Beware of the power of the Slim

[clayglen]

Newest trial razor came in. I'm always looking to try another wiz bang, sexier, newer, neater razor. I received today and new (1963) slim. Woohoo. Let's fire this bad boy up.
Well the two fat boys I have didn't even cut whiskers until above 4 so lets start with 3 on this one. Yikes... how about a new blade... yikes... ok how about dial it down to 1.
I'm sure the wise and the well read would have known that the slim is much more aggressive than the fat boys but me, the chowder head that I can be sometimes, I just thought they were cool and as the fat boy and the executive fatty didn't move me. I had to have a slim.
I'm sure my neck will forgive me with time but a slim is much more of a biter than I was expecting.
Anyone have any experience with the Merkur 1904 open comb. How does it compare to the 23C as far as aggressiveness?
Hmmm... which one next?

 

[dcobranchi]

I'm not one of the wise, nor will I tell you that the Slim is more aggressive than the FB. Are you sure the razor isn't damaged? A Slim on 1 is down in Tech territory. Pics might help to diagnose the problem.

 

[clayglen]

I'm not one of the wise, nor will I tell you that the Slim is more aggressive than the FB. Are you sure the razor isn't damaged? A Slim on 1 is down in Tech territory. Pics might help to diagnose the problem.

I like my 58 SS so that gives you an idea of what sort of aggressiveness I like. I wouldn't say it was ungodly... just not as mild as I was expecting and not being careful expecting it to be a pussycat.

As far as being damaged. Well it seems odd to me that the tto knob seems to want to screw down before opening the doors. If you hold it up it works fine but if you tug it down it seems like it slips out of it's happy spot and leaves a gap and closes the doors. I suspect there must have been some sort of stop that's past it's prime. All in all it's a good quality user grade, some color left in the numbers and no visible brassing. There is a spot of dark corrosion when that knob pulls down and some spotting on the adjuster dial.

Any idea what the colors are supposed to be on the springs or indicator marks on adjustables On one of my fat boys it's red, all the rest are black. What up wid dat?

I think I've hit my limit on vintage. I may acquire a new one or two and then...

Regards

 

[dfigz]

Could also depend on what blade you are using in your slim. I like the Personna med/lab preps for me on setting 3.

 

[dcobranchi]

Well it seems odd to me that the tto knob seems to want to screw down before opening the doors.

Dropped knob syndrome?

https://www.google.com/webhp?source...qf.&fp=2bfa96fe02dccb7&ion=1&biw=1680&bih=903

One other thought: The razor may be overclocked. Again, pics of the blade gaps with the razor set on 1 might help.

https://www.google.com/webhp?source...qf.&fp=2bfa96fe02dccb7&ion=1&biw=1680&bih=903

 

[Sir Lurkalot]

I'm sure the wise and the well read would have known that the slim is much more aggressive than the fat boys

Generally it's the other way around. The Fat Boy is the more aggressive of the two, however slight.

 

[clayglen]

Dropped knob syndrome?

https://www.google.com/webhp?source...qf.&fp=2bfa96fe02dccb7&ion=1&biw=1680&bih=903

One other thought: The razor may be overclocked. Again, pics of the blade gaps with the razor set on 1 might help.

https://www.google.com/webhp?source...qf.&fp=2bfa96fe02dccb7&ion=1&biw=1680&bih=903

Well here's the pic... just looking at the gap there doesn't look to be much difference. The Fat boy has to be dialed up to 6 and then it still doesn't get BBS, first shave with the slim... started at 3 and dialed it DOWN. I got a nice shave but a couple careless nics. I've yet to be cut with any razor I've tried, burned yes, cut no.


The last pic is of the exec compared to the standard FB... neither shave particularly well IMO. When compared to my SS... same blade, same soap, same technique. The Super is painless, great shaves nearly every time with out any concern. The Fat boys... neither hardly cut a hair until 3 or more above 5 they get harsh so I gave them a rest and went back to my SS.

Well that's all I know.

Really? A hose clap will apply enough pressure?

Thanks for the input.

Regards,
John

 

[mblakele]

Someone might have overclocked that slim, perhaps while trying to fix the dropped knob. There are quite a few overclocking threads out there: http://badgerandblade.com/vb/showthread.php/108682-slim-adjustable-only-adjusts-to-7 has some good advice. And I might as well quote Bob, to keep his name alive:

Turn it down to 1 the take a paperclip or small screwdriver and press on the little red tab while turning the knob down past 1.

 

[clayglen]

Someone might have overclocked that slim, perhaps while trying to fix the dropped knob. There are quite a few overclocking threads out there: http://badgerandblade.com/vb/showthread.php/108682-slim-adjustable-only-adjusts-to-7 has some good advice. And I might as well quote Bob, to keep his name alive:

One post suggested that overclocking a FB would cause it to not go full travel. If that is true and true for the slim... this one goes stop to stop no dramas.

 

[Rothman]

I run mine full open and wish it had more....
I don't consider it aggressive at all, even set at 9.
Maybe I'm a bit over the deep end on aggressive razors but they work better for me.
From all that I've read, the slim and FB are supposed to be pretty much the same as far as adjustments go.

 

[clayglen]

Well that's indeed the case on this one. Overclock it and it runs out of travel.
It seems to me one of the quirks of vintage is you inherit the history with them. ie bent bars, dropped knobs, etc. One of my fat boys had uneven bars, a gentle tap and it was groovy.
It also seem more than the opening affect the aggressiveness and enjoyment of the shave. Some like aggressive but a x angle of the head. Some consider "a" blade exposure to be ideal and 'b' worthless. With the few razors I've played with, gap between the bar and blade exposure affect the aggressiveness. I also suspect the geometry makes a difference in shave quality.
On a sad note, my reading today has taught me how to crimp the adjuster down and to disassemble slim and FB razors. Which I did now need a new spring for my slim.
http://vintagesaws.com/fatboy/fatboy.html
If you go by this... I would suggest not twisting the head off on a I3 slim to unseat the collet. That seemed to twist my wee little spring in a most unhealthy manner. On the plus side it's tarnish free and squeaky clean on the inside. Now to source a new spring before crimping the dropping knob. (sigh)