Gillette "195" on eBay

[piperc]

Hi all,

Someone is trying to pass off a Fat Boy adjustable as a model 195 on eBay.

Here is the link:http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=190011332940&ssPageName=ADME:B:SS:US:1

 

[With The Grain]

....

 

[Jonnybc]

Is a 195 worth significantly more than a Fatboy?

 

[With The Grain]

...

 

[yasuo200365]

As far as we know only three 195's have turned up on e-bay & you don't find it referred to in the collector books.

It shares the same head as the Toggle, but is considerably rarer than that razor.

So Yes, it is likely to reach a bit more than the Fat-Boy should one turn up.

Regards
John

 

[Jonnybc]

Thanks guys. I know nothing about Gillettes, as you are now aware!

 

[Jim]

The attached photo is of the little paper pamphlet that came with many 59-60-61 fat boy models.(may be more I am not sure)
I am not a Gillette historian so I have no idea why-The photos are clearly a standard model. If I was selling a razor on ebay and the paper said it was a 195 what would I think? (if I did not know better) so don't be to hard on people.

Jim

If you want a high res scan of this send me your e-mail and I will send it out.
JFR

 

[tonyespo]

I have emailed Gillette and even sent a picture of the 195 and asked about it and they never replied. I also asked about the D-1 Toggle and sent a picture of it with the date code stamped in it and again no reply from Gillette. It's interesting that they made razors that made it to the market but Gillette won't admit they made them or give any history of them.

Tony Espo

 

[yasuo200365]

Just crap customer service I'm afraid.

Regards
John

 

[NMMB]

Just crap customer service I'm afraid.

Regards
John

I don't doubt that Gillette has "crap customer service", as you so succinctly put it, but to be fair (and no, I don't know why I would want to be fair to Gilette) how many companies do you suppose spend much time with customer service/questions for products that they stopped producing a half of a century ago (or longer in the case of some of these DEs)?

 

[With The Grain]

...

 

[Jim]

I have emailed Gillette and even sent a picture of the 195 and asked about it and they never replied. I also asked about the D-1 Toggle and sent a picture of it with the date code stamped in it and again no reply from Gillette. It's interesting that they made razors that made it to the market but Gillette won't admit they made them or give any history of them.

Tony Espo

So right you are . As collectors we examine things on a level that when the items are current would be unimaginable, say palm pilots for an example we buy them use them for a while then toss them when the battery goes bad.
In 50 years do you think Palm will field questions about a product that is from a business perspective obsolete for decades, would they store record of how many champaign colored ones were sold , Many collector clubs are actively supported by company's to build loyalty base in this case the more DE fans there are the LESS business Gillette will have , any way my point is the Gillette company says thats a 195 - does anyone know what a fat boy really is I mean model # wise.. My first point was to give the seller a break she/he only wrote whats on the slip of paper in the box.
Jim

 

[cooncatbob]

4 hours left and still no biddder for a nice Fatboy. He doesn't accept paypal so that may be his problem. I'd bid on it if he did, but it's not worth the hassle to get a MO and such.

 

[rustyblade]

We've seen those instructions before with a fat boy and they certainly lead to confusion.

 

[jfm]

I don't doubt that Gillette has "crap customer service", as you so succinctly put it, but to be fair (and no, I don't know why I would want to be fair to Gilette) how many companies do you suppose spend much time with customer service/questions for products that they stopped producing a half of a century ago (or longer in the case of some of these DEs)?

BMW has its "Mobile Tradition" division. It's unlikely that us wetshavers will ever add up to the number of Beemer- & Bimmerphiles, but it would certainly give Gillette a good marketing tool to consider something like that.

 

[Jonnybc]

BMW has its "Mobile Tradition" division. It's unlikely that us wetshavers will ever add up to the number of Beemer- & Bimmerphiles, but it would certainly give Gillette a good marketing tool to consider something like that.

True but I think Gillette would prefer we DE shavers stayed on the fringes. They're altogether more interested in marketing the next X blade razor so the stock holders get a return on their investment, Having a historic razors dept will only cost money.

 

[jfm]

True but I think Gillette would prefer we DE shavers stayed on the fringes. They're altogether more interested in marketing the next X blade razor so the stock holders get a return on their investment, Having a historic razors dept will only cost money.

That is true, unless Gillette (now P&G I guess) figures out that they can start selling FatBoy Mach 1's for crazy sums of cash!

 

[Jonnybc]

That is true, unless Gillette (now P&G I guess) figures out that they can start selling FatBoy Mach 1's for crazy sums of cash!

I think we'd buy them. Look at the Merkur Vision, it's around $100 in the US or £60 to £70 in the UK and lots of us have a vision purely on the basis that expensive means good, an individual never really knows how well a razor will shave or what would be the best blade combination until he starts shaving wuth the razor concerned. Now, if Gillette startes selling new Fatboy, Aristocats and Toggles priced between say $40-$70 I'd probably end up with all three.

 

[AJS]

Has anybody here actually shaved with a 195? Are there any distinct differences between this razor and the other adjustables?

 

[jfm]

I forgot to add that it can be amusing watching the seller's replies to people who point out that it isn't a 195. Usually it goes almost exactly like the linked auction above.