As we all know, vintage razors are the real deal – they’ve got that authentic touch of history that you’re looking for since they were actually made back when that kind of tool was actually a thing as opposed to those more artificial safety razors made now to capitalize on nostalgia.
The Gillette Super Speed is probably the most famous of these vintage razors – it’s got a wonderfully classic look, it still shaves very cleanly and professionally, and best of all it really takes you back to that classier old-fashioned time when people actually wet shaved.
We decided to take a closer look at the Gillette Super Speed to see how well it holds up to scrutiny; no surprise, it’s as good as ever. Read on!
>> Read more reviews or the Gillette Super Speed on Amazon <<
Gillette Super Speed Alternatives
A Brief History of Gillette
The brand Gillette has been synonymous with shaving since your grandpappy was a wee tyke soiling his knickerbockers and getting into all kinds of mischief.
A company that outlives two world wars, hippies, grunge rock, and the Eisenhower administration has to be doing something right – and it’s not just marketing.
Gillette has been on the front lines of shaving innovation for over 100 years and, for better or worse, is leading the way into the 21st century.
It’s probably that most men, before the 1800s or so, had long, flowing beards. The ones that didn’t either weren’t genetically capable of growing a mane or were crazy enough to shave with a blade that would make Crocodile Dunndee proud.
Eventually, barbers started spreading the gospel of a great shave, but men had to make a special trip to the barbershop in order to reap the benefits.
Razors, at the time, were expensive and required practice and skill to use effectively. A bloodless shave was a commodity, and a smooth chin was a rare feature.
Then, in 1901, the Sultan of Shave, the Friar for Fop, the Duke of Dapper, King C. Gillette patented the first safety razor and changed men’s grooming forever.
Gillette saw the value in manufacturing disposable products that minimized the maintenance of daily sharpening that straight razors of the time required.
Additionally, the safety razor was easier to handle and required less skill to successfully shave without accidentally mutilating one’s most recognizable feature.
Gillette was able to improve on the forged blade of the time by producing blades that were stamped out of a sheet.
This not only made for quicker production but also a high-profit margin. Production for the then-named Gillette Safety Razor Company in 1903, and the company set the gold standard by selling a whopping 51 razors and 168 blades.
Despite a lackluster first year, Gillette managed to increase razor sales by over 1500% and blade sales by over 700% the following year. By the end of the decade, Gillette was manufacturing razors in five countries in North America and Europe.
Incredible sales figures didn’t deter Gillette Safety Razor Company from resting on its laurels. In 1920, the company put an emphasis on research to ever-improve the way guys get a great shave. Today, Gillette has two dedicated research and development facilities in Boston and Reading, UK.
Today Gillette is owned by Proctor and Gamble, and continues to innovate the world of modern shaving.
Gillette products are endorsed by athletes in virtually every major professional sport and ads can be found featuring leading men of Hollywood and Grammy Award winners. Despite their continued innovation, is it possible that the company peaked in the mid-20th century with safety razors that maximized mass production and quality, classic shave?
Pros and Cons of the Gillette Super Speed
First off, the pros: this razor is gorgeous. Granted, each of them has a different look, but the majority of them look like your typical DE safety razor – the chrome handle, the rounded adjustable razor head, and the flared bottom to make it stand upright.
Still, the divine heaviness and gridlike texture of the stippled handle is really nice, since it makes for a lovely sight to a razor that is still incredibly balanced.
Since it’s a bit heavier than normal, it makes it that much easier to let the blade’s weight do the work for you, making shaving a snap.
The history of SuperSpeed is one of the most interesting things about it. The Super Speeds in particular were made in the mid to late 1950s, the Golden Era of wet shaving, and carries with them that appropriate history.
There is all manner of different varieties, from Red Dots to Blue Dots to Flare Tips and more, each one with its own idiosyncrasies that make them unique among safety razors. Each model is like its own unique snowflake, which makes them great for collecting.
One of the few cons I can attribute to it is its relative unavailability – you have to do a bit more digging to actually find one.
You can’t find them in a store, chiefly because Gillette stopped making them in favor of the rubber-handled disposable razor market! Luckily, though, these babies are pretty cheap once you actually find one.
Because they’re so old and relatively high in number, you’ll probably find an awesome one for about $4 on eBay somewhere. Just do a little digging on online auction sites or around town at flea markets and secondhand shops, and it shouldn’t take long before you bump into one.
Alternatives To Gillette Super Speed
It’s hard to find the Gillette Super Shaver today and as such, we have listed a few alternatives below:
1. Merkur Mk34c Double Edge Razor
2. Parker 99R – Long Handle Heavyweight Butterfly Open Safety Razor
3. WEISHI Nostalgic Long Handle Butterfly Open Double Edge Safety Razor
