Got lucky today and found a user grade bottom dial Gillette Fat Boy with an F4 date code. It was at a local antique store. Gave it a quick clean and will put it to work as the adjustments appear to work.
Bob
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Got lucky today and found a user grade bottom dial Gillette Fat Boy with an F4 date code. It was at a local antique store. Gave it a quick clean and will put it to work as the adjustments appear to work.
Bob
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Nice find Bob :tu looks in good shape.
Wow! A rare and valuable find? Seems I have seen those go for a pretty penny.
Weren't those kind of prototypes, Bob?
Seem so Tom--
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I guess as rare as a toggle Gillette both being not in production very long. Yup, if by a pretty penny you mean silly money. I must have done something right lately because the karma was sure working for me. I had not been into this store in over a month and there it was in with all the other DEs. I just could not turn it down for the equivalent of about $14 US tax in.
I think the proto type bottom dials went 1 to 5 on the adjuster but the production ones, like this one, went from 1 to 9 on the adjuster.
Bob
Wow! what a find! Still hoping to find one of those or a toggle in the wild myself.
But mine goes to 11! Sorry had to say it.
I looked for a toggle for a while and gave up. They went for way too much money. Nice find Bob. That is one of the rare ones that collectors grab up.
Way to go Bob :tu
Glad it went to someone who an appreciate it
Somebody call the law! Bob stole that razor.............
Congrats on a great find at a fantastic deal!
I can now say from experience that the bottom dial shaves every bit as good as a regular Fat Boy @ 9, very close and comfortable. No surprise there really as it is just a different version of the regular Fat Boy. Still it was fun to actually use one of the rarer Gillette razors. Another off the bucket list.
Bob
Nice find! Looks like it was taken care of.
I didn't know they made a bottom dial. Is that before the top dial? I need to practice with my Slim some more. It always seemed aggressive compared toy plain Merkur though.
If you go to F-4BottomDial you can check out the various bottom dials, fat boys and toggles by using the "Razors" drop down menu. The production bottom dial was only made in the fourth quarter of 1960 hence the F4 date code. There were changes to the various model 195 Gillettes over time as well as prototypes. It gets somewhat confusing when it comes to when and how long these were made.
Bob
Nice score.
Love my fatboy. It was the only razor I used since I started shaving circa 1985. I got it cleaning out a basement doing home improvement. It was NIB. I grabbed it because it was just like my dads. Until I started down the rabbit hole with straights.
The Fatboy loaded with "cringe" grocery store blades. Was all I used except for my Army time when bic disposables were the only option.
I have a blade sampler coming from Amazon. Going to revisit my old pal with some new steel loaded in it. Just to find my new preferred combo for when I don't have time to use a straight.
Ken
I'd recommend the Silver and Blue. I found them to work great in any DE I put them in. Here is what I have left of my DE and SE collection...
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I got all the DE's made in the first quarter of 1963. My birth year. Now, that's only 5 of them (including the Travel Razor in the red case) but I got them. Plus 2 SE's and an Old and New.
Very nice Bob