Why is the Gillette Fat Boy so expensive? I can find a Gillette Super Speed for $5-$15 all day but the Fat Boy is avg of $80 to $130 on the bay.. whats the reason?
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Why is the Gillette Fat Boy so expensive? I can find a Gillette Super Speed for $5-$15 all day but the Fat Boy is avg of $80 to $130 on the bay.. whats the reason?
Because they're awesome...
I've been wanting one for a while but I don't want to pay more than $40. So I do a lot of watching. If it was worth another 10-20 to me I could find one. Have you looked at the Slim? Same thing but different handle. Can usually be found for a smidge less.
Someday I'll find one at a thrift store or antique store for $20 and it will be an awesome day. At least that's my plan. :)
lmfao. i like your explanation. all i have is a Super Speed.. im actually pretty content with it. I just want a Fat Boy to see what all the hype is about.. lolQuote:
Originally Posted by bharner
I love my slim!!!
I found mine for $27 on Ebay.
http://www.ebay.ca/itm/130567680127?...84.m1439.l2649
Because a certain age group loves everything BIG,Harley fatboys,ford F650 trucks.
Big Rules,Fatboys shave no better than any other Gillette,extreamly overated IMO.
Their adjustability makes them nine different razors in one.
But what other adjustable DE DOESN'T cost an arm and a leg? That, to me, is what makes a fatboy/slim so appealing.Quote:
Originally Posted by pixelfixed
Why are Filarmonicas so expensive? Or Dubl Ducks, Pumas and Wade & Butchers (especially as of late)?
It's all about hype, nothing more. I have one that I bought from a member here for a very reasonable price. It's a very nice razor, but I'm not convinced that it's the best DE that money can buy. Still, if you can find one for a sane price I would highly recommend picking it up.
Haunt garage sales,ask the people that are running them,Do you have any shaving type stuff,most normal folks think used razors are trash,have found three in the past yr,all for less tha 2 bux ea. I clean them,pop them up on that other shaving site for 50 a pop,they sell in minutes.Quote:
Originally Posted by bharner
They are good shavers, but the limited run of only 4 years makes them a little more collectible. In all honesty I prefer an old Open Comb Gillette from the 30's. I have a few and the last one I got was a gift from a friend. His dad was a barber and used it to go to nursing homes and shave the residents. It is the only one I have that will absolutely not leave my possession. I did give one to my son and he uses it daily.
Myself, I wanted a fat boy cause I have large hands. Holding a 1920's ball type is like holding a toy for me.
I'm amazed by all the comments on the size of the Fatboy.Quote:
Originally Posted by KrazieSj
I find it to be almost unusable due to how small it is:)
Nah, give me a merkur Vision, that is a proper sized shaving tool;)
The last slim I bought was from an antique store. I was too shocked to even barter them down. I just paid the $2 and ran away!Quote:
Originally Posted by bharner
Because when I was 7 years old I watched my Dad shave twice a day with one so he could go to school (industrial arts instructor) in the morning, then work until 11PM at night at Sears....
To put food into my mouth.
I have his Fat Boy and it's rather worn... probably because he shaved with it twice a day.
I'd sell it... for 150 million dollars.
Interested?
:D
I got one on Eboy before the big craze started. I think I paid $50 for it and it was in it's original box with blades and all only missing instructions. it wasn't NOS but was mint. To tell you the truth though it's a good shaver I have others that best it so I wouldn't be paying big bucks for one if I was in the market for one these days.
Yo, B... sorry you can't make it to Sunday's gettogether at AF's AO... I'd have gone the extra mile to meet up with you and the others for sure.Quote:
Originally Posted by bharner
Next time, when my starter is young somebody will have to hold me back! DIYGuy and AF will instruct many... of that I'm sure. I'm sad for both of us we can't attend.
Wish your better half - Happy Birthday - for me... any body that bled that much and lived had to have had help... :D
The reason the Gillette Fatboy is in such demand, and especially since everyone seems to pay a bit more attention to them than the slim, was that it was the 1st adjustable of Gillette, starting out in 1958 and only continuing in that style of handle until 1961, where the transitioni to the slim adjustable was made. I have 2 and they work extrodinarily well. Geofatboy on youtube.com has commented that he likes the Fatboy as one that is very hard to beat. It has adjustments from 1 to 9 positions, and a unique turn knob as well as a different knurling on the adjusment dial. There were a few made with a toggle, being a flip-like end piece that worked the silo doors as the TTO mechanism did, and there was just a few made with the adjustment made at the bottom of the handle rather than the top. Those last few are really sought out by collectors and can seemingly always demand a high price. I have watched, also, the Super Adjustables and Slim Adjustables being touted as "Fatboy" by unknowing or otherwise unscrupulous sellers "playing" off the popularity of the "Fatboys".
I really enjoy mine, but I also enjoy the Slim Adjustables, the Super Adjustables, the 1980 series black handles adjusables as well.
When I first got mine I was also surprised how small it is, especially compared to my Merkur 38C. All the pictures you see of the Fat Boy make it look larger somehow. That being said I find it a very servicable razor, and although it's fairly short I like its heft as I'm a fan of heavy DE's.Quote:
Originally Posted by Birnando
Back to the value topic....
I'm not convinced that the price they fetch is related to collectibilty. Like most Gillette products, there are a million of them out there, which will significantly drop their value in the collectibility department. Which, again, leads back to the hype factor and the fact that many men will pay top dollar for something they are told is top shelf.
Thanks for the info on the super adjustables. I've been stalking eboy fatboys/slims for a while but haven't pulled the trigger due to price but the super adjustables are a bit more, to my wallet, reasonable in price.Quote:
Originally Posted by Gibbs
I've been wanting to have an affair with a DE for a while but the only thing I've used is a tech which took about 4 passes to get smooth with. The adjustable razors seem like a great place to start. Find a setting I like then shop for a modern maker with similar quality of shave.
I agree that Fatboys are overrated. Slims are cheaper and IMHO better.
I agree with Birnando. I was shocked at how short the handle is on the Fatboy. I went from a Gillette Atra and had real difficulty adjusting to holding a Fatboy. My Jagger 89L is much easier to grasp. I have the Gillette Slim Adjustable and, while its handle is longer than the Fatboy, it is really a skinny handle.Quote:
Originally Posted by Birnando
In spite of the short handle, the Fatboy gives me a really fine shave.
My wife gave me my mint Fatboy as a Christmas gift so I can't speak to the pricing.
Happy Shaving!
I agree it's not massive, but it's hefty and thicker in the handle than other ones. And I'm a sucker for vintage items and in terms of size heft and and weight it can't really be beat. Maybe by a Barbasol, but good luck finding one of those for sale...Quote:
Originally Posted by Birnando
I love mine, I picked it up for 15 at an antique shop. Cleaned it up and use it every day.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Fatboys are the "in" razor. If you follow eBay you'll see that Fatboys; Gillette Adjustable, anything that says it has an Original Case . Now who really knows if it's the original case?? Just follow the reviews here and elsewhere. Get a good ides of what you want . Buy the razor not the case and follow eBay. Certain days and times are better buys. If it to high ; pass on it. . They made millions of them !
Being in this game for over a half year now and having bought a ridiculous amount of razors, I am not overly impressed with the Fatboy. While it is a nice razor, I've also used the Slim and the Super Adjustable (both short and long handle), and the Fatboy is no better. In fact, out of all the adjustables, I think the Short Handled Super Adjustable is my favorite...not sure why, but the silver and black makes for a handsome razor...and no, I'm not a Raiders fan! If you don't own an adjustable already, just get ANY of the ones I mentioned above...they will all give you great shaves, and chances are you'll find one for close to $10.
-Steve
You remind me of my friend who recently said,Quote:
Originally Posted by tonycraigo
"Everything I own is for sale......for the right price!"
There are some things money can't buy, like the memories you get when using your dad's razor. Thanks for posting. It's a good reminder of what is important in this life.
I own 3 Fatboys, 4 Slims (1 is a '61 Aristocrat) and a Super Adjustable. I prefer the Fatboy due to the feel in my hand and the higher dome of the head. I didn't pay much for any of them (less than $10), but I was patient and shopped estate sales and antique stores to find them. You're paying for someone else's time, shoe leather and gas when you buy on ebay. So quit yer bellyaching, get off your butt and look for your razor!:banghead:
I picked up my first Fatboy this week. Incl. original Gillette packaging, all chrome and enamel intact. $38. My first DE. Attraction for me is the heft and the "Made in USA" factor--hearkens back to when we produced everyday things of value that were built to last.
I'm guessing that collecting DEs will prove every bit as addictive as collecting straights. I'm already curious about the Merkurs.
Cheers!
I have one Fatboy along with a couple Mekurs. I really needed a Fatboy because it is the razor I used as a teenager, the first razor I shaved with. Maybe mis-shaved with would be more accurate. No one ever taught me how to shave. I don't think my dad knew how himself. I got a "this is a razor kid, go at it," instruction. The result was four years of bad shaves and a lot of lost blood. As soon as I was eighteen I grew a beard and threw the Fatboy away.
Many years later both the Fatboy and I are becoming antiques. Learning to shave correctly with a straight razor I gravitated to DEs for those moments when I did not have the time for my regular shave. Nostalgia led me to a re-introduction to the Fatboy.
It seemed small to me when I saw one again. I guess that comes from slinging six inches of sharpened steel around my face for so long. In my hand however, it felt quite natural (muscle memory I guess). It gives a decent shave and is comparable to my other DEs. What it gives me that the others do not it the back story. We have both seen better days but we're still here.
Sure it's hyped, so what. Doesn't change what it is. A decent razor that was probably America's quintessential contribution to wet shaving. I notice by the entries on youtube that it is popular among shavers in Europe so I guess it is more than hype.
Every once in a while she still bites to let me know that there is still a dumb teenager lurking in this aging body.
Meh, it's all hype. Don't get me wrong, they are perfectly decent razors...but the difference between shaving with a FB and a Slim is pretty negligible. I would have sold mine a long time ago if it wasn't my grandpa's.
It's not unlike a nice 7/8 W&B that says "for barber's use" will go for $100-$200...and a 13/16th celebrated that doesn't say FBU will go for $30. I doubt 1/16th and an etching magically catapults it to a superior shaver worth so much more. The funny thing to me is most of the people driving up the prices are probably on this board...you'd think after all these types of threads, they would know better.
I have a Fatboy E-1 that I got for a good deal. Personally I am not satisfied with the shave and I have been considering selling mine so that I can buy more straights, but I never seem to pull the trigger when its time.
IMO the Fatboys are overpriced, paid $5 for my '71 Gillette adjustable with the long black handle and after some Lysol and metal polish it looks and shaves like new. I am using to clean up after my 1st pass with the str8 (still learning and adhering to Lynn's advice).
Will keep the DE for a great travel razor, but now it is doing great at giving me a DFS while I'm learning. I hope to become good at the str8 before my 5 yo begins shaving.
I believe that i have the same razor you do, the adjustable long black handle one at least, its the one I use, paid likeQuote:
Originally Posted by JayhawkPharmD
and OP, if the fatboys are really going for that much, I need to sell mine and buy a strop, i found one in an antique store for $10.....its jammed right now and needs a cleaning, but its easily fixed stuff