What on earth is this? It seems like a Gillette superspeed. W 3 code, with a brown tip. Picked up in an antique store. The hinge tabs are strange - one side is different from the other. It doesn’t look repaired (but I suppose it might be made from spare parts). The tip doesn’t look faded, it looks like it was meant to be brown, but why? It’s a nice little razor - light and mild - but I’m not sure what it is. Any ideas?
Brown tip Gillette superspeed?
- Thread starter Linuswilliam
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I am pretty sure it is a black tip that is fading.
last pic looks repaired
I was thinking a possible re-paint.
you see not often this Tan Tip Super-Speed. It´s a production mistake missing the black color. Nice find!
Thanks Achim, nice to know that they do exist. My hypothesis was completely off track. Apologies to the OP.
I believe when the black tips are exposed to sun, the plastic changes color.
Also, your question about why the 2 ends look different....it is because one end cap has fallen off.
The W also corresponds to one of the years the black tips were produced.
Also, your question about why the 2 ends look different....it is because one end cap has fallen off.
The W also corresponds to one of the years the black tips were produced.
Never mind what I said either, I would go with whatever mr-razor says!
The infamous "tan-tip" Super Speed!! Do a search for tan tip here, you'll see more. Mysterious. 
Here's mine:
Here's mine:
That's a spot of solder from where the end cap fell off.
- Thread starter
- #11
Ahh okay. Thanks everyone. I don’t think this tip has faded at all, it is the same color inside and out. A tan tip, maybe the factory using up a batch of mis-colored parts. Nice to have something a bit unusual… I’m looking forward to putting some uses on it and seeing which blades it likes…..
Easy enough to replace an end cap from a donor.
Tan? Maybe it's a special-issued army razor, but I'm only half serious when I suggest that.
tankerjohn
A little poofier than I prefer
Wow, those are pretty rare. Nice find! Tan tips are definitely a thing. I read all about them when I was geeking out on Super Speeds a few years ago, but I don't remember what dark, nerdy corner of the interwebs I was reading.
Almost looks like bakelite. Awesome find.
Maybe it was this thread from the stickies.
Super Speed Razors: The Post World War II Shaving Culture in America to 1955
Hopefully the response by the community here will allow this thread to continue beyond the initial installment, as it illustrates the shaving culture in America following World War II, as well as how I became involved in using vintage Gillette Super Speed razors. Thanks! Tony My father was...
www.badgerandblade.com
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