Fatboy 0 Slim 1

gthomas04

...was Drubbing's first. AKA Captain Tightarse
Joined
Aug 22, 2011
Location
Mt Druitt Western Sydney
Gave up on the Fatboy - couldn't get any real joy out of it so I moved on to the next razor. Gillette Slim with a Wilkinson Sword blade (thanks to rm71). What a difference. Set it to 5 and away I went - smooth good feedback everything I thought I would get in the Fatboy but didn't. To give it a fair chance, I will try the Fatboy with one of the Wilkinson Sword blades and see whether that makes a difference. In the meantime shaving is once again a pleasure.
Glen
 
Yeah, I love my Slim. I still think it better than the Fatboy, but I like the different shaves that each gives.

Might have to get you a pack of GBE's to try with it, they are a really good combo.
 
Yeah, I love my Slim. I still think it better than the Fatboy, but I like the different shaves that each gives.

Might have to get you a pack of GBE's to try with it, they are a really good combo.

Always happy to try something new. Do you have a blade combination you reccommend with the Fatboy because I would really like it to work. I do love the heft in it but if I cant find a blade that will give me any feedback at all it takes all the fun out of things. AndI must admit I get a little nervous using a very sharp instrument that I can't feel at all.
 
It might sound a bit sacrilegious on a forum with many De blade freaks but I doubt very much a different blade is going make any difference. I've found the differences between the DE blades I've tried to at most to be subtle and generally non-existent. I've just got my Long Handled Super Adjustable back which overall would have to weigh as much if not more than a Fatboy. It works like a plow. Just put it on your face and push the buttons. Consider also the fact that the Fatboy has a short handle and any feedback would be reduced even more. I can't imagine a blade that will turn what is basically a tank in to a Fiat 500 or anything even approaching that. I like shaving with both. Love the engineering in the Super Adjustable. It also has a locking mechanism. Do the Fatboys and/or Slims have that too?

By the way talking of mechanisms, I occasionally run some olive oil in through the top to keep things running smoothly. Did that with the Flaretip you sent me and it feels brand new. Haven't tried it yet. It's ready and waiting for the next shave.
 
It might sound a bit sacrilegious on a forum with many De blade freaks but I doubt very much a different blade is going make any difference.

I'm tempted to send you a pack of Laser brand blades (not the Indian Laser Ultra) from Wilkinsons (the shop in the UK, nothing to do with swords) - it's the only blade I've ever used that I was convinced was made of some sort of fibreboard.

Slightly blunter than my arse.

I won't though - because I don't want to encourage the manufacturers by adding to their sales figures...
 
You wouldn't need to, as pjotr is a SE user, he would have heard/used the huge variation in SE blades surely. Everything from shaving to scientific use, to paint scraper blades. Blades are different.

Bottom line, some people have no real stubble to shave, like their beard is like body hair.
Some brands don't bother sharpening that much to save money and sell to the those people who happily pay less for it. Others will make and sell to the slightly tougher stubble crowd with slightly more minimal sharpening. Other blades offer that, but with better steel so they last longer for the crowd that would pay slightly more for a blade that lasts all week.
If your stubble is like wire though, you will notice a huge difference between those types of blade compared to the sharper ones. Blades are made out of different steels and sharpened differently.
Even with SE blades, I got some shockers I couldn't shave with.

edit: But yeah pjotr mentioned DE blades specifically. I can't shave with derby, israeli IPs only work in some razors. They may be two blades pjotr hasn't used for all I know, but they are the two blades that have been very different for me. Derby just plain sucks, the IPs only work in some open combs, just bad in a TTO for me, got heaps of blades so tried them heaps of times in many different TTO and adjustables.
 
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I will try to settle this ,to my own satisfaction anyway, I will swap the Gillette 7 o'clock Blue form the Fatboy with the Wilkinson Sword in the Slim and give them a shave each. At least I will know to my own satisfaction whether it is the blade, the razor or the person weilding it
 
I knew it would stir up a wasps nest! I should have qualified my statement by saying DE blades of a generally acceptable standard. I'm sure there are DE blades out there that are only suitable for shaving bum fluff as there are SE blades that are only good for scraping windows. Also, I've also spent a large portion of my life as a traditional carpenter/boatbuilder, suffer from a knife and sharpening fettish and maybe based on this I instinctively adjust to accomodate a different blade. Believe me, there are more similarities than differences between woodworking techniques and shaving. My beard is not fluff (I started shaving when I was 14) but I'm not bluebeard either. The more DE blades I try the more I find them similar rather than different.

Back to hefty razors, I wouldn't be at all surprised to find that shitty DE blades can work just as well. Send me a pack of shitty Lasers hunnymonster and I'll send you some obscure Australian shaving soap or something. Damn, I just gave drubbing a really shitty plastic disposable DE, bought for 50c from a Thai chemist. Would have been an ideal return PIF. I felt a little bit bad about it as he'd just given me a load of freebies that are definitely not shitty. But I'm rebuilding one of his brushes so I've got a bit of leeway there. I'm trying in vain to convert him back to his communist roots through using proletariate shaving equipment rather than all that elitist, fancy stuff he's in to. I've weened him off pretentious Semogue brushes through destroying and converting his current stock (ignore the fact I'm using fancy badger hair) and although he'll never admit it, the drooling banjo brush I gave him opened his eyes. One day he'll thank me.
 
Thank you.

Shitty plastic Thai razors are well below my snobbery threshold though. Obviously well below yours too, as you offloaded it bloody quick. Interesting packaging too. Probably looked good when the graphics weren't all brown and faded and the cardboard uncurled. Back in 1981.

The things I have to go through to get a brush reknotted for nothing...
 
That's a prime NOS example of a disposable DE razor in it's original packaging. Personna too, a recognised brand name. I'm sure you could sell it for a fortune to some collector. Just the two blades alone, vintage Personna Super Somethingorothers will send RM in to a tizz. They don't make'm anymore. I wonder why.

There's also a bit of payback for singlehandedly converting me to this ridiculous traditional wet shaving crap.
 
There's also a bit of payback for singlehandedly converting me to this ridiculous traditional wet shaving crap.

If I wanted to get blamed for everything, I can get plenty of that at home.

I agree on the Semogues though. What got me in is I started with a couple of good ones and then the rest I found pretty meh. Although I have trashed one of those said good uns, but the Omegas replace it very easily.
 
If I wanted to get blamed for everything, I can get plenty of that at home....

Now if there was a little smiley man playing a violin I'd post it straight away.

Just tried the Flare Tip that Glen sent me. Very nice DE razor. Sort of mild to medium. No problemmo. Now I'm going back to familiar SE territory. Only one blade to choose. Total relief.
 
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