I have a trio. Progress, Fatboy, and Futur. I'm hard pressed to pick a winner between the Progress and the Fatboy. I like the Futur, but I'm partial to shorter handles, so it's a step below the others for me. I think the primary consideration is what do you have now? If you have a bunch of moderns, then go with the Fatboy, Slim, or SA. If you have a bunch of vintage razors, then pick up a Progress. The other consideration is aggressiveness. The Fatboy is just a little more aggressive to me.
1966 Olds Toronado was an excellent vehicle. It was the first GM with front wheel drive and had 425 ponies under the hood! What a daily driver that would make!
Wow! So many options! And a lot of great advice! I'm looking for a daily driver, so to speak. I do have a great birth quarter super speed, which provides a smooth mild shave. I also have a Razorock mission, the new Defitch and a couple of Weishi razors. So, you see that all of my current razors are non agressive, which is leading me to try something more agressive. My thought process is an adjustable will give me the versatility without having to try a bunch of different razors. Which brings me back to my OP, that looks, vintage vs. new is out of the equation for the decision. Those that have responded and have used a variety of shavers (slim,fatboy, progress) are especially interesting to me. I see a progress long handle on Amazon for $43 which has my attention. Adding some vintage equipment is not out of the picture; who doesn't like those vintage masterpieces?? For the short term, I'm looking for a daily driver, as I'm not one to rotate through razors on a routing basis. Except that my super speed is reserved for Sundays Thanks again, gentlemen.
That one is an excellent deal (if you like a longer handle). I thought my short handle was a steal at about $10 more than that.
Better bookmark those. We're not supposed to link to live auctions, only ended or 'buy it now' sales. I agree. The Fatboy is a marvel of engineering. Just an absolutely solid looking razor, perfectly proportioned, perfectly balanced, grippy knurling. The Slim is a nice razor too, but it doesn't have the same cachet as the Fatboy.
BCD, check your Slim as it sounds like it may be overclocked. I own two Slims and two Fatboys, 3 are similar in comparison (slightly off due to the head geometry) but one Slim was too aggressive, so I checked it with a Feeler Gauge and followed the Gillette calibration procedure and it was way off in comparison to the other Adjustables. Once I corrected the gap, it was on par with the others! For those reading this post and scratching their heads, do a Google or a YouTube search on "overclocking Gillette safety razors" and you will see posts and vids on how to correct them, you may be surprised on what you may find was done to your razor!
I have the Futur (actually a great Chinese copy), the Progress, and the Slim. The Futur has a head that is very large, and that would make it a no recommend for me. The Progress is a heavy razor and what I would call a "modern" adjustable, due to it's heaviness it's not my first choice. That leaves the Slim, a light, easy razor, the only drawback is that I'm so addicted to really aggressive razors that I have to keep this clocked at "9". As always YMMV.
My first Slim was 'overclocked,' but my second one wasn't. I still think it is slightly more aggressive than the Fatboy. I know the Black Beauties have a wider range of adjustability than the Fatboy or Slim.
Alright, I gave in to the draw of flea bay. I won an auction for a slim (H2) for $22.50. Hard to tell in the pics, but it looks like all the plating is there, with minimal scratching. It looks like it needs cleaning. The seller doesn't appear to specialize in razors. Comparing the specs to some of the "buy it now" I think I paid 1/2 , and got a better quality razor; we'll see. Anyway at that price a refurb wouldn't be out of the question. I figured that Merkur makes the Progress every day I can see I have to very cautious visiting ebay Or I may forced to rent a room from one of you
After you try the slim you will want a super adjustable black beauty the most comfortable razor I've ever used. I never go beyond 5 on her. I have tissue paper skin.
I'm sure I'll get a short handle one of these days, I've just grown to like aggressive razors, so it's been pushed to the end of the list. My birth year is actually an '81, but I prefer shorter handles.
Funny, but the Super-109 is the razor that really made me question whether long handles are the thing for me. I have two Slims and love them so I decided to break out the Super-109 that I had bought some time ago and try it again. I ended up liking the shave but found that the weight of the head on the longer handle was causing some cramping in my shaving hand; I've since noticed something similar when I tried a New LC head on the original, longer, DeFitch handle. Clearly a case of YMMV. JR
Congrats on scoring a Slim! I know your decision has been made, I just wanted to share my opinion. The Slim is one I have not tried. I have had a Fatboy, but the Futur is better for me. I don't shave under my nose, so the head size is moot, but I get much smoother and more efficient shaves with the Futur. I use it set on 5 or 6 everyday and it's a champ. I could not use the FB on 9 two days in a row, but no such issue with the Futur.
