title says it all. to me this is the roughest of all my vintage gillettes. even with a astra sp blade it still drags. why is it not smooth for me?
am i the only one who thinks the 40s ss is very rough?
- Thread starter fisca
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My best guess is your natural comfort angle while holding the razor for shaving hasn't lined the head up very well once the grind on the blades you've tried comes into the overall equation. Have you tried a lot of different blades in it?
There is a possibility your razor is somehow damaged. Maybe it was dropped at some point in it's lifetime?
I never like it them much either, love the flare tips and the late 40's aristocrats though...
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i can rule this out because i got two 40s and a black tip, they all shave the same though.
All Super Speeds are a little harsh to me, compared to the adjustables and NEWs, etc. Not very rough, and still a good shave but enough to notice the difference.
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i'll give one more try with it but im not expecting much. its so disappointing because i have a lovely cased one with good handle knurling. why did i buy 3 before i tried the first one lol
I can't say mine was rough, but I never got a close enough shave with it. I tried different blades and nothing helped. I ended up selling it on B/S/T
Nick
Nick
Which blades have you tried in them, compared to what other razors you've used those blades in? I really disliked the shave from my 1921 New, tried like 4 different blades in it, then I was PIF'd a Gillette Yellow to try in it, and that made a 100% difference. Not saying there's a blade out there which would make you love the SS, of course, but the blade not matching the razor for your style is most likely the reason you dislike it as much as you do.
I wasn't overly impressed by mine. It was harder to use than my adjustable. So, I sold it and don't really miss it much.
I thought mine gave a very smooth shave.
I frequently have to use different blades in different razors. Shark Super Chromes are sharp and smooth in my Mergress, but cause much butchery when used in a Fatboy.
My late 40's Superspeed is my smoothest shaver. YMMV and all that.
Very smooth for me 
Both of my Super Speeds, 49 and 66 are so smooth that I can't tell if there's a blade in them. And I mean that in the sense that nothing gets cut either way. Though I like the way they look, they're useless for me. Gillette Yellows work the least worst, but not well enough for me to not use one of my other razors.
Maybe work on your angle some more? Might be dragging and scraping rather than slicing?
This thread really jumped out at me so I will subscribe and follow it. I just won a cased 40's style and am waiting for it to arrive. I have in rotation 2 Techs, 3 50's Super-Speeds, and 2 adjustables (Fat & Slim). I really wanted (needed) a 40's style after reading about the love many have and appreciating the classic knurled handle style. I will give it a good trial over the next few weeks with my top blades. I hope it performs at least equally to my other Supers. I get great shaves with all of them.
40's Super Speed is the only Super Speed I still use, smooth greats shaves for me
I've got 3 of the 40's style SS razors (a most likely 1950 NDC, my late father in law's Y-3 and a Z-2) and both give me nothing but a smooth shave.
Might be either a damaged razor or a bum blade/razor combo.
Might be either a damaged razor or a bum blade/razor combo.
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