I'll be the first to say that the Fat Boy is my favorite razor in my arsenal. I do hear a lot of bad reviews regarding this razor, and Gillette adjustable razors in general. If this applies to you, what is it about them that doesn't work for you? What other adjustable razors, vintage or modern, do you prefer instead?
Gillette Fat Boys not doing it for ya?
- Thread starter AtomicPunk421
- Start date
I used mine for the first time yesterday night, with my favorite blade(GSB). I have been using a 40's SS for most of my near 5 months of wet shaving, and the Fat Boy is very different. The razor is heavier, and the extra weight is in the handle. The handle is thicker, and it balances differently. It was very cool to be able to dial it down after the first pass, and it's a nice razor in its own right. I can pick up one of my techs and it's the same feel as the SS, so I prefer those two razors. Since I'm still a noob at de shaving those are ideal razors for me anyhow.
I have a Black Beauty Adjustable and i have no issues with it. I don't know where the bad reviews about adjustables are. Seems to me that most are 50-50 when it comes to FB's...some people love and others not so much. I've read a few threads that give the impression that they are over-rated. Matter of fact, I think a lot of members here prefer the Black Beautys and Slims over the FB's. As they say, YMMV but I really don't think Adjustables are getting a bad rap here!
I have a Fatboy but I don't care for it. I also don't like the Slim or Super Adjustable razors. The shave is not as good as what I get from Gillette 3-piece razors. Not even close.
I see the introduction of adjustables as the beginning of Gillette's long slide into gimmickry. The problem is that they had perfected the razor with the New or the Tech. Once you had one of those, you didn't need any other razor for life. They're so good, in fact, that I'll be able to hand down my 1930s Tech to my son. And he'll be able to do the same.
Not so great for Gillette but fantastic for the consumer.
I see the introduction of adjustables as the beginning of Gillette's long slide into gimmickry. The problem is that they had perfected the razor with the New or the Tech. Once you had one of those, you didn't need any other razor for life. They're so good, in fact, that I'll be able to hand down my 1930s Tech to my son. And he'll be able to do the same.
Not so great for Gillette but fantastic for the consumer.
I own several Slims, a Black Beauty, a Toggle, a New, several Super Speeds, several Techs and a Fat Boy. I prefer the Fat Boy. I use it daily. The others mainly ride in a drawer as collection pieces.
I take everything with a grain of salt and a bit of skepticism. This includes the almost unanimous accolade for Gillette Fat Boys.
I was looking for a jumping off point before I started out and the majority of what I saw, on here and other places on the internets, was a bunch of people singing the praises and raving about Gillette adjustables (particularly the "Fat Boys"), Feather blades, and any shaving soap or cream over $5.
I don't know what kind of shaving advantage a Fat Boy gives aside from costing an average of 3 times what I paid for 2 Super Speeds.
Had I dove in head first and just gotten a Fat Boy and some Feathers not only would I be out a ton of money that could've been used on other things, but I'd have turned my face into cold-cut lunch meat and most likely never DE shaved again.
I was looking for a jumping off point before I started out and the majority of what I saw, on here and other places on the internets, was a bunch of people singing the praises and raving about Gillette adjustables (particularly the "Fat Boys"), Feather blades, and any shaving soap or cream over $5.
I don't know what kind of shaving advantage a Fat Boy gives aside from costing an average of 3 times what I paid for 2 Super Speeds.
Had I dove in head first and just gotten a Fat Boy and some Feathers not only would I be out a ton of money that could've been used on other things, but I'd have turned my face into cold-cut lunch meat and most likely never DE shaved again.
I own quite a few razors. I have tried most of them, from DE to SE. For DE shaving, it's the Fat Boy, with the Slim Adjustable a very close second, due to the weight. For SE shaving, I prefer the 1912 models. I do constantly try others, and I compare them to the Fat Boy. The Gillette Triangle Techs are good shavers, but just doesn't feel right, for me. I am currently awaiting a Schick Injector razor, from the evil "EBAY". I want to see what all the hoopla is about, over in the SE forum. This too will be compared to the Fat Boy.
I bought the FB and Slim when they first came out. I have used them ever since and for me they provide a great shave.
I can't speak to the Fat Boy as I haven't stumbled on one in my price range when I was in the market; however, my '79 Super Adjustable gives close, comfortable shaves and I keep it in regular rotation. My go-to razor though, is my "Early" (pre-war) Fat Handle Tech -- no matter what the product I use for lather, hot water or cold; it is a solid performer.
It's been a long time since I've pulled out the Fatboy. As I recall, it shaved very well and I enjoyed it, but think that I preferred the Slim slightly better.
My working theory about why some people don't care for Fatboys, or other later vintage razors is that many of us (waving hand, because I am guilty of this) end up switching between razors too often. Unlike our father and grandfather's generation, we tend to build collections of razors and are constantly dialing in the particular qualities of each different razors.
Earlier, pre-internet, generations of wet shavers simply dialed in the one razor that they owned and got great shaves every morning.
My working theory about why some people don't care for Fatboys, or other later vintage razors is that many of us (waving hand, because I am guilty of this) end up switching between razors too often. Unlike our father and grandfather's generation, we tend to build collections of razors and are constantly dialing in the particular qualities of each different razors.
Earlier, pre-internet, generations of wet shavers simply dialed in the one razor that they owned and got great shaves every morning.
+1
I have a 1959 FatBoy. I tried it, with different blades for a few days at a time, then I used it for a week straight.
While I would not say it gave a bad shave, but as stated in the quote above, I get much better shave from my 3 piece razors (New and Old), and my SuperSpeed and Aristocrat SB razors.
Again it is a YMMV situation.
Im love my slim and now growing fond of my red tip would like to try a fat boy in the future but the prices are ridiculous and I can't imagine it being so much better than t y d slim, the only difference being the weight and I find the slims weight perfect. Until I find an fb within my budget, there's a lot of razor id like to try.
Hey, it does not work this way.Anyone that doesn't like their Fat Boy I would gladly take it off your hands
There's a special section where we discuss this matter.
They look nice & the build quality is exceptional. That is as good as it gets for me.
I tried to love my Fatboy. I rescued a D4 that was in terrible cosmetic shape & had it properly restored.
The blade gaps were consistent & true, but 2 things about the shave basically made it not for me.
1) the head is way too bulky for my liking. Clunky or cumbersome are words that spring to mind. Not the best thing to use on those awkward areas.
2) jack of all trades, master of none. Settings 1-4 seemed to mild to me. 5-7 felt like they should have been ok, but I never did get a good shave. 8 & 9 just felt harsh.
By the way, I consistently get fantastic shaves from my Tech, DE89, Weber PH, Red Tip, Old & New Types so I doubt it's a technique issue.
For me the Fatboy is by far the single most over rated DE razor out there.
I tried to love my Fatboy. I rescued a D4 that was in terrible cosmetic shape & had it properly restored.
The blade gaps were consistent & true, but 2 things about the shave basically made it not for me.
1) the head is way too bulky for my liking. Clunky or cumbersome are words that spring to mind. Not the best thing to use on those awkward areas.
2) jack of all trades, master of none. Settings 1-4 seemed to mild to me. 5-7 felt like they should have been ok, but I never did get a good shave. 8 & 9 just felt harsh.
By the way, I consistently get fantastic shaves from my Tech, DE89, Weber PH, Red Tip, Old & New Types so I doubt it's a technique issue.
For me the Fatboy is by far the single most over rated DE razor out there.
I'm not a huge fan of any TTO. They're ok, but I seem to get better results with just about any 3-piece. I have a Fatboy, Slim, and SA. Of those, I probably like the Slim best but even it gets used rarely. I occasionally break out the Fatboy and give it a week or so to grow on me but it just never seems to.
Because if something simpler and cheaper works just as well or better (Gillette NEW, R41 head, Fatip, Tech, etc. all range from a bit to way cheaper than a Fatboy), I don't see much reason to bother. My black beauty worked fine (and I loved how it looked), but my favorite 3-piece razors equal or slightly surpass it without having as many moving parts. Plus there's the frustration that 90% of adjustables will have uneven blade gaps or door issues.
For me, the advantage the FatBoy provides is weight and a more comfortable handle. The fatter handle is mush easier to grip and the weight of the whole thing makes shaving easier and more comfortable.
I know a lot of people say they like the Slim and the Super better than the Fat, and I tried, but I do not prefer them. And as much as I want to like the Super (being a birthyear razor for me), I just don't like it near as much as the Fat, due to its lighter weight. I suspect the main reason a lot of people prefer the Slim and Super is the longer handles. But that is not a plus for me since I choke up on the razor and hold them on the upper half of the razor, sometimes right below the head. So the longer handle throws the balance off, for me, a bit.
90%, really? I've had many adjustables pass through my hands and I find issues to be in the minority, not the majority.
Similar threads
