Hi I have just picked up a Gillette Executive Gold plated on eBay for the princely sum of £40. Slipped in a Derby blade and gave it it's first run out today. Dialed it to a 4 to start with for the first pass then tried a 5 before finishing on a 7. It's only my second adjustable the first being a birth year slim adjustable that I couldn't make work for me, but being a birth year I don't mind too much. So first impressions of a razor which is basically a fatboy are that it gave a beautiful shave with a very similar feel to my beloved Aristocrat, but with that added flexibility of being able to adjust it and it looks nearly as good as my Aristcrat too.
Sounds like a great price. I have a slim that gives great shaves set on 9. @Primotenore note I moved along. New Guy......
Are you sure you got an Executive and not a gold plated Fat Boy? They are different shavers especially when set up on the more aggressive settings. The way to tell visually is by the knurling on the handle and TTO knob. The Executive has the same type of knurling pattern as the later model Slim adjustables. Here are examples of both. http://www.gilletteadjustable.com/fatboy.html http://www.gilletteadjustable.com/executive-fatboy.html
Congrats on a fine piece of Gillette hardware which ever model it turns out to be. Did you check the Date Code on the underside of the base plate? Don't mind Joseph @Primotenore and Fuzzy @wchnu. They are continuing a discussion from another thread (The 30 Day Crew). Since you upped the setting during your shave everyone can agree you are getting your best shaves and doing what an adjustable was meant to do. When you settle in, that's your choice. Some of us have come to the conclusion that Number Nine is The Answer even if it isn't yours.
I agree with what @BBS mentioned above about the knurling as a whole. But there have been a few Executives found with it's normal knurling on the handle combined with a Fatboy TTO style knurling knob. Please post a pic and let us see.
Read the information in the link I posted. There are documented examples of those types with a date code of F 4.