Super-Speed flare-tip

This is a great razor. I have a 1950's silver handle as well as a 1970's black handle variety. It might be all in my head, but I feel there's more heft to the 50's model. This is one great razor and might become my new travel since it's available so cheaply.

I have a 1954 Z1 that I just bought on EBay. I have been wet shaving for about 2 years and my previous razor was a Weishi. This is my first vintage razor. Great razor. First shave with it was bbs. Its a fairly small razor, however I like both the knurled grip - easy to hold even when wet. It's also solidly built. Amazing to me that 60+ year old piece of equipment can hold up that well. I look forward to using it for a long time.

Well made and easy to use classic. If imatation is the sincerest form of flatery, this thing will be forever blushing.That thing a certain Pawn Store Ownwer is selling is an inferior copy as are most modern knock-offs. If you are new to DE shaving, good place to start.

I received my Grandfather’s A1 Flare Tip in November of 2012 and have enjoyed it since. I wanted to wait for a few months (and a few acquisitions) to review so that I would have a real basis for an opinion. After picking up a Merkur 41c, a Slim, and a couple of SRs; and using them all on both face and scalp, I feel I have a more developed opinion:

This razor is my go to for trying any new products – it delivers such consistently good results that I feel confident trying out any new blades, soap, techniques, etc in it. I find it smooth with most blades from Derbys to 7 O’ Clocks. My only exception was with Feathers – my scalp doesn’t seem to like those…

Price: N/A As an heirloom, it’s priceless to me! I understand that these can be had for good prices on auction sites though.
Quality: 10 It’s an A1 – made in the first quarter of 1955. There is only the tiniest bit of brassing on the corners of the guard bars. Silo doors open smoothly, knurling is top notch and the whole piece is fairly easy to clean. Tough to believe this is a 58 year old whisker wacker!
User Friendly: 10 Extremely. I found it easy to learn on, and now that my techniques are good it’s still a go to for effortless BBS shaves.
Grip: 10 The knurling on the handle is quite deep compared to many other razors. As such, the grip is very secure, even with wet, soapy hands.
Ease of Blade Replacement: 10 It’s a TTO – doesn’t get much easier; the doors open easily, and close securely (without the extra ¼ turn found on some of the adjustables)
Aggresiveness: 6 It’s roughly the same as my Slim set to 7 (see below)
Adjustability 3 I know this is a fixed head razor, but I am able to roll it in or out a bit further than either my Merkur or my Slim and get more or less bite from the blade.
Balance 10 Maybe weighted ever so slightly toward the head, which I prefer.

I purhased a 1960 Flare Tip Super Speed to try out since my Merkur34C HD was too aggressive for my face.

To my surprise, it's milder, but not as mild as some say it is. I can get a perfect BBS shave with a Gillette Silver Blue every time. It's much gentler and easier to avoid cuts and nicks with than the 34c.

Plus, it's fun to use something that harks from another time.

This or the Blue tip SS would be a great beginners razor, but at the same time, it works great for those experienced shavers too.

This is my first review so here goes.
This is a very mild razor for someone who is just starting out, but as your technique improves you will likely want a more aggressive razor to give you closer shaves that last longer before you see stubble reappear.
I would rate its aggressiveness as a (2) on a fatboy or slim. This would make a great razor to use in the shower because its lightweight and has great grip. I have never dropped mine, but i'd say if i did it wouldn't break.

So in all a very good razor but a bit to mild for my taste.

This should be the first razor any newb starts with. It doesn't get any more user-friendly than this one. I've got two in my arsenal (a C2 and a C4, '57 was a good year for Gillette!). Aggressiveness is middle of the road, which is what you want for a beginner. These can be had for a reasonable price still, unlike a lot of vintage Gillettes. Quality is of course top-notch.

Even though I've branched-out and added more razors to my den, I still find myself returning to this one. For one thing, its the perfect handle to try a new blade with, due to its middle of the road nature. All-in-all, its one of the best razors Gillette ever made.

The 1955 SS is my birth year razor and it just happens to be the best razor, for me.It truly gives me BBS every time.I have experimented with a lot of combo setups and when I bought this to add to my collection, I had to try it. It was the best! Smooth, comfortable and NO irritation.

The flare tipped Gillette Super Speed razor with the regular unpainted handle was manufactured in 1954-1966. It gives my moderately heavy beard a very smooth, comfortable, and efficient shave with a Feather blade. It is slightly heavier and definitely more aggressive than its ultra-mild blue tipped brother. It is less aggressive than the red tip version. It (along with the late 1940's Super Speed) is the best Gillette Super Speed razor for most persons. The shaving performance appears to be the same as the late 1940's version, which has a more classic design handle. The flare tip regular Gillette Super Speed is an outstanding razor.

Gillette's 1950's Super-Speed with the unpainted, flared twist-to-open knob was the middle-of-the road Super-Speed. It was in between the blue-tip and red-tip regarding weight and aggressiveness (blade gap).

Price: Mine is an heirloom, but they can be found at reasonable prices.

Quality: Well-made from plated brass. Twist-to-open mechanism should work well if the razor has been properly cared for.

User Friendly: Twist-to-open feature is intuitive and easy to use. It also makes the razor easier to clean.

Grip: Knurling on the handle allows for a secure grip, even with wet hands.

Ease of Blade Replacement: Twist open the doors, drop in a blade, close the doors. Quick and simple.

Aggressiveness: I rated aggressiveness in the middle.

Adjustability: This is not an adjustable razor.

Balance: Mass is well distributed between the handle and the head.