Okay, it cost me two cups of coffee, but the fat boy was worth it. That's what it cost me from a coworker for a 1961 Q4 Fat Boy. I've shaved for it for a week and love it on a setting of 5 with a Gillette silver blue blade. No problems around the nose, just a little extra work. Nice balance and weight and a great shave! I can see why it's a favorite for many. Slim versus Fat Boy? Tough choice for me. I love this razor!
agree...and this is why i say EVERY newbie's 2ND razor should be a gillette adjustable...for a lot of different reasons
Playing around with the settings was fun. Interestingly, it's a totally different razor from a 3 to a 6 setting. 5 seems to works best for me with the right amount of aggression. I've actually tried as low as a 2 setting and even that was good. Very mild. If I feel adventurous, I'll try a 7 just to see what it's like. I can see the popularity of this razor. It's got real character. The weight and balance feel better than the slim, and I love the slim. It might end up being my favorite.
There's actually a reason why the Fatboy is such a popular razor. ...and you just hit on it. I don't shave with my Fatboy all that often, but when I do, I marvel at it's perfection. It's everything a razor should be. Edit: I still like my Cooper Monobilt razors better.
Congrats! You got a steal of a deal! I love my '59! It shaves great on every setting, but I especially like 9/7/7 for my progression. I seem to get consistently excellent results there with no pressure. The razor is well balanced, as said above, and heavy enough to do the work and not tempt me to press. Even my sensitive neck welcomes 7/7 progression.
I enjoyed the razor—BUT it certainly wasn't the dream razor everyone makes it out to be. Not here to rain on the FatBoy parade—they are fine vintage razors— but some of the hype and resulting feeding-frenzy on ebay and elsewhere has transformed a good vintage Gillette into the seemingly 'holy grail' of double-edged razors. There are those here who actually prefer the Slim over the 195, and some who prefer modern DEs. The 195 is a well-designed, durable razor that does deserve plaudits for still going strong after 50+ years—and Kerry, I'd encourage you to try one out on a test drive if you get a chance. I don't fancy I'll be dropping a C-note for one. If I were in the market—and I'm not—$50 is probably the highest I'd go, and only if the razor were in very good condition—which is about what I paid for my favorite Mühle razors...
I agree - I would not have paid more than $50 for my Fatboy... I traded a bunch of soaps for it instead. Modern razors are great, too. My top three right now would be Fatboy, Merkur 39c, and iKon SC101 or New LC I haven't tried Mühle yet, perhaps I'll change my tune after that. Now that I love the Fatboy, part of me wants to get a Futur or even r41 to see how they compare in closeness and comfort.
I overcame RAD's cousin, razor hoarding, on my FatBoy by reminding myself that I like both the Slim and Black Beauty better than the FatBoy. I traded the FB for a New Deluxe. You guys gushing over the FB have made me doubt myself, but Kevin has talked me off the ledge. Thanks, Kev! Actually... I'm not sure why, but I've developed a preference for two and three piece razors over TTOs. Maybe it is that the heads are a bit more maneuverable. No... that's not quite it because I like my CKO Futur. Maybe it's that I sometimes loosen the TTO knob while shaving...? Well, I said I wasn't sure!
