Somehow I doubt they suffer from any of the above mentioned maladies. 99.99% of the time a brass Tech's only sign of age after 55-80 years will be plating, and being brass a simple polish can take care of that should you not want to replate, which you wouldn't since you can just buy another clean one for 1/3 the cost of a user Fatboy or 1/6 the cost of a Fatboy "revamp".
i have a fatboy and a slim..slim is my birthyear, fatboy is nostalgia,rarely use either , the adjustable wrench of razors..
This was my point... I don't think the shave is any better than any of my other DEs, but it shouldn't be inherently worse. That suggests a broken/ damaged razor
I don't discount that but not all Techs were brass. As early as 1962, there were zamak top caps and aluminum was used earlier than that. I have had Techs with bent guard bars and deteriorating top caps. Different problems than a TTO but still problems. *ETA - I also don't much care for the TTO Gillette razors, have never owned a fatboy, and really enjoy using a Tech.
I appreciate all the replies. I usually use a setting of 5 or 6, although I have used everything from 1-9. I have checked the gaps and they are even. I think I'll heed the advice to stick with this razor (although I can't use it for a month straight without any variety- I'm just not built that way). I think I'll use it for every other shave for a month or two and see if it grows on me. I don't get bad shaves with it, they just aren't quite up to my usual standard so perhaps more time with this razor would do the trick.
I too enjoy my tech. I have a gold plated ball end 1953 tech that looks almost brand new. It is always great for a close comfortable shave.
That's why I specifically said brass Techs, which do seem to constitute the majority available, and with no apparent price penalty associated with their acquisition. One could say "I've seen a 96 Camry with a blown engine" as an excuse to buy an old Alfa* but it's not a persuasive argument. I don't think a simple drop is likely to bend a safety bar on a brass Tech. *There may be perfectly good reasons other than reliability to buy an old Alfa to be clear.
All you naysayers are obviously doing something wrong. Honestly, I'm not sure I would like mine as much as I do if it weren't for Captain Murphy giving me blade gaps 2 levels larger than normal.
So were you if you had to pay someone to modify your razor from a stock configuration if it worked correctly mechanically otherwise. It is either that or the razor wasn't all that like the hype suggests in your case.
I always got good shaves from mine, though it was not my favorite adjustable. It wasn't the shave so much as it was the size, weight and balance. I have large hands and preferred the larger Futur and later Variant. Personally, I think the Fatboy is a beautifully engineered razor and I'll always keep mine around.
I haven't seen anybody say it's a bad razor, "naysayers" merely be saying it's subject to great hyperbole which can lead to disappointment for some.
For the record I think the Fat Boy is a great razor but not over priced hype great. The Slim is comparable and doesn't cost as much. Main difference I found was the Slim was little more aggressive at the same equivalent setting with a Fat Boy so to compare them correctly as long as both are in good working order if using the same blade brand a Slim at 4 is roughly equivalent to a Fat Boy at 5. Besides price it really comes down to preference length of handle, weight and size of the head. I sold my Fat Boys and kept the Slim. I personally like the Super 84 best of all the adjustables but could easily live without it if I only had a Slim. With that said if you can get a user grade Fat Boy for $40 or less without having to put any more dollars into it is worth buying to try out the razor. It is still a sellers market and you can break even if you decide you don't like it and resell it afterwards. It is a high reward / low risk decision to do so at that price point or lower until or unless the resale market on the bay drops.
For me the Fatboy (I own a '58 D3) is an icon, pure and simple. For that reason, and that reason alone, I will keep it. (knowing full-well, that my progeny has zero interest in it being part of his eventual inheritance) It shaves the same as all of my other DE razors, on every setting. No better, no worse. If I had to knock off a point, it would be for the head geometry, which makes shaving under the nose somewhat awkward, but I figured that out too. It's the blade that shaves you, not the razor.
If the blade can't reach an area because of the head or the design doesn't allow for the blade to cut correctly deep enough and or at the optimal angle it is the razor's fault not the blade. A razor and blade are not mutually exclusive if it is designed to be "safe". It is you that shaves you not the tool, the tool doesn't work without your input and guidance.
I don't disagree. I am only saying, and perhaps I didn't word it correctly, that if the Fatboy is not broken, then it should shave you just fine.
I’m with you. Gillette TTO razors have been unspectacular shavers for me. I’ve owned several Fatboys and they were all equally average imo.
