Yesterday received the Baili BD179. It is a Baili and not one of the 50+ rebadges. Was quite surprised to find that below the bottom plate there are 2 thin metal pegs protruding. See the picture. Are yours like that as well?
Question for Baili BD179 users
- Thread starter ivan_101
- Start date
Yes, mine is exactly like that - and it has Baili written on the butterfly doors. Those pins seem to hold the center bar in place / stabilize it.
The head of the BD179 is very light and not exactly a bullet proof design. I don't expect to pass it on to future generations, but right now it gives me a wonderful shave. I like this razor - a lot!
The head of the BD179 is very light and not exactly a bullet proof design. I don't expect to pass it on to future generations, but right now it gives me a wonderful shave. I like this razor - a lot!
Yes mine is the same. Very nice mild razor that is great for daily use and travel.
- Thread starter
- #4
Well, I can't see how we are talking about passing a razor made of ZAMAK to future generations. So far I am not overwhelmed by the other Baili models and I have all the 3-piece ones. I have to mention on this one one of the blade edges is a bit askew - the gap on the left side is bigger than on the right side of the edge. The other edge is fine though. Will have to try it in the next days.
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We are talking about NOT about not passing a razor made of ZAMAK on to future generations. Three small letters, big difference!
Anyhow, this morning I had another look at the razor - it was late last night - and those pins don't hold the center bar in place. In fact, they don't seem to serve any purpose whatsoever!
Anyhow, this morning I had another look at the razor - it was late last night - and those pins don't hold the center bar in place. In fact, they don't seem to serve any purpose whatsoever!
- Thread starter
- #7
In fact, they don't seem to serve any purpose whatsoever!
That was exactly my first thought when I looked at them.
They remind me of the little 'feet' that some Superspeeds have in the exact same location - and other Superspeeds don't. As far as I know, nobody has ever worked out what their purpose is either!
For what it's worth, that's a Made in England Flaretip Superspeed. I just finished shaving with it, so there is still a drop of water in the photo.
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My sons Bali is the same.!
- Thread starter
- #10
They remind me of the little 'feet' that some Superspeeds have in the exact same location - and other Superspeeds don't. As far as I know, nobody has ever worked out what their purpose is either!
For what it's worth, that's a Made in England Flaretip Superspeed. I just finished shaving with it, so there is still a drop of water in the photo.
View attachment 1100156
My English Flaretip doesn't have these "feet". My guess is those are different periods of production. Mine is the newer very low profile head, so probably mid 60s. But unfortunately they started using the codes on the English razors only in 1970 IIRC.
Possible. Is yours a Rocket - handle extends when doors are closed. Or a Superspeed - handle stays the same length. Rockets are usually made in England, Superspeeds in Amerika. Mine is a made in England Superspeed.
Anyway, the interesting question is, what are those feet, wings, or whatever people call them good for?
Anyway, the interesting question is, what are those feet, wings, or whatever people call them good for?
Don’t those tabs hold the center bar and doors to the baseplate? I believe if you were looking to disassemble the razor, those tabs would need to crimped/squeezed to pull the shaft, doors and center bar out of the handle and baseplate.
- Thread starter
- #13
Mine is the typical Rocket. Here is a photo.
Last night I have been searching through a lot of images on the internet. Thise feet are seen only on the British razors up to '58-'59. Later years don't have it. And in early 60s they changed the head from high profile to low. Mine is the later version.
- Thread starter
- #14
I finally shaved with the Baili. This razor is definitely not for me. I read numerous opinions here. Most of them were praising this razor. It is a very mild razor. Not exactly for my type of beard. There's something strange about Bailis. The guard. That fine microcomb does not work for my whiskers. I had a DFS+. Wouldn't call the shave BBS. I might end up giving it away, who knows. Nothing to worry about, as I paid only $6.50 with free shipping (and waited for it for 66 days).
Here's some information on Baili that I wanted to get on the record.
Personna/ASR (now Edgewell) has at least two labels in China: Baili and Apache. Both the Baili and Apache DE blades said "made in America" in Chinese when I was there.
So if you buy over-priced Baili blades, thinking they are something special, you are getting American blades that were shipped to China and then sent back to America.
There is only one company making DE blades in America, as far as I know, that is selling them outside their primary label: Personna. Schick and Gillette only sell their blades under their own label, right? (But Schick is now part of Edgewell along with Personna, so who knows? And Gillette is actually just one of many labels owned by P&G, so what does a label mean, anymore?)
The Baili blades and razors hit the market when I was there; Baili was only sold online, while Apache was sold in large supermarkets. Baili razors showed up on Amazon years later, at a greatly inflated price compared to the dirt cheap prices in China.
While Baili blades were (are?) made in the U.S., the razors are made in China. What the relation the razor factory has to Baili and Personna is not entirely clear to me. There is a promotional video on Youtube showing the factory. Perhaps it is only partially owned by Personna? Or could the factory be making the razors for Baili and other brands?
While the Vikings butterfly razor seems to be a variant of the Baili design, there are several companies selling rebadged Baili BD 179's.
Many Apache products say "Personna" on them. And Personna sold some very good DE blades actually labeled Personna in China. And then there was the mysterious Kellantz 28 Platinum blade, made in America, the most expensive DE blade I saw sold online in China, aside from Feather, which I assume was some rebadged ASR blades.
Confused yet? Let's cut to the chase.
The Baili razors are reasonably well made, for what they obviously are, not high end DE razors. They vary from extremely mild to fairly mild. The Chinese market seems to have a fear of razor blades, as most use electric razors now, and most only need to shave about once a week, so they prefer razors where they can barely touch the blade. One is so mild I found it unusable, the others are OK once you get the hang of their characteristics.
The butterfly BD179 is actually good, much better built than a Weishi and more aggressive, once you get the right angle. If you have an urge for a butterfly razor, it is a good choice. I showed it to some engineering students, and they promptly took it apart. I can't remember now how they did it, but it can be disassembled for cleaning.
The Baili blades are weird. The only one that is any good is the Platinum +. The rest are so dull, I must assume it is because the Chinese are afraid of sharp blades. The Platinum +, which is absurdly over-priced, appears to be sharp, but it is very inefficient. This seems to be due to coatings that make the blade so smooth it just slides over the whiskers. Is this possible? I bought some of them until I finally found better blades, and they are sitting in a drawer.
The Apache DE blades also are not sharp, although some of their cartridge razors are very good. The old Chinese labels are miserably dull, worse than a box cutter blade, so I guess compared to them, Apache, Schick and Gillette seemed good in China. But there are now Chinese labels that produce some sharp blades, such as Ming Shi and Ri Mei. And the Chinese made Gillette-Wilkinson DE blades sold in India are very sharp, so they can do it if they want to. China makes industrial diamonds by the ton, literally, and produces 80 percent of the world's tungsten, so they can make some very hard, sharp steel implements, if they want to.
Ri Mei is a large, old company, and makes some decent very cheap three-piece razors, if you can find them cheap enough. I don't know if Ming Shi actually makes stuff, or just repackages it. Cloud blades are made for hair stylists. Good luck trying to shave with them.
BTW, the Futur clones sold by Ming Shi and others can be easily disassembled and cleaned. There's a catch, though: It is tricky getting them back together exactly the same. If you don't, the razor will become significantly more aggressive! It seems there are a few levels you can wind up with.
Part of the problem seems to be from rotating the base plate 180 degrees, but it is also a matter of how hard you press it down when reassembling it. So I fearlessly took it apart and put it back together again, and one morning sliced my chin pretty good, not realizing how much it had changed. Fortunately, I did not need a transfusion. I suppose this modification could be useful for ascetics who shave their heads, such as Buddhist monks.
Oh, and most of the razor stuff sold on Alibaba is more expensive than the same stuff sold online in the US, in part because the stuff exported wholesale here doesn't have to pay VAT/sales tax, in part because Alibaba can get away with it. Prices online in China are absurdly cheap, but you can't see the real prices on Taobao unless you are IN China and are a registered customer. Sometimes the price foreigners DO see on Taobao are 5x or 10x the Chinese retail prices.
One further conundrum to ponder: If Baili is owned by Personna, and Personna is owned by ASR, and ASR is owned by Edgewell, does that mean Baili is actually part of Edgewell? If not, will Baili one day buy Edgewell and P&G? Stay tuned.
That's most of what I know on the subject. Someone who lives in China could tell you more.
Personna/ASR (now Edgewell) has at least two labels in China: Baili and Apache. Both the Baili and Apache DE blades said "made in America" in Chinese when I was there.
So if you buy over-priced Baili blades, thinking they are something special, you are getting American blades that were shipped to China and then sent back to America.
There is only one company making DE blades in America, as far as I know, that is selling them outside their primary label: Personna. Schick and Gillette only sell their blades under their own label, right? (But Schick is now part of Edgewell along with Personna, so who knows? And Gillette is actually just one of many labels owned by P&G, so what does a label mean, anymore?)
The Baili blades and razors hit the market when I was there; Baili was only sold online, while Apache was sold in large supermarkets. Baili razors showed up on Amazon years later, at a greatly inflated price compared to the dirt cheap prices in China.
While Baili blades were (are?) made in the U.S., the razors are made in China. What the relation the razor factory has to Baili and Personna is not entirely clear to me. There is a promotional video on Youtube showing the factory. Perhaps it is only partially owned by Personna? Or could the factory be making the razors for Baili and other brands?
While the Vikings butterfly razor seems to be a variant of the Baili design, there are several companies selling rebadged Baili BD 179's.
Many Apache products say "Personna" on them. And Personna sold some very good DE blades actually labeled Personna in China. And then there was the mysterious Kellantz 28 Platinum blade, made in America, the most expensive DE blade I saw sold online in China, aside from Feather, which I assume was some rebadged ASR blades.
Confused yet? Let's cut to the chase.
The Baili razors are reasonably well made, for what they obviously are, not high end DE razors. They vary from extremely mild to fairly mild. The Chinese market seems to have a fear of razor blades, as most use electric razors now, and most only need to shave about once a week, so they prefer razors where they can barely touch the blade. One is so mild I found it unusable, the others are OK once you get the hang of their characteristics.
The butterfly BD179 is actually good, much better built than a Weishi and more aggressive, once you get the right angle. If you have an urge for a butterfly razor, it is a good choice. I showed it to some engineering students, and they promptly took it apart. I can't remember now how they did it, but it can be disassembled for cleaning.
The Baili blades are weird. The only one that is any good is the Platinum +. The rest are so dull, I must assume it is because the Chinese are afraid of sharp blades. The Platinum +, which is absurdly over-priced, appears to be sharp, but it is very inefficient. This seems to be due to coatings that make the blade so smooth it just slides over the whiskers. Is this possible? I bought some of them until I finally found better blades, and they are sitting in a drawer.
The Apache DE blades also are not sharp, although some of their cartridge razors are very good. The old Chinese labels are miserably dull, worse than a box cutter blade, so I guess compared to them, Apache, Schick and Gillette seemed good in China. But there are now Chinese labels that produce some sharp blades, such as Ming Shi and Ri Mei. And the Chinese made Gillette-Wilkinson DE blades sold in India are very sharp, so they can do it if they want to. China makes industrial diamonds by the ton, literally, and produces 80 percent of the world's tungsten, so they can make some very hard, sharp steel implements, if they want to.
Ri Mei is a large, old company, and makes some decent very cheap three-piece razors, if you can find them cheap enough. I don't know if Ming Shi actually makes stuff, or just repackages it. Cloud blades are made for hair stylists. Good luck trying to shave with them.
BTW, the Futur clones sold by Ming Shi and others can be easily disassembled and cleaned. There's a catch, though: It is tricky getting them back together exactly the same. If you don't, the razor will become significantly more aggressive! It seems there are a few levels you can wind up with.
Part of the problem seems to be from rotating the base plate 180 degrees, but it is also a matter of how hard you press it down when reassembling it. So I fearlessly took it apart and put it back together again, and one morning sliced my chin pretty good, not realizing how much it had changed. Fortunately, I did not need a transfusion. I suppose this modification could be useful for ascetics who shave their heads, such as Buddhist monks.
Oh, and most of the razor stuff sold on Alibaba is more expensive than the same stuff sold online in the US, in part because the stuff exported wholesale here doesn't have to pay VAT/sales tax, in part because Alibaba can get away with it. Prices online in China are absurdly cheap, but you can't see the real prices on Taobao unless you are IN China and are a registered customer. Sometimes the price foreigners DO see on Taobao are 5x or 10x the Chinese retail prices.
One further conundrum to ponder: If Baili is owned by Personna, and Personna is owned by ASR, and ASR is owned by Edgewell, does that mean Baili is actually part of Edgewell? If not, will Baili one day buy Edgewell and P&G? Stay tuned.
That's most of what I know on the subject. Someone who lives in China could tell you more.
- Thread starter
- #16
I knew that prices for those who live in China are much lower than on Aliexpress.
As for the Baili razors overall, I think their quality is not good. I have bought 3-4 3-piece razors and one TTO. 2 of the 3 piece have the curvy blade. The TTO has actually slanted blade on one side.
And you are right, it is obvious the Chinese don't want sharp blades. Most Chinese blades can't cut my whiskers. That is what their facial hair requires - dull blades. It doesn't surprise my most of them use electrics. They do the job with their type of hair. I could never get even half-decent results with an electric shaver.
As for the Baili razors overall, I think their quality is not good. I have bought 3-4 3-piece razors and one TTO. 2 of the 3 piece have the curvy blade. The TTO has actually slanted blade on one side.
And you are right, it is obvious the Chinese don't want sharp blades. Most Chinese blades can't cut my whiskers. That is what their facial hair requires - dull blades. It doesn't surprise my most of them use electrics. They do the job with their type of hair. I could never get even half-decent results with an electric shaver.
I recently bought a Baili BD 176 (tech type) and BD 179 TTO.
Both shaved very well and impressed me with their chrome plating and tight tolerances.
The 179 is extremely smooth, with very little feedback, but gave me an effortless BBS, with no burn.
The 176 has more feedback, but similar results.
You really can’t beat them for ~$8 a piece.
Both shaved very well and impressed me with their chrome plating and tight tolerances.
The 179 is extremely smooth, with very little feedback, but gave me an effortless BBS, with no burn.
The 176 has more feedback, but similar results.
You really can’t beat them for ~$8 a piece.
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