A few months ago, my active quest in the shaving world was to find a Gillette Big Fellow in excellent condition...For whatever reason, I ended up with two. 
I believe both are from the same era (maybe a few years apart), but one is American and one is English. When I compared them, I noticed some interesting differences in their construction.
So, without further ado, here is a little pictorial highlighting my observations of these differences. (I don't claim to be an expert by any stretch of the imagination, so please feel free to include any input or additional information you might have! Many thanks to Copperhead and Merwtje for helping me with my quest.)
Here they are. The American version is on the left in the above photo, the English is on the right. Note the difference in color of the plating. Again, I'm not an expert, but the American Big Fellow looks like it has chrome or rhodium plating. As for the English one, I'm not sure. (I don't have a scale, or I would include their weights.)
Here you can see a difference in the underside of the two razor heads. The American NEW head is completely flat, whereas the English version has a raised area in the middle.
This side view helps illustrate the differences in the razor heads. The head of the English version shows slightly more curvature than the American one. You can also see that the teeth of the English Big Fellow are shaped differently--they are longer and more curved. If you look closely, you can also see that the smooth rings on the handle of the English version are smaller than those on the American version. The bottom ring of the American one reads: "Pat. Jan 13, 1920 USA Other Patents Pending." The English version reads: "Brit Pat. Nos 352975-6-7-363892."
The inner workings of these two razors differ as well. Starting with the razor bodies in the foreground, you can see that the hole in the top of the English version is slightly larger than its American counterpart. The English version is also missing the serial number that the American one has stamped on its razor head (which reads "147560"). The shapes of the knob pieces also differ significantly. The English version is shorter, and it does not have the rifle-shell appearance of the American one. Likewise, their accompanying razor pieces have threaded screws of different lengths that accommodate the size difference. On these top pieces, you can also see a difference in the shape of their blade-positioning bars (two long bars on the American version, two shorter bars on the English one).
Interestingly, the top and bottom pieces can not be changed from one razor to another--even though the exteriors of both razor bodies are very similar, the shape of the metal on the inside of the razor bodies will not allow it.
As far as differences in shaving quality, I'm afraid I haven't shaved with either of them enough to give a definitive answer. Needless to say, both shave very aggressively, and both instill fear in the hardiest of whiskers...I'll update when have a better idea.
Hope you folks enjoy this as much as I did putting it together! If you have anything to add--information, experiences, etc...please jump right in!
Happy shaving!
EDIT: The post has been changed to reflect that these are "NEW" Big Fellows and not "NEW-IMPROVED" Big Fellows. Thanks guys!
I believe both are from the same era (maybe a few years apart), but one is American and one is English. When I compared them, I noticed some interesting differences in their construction. So, without further ado, here is a little pictorial highlighting my observations of these differences. (I don't claim to be an expert by any stretch of the imagination, so please feel free to include any input or additional information you might have! Many thanks to Copperhead and Merwtje for helping me with my quest.)
Here they are. The American version is on the left in the above photo, the English is on the right. Note the difference in color of the plating. Again, I'm not an expert, but the American Big Fellow looks like it has chrome or rhodium plating. As for the English one, I'm not sure. (I don't have a scale, or I would include their weights.)
Here you can see a difference in the underside of the two razor heads. The American NEW head is completely flat, whereas the English version has a raised area in the middle.
This side view helps illustrate the differences in the razor heads. The head of the English version shows slightly more curvature than the American one. You can also see that the teeth of the English Big Fellow are shaped differently--they are longer and more curved. If you look closely, you can also see that the smooth rings on the handle of the English version are smaller than those on the American version. The bottom ring of the American one reads: "Pat. Jan 13, 1920 USA Other Patents Pending." The English version reads: "Brit Pat. Nos 352975-6-7-363892."
The inner workings of these two razors differ as well. Starting with the razor bodies in the foreground, you can see that the hole in the top of the English version is slightly larger than its American counterpart. The English version is also missing the serial number that the American one has stamped on its razor head (which reads "147560"). The shapes of the knob pieces also differ significantly. The English version is shorter, and it does not have the rifle-shell appearance of the American one. Likewise, their accompanying razor pieces have threaded screws of different lengths that accommodate the size difference. On these top pieces, you can also see a difference in the shape of their blade-positioning bars (two long bars on the American version, two shorter bars on the English one).
Interestingly, the top and bottom pieces can not be changed from one razor to another--even though the exteriors of both razor bodies are very similar, the shape of the metal on the inside of the razor bodies will not allow it.
As far as differences in shaving quality, I'm afraid I haven't shaved with either of them enough to give a definitive answer. Needless to say, both shave very aggressively, and both instill fear in the hardiest of whiskers...I'll update when have a better idea.
Hope you folks enjoy this as much as I did putting it together! If you have anything to add--information, experiences, etc...please jump right in!
Happy shaving!
EDIT: The post has been changed to reflect that these are "NEW" Big Fellows and not "NEW-IMPROVED" Big Fellows. Thanks guys!
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/ i'll get it one.of these days 
