Would you pay £140 for a Fatboy??

StephenShave

StephenShave

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I've noticed that in the last few months, the price of Fatboys has been steadily increasing. Whether this is due to the increased popularity of DE shaving, or collectors speculating, I've no idea.

But currently there is a Fatboy for sale on Ebay for £140 (From USA so anyone in UK will have substantial postage & customs to add).

I'm curious, would anyone here pay that amount for one?

(My own opinion is that I would pick up a cheap 'basket case', and get it Rhodium plated. One of Dave's rhodium plated Fatboys sold last week for £100 on Ebay....)
 
I see a similar thing with the top-end razors, but it has been cyclic over the past few years. Generally I find that razors on ebay go for more in winter than in summer, but supply and demand obviously has an impact. At the moment there are no British Aristocrats advertised as such on ebay, therefore you'd expect the next one listed to generate a higher price than a week or two ago.

I'd agree that the popularity of traditional shaving is on the up, therefore increasing demand.
 
I am happy with the £4.99 filthy but working one I got on fleabay last month. A bit of cleaning and hey presto, I saved myself a bundle of money. I might even get it replated for Xmas with the money I saved.
 
I think that has been on sale for a while, also the seller restores razors to sell in his bricks and mortar shop.
It is a nice example with a good condition case (incorrect blade pack but it fills the hole). It will sell and good luck to the guy.
Lets hope both my Fatboy's the same price, but I doubt it even though they are complete (instructions & blades).
The problem with getting a basket case is often the metal under the plating has corroded leaving marks which a re-plate will not cover. Or the mechanics are rough.
As the old saying goes "You can polish a turd, but at the end of the day its still a turd"
For me I would look out for one that is in good order and pay the extra.
 
missingskin said:
I think that has been on sale for a while, also the seller restores razors to sell in his bricks and mortar shop.
It is a nice example with a good condition case (incorrect blade pack but it fills the hole). It will sell and good luck to the guy.
Lets hope both my Fatboy's the same price, but I doubt it even though they are complete (instructions & blades).
The problem with getting a basket case is often the metal under the plating has corroded leaving marks which a re-plate will not cover. Or the mechanics are rough.
As the old saying goes "You can polish a turd, but at the end of the day its still a turd"
For me I would look out for one that is in good order and pay the extra.
Click to expand...

I would normally agree, but for a daily shaver and not a show piece I am happy. The mechanics are fine and I can't see any other issues.
 
shiny said:
missingskin said:
I think that has been on sale for a while, also the seller restores razors to sell in his bricks and mortar shop.
It is a nice example with a good condition case (incorrect blade pack but it fills the hole). It will sell and good luck to the guy.
Lets hope both my Fatboy's the same price, but I doubt it even though they are complete (instructions & blades).
The problem with getting a basket case is often the metal under the plating has corroded leaving marks which a re-plate will not cover. Or the mechanics are rough.
As the old saying goes "You can polish a turd, but at the end of the day its still a turd"
For me I would look out for one that is in good order and pay the extra.
Click to expand...

I would normally agree, but for a daily shaver and not a show piece I am happy. The mechanics are fine and I can't see any other issues.
Click to expand...

I agree with you on that point, as a daily shaver if it works then thats fine. But the one you found was a steal to say the least. I have seen dog rough Fatboy's go for a lot more, the name seems to command high price. You can spend £30.00 on a replate and you still have a Fatboy at a great price.
But how many £4.99 Fatboy razors have you seen and where as I could do with finding a few at that money........:icon_lol:
 
missingskin said:
shiny said:
missingskin said:
I think that has been on sale for a while, also the seller restores razors to sell in his bricks and mortar shop.
It is a nice example with a good condition case (incorrect blade pack but it fills the hole). It will sell and good luck to the guy.
Lets hope both my Fatboy's the same price, but I doubt it even though they are complete (instructions & blades).
The problem with getting a basket case is often the metal under the plating has corroded leaving marks which a re-plate will not cover. Or the mechanics are rough.
As the old saying goes "You can polish a turd, but at the end of the day its still a turd"
For me I would look out for one that is in good order and pay the extra.
Click to expand...

I would normally agree, but for a daily shaver and not a show piece I am happy. The mechanics are fine and I can't see any other issues.
Click to expand...

I agree with you on that point, as a daily shaver if it works then thats fine. But the one you found was a steal to say the least. I have seen dog rough Fatboy's go for a lot more, the name seems to command high price. You can spend £30.00 on a replate and you still have a Fatboy at a great price.
But how many £4.99 Fatboy razors have you seen and where as I could do with finding a few at that money........:icon_lol:
Click to expand...

I fell lucky as I was bidding on two at the same time. One I got was £40 from the states and is in fairness the better one. The other was £4.99 from a charity shop selling on eBay and the pictures showed it was very dirty but has cleaned up very well. I will post some pictures later on.
 
I thought it was 'you can't polish a turd' (but you can roll it in glitter) .
I wouldn't pay £140 for a NOS Fatboy with box and blade pack and instruction leaflet but it's certainly something I would keep a particular eye out for. I did pay £70 for one not NOS but near mint with case and original blade pack still wrapped but that was a special treat!
 
Certainly looks very nice. As we discussed before prices vary wildly! All you need is the right person after a bit of vino and then it will get sold.
 
shiny said:
I am happy with the £4.99 filthy but working one I got on fleabay last month. A bit of cleaning and hey presto, I saved myself a bundle of money. I might even get it replated for Xmas with the money I saved.
Click to expand...

Bargain! Thought I'd done well to get one for £25 delivered.

There was a boxed NOS fatboy that went for £77 a month or back, seemed like a more reasonable price for a minter.
 
I've been emailing this guy at Sport Shaving - i really cant praise his approach to customer care enough.

His razors restorations are pricey but I contacted him about his brushes as they are always top notch. He is a jeweller/ pawn broker in LA. Not only did he let me pick from 6 or 7 brushes waiting for attention but he restored two for me, a rare Rubberset and an equally rare Century. Cost about £70 for the pair which i dont think is that bad and they look amazing. I was going to post some pictures when they arrive. He also offered me first dibs on a nice Russian Leningrad which wasn't really for me and is now on eBay.

He is pricey but a top bloke and he seems to genuinely care about his trade. If you are looking for something specific drop him an email. Highly recommended!
 
We have a retailer in the U.K selling Fat Boys @ similar prices !!! supply & demand I guess, at least your not hit with the absurd Import/Export duties tax along with Vat and Royal Mail handling fee's (Calm down my lad Calm down)

Charles U.K
 
Mr_Smartepants said:
What is it about Fatboy's that make them more expensive than other vintage adjustable razors?
Click to expand...


In the car scene, we call it 'scene tax'

I guess it's purely because of how highly it is spoken of amongst the forums pushes the prices up. I'd say if it was mint and original it's worth £100+. Replates, if rhodium are worth good money too but the cost of the plating is quite high.
 
Mr_Smartepants said:
What is it about Fatboy's that make them more expensive than other vintage adjustable razors?
Click to expand...

I've thought alot about this (yes, I know I should get out more), and I think it's down to a few things. One, is the brand name 'Gillette' - like it or not (& I'm a fan), it is the ubiquitous name in shaving. Secondly, the styling of the Fatboy for me is excellent. It is chunky, a great weight (80g), very distinctive, lovely full knurled handles. Oh, and it's a real flavour of the 50s & 60s, in addition to having a rarity factor only being mass produced for 3 years.

I'm sure many will disagree, but these are my thoughts - and the reasons I eventually bought my own Fatboy! :icon_biggrin:
 
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