Ming Shi

I got a Ming Shi (Shaving Factory) razor as a prize recently in the Carnival of Smiles.

I have used it for about a week, and thought I would offer up my review.

This is attempting to be a Superspeed clone, and does a fairly good job of it. Build quality is not quite up to par with that of a vintage Superspeed, but that's to be expected. Specifically one of the silo doors sits a little higher when closed than the other.

The razor does rattle a little when in the open position.

The razor is fairly lightweight, and fairly mild on the aggressiveness scale.

In terms of grip, the handle is almost entirely smooth except for a couple of flutes. I could see the possibility of dropping it if you have wet hands.

Considering the price (around $15) this is a very good razor for a newbie, who likes the TTO mechanism of a Superspeed, but wants a new razor.

I wonder about it durability long term, but it seems to shave just fine, and gives me a very nice quality shave.

I just bought the ming shi along with Derby blades too, and I just had my first shave today. It took about 5 passes or so, but I got a pretty good shave, almost as close as my mach 3. No burn, no nicks.

The only thing I would complain about is the handle: it did get a little slippery and I had to keep wiping it off.

The Superspeed was Gilettes non-adjustable twist-to-open razor, made from the 1940's on through the 1970's or so.