Fake! Cheapest balam knock off on aliexpress

[LesterOld]

So I just bought a knock off balam neck harness off AliExpress for a ridiculous £6.07 (£9.74 delivered).

https://a.aliexpress.com/_mPQcIzw

I was expecting to wait 6 weeks for a total piece of junk to arrive. Instead it arrived in 5 business days and honestly it's pretty good.

I've never tried the original balam, but this looks pretty similar. The concept of aluminium bars connected at the back is there. Once I adjusted it, the strap/harness feels just as I expected: not as weightless as my Saxholder, but with no pressure on the neck. Mostly the pressure is spread across the pectorals on the front, the shoulders a little and the back. It came completely flat and I had to bend the bars into shape. They are stiff, but that's probably a good thing.

The quality of the thing is honestly surprising. The stitching is decent. The material is standard fake leather. The cord seems strong and not stretchy.

The adjuster is actually very good at it's job. It's wide and does not slip but is easy enough to adjust. The finish on it is cheap looking plasticky gold (although it is metal), but that's ok with me. The hook fully closes and has a rubber sheath where the sax would otherwise touch the metal. It seems fine, although this is the one thing that I'd be most concerned about breaking (just for the consequences, not because it looks weak), so I might replace it.

As I said, I can't compare this to the original balam, but it's so ridiculously cheap it's worth buying just to decide if you want a balam. And you might find no need to upgrade.

 

[jazzdoh]

The only thing I would be worried about is hanging an expensive sax from it and ultimately trusting it wouldn't fail over time, if something is ridiculous cheap, then to me it's made cheap.

 

[LesterOld]

Sure it's cheaply made. But I can't see any obvious places where it's could suddenly and catastrophically break other than the hook. I don't see the nylon string or the leather breaking randomly without showing some warning.

 

[jazzdoh]

If you are happy with it then that's fine, I personally wouldn't like to take that risk knowing my horns are worth thousands of pounds.

 

[Phil]

I fear any strap when I cant see how its connected. I had a planet waves snap on me like that. Luck was with me that day.

 

[Phil]

Just as a reminder to us all. Always keep one hand on the sax. Dont trust straps to go hands free.

 

[Trigger]

I’ve got both a cheap
One and the original , the original is far superior and a lot more comfortable , don’t get me wrong the cheap one does the job , but not real leather and not as strong ,

 

[LesterOld]

That's

I’ve got both a cheap
One and the original , the original is far superior and a lot more comfortable , don’t get me wrong the cheap one does the job , but not real leather and not as strong ,

That's good to know thanks. If I keep using it I'll probably invest. This is a good way to test the concept at least

 

[greenstripe]

Can't see from the photo of your harness. Where the strings go in to the end of the shoulder pieces. The genuine article has a metal eyelets and the strings pass back through and are toggled -I just hope your strings are secured well and can't pull out

 

[Jimmymack]

That's right, I just looked, the link is quite complex, visible, and adjustable. The economy version will just be stitched, how well is a matter of luck. If you like it I'd spring for the real thing.

 

[LesterOld]

That's right, I just looked, the link is quite complex, visible, and adjustable. The economy version will just be stitched, how well is a matter of luck. If you like it I'd spring for the real thing.

Yes this has been an increasing concern tbh. Without cutting it open I can't see how they are attached. Then I read about the genuine balam strap strings breaking at this exact point so I'm now wondering how I might secure this area

 

[Phil]

the way I would design the point where the string goes into the strap is to have it secured to a small rod inside the strap. Of course if you cut it you have to be able to sew that material. What spooks me is it might just be a knot sewn into that material. On my old planet waves that failed it was a knot inside plastic disk. The plastic cracked and gave way.

 

[LesterOld]

the way I would design the point where the string goes into the strap is to have it secured to a small rod inside the strap. Of course if you cut it you have to be able to sew that material. What spooks me is it might just be a knot sewn into that material. On my old planet waves that failed it was a knot inside plastic disk. The plastic cracked and gave way.

Can confirm that it is a metal rod with the cord going through it and a knot tied on the other side. This is the same design as my BG strap. The 'leather' goes around the rod.

This is a pretty secure design. My only concern is that the metal might be rough and could eat the string. There's a thread on here about someone who experienced this with the actual balam.

I'm not sure how to check that or prevent it. I'm tempted to drill through the aluminium and add an eyelet so I can attach the cord that way.

 

[Vetinari]

A cheap one off my favourite e-tailer.

 

[LesterOld]

This I've

A cheap one off my favourite e-tailer.

View attachment 23079

This one has a more observable connection to the straps so probably a better bet. Could check the eyelets for burrs etc

 

[Phil]

Ive always thought it would be a great little invention is someone invented a little back up cord that you could add to any strap that is a little lax but would catch the sax if the main cord broke. Kind of a tighwalkers safety cord. You could add something like that. Not a bad idea for expensive ones too. Plenty of high dollar straps experience faliure too.

 

[LesterOld]

Ive always thought it would be a great little invention is someone invented a little back up cord that you could add to any strap that is a little lax but would catch the sax if the main cord broke. Kind of a tighwalkers safety cord. You could add something like that. Not a bad idea for expensive ones too. Plenty of high dollar straps experience faliure too.

I thought about adding this. Just add a little link from the cord to the straps that I know is secure

 

[lydian]

A cheap one off my favourite e-tailer.

View attachment 23079

I have this one as well (Adorence brand). Works great on my big horns from tenor to bass. Costs a lot more than the AliExpress but a lot less than the Balam, which I've never been able to find in stock anyway.

 

[Jimmymack]

Ive always thought it would be a great little invention is someone invented a little back up cord that you could add to any strap that is a little lax but would catch the sax if the main cord broke. Kind of a tighwalkers safety cord. You could add something like that. Not a bad idea for expensive ones too. Plenty of high dollar straps experience faliure too.

A double cord would probably do it. That just leaves the clip but if you double that as well you may as well just use two straps, but a double, independent cord, even if it’s lighter, would be good.

 

[Vetinari]

I have this one as well (Adorence brand). Works great on my big horns from tenor to bass. Costs a lot more than the AliExpress but a lot less than the Balam, which I've never been able to find in stock anyway.

That's the one, Adorence, there are i think two types, mine is the one with longer shoulder hooks.