I'm Not In Love With My Superspeed

[TSTemplar]

Whoops, I hit quote on the wrong post. I really like what Luvmysuper had to say, particularly the first sentence.

 

[cmyoung19]

All fair points, Luvmysuper. It could well be that not all of my bad cart habits are completely in the past, as I've only been DE shaving for about 3 months.

In referencing the pressure, I was drawing a comparison between my DE89 and the Superspeed. When using similar pressure between the two, I can get as good a shave in two passes with the DE89 as I get with 3 passes plus touch-ups on the SS. I'm pretty sure I've got the angle right, as I can hear that cutting is occurring.

I'll try loosening the doors a touch and see if that helps. I didn't realize that was an option, and I assumed it was best if they were locked down tight.

 

[luvmysuper]

All fair points, Luvmysuper. It could well be that not all of my bad cart habits are completely in the past, as I've only been DE shaving for about 3 months.

In referencing the pressure, I was drawing a comparison between my DE89 and the Superspeed. When using similar pressure between the two, I can get as good a shave in two passes with the DE89 as I get with 3 passes plus touch-ups on the SS. I'm pretty sure I've got the angle right, as I can hear that cutting is occurring.

I'll try loosening the doors a touch and see if that helps. I didn't realize that was an option, and I assumed it was best if they were locked down tight.

I know that Gillette advertised this as a "feature" on some models, but it's never worked out for me. When I first went back to using a DE I tried this with disastrous results

Though I only use a DE when I travel now, I always make sure the doors are locked down tight. My problem with the procedure was that once loosened it was really quite impossible to keep them at the pre-determined looseness. The razor would want to open up more as you use it, and that meant unpredictable blade movement.

 

[the_edski]

A wise man once said “When I was a boy of 14, my father was so ignorant I could hardly stand to have the old man around. But when I got to be 21, I was astonished at how much the old man had learned in seven years.”

Is that Mark Twain?

 

[MicBaldy]

A wise man once said “When I was a boy of 14, my father was so ignorant I could hardly stand to have the old man around. But when I got to be 21, I was astonished at how much the old man had learned in seven years.”

There is sometimes a penchant for people to place value on "aggressive" as an attribute to a razor, but truth be told, unless just poorly designed (as some of the early Weishi's were) a "mild" razor is every bit as effective as an "aggressive" one.

The technique for a Super Speed or a Tech is certainly different than that for a NEW or and Old Type, but they all shave equally as well when the proper technique is used.

When I read that someone has to make up for a lack of aggressiveness by applying pressure, I get the impression that the habits learned from Cart use have not yet been completely abandoned.

I could be totally wrong on that, and if so, apologize in advance. We certainly have our favorites and razors can vary from model to model, and within the same model. I've seen cases where a razor model was criticized as a poor performer only to find out that THAT particular razor had been dropped and the gap was off.

I'd suggest putting it away for a while, and if you get the opportunity to try a different razor of a similar model to do so.
You might find that there is some issue with yours mechanically, or you might find that after some time that it "grows" on you.

Or you could still hate it after years of experience, but at least you'll have given it the benefit of the doubt and removed some of the variables.

I agree. I don't understand why people complain about blade exposure so much. Even the slightest blade exposure should be more than enough to cut through hair, it is a razor blade after all. All one needs to do is find the correct angle for the razor and they should be able to get a good shave out of the "mildest" of razors.

 

[luvmysuper]

Is that Mark Twain?

It has not been confirmed that it was Mark Twain, as the first use of it in print was in 1915, five years after Mark Twain's death.
It hasn't been attributed to anyone else though.

And read what this guy has to say;

http://badgerandblade.com/vb/showthread.php/377710-My-Granddad-s-Super-Speed

 

[DrAwkward]

A wise man once said “When I was a boy of 14, my father was so ignorant I could hardly stand to have the old man around. But when I got to be 21, I was astonished at how much the old man had learned in seven years.”

My kids appear to be three years late on this schedule! I'm not sure I can stand to wait out the full 7 years ...

There is no question that the SS is both mild and a great razor. My favorite is the 1940's style.

I have tried many razors and can get a solid DFS+ or better with almost all of them (with a good blade), but that does not mean I enjoy using all of them. That said, even the ones that I use rarely (or never), I like having in my collection.

 

[zygalski]

I'll try loosening the doors a touch and see if that helps. I didn't realize that was an option, and I assumed it was best if they were locked down tight.

Don't do it!
Shim the razor instead. This will add 0.10mm to the blade gap in an instant & only takes a minute to do carefully.
Just carefully trim the last 2mm of each edge of an old blade with some scissors, then sit the trimmed blade underneath the new one & tighten down fully.
Your Superspeed probably has a blade gap of around 0.60mm, so the +0.10mm shim is significant.

Let us know how you get on

 

[TSTemplar]

Don't do it!
Shim the razor instead. This will add 0.10mm to the blade gap in an instant & only takes a minute to do carefully.
Just carefully trim the last 2mm of each edge of an old blade with some scissors, then sit the trimmed blade underneath the new one & tighten down fully.
Your Superspeed probably has a blade gap of around 0.60mm, so the +0.10mm shim is significant.

Let us know how you get on

Yea, the idea of those doors loosening up and that blade starting to wobble around doesn't sound like fun.

 

[sterno]

I find my Superspeed too mild as well, so I'm saving it to give to my son.

 

[LifesShort]

I have a black handled SS (N1) in near mint condition that I really like the looks of. Sadly, I find it to be too mild. However, my son has just started shaving and I have passed it down to him. I asked him if he'd rather have a cartridge razor or a DE and he wanted the DE. Sometimes he makes me so proud!

 

[KCee]

I think the Superspeed is too mild as well. I do like using a mild razor regularly as it seems to keep me from getting ingrowns, but my Feather AS-D2 works better for me. I love TTO's, but I much prefer my Fatboy over the Superspeed, Slim and Black Beauty.

 

[spar10]

trying going with a red?

 

[Spang]

I can relate to the frustrating feeling of a razor being just too mild. For me, that razor is the Tech; beloved by so many, but, alas, not by me. But it doesn't mean it's not a good razor. The SS on the other hand, works well for me. I do generally prefer to use a more aggressive razor, but sometimes when I just want an easy, comfortable shave, I load up a Super Speed and it always delivers. It's worth remembering that the Super Speed was produced by Gillette as the razor for everyone; it is meant to be easy to use and not too demanding. Most guys of that time just loaded it up as their everyday shaver, didn't dither about technique, and just wanted a presentable shave, without too much blood. And the SS provided that; still does. So, don't give up on the SS. Some good advice provided by luvmysuper; just keep it at hand, load it up every now and then for a nice, relaxing shave, and don't over think it. You could come to appreciate it for exactly what it is.

 

[ElliotR]

I tried loosening doors on my Aristocrat with amazing results. Worked well on my Superspeeed too. Just a tiny little turn..barely loosen it!

 

[spar10]

the loosening doors method seems dangerous. wouldn't a shim be a better route to go?

 

[cmyoung19]

I finished up with a Personna blade today, and trimmed the edges off with a pair of kitchen shears, making sure not to cut my fingers off (with either the blade or the shears). I used that as a shim and loaded up a fresh Feather on top of it in the SS. It's all ready to go for tomorrow, so we'll see what happens.

 

[chongo gordo]

I tried loosening doors on my Aristocrat with amazing results. Worked well on my Superspeeed too. Just a tiny little turn..barely loosen it!

Today I did as well. Just opened 'er up a tiny bit. It didn't turn the razor (a beat up 40's Super Speed), into a face-biter, but did provide a shave more akin to that which I prefer. It looks like you can open it up quite a bit before it reaches the point where the doors loose their tension.

Wish I had known this before I sold my sweet Ranger tech.

 

[cmyoung19]

Thanks, all for the good advice in this thread. I shimmed the razor today, and I will say that it improved the shave a bit. No award winner, by any stretch, but it was comfortable and I got a decent two-pass shave.

In addition, I investigated the option of loosening up the TTO knob a bit. I've examined this razor pretty closely, and I have to say that claims of the bay doors coming open or the blade wobbling loosely seem to be a bit overblown, at least on this razor. If I observe the razor closing as I turn the TTO knob, I see that the baseplate moves up as the doors are pulled shut. There's a point, maybe a little more than half a turn from the end where the baseplate is in firm contact with the bottom of the blade, the bay doors are pulled shut, and the edges of the blade are pushed against the bottom edge of the doors. At that point, the blade is mostly flat but it is held firmly in place and the bay doors are locked close. As I twist the knob beyond that point, the center of the blade is pushed up by the baseplate, while the edges are held down by the bottom of the doors - this causes the blade to curve, pulling the edges in relative to the doors and changing the edge angle so that it points more steeply towards the safety bar.

From my observation, it appears that if I tighten the knob all the way and then back it off ever so slightly (maybe 1/8th of a turn), the angle relaxes a bit and the blade extends outwards just a touch. I didn't try it today, but tomorrow I'm going to remove the shim and try this instead, as it seems like a more effective option to me.

 

[global_dev]

too much emphasis on birth year razors.. put it in a display box and find a razor that suits you.