In the deal I got on the Aristocrat, the guy also threw in a Ball End Tech with stripped threads on the head piece (the head is the version with the big Gillette logo etched in it). I have a Fat Handle Tech and earlier tonight I switched out the handles to see how it felt. I really like the ball version, it feels very solid in my hand. It adds some nice weight to the razor that the fat handle doesn't offer. This might make me like my Tech more.
I've seen recommendations to avoid the later aluminum version, though. Seems that balance is gone with the lighter metal.
Strangest thing: Since I put the newly-acquired ball handle on my '38-'45 Tech, its original fat handle suddenly had no place to go. Just for grins, I tried screwing the fat handle to the (supposedly stripped) head that came with the ball handle and it tightened up no problem. Weird. Looks like I have two working Techs, now. Interested to see how this later model head shaves.
I have two techs my self, my Grandfather's WW2 issue fat handle and a W2 ball end. Then I got the ball end, the threads in the handle were messed up wand would not fully tighten. I could use the fat handle on either head, and the ball end handle only with my Grandfather's WW2 head plate. About a week ago I grabbed my 10-32 tap and cleaned up the threads in the ball end handle and now have two correctly working techs. It probably wouldn't be that hard to clean the trades threads on your tech if you were so inclined...
The thread in the handle of my prewar Fat Handle Tech appeared to be metric. So it will work with metric M5 and 10-32 head stud.
