Have read some threads claiming the adjustment on the Fatboy and slim are more of a "gimmick" than truly functional but I must disagree. Started using my Fatboy at 3 then 4 then 5 with the same derby blade and honestly thought my Superspeed provided a better shave. Well opened her up to 6 today and may have found the sweet spot - closest shave to date - what a difference! Great razor IMHO - May walk on the wild side and crank her up to 7 in a few days....
I say sir perhaps it is the SE users that claim it is a gimmick. . I like my Slim but I had forgotten how much I love my Weber with a Personna Red. Talk about smooth.
If you want to find out about a stouter adjustable and the increased gap settings ... http://theshaveden.com/forums/threads/the-rise-of-the-russian-bear.24462/
Seconded. It actually does what it claims and does it well, which to me isn't a gimmick. And though it was meant to deal with different beard grits, I think we find it just as useful (if not more so) for enjoying various blades that don't play well with this or that non-adj. razor. I bet Gillette's engineers never foresaw that level of utility.
Don't fear the Feather. The handful of times I tried one it was very sharp, yeah, but my beard doesn't need something that sharp, so I wouldn't buy them. But it didn't damage me at all, either. You'll be fine.
I go higher on milder blades but tend to crank it down on really sharp stainless, carbons or questionable/unfamiliar blades. Between 2 and 6, usually. 1 does nothing and for me 9 is just asking for it. Being able to tune it down for buffing is really nice, too.
I almost bid on this Fatboy but it was too old and cruddy for me to even attempt to clean up. It's amazing what you can buy on Ebay.
gimmick |ˈgimik|nouna trick or device intended to attract attention, publicity, or business. I don't deny it is functional. I deny it's necessary. Kind of like this: Does it add anything? It adds something... but it certainly be done without... with the right technique a regular SS can perform just as well. The uselessness of the 1 setting for example shows it is more about advertising the great amount of settings than being a true improvement.
Sure it could be done without. So could safety razors as an entire class of shaving implements, when you get right down to it. To some, safety razors are not necessary. That's what straights are for, some (not here at the Den, afaik) insist. Some uber-manly man types still scoff at the very concept of "safety" razors, just as other straight razor men did back at the turn of the century before last. Were they wrong? No; just a matter of opinion and preference. Kinda like preferring an automatic transmission over a stick. Manual lovers have no grounds on which to tell lovers of automatics that the automatic isn't necessary...that goes beyond expression of honest opinion and gets into the uncomfy territory of telling other people what they do and do not need. By definition an adjustable can do what no single razor can. If some are interested in having that capacity at their disposal, then it's an improvement over the status quo, maybe even perceived as necessary to them. And if some don't need it, that's fine too. No right...no wrong...just a matter of opinion and preference, not of necessity per se.
Excellent point my good man. The nice thing is as you stated before the different blades that can be used . Milder blades at a larger gap and sharper blades at a smaller gap. It is just nice to have that option to dial in aggressiveness.
Yep. And mind you, this is from someone who doesn't (by ANY means) use an adjustable exclusively. I'd been w/o one for a couple years until recently, in fact.
