Aristocrat vs Fatboy

[warhawk]

Hi Gents: I hope all is well with you & your families. Just wanted to know your thoughts on the Aristocrat vs Fatboy. . . The Fatboy is my favorite vintage razor (set at #7) but I have never tried an Aristocrat.

For those who tried both. . . how do they compare? Do you like the Aristocrat better or the Fatboy? Thanks in advance and looking forward to hearing your inputs on these legendary razors.


WARHAWK

 

[Foyle]

I can tell you that the Aristocrat, I assume you mean the late 40's early 50's style Aristocrat, will be very mild, much more so that your Fatboy on 7. The Aristocrat approaches Tech mildness. Think Super Speed but more comfortable feeling on the face and more efficient.

 

[taco8slo]

I don't like adjustable razors for some reason, never really liked the shaves from the Fatboy (admittedly I didn't give it much chance, YMMV), though I really enjoy the shaves from the late 40's Aristocrat, I find the shaves similar to the Red Tip or the Rocket HD variants (heavy, middle, light, Monobloc, #58...).

 

[dgilman]

I don't know which Aristocrat you may be thinking of, but I prefer my Fat Boy to both the 1930s open-comb and the 1940s Aristocrats. I also prefer the Fat boy to the Slim, and the 1960s Aristocrat was a gold-plated Slim.

 

[Dalejr]

I never cared much for either but that's just me.

 

[Copierguy]

Both are great shaves, but if I could only have one, it would be the FatBoy. The adjustability is just plain handy. Yesterday I was outside most of the day and ended up with "rosy cheeks". Not a problem for the FatBoy today, just back it down a setting or two. Other than not having adjustability though the 40s Aristocrats are great shaves.

 

[shavefreak]

Attractive, sexy, classy. very mild = Aristocrat | in it's case it's beautiful.

Balanced, clunky, dull finish (nickel exception) flexible, mild and aggressive = Fatboy

Fatboy for shaving, Aristocrat for looks, Nickel Fatboy the winner.

 

[Mojo88]

It's a toss up.. Both are great razors and have advanatages and are can't miss shavers. If I had to pick one it would be the Fatboy, it gives options..

 

[gruntedshaves]

I love my fat boy. I hardly use it now. but Its my favorite safety razor. ive gone into straights now.

 

[santamariasteve]

Comparing a Gillette Fat Boy with a Gillette Aristocrat is like comparing oranges with oranges. They shave very similar and they feel very similar, in my hand and on my face. The only significant difference is that the Fat Boy is an adjustable and the Aristocrat is not.

I routinely use an aggresssive Feather blade in both, and I set the Fat One at a "5" setting. With any other blade I use a "6" setting. BTW my Aristocrat is a 1950 model and my Fat Guy is a 1960 manufacture. My beard is fairly coarse.

 

[chilliman64]

I prefer the aristocrat to the fattie

 

[GlennConti]

I have a President which I am guessing is similar to an Aristocrat and a couple of Fatboys. I got to say the adjustability of the FB wins the day. The President is like a Fatboy for me at "4" and I do a dial down shave "7-7-5" with the FB. The President would be better (because of simplicity) than the FB only if you liked a "4-4-4" shave. That would just be pure luck. Of course blade selection does matter too. Maybe it is simpler to keep the razor fixed and just vary the blade. No, I got to say the Fattie is the winner here (ymmv).

 

[Gary H]

My vote is for the FB as you can adjust as you go.

 

[kingfisher]

Fatboy. Not close.

 

[tlgreg]

I'm a recent fan of the Aristocrat, it feels mild to me but I seem to get a better shave with it than I do with other mild razors. That said, the FB is a great adjustable so if I had to choose one I'd go with a Slim Adjustable.

 

[Alphonse]

The Crat is something you use when you're not in an aggressive mood, but maybe more of a snobby mood. That is if you have minty Crat in a box like me. Both are really nice to use.

 

[mainaman]

Any ne tried adjustable Aristocrat , looks pretty similar to Fatboy, how is the shave compared?

 

[Jeff_H]

I absolutely love the look and feel of the Aristocrat, and I own 2 Aristocrats and one Fat Boy. However, I've not had a singularly worse shave than my very first shave with the Aristocrat. I chalk that up to me trying a brand new type of blade for me in a brand new razor, which is never a good idea. The Aristocrat is exceeding mild and I used entirely too much pressure to compensate....like an idiot. I haven't shaved with it again. I've shaved with my FB twice, and got two decent, but not great shaves.

I've got to give both some more serious face time before passing judgement on either. However, I think I am quickly discovering that I am an open comb guy. Therefore, I want a 30's OC Aristocrat.

 

[TerryF]

I prefer my Aristocrat over my Slim Adjustable but I don't have a Fatboy. As someone said earlier though the Aristocrat seems really mild but I get a BBS and long lasting shave with it. It's not my favorite but I always enjoy shaving with it.

 

[UW_Badger]

I have both a Fatboy and a SB Aristocrat. I use both regularly. I would say that the Fatboy on 4 or 5 is roughly equivalent to the Aristocrat. Both give great shaves. If you use the Fatboy on 7 then I think you will find the Aristocrat to be on the mild side. Do a shave with your Fatboy on 4 and see what you think. At that point you basically have a Aristocrat from a performance stand point. That said, of course, you need both.