Fatboy Red dot

[gregkw1]

Hello gang got my hands on a Gillette Fatboy Red Dot can anyone tell me a little bit about it and what it might be worth

[brothers]

Of course, if you're selling it, you will want the most you can get. However, let me tell you a story about a Red Dot. A few months ago there was one on ebay. The guy had it listed Buy-it-Now for about $850 or something like that. He must have thought it was as rare as a Bottom Dial. That's not the case. He also had the option of Best Offer.

Working backward, I guessed that he had no more than about $400 (probably far less) in it, and he was going for the golden goose. I figured that he was dreaming of a clear $400 to $600 profit on it, after he had covered what he had in it and paid his paypal and ebay fees. It was early in the auction, and I really didn't want the razor. They were built about the same time as the Gillette Lever (it's got a real name, but I can't remember it right now.) you know the adjustable that has a lever that opens and closes the butterflies and tightens it. Fat Boys all shave pretty good, but nothing to write home about. Probably not as well as the lowly Slim, at least in my experience. Same for "lever".

Even though I didn't particularly want it, I didn't mind making an offer, so I calculated his fees, etc., and added $100 profit (over the $400) and decided the most he'd ever get for it would have been $560, and because it was early in the auction, I knew for sure he wouldn't accept my offer, so I made him that offer, and the genius immediately refused my offer! Hahaha! He held his ground for the remainder of the week, and it did not sell. He relisted it at the top dollar one more time and again he got no buyers. So in desperation, kicking himself over and over again for being so greedy he had turned down a $560 offer, so he relisted it one more time for $560, thinking I was really distraught that I didn't buy it and praying for a second chance. I thought that was hilarious. I have no idea if he ever sold it or not.

To answer your question --- It's probably worth about $375 to $450 if you're realistic and hope to sell it on the shaving forums. Nowhere in the ballpark of a bottom dial Fat Boy.

[CMur12]

Hi Greg, welcome to SMF! Very nice find!

I don't know much about the red dot, but condition will have a lot to do with what the razor is worth.

Gary, the razor your thinking of was called the Toggle. (Yeah, I blank these things out from time to time, myself!) As neat as it looks and as valuable as it is as a classic, it has occurred to me that the toggle on the bottom would get in the way for me. I like the short, thick handle of the Fatboy. In fact, my shaving experience with mine was much better than it was with a black-handled Super Adjustable. I have an Aristocrat Adjustable (a gold-plated Slim), but I haven't gotten around to testing it.

- Murray

PS. By the way, where is the "red dot?" I have two Fatboys, a 1959 and a 1960, that both have a red something inside the index notch. Neither one of them has any red paint on the adjustment collar, however.

[BPman]

The absolutely best way to sell for maximum $$ requires nerves of steel: list it on Ebay starting at $1.00 (yes, one buck) with no reserve. Sit back and wait for sharks after chumming the water. Most SERIOUS collectors will not bid anything with a reserve & neither will I.

[brothers]

Murray, the red dot is in the same location as the standard notch on the collar, but no notch, just a round indentation painted bright red. I understand the handle may be just a tiny bit longer and wider than the standard Fat Boy.

[CMur12]

Thanks for the explanation, Gary.

- Murray

[nicodemus38]

condition. post some pictures.

If you have the original case and paperwork, and the original sample blade tuck. your talking top dollar.

however,

the "serious" ie the professional collector is not going to pay the true price. their whole life is to under cut you and trick you into letting it go at 3 cents on the dollar.

[BPman]

...however,

the "serious" ie the professional collector is not going to pay the true price. their whole life is to under cut you and trick you into letting it go at 3 cents on the dollar.

[brothers]

. . . the "serious" ie the professional collector is not going to pay the true price. their whole life is to under cut you and trick you into letting it go at 3 cents on the dollar.

I believe you may be mistaken nic. The owner/seller sets his or her minimum acceptable price. If the money's not there, there is no sale. When I decide to buy something on ebay, I figure out how much it will take to actually outbid all others and that's what I bid. I never place a bid until the last 3 seconds of an auction, and if I get outbid at the last 2 seconds, that's the way it is. There's no deception or unfairness involved.

[nicodemus38]

to be polite ive talked with professional collectors on other forums. and well lets just say some are honest, but the majority are worse then used car salesmen.

One I used to talk to for a short time, well he was slightly less dishonest then some. His trick was to buy rusted out, non functional slims and hit them with a dremel and some rouge. And toss in a random broken plastic box, and charge 50 bucks.

Another one I talked to tried selling off Cadet open comb TTO razor as a genuine Sheraton by Gillette. And I believe the cased Sheraton with papers he bought, was suckered from the dealer by him claiming it was a Cadet made razor.

The honest ones ive talked to well, they freely admit to keeping their price as low as possible. It seems refusing to buy say a cased Bostonian set for more then 25 dollars because the hinge is worn and then refusing to sell the same razor for less then 90 is fair and honest.

I think its why I have two slims I cant get rid of.

[BPman]

to be polite ive talked with professional collectors on other forums. and well lets just say some are honest, but the majority are worse then used car salesmen...

Perhaps you're just too clever for them.

[nicodemus38]

my job is a visual quality inspection in auto parts.

With a large screen and decent skills, its not too hard to see were someone has brazed/jb welded up cracks in an Old Type and refinished it with a do it at home kit.

I admit I am a way to clever person.

[BPman]

...I admit I am a way to clever person.

Let me help in making you even more "clever":

http://www.grammar-monster.com/easily_c ... too_to.htm

[nicodemus38]

iffin I dun kared for grammer ..well I donte kare for grammer.

[brothers]

[gregkw1]

Haven't been here in a while but I put that red dot Fatboy up on eBay second time I listed it sold it for $900.

[brothers]

Congrats! That's what it's all about.
PS: That's more than I paid for a Darwin Deluxe with the original case. Somebody obviously wanted that Red Dot real bad.

[gregkw1]

I noticed one had sold for $1200 before mine. I took $900 and there is one on eBay that's already been dropped down to $750 ....I know about a bottomdial recently sold for $2500.

[brothers]

I have an opinion that the Red Dot, Toggle, Bottom Dial, and etc., are going to provide the same quality of whisker removal as the more common 195 Fat Boy Gillettes. This means the more rare variations are collectable due to the design and not the quality of the shave they provide. That's what I think.

[CMur12]

I have an opinion that the Red Dot, Toggle, Bottom Dial, and etc., are going to provide the same quality of whisker removal as the more common 195 Fat Boy Gillettes. This means the more rare variations are collectable due to the design and not the quality of the shave they provide. That's what I think.

This is my sense of it, too. Though the Toggle has always looked neat to me, I like a short handle, and I think the Toggle would be very irritating for me in use. The standard Fatboy, on the other hand, is about as good as it gets in this regard.

- Murray