Clipper Chronicles: 10 Best Hair Clippers of 2024

Did you know that almost every household these days owns hair clippers for convenient grooming tasks on command?

I’m not talking about trimmers that people use on their hair, rather designated clipper devices meant for haircuts and drawing fades.

Don’t believe me? Then hear this out: the revenue generated from clipper sales worldwide in 2024 is estimated to be US$13.66 billion!

That’s a crazy number but what’s more important here is the reason behind it – the purchases are now prone toward premium clipper devices instead of cheap ones.

Therefore, I urge you to look into 10 of the best hair clippers I’ve tested out from the market and consider selecting one from the lot. I guarantee that it’ll be well-worth your investment.

Why Do You Need a Hair Clipper?

You might wonder why it’s worth investing in a hair clipper when you can simply walk to your nearest barber for a haircut. Let me tell you why!

Convenience

Mainly it’s the convenience of hair clippers that I feel is the most important reason. You won’t have to run down to a barber shop each time you want a new haircut.

Also, it’s a common factor that a lot of barbers misinterpret your instructions and you end up with a different haircut than the one you had wanted. Well, getting yourself a hair clipper will certainly help you out in this regard!

Just imagine, you can do all the micro maintenance at home whenever you want to! If that convenience doesn’t seduce you, then you’re a hard man to tempt!

Cost-Cutting

Barber shops are expensive, to be very honest. The only way of walking around that cost is to make a one-time purchase of a good hair clipper, and you’ll forget what a barber shop looks like!

Convertibility

There are some hair clippers that offer different attachments or modes of operations. You can craft various types of hairdo with one such unit or even use it as a beard trimmer should it allow you to.

It’ll do all your bidding at command and render you the most neatly groomed man in the neighborhood!

Best Hair Clippers for Professional & Home Grooming

My top 10 list of premium hair clippers await your approval! Time for us to find out why each of them are so great at what they do and how you might benefit from my assessment!

Note: The star ratings for each clipper is an overall score based on their features and performance. This rating in DO NOT represents the unique capabilities of the clippers for precise tasks.

Wahl Magic Clip

Wahl 5-Star sets the grooming market on fire with their Magic Clip clipper unit! It’s the ideal choice for not only barbers, but also for home groomers who prefer to do it themselves!

Starting off with the housing design, it’s a combination of vibrant burgundy with shiny silver around the head region. Despite such a glossy material, it never feels like slipping!

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It probably has to do with the crevices underneath the housing that allows for a full grip around. This degree of grip is never tiring and built for operations that may last for hours.

The clipper unit measures up to 6.25” in height and only 10.2 ounces of weight. It renders a handy device made for quality clipping jobs.

Wahl Magic Clip Power Switch

Good clippers require motors powerful enough to chop through any density or thickness of hair. Thus, Wahl has blessed this clipper with a precision-engineered rotary motor.

It’s not the strongest motor out there but sufficient enough for heavy-duty tasks. It’d be unfair to the portable Magic Clip to hold it against something that’s attached to a cable.

Wahl Magic Clip Grip

The major clipping tasks are carried out by the typical Stagger Tooth blade (#2161) built with Crunch Blade Technology. It implies that you’ll get to listen to the hair crunching out of your way with a tactile and auditory sensation.

Wahl Magic Clip Blades

There’s an adjustment lever on the side allowing you to move between 0.5-1.2mm length. Paired with the blade, you’ll be able to land seamless blends on hair sides and nape.

Also, if you hold it in an 80 degree angle with the scalp, the stagger tooth blades will let you create some texture on your hair which you can blend in later on if you want to.

Wahl Magic Clip Lever

Magic Clip can be used both with and without the cord. I’ve found the battery life to be good enough for a long day in the salon, crossing the threshold of an hour and a half battery life.

Wahl Magic Clip Charging Port

It indicates a few meanings about your clipper and the instructions are given in the user manual.

Wahl Magic Clip LED Light

The package comes with 8 cutting guides (1/8”, 1/4”, 3/8”, 1/2”, 5/8”, 3/4”, 7/8”, and 1”), so you won’t have to worry about getting additional guards.

Power button is situated right underneath the lever, a flick-switch for easy turn on and off. The blades are screwed to the head, much like most other premium clippers.

Wahl Magic Clip Accessories

In my opinion, it’s a great value for money clipper that can perform versatile tasks. It’s not a specialized clipper for any particular need fulfillment, meaning it as a whole is a good device.

Overall, this should be the perfect clipper for home use for consumers who want a durable unit that can go a little extra than most other devices!

What I Like

What I Don’t Like 

Oster Classic 76

Oster has always been a prominent choice for barbers because of their sturdy, reliable and quality hair clippers! If you’ve ever been to premium barber shops, I’m sure you’ve got to witness the capabilities of this beast of a clipper!

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The first thing that caught my eyes (and soul) is the housing! Draped in burgundy with the huge Oster logo flaunting up top branding Classic 76 grants a retro look to the clipper.

Its housing is textured and great to hold on to! The vertical emboss made with durable metals makes sure that the product won’t budge even if it falls down.

Oster Classic 76 Blades Front

In my list, the Classic 76 has the most durable housing, hands down. The weight of 19.7 ounces tells you how solidly-built this clipper is!

Don’t let the screws on either side deceive you! Mind you, this clipper is a one-speed unit without scope for adjusting power.

Oster Classic 76 Power Cord

These screws cover the carbon brushes hidden underneath. If your Classic 76 feels like it’s not getting enough power, don’t worry, the sturdy power cord of 2.4m didn’t give in.

Rather it’s the sign of carbon brush wearing off. For daily heavy use, these brushes last for around 6 months. And for home use, it’ll be years before you notice anything.

Oster Classic 76 Grip

Replacement carbon brushes are available on the market and it’s quite easy to do it yourself. Oster sells them at a very affordable price range and it’s the only heavy maintenance you’ll ever have to do with it.

Even then, it feels like I’m holding on to a jet engine. There are air vents to let hot air out because it spins so much each second!

Oster Classic 76 Blades Back

I should warn you, it does get warm. So for prolonged use, you may want to turn it off every once in a while to allow cooling down.

There’s no taper adjustment lever on the head and the power switch is situated at the bottom of the clipper.

This monster can cut through anything – and I mean ANYTHING! The package comes with two sharp sets of #000 and #1 blades which you can exchange by unscrewing the head.

Oster Classic 76 Power Switch

There’s a wide array of Oster blades available on the market to be used on this clipper. Each serves precise needs and offers you the most dynamic possibilities that’s necessary for a professional.

The clipper is highly versatile since it can both clip, fade and function with any type of hair with ease. Also, it can cut through damp hair but it’s not waterproof, so don’t soak your hair too much.

Oster Classic 76 Accessories

For maintenance, you should unscrew the big block reading Classic 76 and put in some clipper grease found inside the package and turn the clipper on for a short duration.

As you can understand from its raw performance, the clipper can get quite loud. Also, the weight and size means longer operations would require some practise.

But as per the quality of haircut, durability and reliable performance, I’d say it’s the best hair clipper for barbers any time of the week!

What I Like

What I Don’t Like 

Andis 04710 T-Outliner

I’m going to give you an unorthodox take on hair clipping with my next device and it’s the Andis T-Outliner – it’s as small as it can get!

From the looks, you’ll see a tiny unit with very short blade teeth, but don’t let this look fool you! Because as opposed to its size, this thing delivers way over its head!

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The housing is built with premium plastic and there’s no cheap feeling to it despite the size. A gray tone runs all over the body other than the burgundy on off switch at the foot.

Without any rubber grip, Andis has ensured a good degree of grip by utilizing its small size and placing plastic textures that make holding on seemingly easy.

Andis 04710 T-Outliner Grip

Also, the weight helps out for continuous tasks and precise grooming, only 11.2 ounces without the cord’s weight.

Yes, like classic clippers it doesn’t have any adjustment levers but the blade teeth are already set to the closest position possible.

The blades are close cutting, made with carbon steel and the generic name for this is a T-Blade because of the way it’s shaped like the alphabet ‘T’.

Andis 04710 T-Outliner Blades

Even though the proportions suggest it to be something to take lightly, the powerful magnetic motor capable of 7,200 SPM suggests otherwise.

It’s so rapid that you might be scared of its power and the relentless juice is ensured by a 2.4m long power cord permanently attached to the clipper.

Andis 04710 T-Outliner Socket

I was slightly disappointed to find a frail set of power sockets attached on the other side. Despite the clipper being made in the USA, the power socket end was apparently made in China.

It’s understandable that Andis tried to cut down on some cost with this but nonetheless, I urge you to be careful because otherwise the power socket may get bent with misjudged angle and pressure.

Let me get this straight – this clipper isn’t made for mass hair removal, the short T-Blades won’t allow for such a job.

Andis 04710 T-Outliner Power Switch

Rather, it’s mainly built for outlining your hair, fading and tapering the sides as well as beard trimming.

This can also be used for head shaving, but if that’s your main purpose, there are other devices more agile running these errands.

So it means this clipper is quite versatile since there are more than one acts it excels at. However, you’ll need to pick up some skill to perfectly use it as an outliner.

Andis 04710 T-Outliner Accessories

I’d say it’s ideal for barbers and home groomers. Barbers can easily fine tune their haircut utilizing the full potential of this trimmer.

Home groomers will find multiple purposes served with one little and affordable clipper device, from hair down to beard.

The package contains the clipper and only blade oil for maintenance. There is a separate deep tooth T-Blade available online for this particular clipper, you can order it if you want to add some diversity to your fade cuts.

Is this worth the money? Yes! Because such versatile operations with one clipper that doesn’t take a big chunk out of your pocket is a blessing and from the quality I’ve witnessed, it will last you a long time!

Note: Make sure to purchase the dual-voltage variant if you’re ordering from outside of the USA.

What I Like

What I Don’t Like 

Wahl Senior

Wahl’s portable clippers are all worth the money as they nail in the overall clipping department. The Senior comes with an added capability of zero gapping on command!

Wahl Senior Housing

From my perspective, the Wahl Senior is probably the most gorgeous-looking clipper device I’ve laid my hands on. It probably has to do with my soft spot for anything in black, but come on, you too cannon resist its charm!

Wahl Senior LED Light

The Wahl 5-Star and Senior are both written in luxurious silver over the shiny, premium black housing color.

There are crevices to plant your fingers and thus the grip level is confirmed at all positions. 6.25 inches of height and 13 ounces weight render this the perfect device for your daily clipping activities!

Wahl Senior Blades Back

The Senior has a set of precision cutting blades ranging between 0-1.2mm. This length can be adjusted easily with the tweak of the lever on the side.

At the zero setting, the clipper allows you to mimic zero cuts accurately! The design supports traditional tapering, fading and precision fades.

Wahl Senior Blades Front

You can also zero gap the device before putting on a comb over your hair to trim at a particular length evenly.

This has been made possible due to the (#2191) adjustable 0000 blade that comes fixed to the clipper.

Wahl Senior Lever

There’s an LED indicator at the foot of this unit and its interpretations are very much the same like the Magic Clip.

Since the clipper is cordless, you may want to know about battery life. For me, the battery has never been a cause of headache as it can conveniently run for over 70 minutes with a full charge.

Wahl Senior Power Switch

There’s also the convenience of having it plugged into the power cord and keep using it for as long as you want.

Motors felt slightly less aggressive that the Magic Clip in terms of sound and feeling, but the performance never falters. It probably has to do with the newer technology of motors being less noisy, so that’s a bonus!

Wahl Senior Grip

I’ve heard people complaining about the housing heating up, but in my case, it’s nothing out of the ordinary. Good clippers with powerful motors often tend to heat up after prolonged use.

Inside the package, you’ll find 3 cutting guides (1/16″, 1/8″, 3/16″) to nail the cuts like buzz or something short as such.

Wahl Senior Accessories

So in short, a clipper built of metal housing ensures durability with sharp, crunchy blades ideal for shorter sides of hairdo.

Based on such a degree of convenience, I’d say the price tag is well-earned and it could be the next home clipper for regular hair jobs or a zero gap clipper to be used as a barber shop.

What I Like

What I Don’t Like 

Remington Shortcut Pro

What I’m about to show you is not an orthodox hair clipper but hear me out, because it surely will blow your minds out!

Remington Shortcut Pro Housing

Remington has conjured up this fabulous little device that’s anything but incapable! It has been made with one purpose and one purpose only – clip your hair however you want to!

This tiny thing is named the Shortcut Pro, a great pun indeed. It weighs on the average gradient, not too light nor too heavy.

Remington Shortcut Pro Blades

But the best part is its design and ergonomics. The Shortcut Pro is made to fit perfectly in the palm of your hand and is targeted for self-trimming of your hair.

The base color is gray with equal accents of black. The ergonomic part is embossed with red rubber texture pads to ensure relentless grip throughout the task.

Remington Shortcut Pro Charging LED

On/off button in this clipper is settled in the middle of the clipper, well out of the way from any pressure points for accidental turn-offs.

Another blessing is the extra wide set of sharp blades designed like a trimmer. The versatility is extended beyond comprehension with its ability of trimming facial hair along with hair!

Remington Shortcut Pro Grip

I reckon it’s the most easy-to-use clipper standing next to the Wahl Color Pro. You’ll simply turn the clipper on and put your money to good work.

The closeness is quite good, although I wouldn’t go as far to call it a zero gapped clipper. But it maintains an even trim all through your scalp.

Remington Shortcut Pro Ergonomics

There are 9 attachment guides of different sizes. While other clippers focus on fading or shorter techniques, Remington’s clipper allows you to keep your hair quite long and even with each trim.

Also, it’s a portable device, thus requires a battery. This doesn’t contain the biggest of batteries, lasting slightly over 30 minutes feels sufficient enough for me.

Remington Shortcut Pro Blades with Comb Guard

You can wash it directly under water as it’s waterproof. However, to remove the blade, you have to unscrew it rather than just clicking it off.

In the housing, you should see a ‘tap’ icon that channels water through the vents and washes out all the stray hair.

Remington Shortcut Pro Tap Icon

There’s a 5-minute quick charge option for one short trim. A carry pouch included in the package renders traveling with it very much possible!

So where would I rank this clipper against all the other powerful beasts? I’d say, the comparison wouldn’t be a valid one if I did because this one belongs to a category of its own.

Remington Shortcut Pro Accessories

If you prefer to apply quick hair clipping at a certain length at home on a regular basis, and want a companion to travel with that can also do your beard (not to mention the ideal price point), I’d say it’s your perfect little clipper.

Even professionals can benefit from it should they be looking for mass hair removal at a certain height in a short duration. From my side, it has my thumbs up!

What I Like

What I Don’t Like 

Andis Master

This clipper right here from Andis has me high on emotions – both in terms of positives and negatives. But I surely hope you’ve already heard how capable the Andis Master is for what it does!

Andis Master Housing

Again, I’ll start off with the housing design. There’s not much to talk about except for the build material and its durability.

Aluminum metal makes up for most of it, landing a hefty and sturdy little device in our hands. It sizes up to 6 inches only and weighs a little over 20 ounces. I’d call it manageable.

I’ve heard many people complaining about the grip and weight, none of it felt like an issue for me. Rather, the weight is what ensures precision over the clipping tasks in my opinion.

Andis Master Power Cable

The housing is smooth, shiny silver to be accurate. But it doesn’t compromise grip at any level. It’s not as firm as the Oster Classic 76, yet good enough for prolonged operations.

Although I do have one issue with the design of the Andis Master and it has to do with the placement of the power knob.

It’s placed at the left hand side of the clipper when it’s facing me head-front and this knob gets in the way of my grip.

Andis Master Power Button and Lever

There have been multiple occasions of me accidentally turning it on or off without intending to.

Let’s head to the performance review. This beauty is fitted with a powerful rotary motor capable of doing 14,000 SPM.

The noise level isn’t the lowest but it shouldn’t be a matter of concern. To properly utilize this power, a sharp set of blades had been attached by Andis.

Andis Master Blades

Teeth in this blade are wide enough and can be adjusted using the lever on the side. It’s the only clipper I’ve handled that allows the lever adjustment to be done in precise increments.

The range of the blade gap runs between 000 to 1. So you can realize that it’s ideal for blending fades, tapers and seamless fades.

As these fades can be performed on any type of hair, I wouldn’t say the same for mass hair removal.

Andis Master Adjustment Screw

I mean, it gets the job done for regular to slightly coarse hair, but for hair that is truly thick and dense, you need something like the Oster Classic 76.

However, if I give you a benchmark, all the wireless Wahl clippers are less effective than the Andis Master on coarse hair if mass hair removal is the prime concern.

Moving on, the blades in this clipper utilize fast feed actions to chop through hair faster than most devices and remain sharp for a longer period of time.

Andis Master Accessories

As you can see, it’s not wireless and has a solid and lengthy power cable attached at the bottom of it.

The Master can also perform on your beard and Andis suggests it can even trim your body hair. I’d recommend against it since there are specialized body groomers in the market that are much safer.

This clipper is mostly made for professional use. It can get hot with prolonged use but it’s nothing out of the ordinary for a heavy-duty clipper.

Home users can get it for themselves if they prefer a versatile clipper that’s hard to destroy and built to last.

The price point over $100 might be of concern to some, but trust me, it’s well worth it considering how much ease you’ll get in return.

What I Like

What I Don’t Like 

FADEKING Professional Hair Clipper

This clipper from Fadeking is probably the fanciest looking device in my entire list! It seems that the brand has borrowed aesthetics from Babyliss but kept the price to a very reachable level!

If you don’t already know about this brand, let me tell you. Fadekind recently shook up the entire grooming market with their most suave looking products built with solid materials.

FADEKING Clipper Housing

Apart from the looks, the most alluring has been their price point-friendly for every pocket!

As you can see from the looks, the housing is a staggering golden that shines all across. Despite such metallic finish, it weighs no more than 14 ounces.

This clipper offers one of the highest levels of grip – all thanks to the textured handle and the wavy diamond chest area.

FADEKING Clipper Ergonomics

One thing I should tell you is about the weight balance. It’s heavier toward the head and lighter around the handle. It somewhat makes the clipper feel heavy and needs some habituation.

The power switch is down the middle and designed more like a trimmer rather than a hair clipper.

FADEKING Clipper Grip

Motor unit is advertised to be 6,500 RPM by Fadeking, although I’m not absolutely certain that these numbers are accurate at all stages. The clipper makes a high pitch crunchy noise while turned on.

The blades are sturdy and quite sharp. Mind you, these are not zero gapped and the lever doesn’t take it all the way down.

FADEKING Clipper Blades

This blade system is somewhat similar to the Wahl Magic Clip crunch blade system. Fadeking calls it Fading Tooth Top (#440C) Blade.

You can do that manually by removing the blades, but I’d advise you against it if you’re not an expert because putting it back together has been a strenuous experience.

FADEKING Clipper Lever

From different fading lines to seamless fades, it’s been outstanding for me! I’ve even lent it to my barber friend for his opinion, and he says he likes it, especially considering the price to performance ratio!

I’ll now tell you the reasons to buy this clipper. First of all, it’s portable and has a battery life of around an hour with full charge.

FADEKING Clipper LED Panel

The charging can be done through a USB Type-C port or a traditional socket – so it’s ideal for traveling.

Travel-friendliness has been further reinforced with the carry case the clipper comes in. It’s solidly built and accommodates everything you may need, even a barber bib that’s added for free!

FADEKING Clipper Charging Port

There’s an LED screen that reads the battery percentage at the precise level. It falls off slightly faster below 50%, but up until that the reading is somewhat accurate.

As per the comb guides, there are six sizes included: 1/16”, 1/8”, 3/16”, 1/4”, 3/8”, and 1/2”. These should be sufficient for completing any type of hairdo.

FADEKING Clipper Accessories

I’d call this clipper ideal for home use and for professionals, this can function as the secondary fading tool that’s portable, retains battery all day and makes your money worth!

What I Like

What I Don’t Like 

Wahl Legend

The Wahl 5-Star Legend is a traditional line of clippers with the portable device available for consumers at a slightly lower price than the Senior.

This clipper carries a retro look and the outcomes are inclined more toward the size of old-school clipper devices.

Wahl Legend Housing

It used to provide the maximum blade range between 0.7-1.7mm until the Senior came in. But it’s different in the sense that the raw blade for Legend can clip your hair with half a millimeter of extra length.

Mechanics behind this adjustment are the same as other Wahl clippers – you have to pull on the metal lever on the blade side for fine tuning.

Wahl Legend Blades

This one is probably the lightest of the three Wahl clippers, weighing slightly under 10 ounces, making it one of the most portable hair clippers ever!

The housing design will take you back to the 90s. It’s slightly bulkier than the senior but the grip is perfectly comfortable.

Wahl Legend Grip

You’ll notice the large Legend text down the middle, scratched up on the mirror-like metal finish followed by a leather color accent and burgundy outline. Sides and the back are plastic black.

Legend features a rotary motor and the sound levels are similar to Senior, although there’s a difference in pitch that I’ll let you listen to later on.

Wahl Legend Lever

If you ask me what the major difference is, I’d say it’s the blade system. Legend contains a set of crunch technology ‘wedge’ blades whose teeth are more extruded than the ones of Senior or Magic Clip.

The width is 1.80” and this means you’ll get to cover a wide area of your scalp with lesser passes.

Wahl Legend Power Switch

I must confess that the potential of these wedge blades are more to be felt than seen. Because when you trim through hair, you’ll hear the crunchiness ensuring that the clipper is doing its job.

Also the tactile feeling when the blades are operating is simply satisfying. You won’t have to look twice to realize that your job has been completed neatly.

Wahl Legend LED Light

Apart from general clipping, Legend specializes in soft line fades and seamless blends around the sides of your scalp.

The portable nature is solidified with wireless performance as the battery can run for slightly over 60 minutes, although it’s advertised to last longer.

Wahl Legend with Comb Guard

In terms of durability, I’d say it’s the same as Senior and carries an LED indicator belonging much to the same technology.

There are 8 patented guide combs inside the package, thus creating more room for diversity in haircuts.

Wahl Legend Accessories

It can operate on damp hair but make sure it’s not too wet. In my opinion, the wedge blades do better when clipped in dry conditions. But coarse hair can certainly find help with some dampness.

Is it worth the money, you may ask? I think so. A complete clipper infused with a good motor, sharp blades, room for flexibility and impeccable outcomes is too good to miss out on for the price!

I must mention that there’s a separate charging station you can purchase online. It helps out if you’re planning to put the clipper up for professional use. Otherwise, I don’t think it’s necessary.

What I Like

What I Don’t Like 

Wahl Balding Clipper

It’s time for us to move the portable clippers aside and talk about the performance beasts like the Wahl Balding Clipper! As you can understand it’s meant to be permanently plugged in, the power potentials stand massive!

Let’s begin with the basics first. The design is quite a simple one, nothing like the fancy looks you have seen on the portable units.

Wahl Balding Clipper Housing

The colorization remains upon the same principles – burgundy housing with golden writing in the most orthodox Wahl fonts.

If it wasn’t for the cable attachment, I’d regard it as the most agile clipper I’ve ever handled. The grip areas are perfect for any type of grip and this allows precision of holding in any angle of your desire.

Wahl Balding Clipper Power Adjustment Screw

There’s a purpose behind designing this clipper in such a way – it has a particular consumer group – the ones who prefer to keep their head completely trimmed.

Don’t get me wrong, there are good head shavers in the market to maintain a bald head to the extent of a manual razor.

Wahl Balding Clipper Power Switch

This doesn’t shave your head, rather trim it down to zero level without much fuss in the quickest possible time, all thanks to the sharp blades and powerful motors of V5000 technology.

The raw motor power in this clipper might shock you! It’s loud out of the box and you’ll need to turn the screw on the housing sides counter clockwise to turn it down to the optimal level.

Wahl Balding Clipper Blades

As per the blades, there’s no lever for adjustment and the default setting is as close as it can get to the root of your hair.

The blade system is called surgical blades since it’s nothing shy of a surgery for removing your hair to the root level accurately.

Wahl Balding Clipper Grip

Other than ultra-close cuts, you may find its use for trimming, outlining and cuts all over your head at the same hair level.

These thin blades (#2105) are good for the scalp and can be ideally performed on any type of skin, be that regular or sensitive.

Wahl Balding Clipper Power Cord

Despite such a powerful motor, the weight is competitive – coming in at around 16 ounces. It doesn’t compromise the maneuverability and it’s certainly boosted by the 6.25 inches length and a 2.4m power cord.

The cord isn’t as bulky as the Classic 76 but coated with durable materials making it thick enough for rough environments like a barbershop.

Wahl Balding Clipper Housing Close Up

You’ll find two comb guides (1/16″ and 3/16″) given as additional attachments by Wahl inside the package. The idea is simple – click on the guard, turn up with the on/off button at the side and get clipping!

Price of the Balding Clipper is really surprising! A clipper made with such strong material, powerful motor that’s not too loud and blade system capable of chopping through any density – it’s a steal to be honest!

Wahl Balding Clipper Accessories

My recommendation would be to use it on shorter hair for an even, close trim, drawing fades and similar shorter hair tasks. If it fits your description, why not get it asap?

What I Like

What I Don’t Like 

Wahl Color Pro

The last entry in my list is the best hair clipper for beginners at home! It’s the Wahl Color Pro that’s been designed to cater to the needs of newly enthusiastic groomers who have only begun their journey into the learning curve!

Wahl advertises it as the ideal Christmas present for grooming optimists and I’d say it has more potential than what they’re mentioning.

Wahl Color Pro Inside Pouch

For the price tag below $50, the housing felt okay. It’s not made with the most premium materials, but good enough to last you years if you’re careful enough not to drop it every now and then.

Housing color is quite different from the other Wahl clippers in the Color Pro unit. Basic color is white, upon which blue takes precedence on the thumb rest as well as the side grips.

Wahl Color Pro Housing

It feels really great to hold on to, I won’t lie. I wasn’t expecting it to be nearly as ergonomic judging from the photos before ordering.

Motor power is quite average, similar to the trimmers you’d find in the market that aren’t too expensive.

Wahl Color Pro Blades

This is probably due to the battery technology Wahl used here. While the other portable Wahl clippers house li-ion batteries, Color Pro hosts a NiMH Rech battery.

I’d say I’m slightly disappointed. But for the price tag, I’m having to concede in this department.

Wahl Color Pro Grip

Battery lasts over 50 minutes which came to me as a shock to be honest. But given the motor power, it’s supposed to last at least that long.

There’s a more expensive variant of the Color Pro that features a li-ion battery and weighs slightly more. If you’re a home groomer, this variant should do just fine!

Wahl Color Pro Power Socket

Another great thing is that you can run it while charging. I’d advise you not to take it anywhere near water to make it last. Wahl suggests that the clipper (as well as the battery) should be fine for at least 4-5 years and I believe them.

This clipper weighs only 8 ounces! You can now imagine all the potential for home grooming without having your hands getting exhausted!

Wahl Color Pro Thumb Grip

Did you know that this device is designed as a unisex clipper? Meaning, ladies who prefer to keep their hair short can also find good use out of it!

It’s one of the most convenient clippers of all time. Just turn it on and use – it’s as simple as that! For your ease, there are 14 pieces of guide combs including left and right ear region angular ones.

Wahl Color Pro Accessories

All of these are color coded and the instructions are given on the belly of the housing. You’ll pick a length, match the color with the guard to latch it on for a neat trim!

I won’t suggest you to use it on coarse hair as the power level may not be appropriate enough. Anyone with regular or thinner hair can use it perfectly for accurate cuts.

Wahl Color Pro Color Code on Housing

Wahl claims the blades to be rinsable, but it actually means you’ll have to unscrew the blades before doing that. I’m reiterating – it’s NOT WATERPROOF.

Another note, hold the clipper in the right angle, otherwise you might feel skin burn once the grooming task is over.

So, what more could you ask from Wahl? A neat little device within budget that cuts well, made to last, user-friendly and contains tons of accessories! I’d definitely pick it as my first clipper!

What I Like

What I Don’t Like 

Why Trust My Verdict?

I’m now going to break down the metrics of my assessment and all the tests each of the clippers has gone through. That way, you’ll know how I came up with my ratings and put a little bit more of your faith into my verdict.

I’ll have to admit – testing out these clippers has proven to be more of a challenging task than analyzing the premium electric shavers in the market.

The assessment was done in two major phases: phase one is where I closely inspected the devices, broken them down and stress tested things like battery life, grip level or motor power.

Then, I lent the clippers to my barber friend to see how each of them perform in real life within a stressful barbershop environment.

After compiling all of the data, I went on to compiling them together and see how all of these excel at particular tasks, whom they should be good for and what their limitations are.

So let’s not keep you waiting any longer as my test results await your reading time!

Test Results for Best Hair Clipper

I’ve tried to be thorough with my breakdowns and side by side comparisons of the clippers I’ve talked about so far.

Seven categories have been identified, which I believe are essential for calling a clipper the best in the market.

Three additional categories are there for understanding the clippers but do not contain any rating since not all of the clippers fall under these criteria for benchmark.

Performance

So when it comes to performance, none of the clippers come remotely as close to the Oster Classic 76. It’s a beast to be real honest, capable of chopping through any type of hair, be that fine or coarse.

The cuts are even, they don’t cause any tug or pull and the sharp blades powered by strong motor units do come out on top over all the other clippers.

Then comes the three Wahl clippers of Magic Clip, Senior and Balding Clipper. As I’ve already mentioned their strong suits, these are well-worth their price for performing such tasks.

But in terms of mass hair removal or adjustment with all types of hair, they fall shy to the Classic 76.

After that, it’s a tie between the Andis Master, T-Outliner, Wahl Legend and Remington Shortcut Pro – all are together either due to their slightly less aggressive motor power or their limitation to remove hair in chunks compared to the Classic 76.

Lastly, Fadeking and Wahl Color Pro complete my assessment of performance. Although these two are great clippers, coming within a budget has certainly limited their quality of outcome.

Still, I’d spend my money on either of them if I didn’t want to spend a hefty amount solely on hair clippers for using at home!

Zero Gap Adjustment

Zero gap adjustment implies reducing the gap between the teeth and the blades. I’ve measured how easy or difficult it is to reach that stage for each clipper and the scores are based on that effort level.

Wahl Senior has proven to be the most convenient clipper for zero gap adjustment – the lever alone can take you to that extent without having to unscrew everything.

Magic Clip does allow you to change the clipping size using the lever but it certainly isn’t zero gapped. If you must, you have to undo the blades and realign it. It can be done pretty easily, so this clipper follows Senior in my rating.

Andis T-Outliner and Wahl Balding Clippers contain blades that are different from regular clippers – short and sharp.

However, these aren’t exactly zero gapped and you need some degree of precision to get it right as it’s a little tricky to work with shorter blade teeth for a perfect alignment.

Oster Classic 76, Remington Pro, Andis Master and Wahl Legend have the capacity of being broken down into parts for a zero gap realignment, but it needs an expert to nail it (I had to take help from my barber friend).

These aren’t pleasant to get right but I probably wouldn’t try that again myself.

Lastly, Fadeking and Wahl Color Pro are the lowest rated in this category. Despite Fadeking having a lever, it doesn’t have a zero gap.

And trying to get it sorted almost made me feel like I can’t put it back together anymore. Thus, I’m advising against pulling a move like that unless you’re absolutely sure of what you’re doing.

Color Pro is basically a home-grooming kit that doesn’t need zero gapped, nor can it be reached while retaining optimum performance.

Blade Sharpness

There are three clippers in my list who have the sharpest sets of blades ever to exist, hands down.

Even if you touch these against your hair without turning them on, you’ll surely lose a chunk or two – yes, these are that sharp!

The three clippers are: Classic 76, Andis T-Outliner and Andis Master. They can trim like no other clipper and solid motors back them up in this regard.

Next in sharpness are the four Wahl Clippers (leaving out the Color Pro). These are great for fading and smoothing out the hair. Mass hair removal prowess in these four are almost identical.

Remington and Fadeking blades are sharp, but they’re not suited for every hair or skin type, thus the deduction in score.

Lastly, the Color Pro is relatively the least sharp one in the lot. As it’s made for new learners, this degree of sharpness is acceptable considering the balance between performance and safety.

Ergonomics

Ergonomics tests were done based on the grip textures on the clipper housing, how effortless it has been to hold and maneuver them as well as the placement of buttons.

Oster Classic 76 and Remington Shortcut Pro are the two most ergonomic clippers in my list because of all the textures and rubber paddings embedded on the body.

Then it’s a tie between the four Wahl Clippers except for Color Pro and the Fadeking clipper. Wahl clippers feel more or less the same to hold on to, even if they’re wired or wireless.

Fadeking has great textures in the ergonomic department, but the heavy head within the unevenly balanced housing cost them some points.

Andis T-Outliner and Wahl Color Pro are at the bottom due to their plastic housing and lack of certain ergonomic spots for a convenient grip level when running at full power.

Andis Master would not have been so far down despite the metal finish, but the power switch placement does compromise some degree of grip, placing it alongside the two clippers I just mentioned.

Ease of Cleaning and Maintenance

Let me tell you one thing – cleaning out a clipper is never an easy task as opposed to trimmers or electric shavers. And the maintenance often requires you to grease the motor along with lubricating the blades.

I’ve had the least degree of trouble cleaning and maintaining the Remington Shortcut Pro and the Wahl Color Pro.

As there’s room for washing the blade without damaging the clippers, I could do that quite easily.

However, I practiced great caution while washing the Color Pro, making sure not to get any water into the motor since it’s rinsable but not waterproof.

All the other clippers except for the Fadeking are similar in terms of cleaning/maintaining tasks.

They require regular blade oiling and putting grease into the motor every now and then. Home users may get away with greasing once a month, but it should be done more frequently for professional use.

Methods are all the same, unscrew > lubricate > screw it back. None of them proved any major challenge doing that. None except the Fadeking clipper, that’s why it’s scored least in this category.

Accessories

The assessment of accessories imply how diverse the accessories included in the package are and not what you can buy from the market.

A secondary assessment measures the practicality of these accessories because there are many brands who would overload you with stuff that isn’t of much help.

As you can already understand, Fadeking and Wahl Color Pro tops this list with ease! Fadeking’s accessory-heavy pack with a premium travel case and haircut gown makes it a complete clipper set to have!

On the other hand, Color Pro comes with the largest number of comb guards and all of them are color coded for convenience.

Next comes Wahl Magic Clip, Legend and Remington Shortcut Pro with their 8/9 comb guard attachments included in the box.

Followed by the Wahl clippers of Senior and Balding Clipper, each with a satisfactory amount of guards, brush and lubricating agents.

Oster Classic 76 and the two Andis clippers come with almost nothing, apart from lubricants or brushes. Because these are professional-grade clippers and the brands expect the barbers to already own premium attachments that will fit these beauties perfectly!

Versatility

Versatility tests assess three categories altogether: how good the clipper is at removing hair in bulk, how effortless it is for it to draw fades or outlines and if it can be used as a beard trimmer.

In this category, the Wahl Senior effortlessly tops the list with its ability to zero gap using the lever, an ideal motor power for beard trimming and perfect blades for all types of fades, with certain capacity of removing bulk hair.

Remington Shortcut Pro and Wahl Color Pro come home in second spot, regarded as the two all-round clippers to serve multiple grooming purposes conveniently.

Wahl Magic Clip, Legend and Fadeking clippers can perform a number of tasks and their wireless functionality has certainly boosted the scores in this category.

Balding Clipper from Wahl stands between these clippers and the two Andis as well as Oster devices with a certain edge of functional diversity.

The latter three, although they’re great at precise grooming tasks, are less versatile and should be put to use for particular needs.

Corded and Cordless Operation

Let’s get the corded clippers out of the way first. The two Andis clippers are connected to a cord as these are meant for heavy-duty tasks. So is the Oster Classic 76 and Wahl Balding clipper.

Out of the four, Classic 76 has the most durable power cable. Lengths are the same at 2.4m, ideal for operating further from the power outlet with ease of maneuverability.

The rest of the clippers are cordless. Out of these, Wahl Magic Clip has the longest running device due to good batteries – lasting over 80 minutes.

Second is Wahl Senior with a battery life of 70 minutes. Third place is tied between Wahl Legend and Fadeking clipper, both lasting around an hour with a full charge.

Although the Color Pro lasts 50 minutes, the battery unit is slightly feebler than the rest since it’s not li-ion. Still, manages to get the job done.

The shortest battery life is in the Remington Shortcut Pro, only about half an hour. For its size and capabilities, this is something I can make peace with.

Brand Reputation

How well-known a brand of your grooming product is should certainly be a part of your concern before your next purchase.

As you can see, I’ve included products from renown and long-running brands like Wahl, Andis, Oster and Remington.

If you ask anyone, even ones who don’t know much about grooming, will certainly tell you that these brands are at the peak of the industry.

Only unfamiliar brand here would be Fadeking. Since I’m bold enough to mention it alongside the other gigantic brands, you should know that it has some potential to build premium clippers endowed with newer technology.

Warranty

Discussion on warranty is quite flat for clippers since most of the premium clipper units are covered by a standard 1-year warranty with the option to pay extra for additional coverage.

However, Fadeking, Remington Shortcut Pro and Wahl Color Pro have slightly deterred from this generic take on warranty policy, so let’s see what they have to offer!

Fadeking are so keen on making an impact and have faith in their product to such a degree that their 12 month warranty is a ‘free replacement’ one.

It means, should your Fadeking clipper give in without any external catalyst, the brand will replace it with a new one, free of cost.

Remington Shortcut Pro is covered by a 2-year warranty, that’s one year extra than the rest of the clippers in my list.

Lastly, Color Pro is mostly covered by the Wahl standard 1-year limited warranty. However, the duration varies across regions for up to 2-years.

So make sure you get the details right from the store you’re going to purchase it from. As of the Amazon US store, you get only a year’s coverage.

Buyer’s Guide for Best Hair Clipper

A lot has been said and tons have been discovered in our pursuit of the best hair clipper in the market. But which one is better than the rest and fits your ideal description?

For that, we need to understand what they’re great at so that you can place your expectations against it. It will help you make a choice and render a fulfilling purchase.

Let’s get this straight – Oster Classic 76, Andis T-Outliner, Andis Master and Wahl Balding Clippers have been designed solely targeting barbers.

These are durable clippers made to last and their price point isn’t as insane as some of the premium electric shavers in the market.

You can get separate attachments or blades afterward for your unique requirements and they’ll keep serving you for years to come, without falter and impeccable outcome each time.

But it doesn’t mean that you can’t use them at home. Yes, you’ll need to pick some skills to master these clippers, but once you do so – you won’t ever have to visit a barber!

Wahl Magic Clip, Senior, Legend are all-round clippers. Meaning, you can approach them for home use and the portability certainly will help you out.

They have great design, easier learning curve, straightforward functionality and versatile ability that’s ideal in a clipper to remain at home.

As per professionals, these clippers aren’t meant for mass hair removal on every type of hair but are great secondary companions for doing all sorts of fades.

Since there’s no worry of cable management, you can easily swap between your main clipper and any of the three, depending on what outcome you’re hoping for.

Their prices are justifiable based on the quality of material, type of blade and overall durability. I wouldn’t call them overpriced because they pay back in the long run.

Remington Shortcut Pro was intended for home use due to its ease of self-grooming and diverse abilities.

But these days barbers use it for chunking down hair at a precise length in a short time without having to handle hefty clippers like Andis or Oster.

Lastly, my two budget winners are Wahl Color Pro and Fadeking clippers due to their price to performance ratio.

What these two are able to achieve with such an affordable price is beyond my imagination. I’d say the Color Pro caters more toward new grooming enthusiasts while Fadeking clipper is ideal for slightly advanced consumers.

So there you have it! The complete guide through the top clippers in the market that should help you isolate your needs and grab the unit to serve you for a long time to come!

How to Use a Hair Clipper at Home?

Using a hair clipper isn’t as easy as it sounds and definitely poses more challenges than using hair trimmers. It has to do with the sharpness of the blades, motor power and weight level.

Let me give you some basics you can follow if you were to pull a barber on yourself with your clipper at home!

Prepare Your Hair and Clippers

First of all, make sure that your hair is clean and dry. You can take a good shower beforehand and shampoo your hair to remove any build up. Damp hair won’t work well, so make sure to have it mopped or even blow dried.

At the same time, your clipper must be ready as well. By ready, it means that the blades are clean and oiled up to carry out whatever you may throw at it.

Choose the Right Guard Length

You can’t just dive in with a clipper before settling your mind on a desired length. Based on that, you need to pick out the right length of guard and put it on. Most of the good clippers come with a wide array of options, so pick one accordingly.

Adjust the Clipper Settings

There are usually adjustable levers on the side of premium clippers. It adjusts the gap between blade and teeth. You may want to adjust that to the closest possible degree so that your haircut follows the precise guard you put on.

Start with a Longer Guard

As professionals advise it, begin with a clipper guard that’s slightly longer than your desired length. Amateur groomers can often screw up the haircut and a longer guard can save you from embarrassment.

Because then you’ll have the flexibility to go for a shorter (your desired) length guard to fine tune your hair. Coming down from slightly longer hair to the expected height is the best way to go about it.

Section Your Hair

Before you feel all rambo with everything prepared, DO create sections of your hair. This ensures symmetry in the cut, grants you a proper mapping of your head areas and keeps unnecessary hair out of the way.

You can achieve this by using combs. Primarily comb your hair, create sections over your hairline and latch a comb to keep the sections isolated. This is where you can start working.

Begin Cutting

The angle of your hair clipper should be flat against your skin. You don’t want to dip the tip of the blades and end up with an uneven cut.

When you’ve mastered the angle, start at the lowest possible point and climb your way up. It can be from the neck or the sides of your ear region.

If you start high up, it’s going to be very difficult to adjust the gradual length. Do the sides and nape first, then you’ll be free enough to assess how to approach your top hair.

Usually, professionals trim the sides to a shorter length than the top hair. If you want to follow that, use a longer guard than the one you began with for the hair on your scalp.

Take Your Time

Since you’re not a professional, everything you do in the beginning won’t always turn out to be a masterful craft. The closest you can reach is by being patient and not rushing with the clipper.

So take all the sweet time you need and make glides cautiously. Otherwise there’s the risk of ending up with uneven hair, and we most certainly don’t want that.

Blend and Taper

If you want to add some zing to your haircut, you have to blend in the hair from side to top. Keeping a sharp contrast does cater to some looks, but for the common ones, adjust the lever to make it look seamless.

As per your hair fringes, go for a taper. Tapers usually consist of half to one inch in height that creates a transition between your skin and hair body.

This too is achievable by properly utilizing the lever. If your clipper doesn’t have any, there’s a fadeaway movement of your hand but mind you, this requires a lot of practise.

Check and Adjust

Once your haircut is done, scrutinize your hair body in a mirror to check for discrepancies. Comb your hair and run your finger down to check for uneven height.

Wherever you find hair to be extruding out or denting in, use the clipper to make adjustments until it looks neat and great!

And by following these 9 basic steps and some well-spent time with your clipper, you’ll gain the ability to nail the perfect haircut each time at home!

General Maintenance for Hair Clippers

Clippers usually have some mandatory maintenance that you must not skip to keep the devices up and running for as long as possible with quality ensured.

Some of the general maintenance responsibilities are mentioned for your convenience.

Cleaning

You should know that it’s good etiquette to clean out your clipper after every session. Otherwise, it can cause build ups to slow you down or blunt the blades momentarily to cause some discomfort on the person applied.

But I’m certain there’s one thing you didn’t know where you’re required to clean your clipper even before starting the session. The before cleaning can be done with wet wipes easily.

As per the cleaning afterward, there are a few ways to go about it. The basic one is to use a brush and clean off the teeth. Also, you have to mop up the body for good measure.

If your blades are detachable easily, then you can consider going for a wash. But make sure that your clipper blades are wash-friendly, otherwise it can damage the blade’s properties.

Lubrication

Lubrication for hair clippers usually means oiling up the blades and the motor. It’s a three step process and it starts with applying the oil from a tube onto the blades.

Then, you’ll need to turn on the clipper to allow the oil to settle in and spreaded across the inside. Little amount of oil is needed so don’t overpour anything.

After running the blades for around 30 seconds, turn the clipper off. You’ll be left with an oil spill that must be wiped with a dry rag.

If you use it at home once in a while, it must be done after every session or once every two weeks. If you use the clipper everyday, apply oil before storage upon cleaning each time.

Remember that most clippers require some grease oil for the motors to keep running relentlessly. If your clipper has such requirements, please follow the instruction manual accordingly.

Blade Alignment

Every month you are supposed to check the blade alignment, if it’s close enough to the teeth or the angle is accurate. If not, the outcome may be uneven or to some extent, dreadful.

You’ll basically need to eyeball it by moving around the lever. Should there be anything out of order, you have to use your screwdriver to unscrew the blades and put it back in accurately.

Blades and Parts Replacement

Dull blades must be replaced – you have no alternative to this. Most of the premium clippers have really sharp blades that remain so for a long period of time.

There are ways to sharpen clipper blades, therefore you’re left with the choice of which route to follow.

Other parts like comb guards or charging cables need to be replaced if you see any damage or drop of performance. Don’t let these sit around, they can bite back at you unexpectedly.

Properly Storing

Did you know that tons of clippers go bad every year just because of poor storage? You must remember that a clipper is an electronic device paired up with metal parts that can run bad if mistreated.

So make sure that your clipper blades are dry and the housing is neatly mopped before putting it away. Also, not all storage areas are moisture-free and moisture is the worst possible enemy of such devices.

Better to get yourself some good storage case or air-tight pouches. Throw in a moisture absorbent pad to keep things dry and secure.

These maintenance tasks should suffice to increase durability of your clipper unit and keep it at the best possible shape!

FAQ

I’m sure you still have many questions left about hair clippers and their modes of operations. With that in mind, let me answer a few commonly asked questions from the internet.

Q: What is a number 1 clipper?

A: Number 1 clipper doesn’t imply any particular clipper, rather the length setting that clipper device is set to. Number 1 guard or clipper size would give you a number 1 haircut which lets you keep 1/8″ of your hair from the root. There’s an elaborate science going on behind this, so make sure to check out our article on this matter alone to enrich your knowledge!

Q: What hair clippers do most barbers use?

A: In this age, there are tons of hair clipper brands that barbers use. Some of these brands are popular while the others are somewhat unknown. But most good barbers usually stick to a handful of premium brands for their performance, outcome and durability. These brands are usually Wahl, Oster, Andis, Remington etc.

Q: Which is better: clipper or trimmer?

A: A clipper and a trimmer are different from one another since they’re separately capable. The rule of thumb is to use a trimmer for beard and clipper for blades, but it doesn’t mean this restriction must be strictly followed. Why not take a look at our article that differentiates trimmers from clippers in-detail to learn more about it?

Concluding Remarks

Before I draw the blinds, let’s see how my scoring system managed to figure out one undisputed winner based on my assessment.

As you can see from the score, the winner is Wahl Senior coming in its suave black and silver housing that’s spectacular to look at!

It’s handy, feels good in hands, on/off switch as well as the zero gap lever are placed well out of the way from grip.

Blades are sharp, the rotary motor sufficiently backs up these blades and a great battery life ensures longer portable grooming operations.

If I were to recommend one clipper for both home use and professional groomers, it’s have to be the Wahl Senior due to its wide array of capabilities and long-lasting durability.