doubt that this will last me another 60 years, as I plan to take good care of it. Now to the shave, as I said I didn't know what to expect but I was pleasantly surprised at how well this razor worked for me. I felt the aggressiveness was mild to moderate and it left me no irritation at all. The weight was lighter than I expected but since it is heavier on the head it worked out perfectly form. The handle is one of the best that I've ever held and allows for very good maneuverability, which I need because I have beard cowlicks, so I normally shave using many angles and directions with 2 to 3 short stroke passes. I have 13 DE's and even as a vintage razor it is one of my favorites. If you have the occasion to purchase one of these razors, DO IT you will not be disappointed.

Ranking Notes:
Price - Because of the amazing condition.
Adjustability - Its not Adjustable
Aggressiveness - I found it perfect
Grip - None Better

Thanks for Reading

I bought this razor at an antique store for $12. I bought a Schick Krona with it and they were both my first vintage razors (my first razor being an EJ3D Diamond Knurl). I quickly got obsessed with shaving and hit up all antique shops in the Norfolk area lol. I now have 5 razors, other than the EJ and Schick, a Gillette Blue Tip and Tech. This Red Tip has been my favorite of all of these. I bought the Gillettes to see if they pleased me just as much, but they are all too mild for my taste. This razor is in great condition after so long and operates probably just as good as it did when it was built. It is as user friendly as could be with the TTO, and balance is perfect to get a good close shave. It is a great razor, but I could not give it a perfect 10 as I still believe that "the one" is still out there.

As a new convert to Wet Shaving, this is the third razor I have used (a flare tip and a slim adjustable the other two). I dont know if it had to do with the 3-shave-old Dorco, or the progression of my technique but this was the most enjoyable shave so far!

The balance and weight of the Red Tip felt right in my hands. And, contrary to other reviews, I found it less aggressive than the Flare Tip. Three passes (with, across and against) and less irritation and cuts.

I may end up making this one my go-to one! Great razor!

I got mine off the Bay and it had been in my rotation eversense.

one of the best supers made. best balance, grip, and user freindly. the quality is also top notch. i shave even when im in a rush and i wont get cut. i love it

Love my Redtip. Super easy to use, great quality, nice balance, I would hate to see how much a modern razor of this quality would cost.

I ended up winning a bid on ebay at the same time I was allready buying one, so I got two 1958 red tips at around $45 each. What a great razor, I get very nice and smooth shaves from them. The grip on these is awsome and I feel connected to the past when I use them.

After searching for a year, I finally purchased a B2 Red Tip in very good condition. I was amazed to only pay $5 for it. I had passed up on several Red Tips before because I refused to pay over $15 for one, and you rarely if ever see one for under $15. My philosophy of if I wait long enough, I;ll find a deal, finally paid off.

For a little over two weeks, I used the Red Tip nearly every day, and I must say, I am impressed. I didn't find it to be as aggressive as it is often labeled. However, it did slice through growth like a lightsaber. I found that I could get decent shaves with one pass. Really good shaves with two passes, and a 3rd pass would give a really great shave. Unfortunately, despite the good shaves, I never achieved BBS, but that's OK, I really wasn't going for that. I only wanted to test it's performance.

It is definitely one of my favorite TTO DEs, and will be a keeper.

I would have never quit DE shaving if I had shaved with the Red Tip or vintage Gillette instead of a Merkur 23C. I think this razor is ideal for beginners with coarse, heavy beards. I think it rivals the performance of the Merkur 34C (HD) with a fraction of the cost and with the added benefit of the TTO design.

Quality: Top notch all things considered. I think think the guys at Gillette envisioned that something made in the 1950's would still be in use 6 decades later. I only say that because of the red paint on the tip. Automotive paint would have been a better choice perhaps. We've all seen the worm paint on these vintage razors.

All the Rest: Easy to load the blade, easy to use, like most other twist to open razors of now and then. Grip is good, weight is good. Agressivness for me is just where it should be.

Nostalgia: I'm not a kid from the 50's but it transports me back to simplier times, just like watching an old re-run of "I Love Lucy"

I like this razor so much that I bought another one that's nearly NOS. One to use, and one to store

(I didn't score agressivness because I don't believe it would not be factored properly in the score. Example, a mild razor would score less than an agressive one. Lets just say its more agressive that a Tech, slightly more than a regular Super Speed, but less than a Merkur HD)

This is definitely one of my top 2 razors (Slant being the other) It just shaves fantastic. Try it with a Feather

After many years with a british Slim Twist, I finally got my hands on a '56 Heavy Super Speed. Equipped with Derby Extra blades it gives me a '2-stroke BBS' and has reduced it's slim brother to toy razor status, waiting for my son to hopefully get interested in old school shaving.

I nabbed my red tipped super speed off the bay. It arrived yesterday and was fairly dirty. After a good scrub down it shines quite nicely. I loaded up one of those ubiquitous DE Stainless steel blades that I have seen sold under a number of different names. These happen to have come from wallgreens... I used regular Gillette gel foam in a can. I know there is better stuff out there, but this is all I have at the moment, and I find it works pretty well. So then I went to work on my face. It only took about 2 seconds to get the blade angle right, and it was like I had been using it for years. I was surprised at how quickly I could go with this thing, it's much more forgiving than my Gillette old type. It produced a BBS shave in no time, I am quite impressed. I only had to make one good pass and was quite satisfied with the results. This will definitely be my go to razor for those hurried mornings.

I read this site before I bought any DE razor. I still think my first the "Blue Lady Razor" from gillette is the best. This one is O.K. but I don't like the short-short handle. I grew up using long handled razors and am just too use to them to change now. I researched and bought the absolute best of the best razor to compare to my lady blue and it just isn't as good.

Found one today for $5. Took it home, spent a couple hours cleaning it up. Being overdue for a shave, I dropped in one of Maher's good old Gillette blades, grabbed a can of Barbasol and a fogless mirror, and crawled into the tub. Yes, I shave in the tub; shower shaving is too much like a chore to me.

Price: Giggled when I read it. So would you, don't lie.

Quality: Studly construction. Seems heftier than my comparable '40s S.S. but I could be imagining it.

User friendly: I suppose, as with all Gillette S.S.

Grip: I give this an 9 only because I prefer the feel of the longer blue Lady, but the actual grip on the red tip wins hands down. Most serious grip on any razor I've yet tried.

Ease of blade replacement: naturally.

Aggressiveness: Hoo boy. Even though I don't have the heaviest growth, it is stiff. The red tip took off 4 days worth with a couple passes. Apart from my EverReady, this is the only razor that let me hear the hiss of whiskers being cut. The Lady is much gentler - ladylike, I guess - but took more time to get the same result. Also, I got a little eager with this one so had some considerable scrapage afterwards (but no worse than I used to get with a Mach, so it's insignificant).

Balance: I give a 8 only because I still prefer a longer handle...but man, the grip makes up some for shortness.

All in all, I can't say the red tip is the overall "best" shave I've ever had because that's such a nebulous concept. However, the red tip is definitely the most efficient shave I've gotten from any razor ever (the blade helped, I know).

My long-sought black super due here tomorrow...if setting #9 matches this razor, that'll be my one razor for life and I'm parting with the rest. If it doesn't, I'll investigate having the head of the red tip transplanted onto the body of the Lady. If THAT don't work (probably won't), it's the red tip from there on out. I'll still dream that Gillette had made a long handled Super Adjustable in all nickel/chrome finish from top to bottom, with the grip of the red tip. I'd name mine Mjolnir.

BTW - Thank you to everyone here on this board for their advice and patience with us new guys!

My beard isn't particularly tough, but I've found I prefer aggressive razors so I can get a close shave with a light touch.

I love my sledgehammer Slant for this reason. My flare tip SS feels like shaving with a toy by comparison; I had thought this was typical of Gillette.

I was wrong.

The Red Tip gives a BBS shave without using excessive pressure or passes. A terrific piece of shaving design.

I think the prices are getting pushed up somewhat high, but that's supply and demand, I guess. As word spreads about the excellence of the Red Tip, it's gaining popularity by the day.

I guess I lucked out. I was looking for a DE razor not knowing much and my grandfather gave me this(his old) razor.

After returning to DE shaving a bit ago, I picked up a Red Tip Gillette off of Ebay- from Ebayer nanwei. I will give a plug to nanwei because of the quality of the item I purchased. If you read this Ebayer's description of the cleaning/polishing/restoringshipping process, you will be impressed. When I received the razor, it looked as new as my brand new Merkur Barberpole. Even though mine is '56, it works as smooth and nicely as I imagine it did as brand new. Loaded with a quality blade (Feather/Derby Extra), I get a consistently nice shave. Heck, loaded with cheap Personna blades from my local drug store, I still get a nice shave. It is amazing that something this simple yet elegantly designed could have gone off the market. I get a decent shave with my Merkur, but I am pretty well addicted to the happiness of changing blades with the TTO mechanism. My beard is heavy/multi directional, although after 40 years of some kind of blade shaving, my skin is not that sensitive any more. I think I'll cruise Ebay now to see if I can find another one of these little babies for when this one wears out. Probably abou the time my grandson is shaving.....