Gillette’s Newest Offering: The “Baldy” Razor

[Editor’s Notes: As of June, 2024 the Gillette Baldy razor is no longer available. This post will remain on the site for archival and informational purposes. Caution, this post is image-heavy.]

Somehow a computer program somewhere deduced that I was bald and shaving my head. I have no other idea how an advertisement from Gillette ended up in my web browser. I haven’t bought any Gillette products for years. At least new products. My 1959 Fatboy doesn’t count. 

Baldy

But there it was. An advertisement for “Gillette Baldly.” I got the play on words … and intrigued, clicked on the link. 

The site worked to answer the question on the front page, why Baldly. It is said it is the first Gillette razor designed specifically for head shaving. The site quoted stats about the number of men who show signs of balding.

It is unlike any razor I had ever seen before. The short, fat handle was the first thing that caught my immediate attention. Gillette said they designed it that way for better control and maneuverability. The grip pattern is supposed to provide a secure grip whether your hands are wet or day. Gillette says they sat down with guys who shaved their heads to learn what they wanted and needed in a razor. They said the guys struggled changing their grip while head shaving with “traditionally skinny handles.” 

For the record, I use a Dorco six-blade for my head. It works great and is very easy on the wallet. I don’t use any of my safety razors because I know my limitations. 

I decided to pull the trigger and give the newest razor from Gillette a try. 

My Experience With The Gillette Baldy Razor

I’ve got to give Gillette credit for their marketing of this line. It was professionally packaged and the play on words on the inside was a cute touch. 

To say the Baldly razor is big is an understatement. This is a comparison shot next to my Dorco 6 blade that I’ve been using. 

Gillette says it is made of aluminum and is chrome-plated. The handle is hollowed out and it has a nice weight to it and feels evenly balanced. 

It fits nicely into my hand and doesn’t feel uncomfortable to hold. I didn’t find it too big to use while shaving my head and I liked the larger than usual handle’s feel in my palm. 

The Baldly uses the SkinGuard cartridge. It has two blades and has lubricating strips between each. Gillette says this helps with irritation. 

[Editor’s note: for more information on the SkinGuard razor and cartridge click/tap here to read The Gillette SkinGuard Razor – Is This 2 Blade Cartridge A Retreat From The Razor Blade Wars (Review And Buying Guide)?]

It can look great and shiny with all the cute marketing but if it shaves like doo-doo, why bother?

I shaved with the Baldly for two weeks. The handle, while big, is sized correctly to fit in your hand comfortably. I didn’t have a learning curve at all, even though I had to hold it differently than my Dorco. 

The shave, though, left a bit to be desired. It could be because it only had two blades, but I found myself doing more touchups than usual. A couple of times I had two days of growth and there were a lot of patches that needed cleaned up. I had to work more than I usually do to get the areas above my ears shaved smooth. 

There is a “single precision trimmer” blade on the back but it seemed to be too small to be used properly. I tried a couple of times to use it to clean up and it didn’t work very well. 

I shave my face with my 1959 Fatboy and then use my head-shaving razor to get a couple of spots that usually need more attention. When I used the Baldly for this, it did not shave as close as I would have liked. By the 14^th day, the blade did not cut the hair on the crown of my head very closely at all. In comparison, the Dorco lasts at least a week longer. 

Related Post:3 Big Tips for Wet Shaving Your Head Bald

When it comes to price, I got 30% off the handle and it came with two cartridges for a grand total of $23. Where Gillette will make their money is on the carts. Shocker, I know! A pack of four goes for $15. That’s $3.75 apiece. My Dorco 6-blade carts go for $2.20 apiece. And those are about the priciest Dorco offers. Gillette does claim the SkinGuard carts will last a month each. I have doubts, seeing as how after two weeks, it wasn’t cutting as close in some areas. 

I did find out that the SkinGuard carts use the same design as the Fusion 5 carts from Gillette. I checked and it looked like those would fit the Baldly. 

Substituting A Fusion Cart

I went to the local grocery store and gulp!, this is what I found. 4 carts for $18. I decided, in the interest of trying all options, to plunk down the dough to see if they fit the new handle and rate their performance. 

As I was paying, the cashier, a young gal obviously working a summer job, asked me what those were for. I said for shaving. She commented that it was a lot of money for just four cartridges. Oh from the mouth of babes. 

Turns out, the Fusion 5 blades DO fit the Baldly. And it majorly outperforms the SkinGuard cart. I decided to weigh the deck a bit against the Fusion 5 and used it on a three-day growth.  It gave me the smoothest shave I’ve had with the new handle. In doing a bit more research, Gillette says that the SkinGuard will not give you as close of a shave as the carts with 5 blades. It does not say this on the Baldly website, but on a completely Gillette site on the page for the SkinGuard cart. Well, that clears up why the Fusion 5 did so well. 

Summing Up

When I saw the advertisement for Baldly, my first thought was “is Gillette trying to find a solution for a problem that doesn’t exist”? At first, my thought was “yes.” The SkinGuard carts leave a lot to be desired when it comes to closeness of the shave. The Fusion 5, though, gave me a better shave than what I usually get from my Dorco. 

But I found I really do like the fit and feel of the handle. I tried shaving once in the last couple of weeks with my regular Dorco handle and I found I really liked how the Baldly fit in my hand. 

Paired with the better performing Fusion 5, I think the Baldly is definitely the newest addition to my shave den. But I will be hitting eBay to see if I can find Fusion 5 carts for less than $4.5 apiece.