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Viking Razor

Used to be a Weishi. Dorco Prime switched to the Baili within the last year. What do you know about who's maufacturing these things? Do you think there is really an all brass version? What do you think about Viking's claim that it's their design?

As to the quality - you're right, Baili's doing a nice job on their recent razors' chroming and stamping. You probably know this, but one way to tell, especially on TTO's, is to look at the base plate from a side view - particularly the "L" shaped 90 degree bend that makes the safety bar. On most all Weishis (on Parker's too), the bend will not be a uniform 90 degrees on both sides - one side is always off. The old Gillettes and the Baili are pretty even on both sides.
The quick change is definitely zinc alloy.

I would put it up against any modern day tto for quality, consistency and plating.

Only benefit of brass is if you think the plating will wear. Then you might want to re-plate, but you are not going to spend $30-50 replating a sub $10 razor, at least I'm not.
 
A friend just gave this to me. Does anyone know anything about this razor? I haven't recalled seeing or hearing anything about it on this site but he claims it has a sensational review from Amazon.

Thanks,
Joel

Here's what Amazon has on this Viking razor stuff ... lots and lots of reviews, mostly favorable.
https://www.amazon.com/s/ref=azs_os...code=qs&index=aps&field-keywords=viking+razor

Scroll down, and you'll see that Amazon also has Viking Sword DE blades ... made by Personna in Israel.
 
I have two of their razors, The Godfather (3 piece) and The Chieftan (TTO), which I purchased on Amazon. I am a newbie and have been using safety razors for the past month, so I may not be able to give you all a true review. I have purchased multiple safety razors ( this gets addictive fast!). I like both Viking razors but do not use them with the included blades. They just did not give me a good shave. I have tried the razors with Derby Extra, Astra SP, and Wilkinson sword blades. The razors feel good appear to be good quality. I am currently going thru a sample pack and have many more blades to try. For the price, I think it's worth trying.

My my other razors include: Parker 96R, Merkur Futur, Edwin Jagger DE86, Merkur HD 34C, and the just purchased but not used Parker 99R. I have ordered a Feather All Stainless Steel razor which should be here Monday. Just having tons of fun trying the different razor/ blade combinations and improving my technique.

I enjoy this forum and hope to be able to contribute.
 
Are the blades available separately from any eVendor?

I'd like to buy about 30 blades to give them a fair test.
Maybe a 100-sleeve if they pass the first round.
 
Did a little digging. The seller buys these razors in bulk for less than three bucks a piece from China. His mainland China supplier packages and brands them to his specs. He jacks up the price big time and hawks them on Amazon. Caveat emptor. I wouldn't be surprised if the blades are actually Chinese, too.
 
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It's also packaged and resold under the name "Elkaline" on Amazon. I bought one as a cheap travel razor, and it looks utterly identical to the one shown in the Viking marketing photos:

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Did a little digging. The seller buys these razors in bulk for less than three bucks a piece from China. His mainland China supplier packages and brands them to his specs. He jacks up the price big time and hawks them on Amazon. Caveat emptor. I wouldn't be surprised if the blades are actually Chinese, too.

Thats how business is done... but put into consideration that you need to have enough overhead for operations and management plus think about the import duties and shipping... granted that when they would charge $30+ for this it would be a little offensive but somewhere between $10 and $15 is actually a very good price...

If it does what it is supposed to, give a good and comfortable shave without falling apart within a few years, then its ok in my book. I get more ticked off by companies like Timor that use the Solingen stamp on something that looks "very close" to a Weishi and put a 70 buck sticker on it!!!

Looking at Joe here for some additional commemts in case I missed something....

Just my two cents... sorry for ranting a bit there :blushing:
 
Thats how business is done... but put into consideration that you need to have enough overhead for operations and management plus think about the import duties and shipping... granted that when they would charge $30+ for this it would be a little offensive but somewhere between $10 and $15 is actually a very good price...

Agreed. $30+ is a little hard to digest. I was trying to justify their price difference due to them claiming it's their original design. I'm not entirely convinced about that though.

It's under quite a few names on Amazon. Bigfoot shaves, Elkaline, Oldcastle shaving, Mensessentials, Wellkage, Drs Prochoice, GoBetter, and more.
I bought the MenEssentials version because it was $9.99 and actually came with 5 Swedish steel blades(Rockwell). At that price, it feels like a great value. The fit and finish is superb.
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Agreed. $30+ is a little hard to digest. I was trying to justify their price difference due to them claiming it's their original design. I'm not entirely convinced about that though.

It's under quite a few names on Amazon. Bigfoot shaves, Elkaline, Oldcastle shaving, Mensessentials, Wellkage, Drs Prochoice, GoBetter, and more.
I bought the MenEssentials version because it was $9.99 and actually came with 5 Swedish steel blades(Rockwell). At that price, it feels like a great value. The fit and finish is superb.
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Original design... I agree, thats somewhat hard to believe but who knows. Then again...Its a free world and they can mark up the price to whatever they want to... you don't have to buy it if you think its too expensive. Eventually they will go broke or have to adjust the price because nowbody will shell out the amount they are asking... thats the way it works...and its good that way.
For $9.99 thats a good looking razor and if it shaves nice, its a great deal :thumbup1:

I didn't mean to offend you in any way...so sorry about that if I did.

To come back to the razor... its very good looking. How does it shave??
 
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Original design... I agree, thats somewhat hard to believe but who knows. Then again...Its a free world and they can mark up the price to whatever they want to... you don't have to buy it if you think its too expensive. Eventually they will go broke or have to adjust the price because nowbody will shell out the amount they are asking... thats the way it works...and its good that way.
For $9.99 thats a good looking razor and if it shaves nice, its a great deal [emoji106]1:

I didn't mean to offend you in any way...so sorry about that if I did.

To come back to the razor... its very good looking. How does it shave??
You absolutely did not offend me in any way.
The fit and finish is surprisingly good. It feels like a $30 razor, so I can see people being pleased if they didn't know it could be had for 1/3 the price.
The head is wide enough to cover the ends of the blade. Like the Feather popular, it has tiny nubs to protect you from the corners of the cutting edge.
It's very mild. The bar geometry is nearly identical to the baseplate of my 73 tech. It's like a TTO tech. Id love to see a close up comparison to a ranger tech.
This seems like a perfect starter razor
here is it next to the tech I mentioned:
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...granted that when they would charge $30+ for this it would be a little offensive but somewhere between $10 and $15 is actually a very good price...

Agreed, and as I said, it is a decent razor. Matter of fact, I shaved with it this morning for the first time in quite awhile and got a very good shave.

What irks me is that I naively fell for the Vikings Blade false advertising. He gets the Guangzhou Weidi Commodity Co., Ltd. in Guangdong, China to print his logo on the case, pays between $2.00 and $2.99 per piece, and hypes it like a barker at a county fair. See for yourself: https://www.alibaba.com/product-det...60307342906.html?spm=a2700.7724857.0.0.ZaUkcJ
 
That's a mighty fine looking razor. I'm glad people found the $10 versions of it. I almost bought the $30 version due to the reviews on Amazon, but those pictures they posted don't look as real as the ones B&B members have posted here.

I have a Razorock classic TTO and it's too aggressive for me. I've been looking for a milder TTO. If anyone wants to trade, let me know.
 
Okay folks, I hate to derail this thread but I speak from first hand experience here. First and foremost, I'm neither a vendor, nor do I get paid/compensated for what I'm about to share. The Vikings Blade IS in fact, an original design. The Baili and all others are definitely NOT manufactured identically. I recently dropped my Vikings Blade on my bathroom tile floor and cried like a baby. I ordered the Baili to replace it and upon inspection, I was convinced I had ordered the same razor at a lower price UNTIL I shaved with it! The shave was so horrible that I began a VERY close inspection and discovered the differences. I have attached photos to support my findings and you all can believe what you want, but I shaved with that Vikings blade for eight months before trying the Baili replacement and IMMEDIATELY knew I was not in Kansas. First, the Baili weighs less by a couple of grams. It is also smaller tho only by a tiny fraction. But the most telling sign is the actual TTO mechanism. Turn these razors over and you'll notice that the Vikings Blade brand has its side arms (not the doors that open, but the arms that allow it to open) anchored to short round pins that come out of the base of the head. The head on the Baili does NOT attach this way and the ENTIRE mechanism is thus very different in design. We are talking about a precision instrument here. Fractions of millimetres make a HUGE difference in performance. The Baili doesn't expose the blade enough to actually cut hair worth a flip while the Vikings Blade always gave me a very mild but sharp and close shave. The weight and design are different guys. I don't care if they're made in the same factory or not, the Vikings Blade is superior and you'd know beyond any shadow of a doubt if you actually shaved with it and then compared it to the knock-offs. In the attached photos, the Vikings Blade is on the right and the last photo is the underside of the Vikings Blade brand (notice the round pin I mentioned before). You can see the differences in the design clearly when they are side by side. You can even see that the Baili's knurling pattern is screwy in some sports, where the Vikings Blade is more straight and polished. I hate that I bought my Vikings Blade for $19.99 around Christmas and then the price shot up to $33 but I can tell you that there's a good reason they charge a premium for their model. It's still the best razor I've owned since I started DE shaving and I mourn it's loss daily. If I didn't spend all my money on creams and soaps and other nonsense, I'd drop the $33 and just buy the replacement. **sigh** Instead, my poor damaged razor rests in it's carrying case in the back of my bathroom closet... alone in it's coffin...
$IMG_20160707_120704.jpg$IMG_20160707_120627.jpg$IMG_20160707_120454.jpg$IMG_20160707_120318.jpg$IMG_20160707_120430.jpg
 
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...I bought my Vikings Blade...around Christmas...It's still the best razor I've owned since I started DE shaving...

How many other razors have you used since you first started DE shaving eight months ago? I'd just like to know what your frame of reference is.

The Chieftain isn't a bad TTO razor, but it's still just a run-of-the-mill Chinese import.
 
How many other razors have you used since you first started DE shaving eight months ago? I'd just like to know what your frame of reference is.

The Chieftain isn't a bad TTO razor, but it's still just a run-of-the-mill Chinese import.

I've purchased 8 razors since. Modest, I know, but still enough for me to form an opinion.
 
Okay folks, I hate to derail this thread but I speak from first hand experience here. First and foremost, I'm neither a vendor, nor do I get paid/compensated for what I'm about to share. The Vikings Blade IS in fact, an original design. The Baili and all others are definitely NOT manufactured identically. I recently dropped my Vikings Blade on my bathroom tile floor and cried like a baby. I ordered the Baili to replace it and upon inspection, I was convinced I had ordered the same razor at a lower price UNTIL I shaved with it! The shave was so horrible that I began a VERY close inspection and discovered the differences. I have attached photos to support my findings and you all can believe what you want, but I shaved with that Vikings blade for eight months before trying the Baili replacement and IMMEDIATELY knew I was not in Kansas. First, the Baili weighs less by a couple of grams. It is also smaller tho only by a tiny fraction. But the most telling sign is the actual TTO mechanism. Turn these razors over and you'll notice that the Vikings Blade brand has its side arms (not the doors that open, but the arms that allow it to open) anchored to short round pins that come out of the base of the head. The head on the Baili does NOT attach this way and the ENTIRE mechanism is thus very different in design. We are talking about a precision instrument here. Fractions of millimetres make a HUGE difference in performance. The Baili doesn't expose the blade enough to actually cut hair worth a flip while the Vikings Blade always gave me a very mild but sharp and close shave. The weight and design are different guys. I don't care if they're made in the same factory or not, the Vikings Blade is superior and you'd know beyond any shadow of a doubt if you actually shaved with it and then compared it to the knock-offs. In the attached photos, the Vikings Blade is on the right and the last photo is the underside of the Vikings Blade brand (notice the round pin I mentioned before). You can see the differences in the design clearly when they are side by side. You can even see that the Baili's knurling pattern is screwy in some sports, where the Vikings Blade is more straight and polished. I hate that I bought my Vikings Blade for $19.99 around Christmas and then the price shot up to $33 but I can tell you that there's a good reason they charge a premium for their model. It's still the best razor I've owned since I started DE shaving and I mourn it's loss daily. If I didn't spend all my money on creams and soaps and other nonsense, I'd drop the $33 and just buy the replacement. **sigh** Instead, my poor damaged razor rests in it's carrying case in the back of my bathroom closet... alone in it's coffin...
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Great catch. I love it when someone has an eye for small details. My DorcoPrime bought razor is a Baili & looks exactly like the one you ID above as a Baili. Those little cotter-pins on the underside of the Bail do strike me as a potential fail point on the Razor. It looks to me like the VR does not have it - right?

Anyhow - all you familiar with vintage Gillette and Weishi owners. Do the same underside comparison with Weishi and Gillette and you will notice that the casting and welding of the same attachment point pictured above is miles apart in terms of quality. The Weishi & it's clones all look like the weld was blown out. The Gillette is uniform and perfect. I'm sure that's why the Gillette's are still out there and functioning and there are reports of MicroTouch, etc. breaking in under a year. Read RazoRock's comments in this thread. If funds are too tight for another VR - I'd take his endorsement.

Gillette TTO's amaze me. How many things out there with moving parts are 70+ years old and can still be used for their intended purpose & still do it well?
 
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