I guess there are those with more dollars than cents!
(sorry, I couldn't resist.Oh well, I am glad for Jim anyway!
40s SuperSpeeds are going for stupid prices
40s SuperSpeeds are going for stupid prices
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?Vi ... %3AIT&rd=1
I guess there are those with more dollars than cents! (sorry, I couldn't resist.
Oh well, I am glad for Jim anyway!
I guess there are those with more dollars than cents!
(sorry, I couldn't resist.Oh well, I am glad for Jim anyway!
Jim
Good friends, good books and a sleepy conscience: this is the ideal life.
Mark Twain
Good friends, good books and a sleepy conscience: this is the ideal life.
Mark Twain
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SidSeizure
- Posts: 399
- Joined: Thu Nov 10, 2005 5:53 pm
- Location: Somewhere in Virginia
- Contact:
So what makes these '40's superspeeds so good? I won one on Ebay (and paid waaaaaaaaaaaaaay to much--$39.95), but the thing is in pristine condition. I almost don't want to use it, but I can see myself slapping a Swedish Gillette blade in it tomorrow AM and seeing how it goes. I'm just not sure what makes the '40's so special over the other models. Thanks and have a good night.
-Tye
-Tye
Contributing Member to the Cause
They're good, but they're not $40 worth of good. I also have a Gillette Rocket, which is a very slightly different razor sold in England and Canada around the same time. It probably shaves at least as well, but I bet I don't get that kind of price if I sell it, even with a case.
However, I think it's time to sell my new-looking 1948-50 Super Speed with case on eBay.
However, I think it's time to sell my new-looking 1948-50 Super Speed with case on eBay.
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yasuo200365
- Posts: 868
- Joined: Thu Nov 17, 2005 12:35 pm
Jim,
$42 + P&P on top = Ridiculous;
He's also selling a Toggle for $140!!!!
Bargains are still to be had - I bought over the weekend two 1940's Superspeeds, one of which was boxed and unused the other will clean up as good as new + a clean fat boy adjustable, total cost delivered a little over $35.
Clearly some Gentlemen are not doing their homework and getting into a bidding war.
Regards
John
$42 + P&P on top = Ridiculous;
He's also selling a Toggle for $140!!!!
Bargains are still to be had - I bought over the weekend two 1940's Superspeeds, one of which was boxed and unused the other will clean up as good as new + a clean fat boy adjustable, total cost delivered a little over $35.
Clearly some Gentlemen are not doing their homework and getting into a bidding war.
Regards
John
Last edited by yasuo200365 on Thu Feb 09, 2006 6:58 am, edited 1 time in total.
I have been looking for one of these too but they seem to go for much more than the new razors.
I had no idea these type razors were still being made or used until a post on a car board brought me to shaveblog.com. From my reading there it seems that the author there prefers the super speed from the 40's to the new Merkur razors made today.
Shaveblog led me to find classicshaving.com and this site where I have been doing a lot of reading. I have found a few post where people have said that they like the old razors better than some of the new ones. Is it more of a personal preference or are the older razors built of a higher quality than the new products?
I was going to buy a Merkur HD if I could not buy a 40's Super Speed at a low price. Would the Merkur HD be a good alternative?
Thanks
I had no idea these type razors were still being made or used until a post on a car board brought me to shaveblog.com. From my reading there it seems that the author there prefers the super speed from the 40's to the new Merkur razors made today.
Shaveblog led me to find classicshaving.com and this site where I have been doing a lot of reading. I have found a few post where people have said that they like the old razors better than some of the new ones. Is it more of a personal preference or are the older razors built of a higher quality than the new products?
I was going to buy a Merkur HD if I could not buy a 40's Super Speed at a low price. Would the Merkur HD be a good alternative?
Thanks
Ike - I don't really like the Superspeeds and think the Merkurs' are better razors - but any number of people on this forum will disagree vehemently.
You pays your money, and you shaves your beard....
Some of the older Gillette 3 pc models certainly are nice razors and a bargain on ebay. The convenience of butterfly doors is completely overrated IMV.
You pays your money, and you shaves your beard....
Some of the older Gillette 3 pc models certainly are nice razors and a bargain on ebay. The convenience of butterfly doors is completely overrated IMV.
Will
If it's smokin' it's cookin', when it's black it's done.
If it's smokin' it's cookin', when it's black it's done.
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yasuo200365
- Posts: 868
- Joined: Thu Nov 17, 2005 12:35 pm
Ike,
The Merkur HD is probably my favourite razor of their range - it is a three-piece clone and not a one-piece silo door as in the Superspeed. If you bought one you wouldn't be disappointed, in fact if you bought any of Merkurs fixed blade razors (the 1904 is a favourite also) you wouldn’t be buying a dud, but best avoid the ‘Slant Bar’ as it is deliberately aggressive.
Joe is right about paying too much for a Superspeed, there is no shortage so just bide your time, there are probably a dozen more to bid on at any one time.
As to whether the vintage Gillette’s are better made? Well yes & no. With the exception of their ‘Goodwill Range’ I would say that before 1951 all the Gillette’s were at least equally as well made and many considerably better than a modern Merkur. After 1951 the quality of the fixed blade razors is dependent upon the model and the year, but many are still very nice razors.
My advice would be to hang around ebay for a while; make sure you’re able to recognise a 1940’s Superspeed (& its peers), always put the seller on the spot by asking them questions about the finish (the 40’s Superspeed clean up very well); and be patient and don’t bid too much.
The photo on the following link will help you recognise some of the 1940’s razors to look out for:
http://groups.msn.com/thewetshaversgrou ... 3246148534
Regards
John
The Merkur HD is probably my favourite razor of their range - it is a three-piece clone and not a one-piece silo door as in the Superspeed. If you bought one you wouldn't be disappointed, in fact if you bought any of Merkurs fixed blade razors (the 1904 is a favourite also) you wouldn’t be buying a dud, but best avoid the ‘Slant Bar’ as it is deliberately aggressive.
Joe is right about paying too much for a Superspeed, there is no shortage so just bide your time, there are probably a dozen more to bid on at any one time.
As to whether the vintage Gillette’s are better made? Well yes & no. With the exception of their ‘Goodwill Range’ I would say that before 1951 all the Gillette’s were at least equally as well made and many considerably better than a modern Merkur. After 1951 the quality of the fixed blade razors is dependent upon the model and the year, but many are still very nice razors.
My advice would be to hang around ebay for a while; make sure you’re able to recognise a 1940’s Superspeed (& its peers), always put the seller on the spot by asking them questions about the finish (the 40’s Superspeed clean up very well); and be patient and don’t bid too much.
The photo on the following link will help you recognise some of the 1940’s razors to look out for:
http://groups.msn.com/thewetshaversgrou ... 3246148534
Regards
John
Touché. I was too slow on that one John - I'd dearly like to give one of the old SS a go, but I fumbled the catch at the last moment.yasuo200365 wrote:Bargains are still to be had - I bought over the weekend two 1940's Superspeeds, one of which was boxed and unused the other will clean up as good as new + a clean fat boy adjustable, total cost delivered a little over $25.
D'you fancy trading the Fat Boy adjustable - you must have a houseful by now?
BTW, what exchange rate are you using?
Rich
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yasuo200365
- Posts: 868
- Joined: Thu Nov 17, 2005 12:35 pm
I don't know what "better made" means, but there's a ton more that can go wrong with a TTO than with something like a Merkur HD or even a Progress.yasuo200365 wrote:Ike,
As to whether the vintage Gillette’s are better made? Well yes & no. With the exception of their ‘Goodwill Range’ I would say that before 1951 all the Gillette’s were at least equally as well made and many considerably better than a modern Merkur. After 1951 the quality of the fixed blade razors is dependent upon the model and the year, but many are still very nice razors.
Regards
John
Scott
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yasuo200365
- Posts: 868
- Joined: Thu Nov 17, 2005 12:35 pm
Scott,
You would think so but in reality the Gillette TTO mechanism in my experience works perfectly, its a nice & simple design. I never experienced any trouble with the Merkur TTO mechanism either, but it has been a regular gripe in threads about the Vision.
By 'better made' I mean the materials used, the sophistication of the design and the finish. The only criticism I have of the Merkurs fixed blade razors is that sometimes the finished plating can be a bit rough looking - like its been painted on a bit thick. But your right the HD is a fine razor - a simple design that is spot on as a razor. All the fixed blade Merkurs are well proven designs.
On this and other forums their has been some threads about the Progress breaking. No doubt its a small percentage but it shouldn't be happening IMV. I don't consider the Progress to be a cheap razor and it annoys me a little that they don't (can't?) zero their adjustment dials. In a thread recently someone mentioned the variation between Visions that are set on the same adjustment setting ..., OK, it doesn't affect the shave if you only own the one razor, but the Vision is an expensive razor and some consistency would be reassuring IMV.
Regards
John
You would think so but in reality the Gillette TTO mechanism in my experience works perfectly, its a nice & simple design. I never experienced any trouble with the Merkur TTO mechanism either, but it has been a regular gripe in threads about the Vision.
By 'better made' I mean the materials used, the sophistication of the design and the finish. The only criticism I have of the Merkurs fixed blade razors is that sometimes the finished plating can be a bit rough looking - like its been painted on a bit thick. But your right the HD is a fine razor - a simple design that is spot on as a razor. All the fixed blade Merkurs are well proven designs.
On this and other forums their has been some threads about the Progress breaking. No doubt its a small percentage but it shouldn't be happening IMV. I don't consider the Progress to be a cheap razor and it annoys me a little that they don't (can't?) zero their adjustment dials. In a thread recently someone mentioned the variation between Visions that are set on the same adjustment setting ..., OK, it doesn't affect the shave if you only own the one razor, but the Vision is an expensive razor and some consistency would be reassuring IMV.
Regards
John
There's plenty that can go wrong with the Gillette TTO, ranging from plating wear, to misalignment following a fairly modest drop, to too much play in the hinges for no apparent reason. My experience suggests that it isn't hard to find out the range of problems that can come up with the SuperSpeed (yes, even the 1940's models) and the Gillette adjustables -- all you need to do is to buy enough of them on ebay.
I've heard one complaint about a Progress breaking, and FAIK, it was from someone who was trying real hard to crank it all the way down to 1 when it only wanted to go to 1 1/2. Regardless of the cause, Merker replaced the razor without any trouble at all.
Cap it off by the buying process. I know that if I shell out $40 for a Progress, I'll like what I get (already knowing that I like the progress), and if I don't like it, a reputable vendor or the manufacturer will make it right. In contrast, I can shell out $10 plus shipping for an ebay SuperSpeed (probably closer to $20 or more these days), and take what I get or risk negative feedback.
Think about this (and I'm not really offering). If I paid you $10 for every Progress in a non-shavable state that you've ever seen, would you pay be $10 for every Gillette TTO or Adjustable in a non-shavable condition that I currently own (not even counting plating wear issues)??
I'm not saying that a functioning Gillette TTO isn't a joy, but there is a PITA factor in getting a nice one.
Scott
I've heard one complaint about a Progress breaking, and FAIK, it was from someone who was trying real hard to crank it all the way down to 1 when it only wanted to go to 1 1/2. Regardless of the cause, Merker replaced the razor without any trouble at all.
Cap it off by the buying process. I know that if I shell out $40 for a Progress, I'll like what I get (already knowing that I like the progress), and if I don't like it, a reputable vendor or the manufacturer will make it right. In contrast, I can shell out $10 plus shipping for an ebay SuperSpeed (probably closer to $20 or more these days), and take what I get or risk negative feedback.
Think about this (and I'm not really offering). If I paid you $10 for every Progress in a non-shavable state that you've ever seen, would you pay be $10 for every Gillette TTO or Adjustable in a non-shavable condition that I currently own (not even counting plating wear issues)??
I'm not saying that a functioning Gillette TTO isn't a joy, but there is a PITA factor in getting a nice one.
Scott
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yasuo200365
- Posts: 868
- Joined: Thu Nov 17, 2005 12:35 pm
Scott,
I truly have never found any problems with the TTO mechanism, they always tigthten up nicely and I've bought quite a few in my time.
The nickel finish of a 1940's Superspeed is very hard wearing and they clean up nicely. The gold, silver and chromed finished razors can be more tempremental but if you ask the seller about the condition they usually spill the beans ..., I always get into a correspondence if I'm not sure.
Of course whenever you buy anything in a used condition you're taking a risk, but you can minimise this. Given $40 I can pretty much guarantee getting something special within the week, with possibly $20 or more change.
A perfect 1940's Gold Aristocrat or Siver Belmont NEW from the 1930's is pretty hard to beat. It does take a little patience, some knowledge and only a small bit of luck.
If you want something specific then new is the way to go; if you want something a bit 'extra' special, go vintage.
Regards
John
I truly have never found any problems with the TTO mechanism, they always tigthten up nicely and I've bought quite a few in my time.
The nickel finish of a 1940's Superspeed is very hard wearing and they clean up nicely. The gold, silver and chromed finished razors can be more tempremental but if you ask the seller about the condition they usually spill the beans ..., I always get into a correspondence if I'm not sure.
Of course whenever you buy anything in a used condition you're taking a risk, but you can minimise this. Given $40 I can pretty much guarantee getting something special within the week, with possibly $20 or more change.
A perfect 1940's Gold Aristocrat or Siver Belmont NEW from the 1930's is pretty hard to beat. It does take a little patience, some knowledge and only a small bit of luck.
If you want something specific then new is the way to go; if you want something a bit 'extra' special, go vintage.
Regards
John
There are three or four people on this thread who have, and you can throw me in as well. Plus, I have a long black-handled adjustable where the whole adjustment mechanism seems done in. Actually, not so bad, considering that the razors are decades old, but they do go bad, and you need to take some care while buying them.yasuo200365 wrote:Scott,
I truly have never found any problems with the TTO mechanism, they always tigthten up nicely and I've bought quite a few in my time.
I won't go higher than around $15 on any of these razors, and most of my broken ones come from lots that were worth far more than I paid for them, busted up razors and all.
Even with the adjustables, superspeeds, and aristocrats laying around, I've only cleaned up a small handful, and prefer using my progress, with a Schick Dial running a distant second. If I ever get more of these cleaned up, I'll probably keep a nice adjustable and a '40s superspeed or two, and pass the rest on just to recover the meager auction prices I paid. This would leave plenty of Gillette non-adjustables, a marginal '40s superspeed, and some late model superspeeds.
Scott