One of the few Superspeeds we have come across that has a date code, although the ones with a date stamp are the newer models, they do seem to pop up less, maybe it has all to do with production capacity as Gillette also started to produce the Milord and Black tipped razors over this period. The Gillette 40's style Super speed razor was introduced in 1950 and produced for 4 years up to 1954. This is still one of the firm favourites amongst Gillette fans. It is another great 'middle of the road' razor, easy to use for first timers, mild shaving action and good efficiency, with the ability to give a closer shave when doing strokes across and against the grain. It obviously offers a good dose of 'I-wonder-who-has-shaved-with-this-before' and 'I-wonder-what-this-razor-has-seen-in-it's-lifetime' nostalgia, always a pulling factor with the vintage stuff. This razor has fine knurling on a relative thin handle, but one does get the impression that the head seems to be made of heavier metal than most modern TTO razors.
The razor has a TTO (twist to open) function, enabled by twisting the bottom dail anti-clockwise to open the doors, and clockwise to close the doors once the blade is loaded.
The razor is in good condition with no damage apart from expected wear and tear. It comes in the correct case and has a blade dispenser that is representative of the offerings at the time, the case has a crack of about 2 cm, but apart from that it looks well and functions like it should. This razor has a patina that looks a lot like brushed stainless steel that I quite liked, so no buffing on this guy after the cleanup, feel free to give it a go if you like them shiny and flashy.
This razor weighs 57 grams and stands 83 mm high.