Thread: Vintage Gillette and Facial Cuts

I have in my posession and old Gilette - - “Fat Boy” I believe - - it was my dear uncle’s.

Having used a safety razor for years, I wanted to try an adjustable one. The problem is… I end up cutting my face, with the adjustment at zero (longest cut). I am using the same blades I get from Amazon: Derby Premium Double Edge. I cannot imagine dialing the razor in for a closer cut!

I assume it’s just the design of the razor but thought I’d ask the experts...

Originally Posted by SP73

I have in my posession and old Gilette - - “Fat Boy” I believe - - it was my dear uncle’s.

Having used a safety razor for years, I wanted to try an adjustable one. The problem is… I end up cutting my face, with the adjustment at zero (longest cut). I am using the same blades I get from Amazon: Derby Premium Double Edge. I cannot imagine dialing the razor in for a closer cut!

I assume it’s just the design of the razor but thought I’d ask the experts...

I would try with a nice blade first.
Never tried a Fat Boy but have a Slim and 5 is about right for me. Can't really feel it while using but that setting leaves a nice result.
Blades are everything with DE's!!

I have a Fat Boy and the middle range is where I stay. Derby blades are quite forgiving by the way. However there is no "0" on mine. It goes from 1 up and one is the mildest.

Yep, no zero on the Slim either!

Originally Posted by thebigspendur

I have a Fat Boy and the middle range is where I stay. Derby blades are quite forgiving by the way. However there is no "0" on mine. It goes from 1 up and one is the mildest.

Perhaps it is not a Fat Boy? I do not see a settings scale. This is new territory for me - I made an educated guess as to the model of razor. Photos are attached… thanks!

Originally Posted by thebigspendur

I have a Fat Boy and the middle range is where I stay. Derby blades are quite forgiving by the way. However there is no "0" on mine. It goes from 1 up and one is the mildest.

Mine goes up to "11" (no cowbell)

That razor is a Gillette "red tip" Super speed. It is not classed as an aggressive razor but as it is different from your other razors it might need to be used at a different angle.
I don't use a safety razor often so can't say much more than that.

Originally Posted by SP73

Perhaps it is not a Fat Boy? I do not see a settings scale. This is new territory for me - I made an educated guess as to the model of razor. Photos are attached… thanks!

I don't think Red Tips are adjustable at all. Where are the numbers?

Originally Posted by stoneandstrop

I don't think Red Tips are adjustable at all. Where are the numbers?

They're not. There were three tip colors: red, blue, and black (low/medium/high "aggressiveness"; sorry, I can't remember which was which)

The Color Tip Supers were sold mainly in the 1950's, before the Gillette Adjustables made their debut. The one pictured by the OP (correctly identified) the Red Tip was most aggressive, but still not very much so .. There was also a Blue Tip, which had little to no aggression. I have heard tell of a Tan Tip in the middle range, but have never seen one or even a picture. There was a SS out around that time in a tan plastic case ..The Superspeed Black Tips were earlier models, based on the 1940's style SS.

Here's the Black Tip, a birth year/quarter W-3 from the Korean War years