Saturday I had the opportunity to step into a small town Antique shop and I happened to luck into a few good finds. My first find was an unopened pack of the Personna 74 Tungsten Steel blades along with an a pack of Schick Platinum Plus blades. Beside them was a 1961 Gillette Fatboy that need a little clean up so I picked this three items up and took to the counter. The lady behind the counter said she had another razor and would sell both the Fatboy and this razor together for $10. Well, it was a nice 1956 Gillette Super Speed in great condition with the TTO in great working condition . There is no brassing, but the plating has the darker grey metal color now even after a little clean up. This morning I popped a Astra Platinum blade into the razor and worked up a nice lather with Mike's Natural Lime Shave Soap. The shave was BBS with no real issues. Getting use to the thicker head was a little different, but overall I enjoyed using it. I don't think it actually shaves any better or worse than either of my Tech razors as I consider both the Tech and Super Speed to be very mild shaving razors. I do like the ability with the TTO to quickly rinse excess build up from the blade and razor with just a quick twist of the knob then it is back to finishing my shave. After the shave I did a quick rinse then gave a few quick burst with the canned air to blow out any excess water and other debris. I plan on sending the Fatboy off for it to be re plated and if the funds are available I might send the Super Speed too. Once that is done then I will use the Personna 74 for my first shave with the Fatboy as I have never tried these legendary blades or ever used a Fatboy. It will be a special moment I guess.
First shave with 1956 Gillette Super Speed!
- Thread starter mctmatt
- Start date
Oh yes those mid 50's Super Speed's are a damn fine razor, been trying to track down a late 40's very early 50's as well.
Congrats on a great day in the shops! The '50s SS is a great razor; as well you can never go wrong with any of the three Gillette adjustables!
A quick suggestion, for what it may (or may not) be worth . . . try your Fat Boy with a blade that you know and are completely familiar with. Then, try the Personna 74 in a razor that you know and love. That way, you can better assess the features and benefits of each. There will be time later to try the FB with the 74 . . . It's not always a good idea to introduce more than one new variable at a time!
A quick suggestion, for what it may (or may not) be worth . . . try your Fat Boy with a blade that you know and are completely familiar with. Then, try the Personna 74 in a razor that you know and love. That way, you can better assess the features and benefits of each. There will be time later to try the FB with the 74 . . . It's not always a good idea to introduce more than one new variable at a time!
- Thread starter
- #4
Brad you make an excellent point in regards to the Personna 74 blades. Part of me just might keep them in the original unopened package and use it to decorate my little shave den. CG good luck on your hunt. I will say that I now realize that the actual hunting for old school shaving gear and products can actually be great fun. I have never been much of a guy to go Antiquing but Saturday I walked that store with a purpose. Picking up small bowls and containers checking to see if they could be used for shaving bowls. They had several nice GEM Razors for about $7, but I have not tried any single edge razors and really not sure if I want too. It was funny after I left that store I drove downtown to the small grocery market to pick up some homemade German Sausage and smoked cheese (that is a big hint on the location). I just happened to look at their store items for shaving and they had several packs of PAL Single Edge shaving blades along with Gem razor blades.
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