Gillette Slim Vs Fatboy
The Gillette Slim or Fatboy are very popular vintage razers and it can be hard to choose between them. They are some of the most popular safety razors. To know which of them best suits you, read on.
What is the Difference Between Slim and Fatboy Razors?
As the name suggests, Gillette Slim razors are typically trimmer, lighter, and slimmer than the Fatboy. Surprisingly, the Slim is also marginally longer. On the other hand, the Gillette Fatboy’s handle is slightly shorter and fatter.
The easiest way to tell the difference between the Slim and the Fatboy is to look at the adjustment dial. It’s under your razor’s head. Slims come with horizontal and vertical knurling, while Fatboys only have vertical knurling.
Fatboy and Slim razors also have adjustment dials with numbers ranging from one to nine. Overall, the most notable difference is the thicker and shorter Fatboy’s handle.
What are The Fatboy Gillette and Fatboy Dimensions?
Here are the Gillette Fatboy dimensions:
- Head height: 10.5mm
- Head width: 43.3mm
- Weight: 80g
- Handle diameter: 11.5mm
- Handle length: 78mm
- Total length: 88mm
Please find the Gillette Slim dimensions below.
- Head height: 10 mm
- Head width: 43.3mm
- Weight: 70g
- Handle diameter: 10 mm
- Handle length: 80.6 mm
- Total length: 95.5mm
Why is the Gillette Fatboy Razor So Expensive?
Gillette made the Fatboy from 1958 to 1963 but never earned a profit from it. Its shave quality has always been exceptional.
Gillette invested a lot of resources in creating quality handles. The company regarded this as one of the best ways to win the blade wars. Due to the high production cost, the retail price of the razor was much higher than many potential users could afford. This still affects the cost of the razor today.
Gillette Slim and Fatboy, Which is Best?
Immediately after the introduction of Gillette Slim, it began to boost the financial and brand value of the company. The Fatboy was indeed Gillette’s first adjustable razor with significant market appeal. However, Slim was its actual cash cow.
Gillet didn’t produce Gillette Fatboy for long. The razor was tough to assemble as each of them required 15 parts to produce. That inspired a change. The Gillette Slim became the alternative since it was manufactured differently. It was possible to assemble it modularly. The company made its frame and body at one plant. Moreover, this razor had 33% fewer parts than the Fatboy. In short, it was much less costly to produce than the Fatboy.
Other than the inexpensive cost, the Slim was much easier to shave with. It was designed to be incredibly more maneuverable in tighter areas like under your nose.
The Slim was sold between 1961 and 1968. Its demand was incredibly high since it appealed to the aging parents of baby boomers. The cost was also attractive. Today, many people still love the “do-it-all” adjustable razor, and you can find them on various online stores.
How Can I Identify A Gillette Fatboy?
The easiest way to know if the Gillette you have is a fat boy is to simply take a look at the Twist-To-Open Knob also referred to as the TTO. If you take a look at the TTO of the Gillette Fatboy, it is wide than its handle and more pronounced than in Gillette slim.
The knob on Gillette slim is almost the same diameter as its handle. Hence, when you have a wider knob than the handle in a Gillet, there you have a Fatboy.
How Do You Know How Old Your Gillette Fatboy Is?
This is also referred to as dating your Gillette fat boy. The date code on your Gillette razor is divided into two components made of the alphabetic letter and the number component.
The first is an alphabetic letter that correlates to the year of production. The Alphabet and corresponding year can be found in the Gillette Date code table.
The numbers represent the three-month manufacturing quarter.
1 – from January to March.
2 – April to June.
3 – July to September.
4 – October to December.
A date code of C-1, for example, represents an adjustable razor made in the first quarter of 1957 or the first quarter of 1982, depending on the model.
Summing Up
Gillette slim and Fatboy are the best adjustable safety razors, but they were designed for slightly different markets. If you want to choose the best one, pay close attention to their price and blade differences. This way, you’ll be able to choose a razor that you can afford, and guarantees you the safest and most convenient shaving experience.
