- Joined
- Thursday March 10, 2011
Hi All,
I had my first shave with my new (new to me) Gillette 40s Superspeed. Impressed? VERY.
I had used a Merkur Super blade on the Boots DE for one shave, so I decided to make sure I gave the SS a fair test that I will use the same blade (not a new one, or a different brand). I also left it a day inbetween shaving so I had a little more stubble for the shave (I often get rashes if I shave days in a row).
The weight of it felt great, the handle is a little shorter than the Boots DE which I thought would cause problems... but it didn't.
I was unsure whether to tighten the the mechanism right up, or leave it lose (when it is tight the blade bends round the grip slightly). I tried both, and it definitely 'sounded' and 'felt' much better when the grip was tight. I also didn't feel any 'shake' from the little twist mechanism on the handle when shaking the blade in the water.
I didn't try anything new, or fancy with the SS. I just proceeded to shave like I normally would. As soon as I fonud the right angle for the blade to rest on my face, the SS done the rest. The weight of it just pulled my hand down my face. I didn't feel myself tugging, or pulling and there is a definite improvement in sound. It may seem silly, but the Boots DE didn't sound like it was slicing those hairs all of the time, but the SS definitely sounded like a crystal clean shave.
I only done one pass on most parts of my face, a couple of touch ups here and there. And I was impressed with the result. It felt very smooth. Because I only done one pass, there looked to be some very faint stubble there, but nothing major and I saved irritation because I didn't need extra passes (this is something I need to work on to get that very clean shaven look).
The best part of the shave was when I reached my chin. The Boots DE tended to stop on the curve of my chin, I'd need to apply some extra pressure or 'hack' at it (that term sounds a lot worse than I was actually doing). The SS glided down my chin with no effort at all. (I know it wasn't the blade because it was the same one I had used in my previous shave in the Boots DE).
I'm still struggling not to cause irritation around my adams apple area and the sides of my neck could do with getting a closer shave, but again - this is something I haven't put much thought or practice into.
Thanks to FenchBlade for supplying the SS. Although I may upgrade and get something more 'bling' in the future, I can see this razor being apart of my collection forever. I'm still amazed to think it is approximately 60 years old and looks/feels/works like it does.
Very pleased!! :shave
To any newbie thinking of getting a DE, you definitely want one of these. No harm in starting with the cheap Boots DE to see if you like the concept of single blade shaving... but the quicker you get to the SS the better
I had my first shave with my new (new to me) Gillette 40s Superspeed. Impressed? VERY.
I had used a Merkur Super blade on the Boots DE for one shave, so I decided to make sure I gave the SS a fair test that I will use the same blade (not a new one, or a different brand). I also left it a day inbetween shaving so I had a little more stubble for the shave (I often get rashes if I shave days in a row).
The weight of it felt great, the handle is a little shorter than the Boots DE which I thought would cause problems... but it didn't.
I was unsure whether to tighten the the mechanism right up, or leave it lose (when it is tight the blade bends round the grip slightly). I tried both, and it definitely 'sounded' and 'felt' much better when the grip was tight. I also didn't feel any 'shake' from the little twist mechanism on the handle when shaking the blade in the water.
I didn't try anything new, or fancy with the SS. I just proceeded to shave like I normally would. As soon as I fonud the right angle for the blade to rest on my face, the SS done the rest. The weight of it just pulled my hand down my face. I didn't feel myself tugging, or pulling and there is a definite improvement in sound. It may seem silly, but the Boots DE didn't sound like it was slicing those hairs all of the time, but the SS definitely sounded like a crystal clean shave.
I only done one pass on most parts of my face, a couple of touch ups here and there. And I was impressed with the result. It felt very smooth. Because I only done one pass, there looked to be some very faint stubble there, but nothing major and I saved irritation because I didn't need extra passes (this is something I need to work on to get that very clean shaven look).
The best part of the shave was when I reached my chin. The Boots DE tended to stop on the curve of my chin, I'd need to apply some extra pressure or 'hack' at it (that term sounds a lot worse than I was actually doing). The SS glided down my chin with no effort at all. (I know it wasn't the blade because it was the same one I had used in my previous shave in the Boots DE).
I'm still struggling not to cause irritation around my adams apple area and the sides of my neck could do with getting a closer shave, but again - this is something I haven't put much thought or practice into.
Thanks to FenchBlade for supplying the SS. Although I may upgrade and get something more 'bling' in the future, I can see this razor being apart of my collection forever. I'm still amazed to think it is approximately 60 years old and looks/feels/works like it does.
Very pleased!! :shave
To any newbie thinking of getting a DE, you definitely want one of these. No harm in starting with the cheap Boots DE to see if you like the concept of single blade shaving... but the quicker you get to the SS the better