Philips Norelco Balder QC5550 Review

I've been meaning to write a review on this "Balder" for quite some time.   I've now owned this tool for 3 months now and can provide a slightly more in depth review.  My relationship with the Philips Norelco brand has really been one of want, rather than a need.  Just this past June, my year old Philips Norelco electric shaver decided to die on me, and thus the story begins...

I was really not looking forward to spending another 60 bucks on something that may only last a year.  Plus my hair clipper which I use to give me the almost bald but longer than stubble look, didnt hold charge, I really wanted to toss it.  I started surfing ebay and walmart.com and various other sites looking for something to clean my face with, I had been using a beard trimmer for June, July and August, but I wanted that smooth look.

I had a Remington shaver for less than a day.  I was too skeptical of Braun.  Wahl made trimmers, not shavers (at least none that I could find.)  The search for a Philips Norelco was where I started.  They have these new 2D and 3D shaving systems, that were hella pricey but had amazing reviews.  60 bucks was my cut off

I happened across Philips Norelco QC5550 head trimmer and Balder.  I thought to myself wtf?  You cant get a bald head with some electric tool. I got a barber shop bald treatment a few years back, I paid 20 bucks for the cut, and noticed I had stubble the next day.  I never went bald again, it took the guy half an hour maybe more..   Back to walmart.com, it was 69.99, with 2 reviews on walmart.com that sounded like they were written by Philips.  Amazon had no reviews on it, YouTube didnt have any user experiences other than a few Brazilian commercials on the product.  I got a barber shop bald treament a few years back, I paid 20 bucks for the cut, and noticed I had stubble the next day.  I never went bald again

70 bucks I thought, I just got a fat paycheck, why not, if it doesnt work, I'll return it, and maybe I can use it on my face and have an all in one hair remover.  I hit buy it now.  The next day while trying to find more info on the balder, I found the price went down from 69.99 to a whopping 22 bucks!  I filled out the online form on walmart.com regarding price changes within 7 days, and got my cash difference back the next day. 


When the Balder arrived in the mail, I charged it up for the required hour and then got to clipping.  I used the included hair clipper to cut my hair down as low as possible.  It cut as low as my dedicated clipper, therefore I took my clipper out of the drawer and walked it right to the trash can.  I switched over to the balder attachment, and proceeded on my head.  What happened in the next 10 minutes was a cut that made me bald to the skin, as good as, if not better than the barber shop bald treatment.



I was amazed, my head was as smooth as my cheek.  I was and still am really excited, this is one amazing product.  I was sold.  3 months later, I use the Balder every 2-3 days for a constant and consistent bald look.  The whole process takes 7-10 minutes.  The Balder comes with a mirror, which I use to verify any spots that I may have missed.  The only downside is the extra cash that you now spend on an aftershave balm for your head.  But, this balder, is worth every penny.  Sure I paid 22 for it, but I would have been just as happy paying 69.99.  I just hope I get at least a year out of it.


The only downside I would say, is that the foil of the Philips Norelco QC5550 Balder is extremely fragile.  I broke it once, and Philips sent a replacement for free.  They had free replacement parts for a year.  Aggressive balding will definitely break the foil.  I hope the foil will be a bit tougher in the next iteration of the Balder series, and I will most definitely be buying again as my relationship with Philips is now a need rather than a want.  I was so happy with the Balder, I bought 2 more Philips products.  For my next review, I will be reviewing a SensoTouch 2D electric shaving system.