What’s the difference between the Gillette Fatboy and Slim razors?

The difference between the Gillette Fatboy and Slim razors is that the Gillette Slim, as the name implies is trimmer, slimmer and lighter than the Fatboy, surprisingly it is also marginally longer. The Gillette Fatboy has a slightly shorter, fatter handle.

The Fatboy was launched in autumn 1958 and it was only made for only three and a half years with production stopping in early 1962. The Slim was launched as an upgrade to the Fatboy in 1961. It was made from mid-1961 until late 1968. It became an instant hit when it launched and no doubt sales were boosted further when James Bond played by Sean Connery used a Slim in the 1964 movie Goldfinger.

The Fatboy and the Slim benefit from butterfly opening doors and high build quality. The build quality was so good, sales for new razors dropped off and Gillette was forced to rethink their business model in order to survive and a decision was made to focus on selling cheap, low grade razors often at a loss to entice buyers into buying multi blade Excel and later Mach3 cartridge blades.

Both the Fatboy and Slim were made from nickel plated brass. Later luxury models featured gold plating.

Today, good condition Fatboy and Slim razors can fetch £200, fully restored and rhodium plated versions even more.

Many buyers are duped on eBay by unscrupulous sellers selling Slims as Fatboys and even selling non-adjustable Gillette Rockets and Superspeeds as Fatboys and Slims.
The easiest way to tell the difference between a Fatboy and a Slim is to look at the adjustment dial which is situated under the head of the razor. Fatboys have vertical knurling while Slims have vertical and horizontal knurling. Fatboy and Slim razors have adjustment dials with the numbers 1-9, sometimes the enamel paint in the numbers has worn away or has been cleaned off. Other times sellers fill in the numbers with paint. The obvious difference between the Fatboy and the Slim being the thicker handle on the Fatboy.

The Fatboy is more in demand than the Slim mainly as they are rarer being only made for three and a half years, the Slim was made for seven years. 1964 Slim razors are very much in demand, they have the letter J stamped on the underside of the base plate which confirms the razor was made in 1964 the Goldfinger movie year.