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1961 G1 Gillette Fatboy

garyg

B&B membership has its percs
Depends a bit on which SS you are enjoying - there's a good amount of difference between a 40's SS, the various color tips, and etc. I'd start the FB on a lower setting, maybe #3
 

nemo

Lunatic Fringe
Staff member
As above, probably a 3 or maybe 4 but why try to replicate a Super Speed? You've now got a big ol' Fatboy, open it up!
 
The name of the game is not to seek and to shave with the most aggressive setting possible with an adjustable razor; rather, our goal is to find the setting that gives the individual the maximum bang for the buck for a shave that is comfortable and close.

For most persons that probably will be between settings 4 and 6 on the Fat Boy dial. Consider the dial of 1 to 9 on the Fat Boy as a statistical "bell shaped curve." Most shavers are in the middle, within 4 to 6, with progressive individual decreases in preferences towards the 9 and towards the 1.
 
Due to the weight and size of a Fatboy versus a Super Speed, it would be a comparison of apples to oranges. However, there is a chart out there that compares the Fatboy to other razors. I think the Super Speed blade gap is similar to a Fatboy set on 3.
 
Due to the weight and size of a Fatboy versus a Super Speed, it would be a comparison of apples to oranges. However, there is a chart out there that compares the Fatboy to other razors. I think the Super Speed blade gap is similar to a Fatboy set on 3.
But which Super Speed? Red Tip, Flare Tip, Blue Tip, Black Tip, or something else?

I would suggest the "middle of the road" Flare Tip would be comparable to a 4 on a Fat Boy, but YMMV. This is the kind of question that knowledgeable persons can honestly disagree on. At the end, only the individual questioner can decide the answer for himself.

Also, the depth of the gap is only one element of a complicated equation that compares the aggression and the effectiveness of safety razors. Other considerations include the length of blade exposure, weight of razor, differences in blades, thickness of handle, and probably more.
 
Enjoy the Fatboy for what it is, not what it can mimic. Start at “5” and go up or down and discover what YOU like. I prefer mine at the higher settings, between 7 and 9, but it is your razor and your face - have some fun with it!
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ajkel64

Check Out Chick
Staff member
I like the weight of the Fatboy. Looking forward to the photos when it arrives.
 
The other advantage of the adjustables is that you can change aggression during the shave. Just remember to loosen the handle before adjusting otherwise you will damage the razor.

Personally, with the fatboy, I will go 3, 4, 5 for my normal 3 passes.

If I want a 2-pass just DFS, I will go 5, 7 for 2 passes and then 6 for touch-ups.
 

EclipseRedRing

I smell like a Christmas pudding
Just remember to loosen the handle before adjusting otherwise you will damage the razor.
I thought that too but apparently it is not true, you will not damage the razor by not loosening the handle prior to adjustment. That said, if I still used an adjustable then I would loosen it before adjustment.

 
The "loosen the doors before adjusting to avoid damage" is internet lore. You can do what you want, and it certainly won't hurt anything to loosen the doors first, but it was never in the Gillette instructions. Captain Murphy, who serviced more than a few Gillette adjustables, also said it was not required somewhere in his lengthy Gillette Fatboy Cleanup thread.

 
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