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Super Speed Razors: The Post World War II Shaving Culture in America to 1955

I just ran across this thread yesterday, pretty much accidentally. After skimming a couple of posts, I had to go back and read the whole thing from the start. I was looking for information on Super Speeds, but the stories in between were also entertaining. The interleaving of the two made for an entertaining read.

You know, I could see this thread being the basis of a book or a documentary film. I guess the audience appeal would be a bit too narrow, though.
 
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Thank you so much Dog Years! There is actually much more to report on the life of my parents as well as on the razors themselves. Cap, like myself, has been busy with life events, and will have a Y3, 1940's style Super Speed sorted as the British say, to finalize the early Super Speed herd of sixteen razors without duplication from 1947 through 1955. I also have a set of instructions from a mismatched Blue Tip Super Speed case from circa 1955 that sold with the Y3 that should be photographed. The base of the case is in excellent condition, and light blue Super Speed cases for this variant are becoming more and more difficult to locate. The case base is certainly available to anyone interested.

The office is slowly coming along, and my health has improved to the point that I can do light exercise, such as riding on a lawn mower over three acres. This has been a very slow transition since spiking stroke territory blood pressures a couple of months ago. While the loggers and crew were removing a massive and diseased three hundred year-old white oak tree from our front yard, I was able to complete the brass smoker's lamp from my parent's first house. Previously, I had restored a solid walnut magazine holder, again part of their furniture collection for that first house, and we have picked out the fabric for the club chair that will go beside the executive desk, although I am by choice no executive I assure you. This will be upholstered in September. I still have half of the executive desk to complete, as well as a Thomasville set of drawers to finish before the final push to completion.
 
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I will add some pictures of the inside of the razor soon. I guess since I have a 1954 flair tip case I had better track one of those down. At some point in time the wife is going to realize the number of razors in the medicine cabinet keeps growing.


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Vintage Early  Super Speed Shave Den.JPG
Medicine Cabinet No More Room.JPG
Thank you Eustace- we look forward to seeing your pictures. Ask your wife if she would like a Blue Tip or a Lady Gillette to even things out a bit. Since my stash is a drawer away from my wife's in the bathroom vanity cabinet- I discovered that honesty is indeed the best policy with vintage razors and car parts... God Bless! Tony Brown RN mgbbrown
 
Then Monday I broke out a 1948-1950 no date code super speed that I had found in an antique store several weeks ago. What an amazing shave that was, couldn’t have been happier with it and I had found a vintage razor that was perfect for me.

Amen to that! I also have a no code SS. It kills with a Feather blade!
 
Eustace; Your photograph is exactly what was needed for dating your razor! Thank you Sir! Here are the hallmarks:

1) A notched center safety bar- this was introduced as a Super Speed feature in 1948 to better utilize the new Gillette Speed Pak dispenser. As a non-date-coded razor, this would also be a feature on the 1949 production. Therefore- it is not a 1947 Super Speed.

2) In 1950, the patent information stamped onto the handle recess of the blade bed would read PAT NOS ON PKG. From 1947-1949, the patent stamping would read PAT NOS ON PACKAGE. Your razor is not a 1950 Super Speed.

3) Rolled or peened handle end attaching the handle to the head. In 1947 and 1948, the handle end was flat stamped to secure the razor head to the handle. In the last production quarter of 1949, a rolled or peened handle end became standard, and was a feature of all Super Speed razors from that point forward. Combine the wording on the patent information with a rolled or peened handle end- your razor is a 1949 Gillette Super Speed.

The case offered for this razor was the first styrene case to be used by Gillette. There were no notches on the sides of the case, a feature which appeared in 1950 for displaying cases in a wire rack. The section holding the Speed Pak dispenser is smaller than the later notched cases of 1950, designed to hold a new twenty blade, blue blade dispenser with a built-in blade bank on the underside.

I hope this helps! Yours is a wonderful shaving instrument, and appears to be in excellent condition. God Bless! Tony Brown RN mgbbrown
Gillette 1949 Super Speed Razor with Styrene Case and Ten Blade Speed Pak Dispenser Open View.JPG
 
Mgbbrown thank you for this amazing work you have done I read this thread like a book over the past few days. I learned a lot from this. I too feel this should be a sticky.

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Thank you so much for your kind words Djwyman! It when for pages backwards into the thread abyss, so maybe more people will see this now. God Bless! Tony Brown RN mgbbrown
 
Colonel Hogan; More pressing matters have begun- a house restoration; an MGB resurrection; and an almost lifelong dream to be re-acquainted with playing the banjo after a more than twenty year hiatus. I think a 1927 Gibson TB-3 Mastertone conversion banjo with a Frank Neat neck should do the trick... This one was complete with its original Gibson case and had hardly been played. It is totally original and can be easily converted back to a tenor banjo. It sounds wonderful with a broad and rich tone that only a pre-war Mastertone can deliver. The inlay pattern is called Diamonds and Snowflakes or Diamonds and Squares, and was a feature only in 1927. The resonator and neck are matching maple with an ivoriod binding. The tone ring two-piece flange is brass instead of a pot metal one which was found on their banjos from 1930 onwards. I purchased it from the Pre-War Mastertone expert Jim Mills, who lives twenty minutes from our house and who has played professionally since he was fifteen. Jim travels the world over purchasing and refurbishing only Pre-War Mastertone banjos, and had two others for offer dating to 1930 in our price range, which still required a pause before writing the check... This one by far was the best of the bunch, if one could say that the others did not sound as crisp as this one does. The Gibson decal inside the resonator is perfect, and the red-painted serial numbers and grease pencil serial numbers remain as if they were added yesterday. Thankfully I saved my vintage National and Dunlop picks, as the new ones, like new banjoes, just do not sound the same.
Cased Gibson 1927 TB 3 Conversion Mastertone.png
Original 1927 Gibson TB 3 Tenor and Frank Neat 5-String Conversion Neck .png
Thanks for posting Sir! God Bless! Tony Brown RN mgbbrown
 
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Colonel Hogan; More pressing matters have begun- a house restoration; an MGB resurrection; and an almost lifelong dream to be re-acquainted with playing the banjo after a more than twenty year hiatus. I think a 1927 Gibson TB-3 Mastertone conversion banjo with a Frank Neat neck should do the trick... This one was complete with its original Gibson case and had hardly been played. It is totally original and can be easily converted back to a tenor banjo. It sounds wonderful with a broad and rich tone that only a pre-war Mastertone can deliver. The inlay pattern is called Diamonds and Snowflakes or Diamonds and Squares, and was a feature only in 1927. The resonator and neck are matching maple with an ivoriod binding. The tone ring two-piece flange is brass instead of a pot metal one which was found on their banjos from 1930 onwards. I purchased it from the Pre-War Mastertone expert Jim Mills, who lives twenty minutes from our house and who has played professionally since he was fifteen. Jim travels the world over purchasing and refurbishing only Pre-War Mastertone banjos, and had two others for offer dating to 1930 in our price range, which still required a pause before writing the check... This one by far was the best of the bunch, if one could say that the others did not sound as crisp as this one does. The Gibson decal inside the resonator is perfect, and the red-painted serial numbers and grease pencil serial numbers remain as if they were added yesterday. Thankfully I saved my vintage National and Dunlop picks, as the new ones, like new banjoes, just do not sound the same. View attachment 806243 View attachment 806244 Thanks for posting Sir! God Bless! Tony Brown RN mgbbrown

Well, Tony, of course. I should have guessed that a fine gentleman such as yourself plays the wonderful banjo! And what beautiful instruments you have!

I would have you know that I have myself recently taken up the 5-string. Having played finger pickin' guitar in my youth I thought that learning the banjo would take me 5 seconds. So I bought myself af cheap old thing and started out. Well, it has proven harder than expected, I fear. I am basically fumbling about based on copying youtube videos, but I have almost one tune under my help - am playing with about a 1/4 of the normal speed, though.... BUT I will get there..!!
 
Eustace; Your photograph is exactly what was needed for dating your razor! Thank you Sir! Here are the hallmarks:

1) A notched center safety bar- this was introduced as a Super Speed feature in 1948 to better utilize the new Gillette Speed Pak dispenser. As a non-date-coded razor, this would also be a feature on the 1949 production. Therefore- it is not a 1947 Super Speed.

2) In 1950, the patent information stamped onto the handle recess of the blade bed would read PAT NOS ON PKG. From 1947-1949, the patent stamping would read PAT NOS ON PACKAGE. Your razor is not a 1950 Super Speed.

3) Rolled or peened handle end attaching the handle to the head. In 1947 and 1948, the handle end was flat stamped to secure the razor head to the handle. In the last production quarter of 1949, a rolled or peened handle end became standard, and was a feature of all Super Speed razors from that point forward. Combine the wording on the patent information with a rolled or peened handle end- your razor is a 1949 Gillette Super Speed.

The case offered for this razor was the first styrene case to be used by Gillette. There were no notches on the sides of the case, a feature which appeared in 1950 for displaying cases in a wire rack. The section holding the Speed Pak dispenser is smaller than the later notched cases of 1950, designed to hold a new twenty blade, blue blade dispenser with a built-in blade bank on the underside.

I hope this helps! Yours is a wonderful shaving instrument, and appears to be in excellent condition. God Bless! Tony Brown RN mgbbrownView attachment 803306
Ok so going by this post the one I just got in the mail would be a 1950? It has no date code, it says Pat nos on pkg on the blade bed, so by that I take it this red case with notches and this 20 blade pack all go together?
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Peter; Good to hear that! I am taking the approach of a rank beginner, and in this way avoiding the bad habits I once had. I have a forward-backward roll and alternating thumb roll down pat and the basic strum. Cords are next so that I can progress up the neck with ease. I have a first edition of Earl Scrugg's banjo book from the 1970's, and I have spent two days at least profiling my vintage National finger picks and thumb pick so they strike the strings perfectly flat and are contoured to my fingers. If you choose to boil the thumb pick- it will be a perfectly flat piece when removed from the water, so you have to work quickly to obtain fitment. I also have two sets of Dunlop finger picks, again vintage sets, and they too have been carefully profiled. This was what Earl did, and it removed any rasping of the strings so that each note is crisp. It made a profound difference in an already amazing tone!

DJWY Man; That is a very nice early 1950 indeed! All of the hallmarks point to that as a conclusion. If you have not shaved with a 1940's style Super Speed- you will enjoy it! That 20 blade, Blue Blade dispenser is the correct style, but the original would have been a ten blade one found inside the case at the time of purchase. Your red case is correct for the razor pictured, and appears to be a nice example. The blades inside the dispenser are date coded, and it would be interesting to know what the date code is for the dispenser. You can re-load the blade, albeit carefully Sir! God Bless! Tony Brown RN mgbbrown
 
DJWY Man; If that dispenser was with the razor case and you have good reason to believe that is was used by the original owner- you can surmise a twelve year span in the life of that razor from 1950 to the last quarter of 1962! A well cared for shaving tool! God Bless! Tony Brown RN mgbbrown
 
DJWY Man; If that dispenser was with the razor case and you have good reason to believe that is was used by the original owner- you can surmise a twelve year span in the life of that razor from 1950 to the last quarter of 1962! A well cared for shaving tool! God Bless! Tony Brown RN mgbbrown
Thanks for the information mgbbrown. The eBay seller knew nothing about this stuff at all. It all came with a UK tech and a dark blue case much like the one that the black tips came in all for $39 but I think is said it came from an estate sale or something like that.

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...
3) Rolled or peened handle end attaching the handle to the head. In 1947 and 1948, the handle end was flat stamped to secure the razor head to the handle. In the last production quarter of 1949, a rolled or peened handle end became standard, and was a feature of all Super Speed razors from that point forward. Combine the wording on the patent information with a rolled or peened handle end- your razor is a 1949 Gillette Super Speed.
...

Hello Tony,

Can I ask for further elucidation on the "rolled or peened" part of the identification. I am quite ignorant as to manufacturing processes. Your 3 step identification based on the photo was very illuminating, and I have followed this thread since just after the initial posts. I had recently decided to get a birth year Super-Speed (1964) back then, thinking it looked very similar to what I saw in the bathroom while I was growing up. Apart from the best shaves of my life, it is the history that these razors were a part of that fascinates and captivates my imagination.

I started DE shaving with a Merkur 34C, and two months into shaving, I opted to find the razor similar to the one my Dad had under the sink. Memory can be tricky, and the case was clear plastic, and either blue or black/gray. On a recent visit home, Dad tried to find it as he is a self-confessed "keeper of everything, in case you need it"! We had old coffee cans filled with screws and bolts and nails, because you just might need one and it would save a trip (gas isn't cheap during the 70's energy crisis) to town to the hardware store. But we couldn't turn it up. What did turn up was the fact that he bought the razor after graduating high school and entering college. I will be visiting again in September, and will see if I can get further recollections from him. I seem to remember him stating it was adjustable, which would rule it out as a Super-Speed.

As an armchair history buff, I have enjoyed reading your thread as much as the books I "read" on Audible on my morning commute. Learning of the space program has been fascinating, and thinking that it was most likely a Gillette razor that these guys used (and gals, too, let's not forget!) has been fun.

Thanks again you @mgbbrown and the others for such an enlightening to read thread!
 
Colonel Hogan; More pressing matters have begun- a house restoration; an MGB resurrection; and an almost lifelong dream to be re-acquainted with playing the banjo after a more than twenty year hiatus. I think a 1927 Gibson TB-3 Mastertone conversion banjo with a Frank Neat neck should do the trick... This one was complete with its original Gibson case and had hardly been played. It is totally original and can be easily converted back to a tenor banjo. It sounds wonderful with a broad and rich tone that only a pre-war Mastertone can deliver. The inlay pattern is called Diamonds and Snowflakes or Diamonds and Squares, and was a feature only in 1927. The resonator and neck are matching maple with an ivoriod binding. The tone ring two-piece flange is brass instead of a pot metal one which was found on their banjos from 1930 onwards. I purchased it from the Pre-War Mastertone expert Jim Mills, who lives twenty minutes from our house and who has played professionally since he was fifteen. Jim travels the world over purchasing and refurbishing only Pre-War Mastertone banjos, and had two others for offer dating to 1930 in our price range, which still required a pause before writing the check... This one by far was the best of the bunch, if one could say that the others did not sound as crisp as this one does. The Gibson decal inside the resonator is perfect, and the red-painted serial numbers and grease pencil serial numbers remain as if they were added yesterday. Thankfully I saved my vintage National and Dunlop picks, as the new ones, like new banjoes, just do not sound the same. View attachment 806243 View attachment 806244 Thanks for posting Sir! God Bless! Tony Brown RN mgbbrown
Beautiful banjo Tony! I'm glad you got to keep the original tenor neck. So many old banjos were converted to five-string that there will be a shortage of four string necks in the future. I'm a four string, plectrum, player myself. As others have noted learning these things especially later in life takes a lot longer than expected!
 
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