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New (to me) Gillette NDC Super Speed

Thanks to @Anick (thanks again!), I've become the proud caretaker of a Gillette NDC super speed. I believe the lack of date code indicates it was made between 1948 and 1950.

My daily driver for the past few years has been a Gillette pre-war fat handle tech, so that razor is my basis for comparison.

First thing I did was give it a good cleaning. Once that was done, I noticed that it exhibited a bit of the "knob drop" phenomenon. Thanks to many helpful posts on here, I was able to repair it using the pipe cutter with a washer method.

Right off the bat, I noticed that the super speed is very mild, but still seems to be efficient. The larger sized head gives it a nice heft, such that I feel like I'm applying less pressure (not that I really apply much to begin with). It seems a bit more forgiving of technique than the tech as well. If I get sloppy with my angles, I notice no irritation, but it does result in a less smooth shave. If I pay attention, I've been able to get a BBS shave without issue.

A few "cons," though more like preferences:
1) The large head is a little large to see around. I keep a full beard and only shave my neck. Finding the neck line is more of a challenge with the super speed.
2) The handle seems abnormally thin. I think I do like the fat handle of the Tech better in that regard.

All in all, it seems like a great razor, and it has earned a spot in my now two-razor rotation!

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tankerjohn

A little poofier than I prefer
Brilliant! Good score - the 40's style SS's are fantastic. Yes, yours is a 1948-50. No way to know for sure which year. If it had an unnotched center bar, it would be a 1947.
 
Brilliant! Good score - the 40's style SS's are fantastic. Yes, yours is a 1948-50. No way to know for sure which year. If it had an unnotched center bar, it would be a 1947.

Thanks!

I have a vague recollection I read somewhere on here that whether the word "package" was spelled out or abbreviated could narrow it down, but I don't remember.
 

tankerjohn

A little poofier than I prefer
Thanks! It makes me wonder how a Ranger tech shaves.
Very similar. To me the Ranger feels equally smooth, but a touch more efficient. However, according to a blade gap chart I've seen, the Ranger and 40's-style SS are the same. So maybe its all in my head. The Ranger's handle feels slightly heavier to me, which gives the razor a little different balance. But we're talking minor stuff here. Both are excellent.
 
Very similar. To me the Ranger feels equally smooth, but a touch more efficient. However, according to a blade gap chart I've seen, the Ranger and 40's-style SS are the same. So maybe its all in my head. The Ranger's handle feels slightly heavier to me, which gives the razor a little different balance. But we're talking minor stuff here. Both are excellent.

Thanks for the comparison. If they're that close, I can probably be content with my super speed, especially considering the rarity and price of the Ranger tech
 

tankerjohn

A little poofier than I prefer
I have a vague recollection I read somewhere on here that whether the word "package" was spelled out or abbreviated could narrow it down, but I don't remember.
Never heard that before. That would be really cool to unravel, especially for someone who really cares about the date, like for a birth year razor or something.
 

tankerjohn

A little poofier than I prefer
Thanks for the comparison. If they're that close, I can probably be content with my super speed, especially considering the rarity and price of the Ranger tech
LOL, I know what you mean! I finally found one I could afford on an internet auction site after a years long hunt. The seller clearly didn't know what it was and apparently none of the other bidders did either because I scooped it for $25 shipped. Not quite the "$3 at the local flee market" story some guys have, but I'm pretty thrilled.
 
LOL, I know what you mean! I finally found one I could afford on an internet auction site after a years long hunt. The seller clearly didn't know what it was and apparently none of the other bidders did either because I scooped it for $25 shipped. Not quite the "$3 at the local flee market" story some guys have, but I'm pretty thrilled.

That's not bad at all! I'd pay that in a minute!
 
Thanks!

I have a vague recollection I read somewhere on here that whether the word "package" was spelled out or abbreviated could narrow it down, but I don't remember.
You are correct. Here is something that is from B&B .

War production only from 1942-1945. Full civilian production resumed in 1946. In 1948 the center bar gained a notch for easier loading from a blade dispenser, and came in a brown leatherette case. 1949 came in a red plastic case. Prior to 1950 the blade bed read "PAT. NOS. ON PACKAGE", and in 1950 this transitioned to "PAT. NOS. ON PKG.". Date codes were also in transition from 1950, so examples may have a date code, or may not. Examples stamped V-3 are known to exist[1], but date codes became more widespread in 1951 (W) and later.
 
You are correct. Here is something that is from B&B .

War production only from 1942-1945. Full civilian production resumed in 1946. In 1948 the center bar gained a notch for easier loading from a blade dispenser, and came in a brown leatherette case. 1949 came in a red plastic case. Prior to 1950 the blade bed read "PAT. NOS. ON PACKAGE", and in 1950 this transitioned to "PAT. NOS. ON PKG.". Date codes were also in transition from 1950, so examples may have a date code, or may not. Examples stamped V-3 are known to exist[1], but date codes became more widespread in 1951 (W) and later.

Cool, thanks for the info!
 
I noticed that the crimp groove was a little wonky looking after fixing the dropped knob issue using the pipe cutter with a washer trick. So, I had come across another method where a binder clip handle is used, and I thought thatay fit the groove better and allow me to make it look smooth again.

I'm happy to report that it was successful!

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