Looking to buy my first vintage safety razor

[Razorburn92]

I'm thinking about buying a Gillette vintage safety razor. I really like the idea of the adjustable ones...So to all you experts who have both of these, what's the difference between the Gillette Adjustable Super Speed and Fat Boy? I don't know too much about vintage safetys, so which one would you recommend?

 

[DrTerror]

I have Fatboy,Slim,and a Super adjustable (Black Beauty),and a couple of Super Speeds,and although it is a very close call between the 3 adjustables,I would rate them like this...

3 - Fatboy - Pros - Top notch build quality,looks good,feels great to use,holds/increases its value if looked after. - Cons - Shave quality not quite as good as the other 2,expensive to begin with.

2 - Super Adjustable - Pros - Looks and shaves great,holds/increases it value if looked after. - Cons - Aluminium handle rots from inside,still expensive,black on handle can be hard to keep black,plastic baseplate on later models.

1 - Slim Adjustable - Pros - Top notch build quality,a very nice one can be got cheaper than either of the above,looks good,feels great to use,shave quality is the best of the 3 (IMO). - Cons - None I can think of.

Super Speed - (non adjustable) - Pros - very mild,smooth,easy to use razor,shaves well,loads to choose from,most models cheaper than any of the above. - Cons - A bit too mild for some,an SS is like an adjustable turned to between 1-3,black handled ones suffer same handle rot as the Super Adjustable (I think).

Obviously YMMV on most of what I have said when it come to my opinion on the shave quality of the above!.

 

[s869010]

You can start from finding acceptable priced (IMHO less then 30USD) Gillette slim adjustable.

 

[BSAGuy]

Good summary. I'd suggest a Slim for best all around combination of build quality, price, and design.

I have Fatboy,Slim,and a Super adjustable (Black Beauty),and a couple of Super Speeds,and although it is a very close call between the 3 adjustables,I would rate them like this...

3 - Fatboy - Pros - Top notch build quality,looks good,feels great to use,holds/increases its value if looked after. - Cons - Shave quality not quite as good as the other 2,expensive to begin with.

2 - Super Adjustable - Pros - Looks and shaves great,holds/increases it value if looked after. - Cons - Aluminium handle rots from inside,still expensive,black on handle can be hard to keep black,plastic baseplate on later models.

1 - Slim Adjustable - Pros - Top notch build quality,a very nice one can be got cheaper than either of the above,looks good,feels great to use,shave quality is the best of the 3 (IMO). - Cons - None I can think of.

Super Speed - (non adjustable) - Pros - very mild,smooth,easy to use razor,shaves well,loads to choose from,most models cheaper than any of the above. - Cons - A bit too mild for some,an SS is like an adjustable turned to between 1-3,black handled ones suffer same handle rot as the Super Adjustable (I think).

Obviously YMMV on most of what I have said when it come to my opinion on the shave quality of the above!.

 

[DaltonGang]

If you have the money, then get the Fat Boy. If the budget is tight, get the Slim.
If you get a Slim, you will always be wondering, if you made the right choice, and you will eventually buy a Fat Boy Razor. So, cut to the chase and get the Fatty.

 

[demaro]

Cannot go wrong with any of the Gillette Adjustibles IMO

 

[zygalski]

I prefer the Slim to the Fatboy. The head on the Fatboy is more rounded, so the correct angle isn't as intuitive for me as it is with the Slim.
I know the Fatboy gets most of the press, but I reckon far more people would be raving about Slims if they were rarer.

 

[Pepin]

I have both the Fatboy and the Slim, while they are nice razors with a good weight they do not shave as well for me as my other vintage razors.

My New, Old, '40's Superspeed, Aristocrat Jr. provide better shaves for me.

As always these things are a YMMV, and you need to try them for yourself to see what works best for you.

The New, Old, '40's Superspeed will be cheaper to find than the adjustable razors.

 

[Rival178]

I've been doing this for about a month, and I'm having the best luck so far with the gillette fat handle tech, it's a nice mild shave and it's not adjustable which makes you focus on technique instead of having to many moving pieces.

 

[Razorburn92]

I've been doing this for about a month, and I'm having the best luck so far with the gillette fat handle tech, it's a nice mild shave and it's not adjustable which makes you focus on technique instead of having to many moving pieces.

Thank you all for your very helpful advice about the different razors. It's kinda funny you mentioned the Fat handle tech as I was up last night looking at some. They are mild but great shavers from what I can tell. I think I might start out on the low end budget wise to start up my vintage collection. I don't have a hundred dollars to blow on a fat boy...didn't know they were that much lol

 

[dionesius3]

Thank you all for your very helpful advice about the different razors. It's kinda funny you mentioned the Fat handle tech as I was up last night looking at some. They are mild but great shavers from what I can tell. I think I might start out on the low end budget wise to start up my vintage collection. I don't have a hundred dollars to blow on a fat boy...didn't know they were that much lol

Look for a Gillette NEW open comb razor. They are not that expensive and they are in my opinion the very best design Gillette ever produced.

 

[Razorburn92]

I went ahead an got a Tech fat handle..should be here in a few weeks hopefully. How does one upload images to a post?

 

[JOYCEfromNS]

I went ahead an got a Tech fat handle..should be here in a few weeks hopefully. How does one upload images to a post?

A few weeks?? Wheres it coming from ISS?

 

[Michael Spotts]

Look at your local Flea market, yard sales and or antique shops for your next one. Ohio is bound to have some good treasures around.

 

[Copierguy]

I went ahead an got a Tech fat handle..should be here in a few weeks hopefully. How does one upload images to a post?

Look at this.

 

[Rival178]

Great choice!

 

[Razorburn92]

Thanks for the help with the pictures! Anyway, I ordered it off ebay, and the guy said he won't be able to ship it for a few days. And under that it said ships 5 buisness days? So we'll see. Oh and I've been to every antique shop and flea market around....had no luck finding anything.

 

[zygalski]

FH Techs are great razors.
You'll probably get better shaves from the sharper blades like Feather, Polsilver SI & Gillette Indian Blacks.

 

[CaptainTime]

My favourite vintage is the Gillette Aristocrat. I liked my first one (46/47) so much I purchased a second slightly smaller one (41) for travel.

 

[Razorburn92]

When I have more $ I'll buy a Fatboy or slim. But for now, I think this is good enough. I sure hope it arrives in good condition and provides a good shave. I ordered Gillette Silver Blues, and Wilkinson Sword blades to try. So with those I think I'll have a good idea of what works best. I have the Feathers and the Astra now, both work pretty good. I'll try to snap a pic and show you guys the razor once I get it. I'm sure I'll have questions on how to clean it. It had visable green corrosion on the plate that screws onto the handle so we'll see.