In an era where Slims are regularly fetching $60+ on the bay, I would say that snagging a working Fat Boy off of ebay for less than $35 is rare event. So what are the odds of grabbing a Fat Boy, a black tip SS and a Star DE for 34.80 delivered? If I woulda known I had that kinda luck coming my way, I woulda bought a lottery ticket! But... YEAH BABY! The original pic was fuzzy and I wasn't 100% sure that was a FB sitting there. Even if it was, the seller obviously didn't know razors from shinola, so would it work? However, it opens easily, closes tightly, and clicks all the way through. I am so stoked! I cleaned them tonight and will begin using them tomorrow. The Star is a duplicate for me and the head is a little pitted, but I may PIF it anyway. I'll probably start with the Black Tip (W4, so 1951), saving the FB for later. NOTE: I can't find the date code on the FB. Here are some pics. My pics are not a whole lot better than the original fuzzy one from ebay, but I think you can see that they cleaned up pretty nicely. (Scrubbing Bubbles, elbow grease w/ fingernail brush, Barkeeper's Friend, elbow grease... and repeat. At the end, I tried shining the caps with a soft cloth and toothpaste. It helped a little, but I need some real polish.) Uhh... I think they look better in hand than they do in pics. Oh well... ORIGINAL BEFORE AFTER
If you have a brass brush (about $2 at my local overpriced hardware store) it will really help "clean the green" off the nickel finish in the knurling and hard to reach places without scratching. Just be careful around the painted numbers and indicator. Can't tell if the 3-PC tech on the left is nickel or not. Nice score. I too did well on a trifecta lot with a Slim, Super Speed (which surprisingly was a birth year), and a Travel Tech for ~$50.
