Does the Fatboy live up to its hype?

Personally I like my 40's Super Speeds far more than my Fatboys. That being said I love the look of the Fatboy and will keep them in my collection. Different strokes for different folks.

KeenDogg said:

I've been curious as to why fatboys sell so high on the bay. Are they that good of a razor?

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Good is always highly subjective. No DE is best for everyone. The only way to answer your question is to try for yourself and see. You can't just poll others to determine which DE's work best for you. The Fatboy wasn't among my favorites but it certainly has its following.

As with most things, price is just price. Don't make assumptions based solely on price.

The fat Boy is a fine shaving razor set at 9 with a sharp blade. It will give a close long lasting shave similar to a Muhle R41 or Fatip OC. Dialed back it will shave like any other mild razor. It is well built and I like the weight and thicker handle. Other than that it is mostly hype driving the price.

I got a couple in nice condition at garage sales but I would not pay inflated prices for one.

Bob

I paid $2.00 for my Fatboy and it was worth every penny. It is a very nice razor but I agree there are several others that are just as good if not better.

Two cents. I have four, each with a a different plating. I like my gunkote plated the best for shaving, it glides differently than nickel or gold.
Now, I also prefer a Slim over the Fatboy because the head height is narrower, but the weight is off on the Slim. It needs to be heavier, IMHO.
I get great shaves with all my pre-war Techs and NEWs.
My best, most comfortable shave consistently.......without a doubt.......Wolfman Open Comb!

Shaving is about your journey, not sharing someone else's. Learning is trying to take info and apply it to yourself. All the shaving forms are like putting your face to a fireplug and letting someone open it fully! TOO much all at once for a some people!

I like my Fatboy, however I do like the longer handled razors. My personal favorite of the Gillettes is the long handled Super adjustable. That has enough heft and length for me to get a rreally good shave.

I agree. I've only tried NEWs and aristocrat. Much better shavers IMO. I have a black beauty that's much better too.

Pepin said:

I have one in my collection. It has a nice weight and feel to it, ..... but (as stated in an earlier post) it is a meh shave.

I have used it several times. I use it for a week straight at a time, and have tried it with different blades and settings.

It has never matched my New and Old types for a great face and head shave. Even my Supersped, Aristocrats and Early-war Tech have provided better shaves.

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I don't like either the Fatboy or the Slim. Always nicks me pretty bad and gives me razor burn on any setting and blade.

I currently have one Fatboy and one Slim 'Aristocrat'. I've had two Slim's before these.

Very nice razors to look at and play around with, but nothing for me to shave with.

I find it is more aggressive on lower settings than he Slim or other SS razors. Love the weight and feel. I would not pay anymore than 25.00 for one if I planned on keeping it and not reselling it. I am glad I found one for .99 cents at a thrift shop... Do Not regret that.

Is it worth it? Well, it doesn't shave any better than my New LC. I don't find much difference in any of my razors as far as how they shave. I purchased a Fatboy on ebay for under $40. I could probably sell it for the same amount or more. I'm glad that I have one and I plan to keep it for a long time to come. Only you can determine if it's worth the money. I wonder if a ATT or Wolfman is worth the money. Is it going to give me a shave 12 times better than my New LC? I doubt it. Are they nice razors? I'm sure they are.

Glad I have one but it sits in it's box.

Glenn

Get a Slim. Find out what it's all about for less- slimmer head, too.


AA

Oh yeah, love mine!

Ad Astra said:

Get a Slim. [emoji106]1: Find out what it's all about for less- slimmer head, too.


AA

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I actually have a black beauty I'm gonna try out soon. I got it in a pif a while back and I'm just getting the courage to venture into unknown territory. I am fairly new to this so I wanna make sure I got a good technique down before I switch razors.

Thanks to everyone who posted! Keep posting, I like to hear your opinions l.

Adam

I love my Fatboy, but the price really is due to supply and demand since it had a shorter run and a lot of collectors wanting one to complete their collection. Is it shaving nirvana--I guess that's a YMMV thing. I will admit that I use my Slim more, but if the Fatboy was my only razor, I'd be very happy with it and it's so well built it will last forever.

I own a Fatboy that I inherited from my deceased uncles estate. It is in almost mint condition and a very fine shaver.

A solid piece of a razor, and I plan on always keeping it. That being said, I feel that there are lots of other razors that shave just as well if at times better. My little '64 ball end Tech I use for the majority of my shaves, more than the Fat Boy. If a BBS shave happens from a cheap 3 piece razor than it is just as valuable to me. However, the prices are pretty high on E Bay, I have never shopped there.... lucky for me.

Perhaps a subject for a later thread but I'd be curious what type of blades people have used in their Fatty's, both those who like it and those who could take it or leave it.

With my beard type (medium density), any good Russian blade I've tried so far (Nacet, GSB, PolSilver SI) on setting 5 has given me excellent results, some of the smoothest, easiest most trouble free shaves I've ever gotten using DE.

I like mine and have had excellent results with Crystal and Treet Platinum SSS bad results with Astra Platinum (which in many other razors is a good blade for me). I have been setting it to 5 so far...

My 195 with my Standard Razors Raw and SC New is my current rotation.

i was on the fence about picking up a fatboy for months.
i would haunt the bay daily just waiting for the deal that was too good to pass up.
one night i came across a listing for one and the pictures where taken with a scanner...haha

someone placed the fatboy on a scanner and scanned it so the pics where blurry but i took a chance and bid.
i guess the bad pics kept the buyers away because i picked it up fairly cheap for $30 shipped i believe.
once in hand i liked it alot... the weight and quality build are what i like in a razor and after 2 or 3 rough shaves I really started to enjoy the razor and just kinda fell into a grove with it... the best shave i have ever had was my fatboy with a Wilkinson sword blade.

i love it so much i just sent it off to get replated... but like said by others YMMV and no single razor is best for everyone and im sure down the road i will probably find one i like more.
but until then i love mine... but the prices are a bit crazy but if you can find one at a good price i say grab it.. i think its worth it

I keep about 10 different razors on my shelf. One of them is a fatboy. There are hundreds upon hundreds of razors and everybody has a favorite or two. I've even got a few razors I'll use every once in a while just because I like the look of them. They might not be my favorite daily razor but once the razor bug hits you, your addicted. Owning a fatboy is like becoming a part of the club. Sort of like joining the NRA. You're in but you're not fully committed until you become a lifetime member. I think having a fatboy is equal to getting your lifetime membership to the wet shaving world.