Wahl Magic Clip Review: Staggering Blends & Trends

Is the cordless variant of Wahl Magic Clip worth the price? What are the good things about this clipper and aren’t they telling you in the advertisements?

I’m here to bust all the myths once and for all from an experiential point of view. I used the Magic Clip personally for long enough to come up with all the answers one may have.

Briefly speaking, Magic Clip was able to win me over because it’s so easy to use! I’m no professional but the haircuts I could conjure up in a short time even surprised me!

So let’s not deprive you any more from the authentic Wahl Magic Clip review. Godspeed.

“Magic Clip from the Wahl 5-Star series is indeed a magic in the making when it comes to the grooming industry. It’s light, durable, sharp and lives up to a wide array of expectations from both home and professional groomers.”

Unboxing the Magic Clip

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Unboxing Wahl 5-Star clippers are more or less the same experience due to the identical box formation in this line of clippers.

Slide out the cover featuring Magic Clip and undo the lid to see the clipper lying inside on the plastic case.

Half of the box contains the plastic clipper holder while the other half opens to give you access to the accessories.

Don’t forget to check underneath the holder as well to find the trademark comb from Wahl!

What’s Inside the Box: Wahl Magic Clip clipper, 8 cutting guides (1/8”, 1/4”, 3/8”, 1/2”, 5/8”, 3/4”, 7/8”, and 1”), oil, cleaning brush, comb, instruction manual, blade guard.

Specifications: Wahl Magic Clip

To know a clipper under a clearer light, it’s a must for us to get through the technical aspects of that device at first!

• Dimensions: 18.5 x 4.8 x 4.2 cm
• Weight: 10.2 oz
• Color: Burgundy & Black
• Wireless: Yes
• Adjustment Lever: Yes
• Guide Combs: 8
• Blade: Stagger Tooth blade (#2161)
• Motor Type: Precision-engineered rotary motor
• LED Indicator: Yes
• Battery Runtime: 80 minutes

Which Features Make the Magic Clip so Good?

People say (even I do) that Wahl Magic Clip is one of the most complete hair clippers of all time. But what is the foundation of such a claim? Which of the features have pushed this clipper to the top? Time to find out!

Balanced Design

In my opinion, the Wahl Magic Clip comes with a very sober take on the housing design despite the striking colorization. Let’s see how the odds are based on only the looks of it!

What I Like

What I Don’t Like 

Burgundy Aesthetics

Starting off with the colorization, you’ll see the burgundy tone at the top half of the clipper taking precedence over any other color in the lot.

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Despite the one-color way of going about by Wahl, it doesn’t feel monotonous! This was achieved by the subtle textures on the housing design and adds an overall depth.

Such texturization isn’t embossed and is restricted only to the color scheme – meaning, you won’t feel any of it with your fingers.

At the underside, the housing is made of black plastic. The material doesn’t feel cheap and is not prone to breakage easily.

Additionally, the texts at the top are written in a golden accent with a shiny silver thumb rest placed right above the chest!

Slipless Grip

You have to hand it to Wahl for constructing the Magic Clip with the perfect grip points which a groomer could possibly dream of having.

Let’s start from the underside. The black plastic has crevices for finger placements that actually work like a charm unlike many other brands who failed at such a feat.

Also, the material is slip-proof and guarantees precise response from grip. It never feels like slipping and allows for accurate hair styling.

At the top, the shiny portion with an indent begs your thumb to be rested upon. With a firm grip as such, pulling upward and away will always be grand even if you’re a newbie in the grooming field.

Overall, I’d say the Magic Clip device is a masterclass in design and is still a relevant choice for modern hair styling in 2024!

Lasting Build Quality

After spending over $100, you’d expect your clipper to be of lasting nature. Is the Magic Clip really that good in terms of sustainability?

What I Like

What I Don’t Like 

From my experience, the answer is yes. There is some criticism about the housing being made with plastic instead of metal.

The likes of Andis Master or other clippers from the brand who gloat their metal-based housing design to be highly durable.

Even though the overall design is based on plastic, the material quality is actually really good and has resulted in a robust clipper housing.

Such material has rendered the clipper very lightweight yet sturdy. On top of that, the blade steels are durable like the housing.

The motor Wahl incorporated in the Magic Clip can last over 5 years without needing any replacement.

So overall, I failed to find any shortcomings in the build quality department and that’s why I opened with a praise for Wahl in the first place.

Other Standout Features of the Magic Clip

Apart from the basic feature review of the Wahl Magic Clip, there are some advanced aspects we should definitely take a look at.

What I Like

What I Don’t Like 

Very Lightweight

It’s almost unimaginable that a professional-grade Wahl clippers comes with only a weight of 10.2 ounces!

Even Wahl Senior weighs more than Magic Clip despite being built with almost the same sort of materials.

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You know what it means – such a weight is a blessing for groomers who use hair clippers all day long at their barber shops.

While Andis or Oster clippers tend to leave your arm fatigued, Magic Clip brings solace to the muscles and enables a smooth flow of hair cutting operation.

Some people prefer heavyweight clippers and I can see their reasoning behind such desire. But for a portable yet industry-grade hair clipper, lighter weight is what I’ll always lean toward.

Sharp Stagger-Tooth Blades

I hope you can recall that Wahl Magic Clip is endowed with the Stagger Tooth blade (#2161). This blade derives the title from the teeth design and it’s a game changer in the grooming industry.

I’ll get the cat out of the bag in the beginning – this blade is not zero gapped out of the box. If your prime preference is zero gapping, you can pick alternate clippers that are aligned in such a way from the factory.

Eventually I’m going to discuss the zero-gap factor of Magic Clip, but let me tell you how things are out of the box.

These Stagger Tooth blades feel solid, cut without any sort of tugs or pulls due to the sharpness on both teeth sets.

And based on these staggered edges, you’d be given the liberty of crafting the most handsome and neat fades as well as blends with the least amount of effort!

Powerful Motor

Stagger Tooth blades aren’t very demanding since the primary task of this clipper is not to remove hair in bulks.

I’m not saying it cannot, rather stating what Magic Clip is designed to do as the major focus and the secondary abilities that come with.

Wahl hasn’t mentioned the RPM or motor model anywhere in their website while showcasing the Magic Clip.

The only discernible data on the motor tells us that it’s a precision-engineered rotary motor capable of doing almost all of your biddings.

From further research, I was able to conjure up the motor model which claims Magic Clip to be blessed with a V5000 motor.

It’s slightly less powerful than the one inside Senior but is still good enough to be regarded as one of the top Wahl clipper choices.

Gap Adjustment

By gap adjustment, I’m indicating the lever on the side that you can utilize to make cutting length alterations on the fly.

This lever is made with plastic, although quite a solid one, and it highly resembles the one Wahl Senior comes with.

The lever is smooth and responsive. Its resistance is simply precise – allows you to set a specific length without it automatically changing yet it doesn’t hold you back.

Length range stands between 0.5 mm to 1.2 mm – an industry standard that both professionals and home groomers can live with.

With such a range and ability to adjust it at will, blending and tapering has become much easier.

What sort of cuts can it generate? Well, I’ll be discussing that elaborately under the ‘my experience’ section!

Accessories

Wahl clippers generally come with the most basic accessories like charger, brush, oil, comb as you’ve seen from the unboxing part.

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It’s rare that a 5-Star device being packed with eight different cutting guides, that’s truly a lot for a portable clipper with adjustable lever.

There’s one accessory for every range, beginning with 1/8″, all the way up to a 1-inch guide comb.

These attachments snap on perfectly and don’t wobble like some of the aftermarket accessories tend to do.

I wouldn’t call these guides the most solidly built since there’s a gap in quality between the Magic Clip housing and the guide comb material.

Still, they get the job done and are actually precise when it comes to clipping at a particular length.

LED Battery Indicator

Yes, there is a blue LED battery indicator at the bottom of your Magic Clip from which you can interpret some of the conditions related to battery and charging.

The grammar needs some learning but it’s the same across all of the Wahl clippers, so I’ll simply skim through them real fast for your convenience.

If your Magic Clip is charging, it’ll keep the blue light on. Once the light is off, it means the charge is complete.

Otherwise, this light remains turned on when you’re using the clipper. It’ll blink once the battery hits a lower level and should run for about 10-15 minutes more until dying.

So take the blinking as a charging indication. You can use the clipper while plugged into the cord and it’s safe (verified by Wahl) to do so.

My Experience with Magic Clip

As I’ve personally used the Magic Clip cordless clipper for a long time, I feel obligated to share my experience with it, mentioning all the things I liked and the things that could be improved.

What I Like

What I Don’t Like 

Blend & Fade Quality

I’ll recommend the Magic Clip to consumers who are looking for a forgiving hair clipper that excels at soft blends and different types of fades.

Since the Stagger Tooth blades are built with Wahl’s Crunch Blade technology, I can always hear or sense the hair being trimmed off, regardless of the volume.

I can easily draw an outline around the hair fringes with something like an Andis T-Outliner and smooth that out with the Magic Clip.

Otherwise, all sorts of tapers and fades are possible using this clipper. The quality is of professional grade and even amateurs can draw out such quality of work with very little practise.

Comfort

Wahl Magic Clip has been one of the most comfortable clippers I’ve ever laid my hands on, and trust me, I did use tons of clippers up until this point of my life.

If you snap on a guide comb, you won’t be able to hurt anyone even if you wanted to, no matter how aggressive you get with your clipper animation.

On top of that, going in without the guides is still safe since the blades aren’t zero gapped and the sharpness is only applied to the hair, not the skin.

Magic Clip can be used on a beard but I’d say keep that limited to bulk removal only. Fine works are better left to trimmers as those are the specialized instruments.

But overall, I’m yet to face any discomfort using the Magic Clip on any type of hair – fine or curly – as well as support over a wide array of hair density.

Sound Check

Video: Wahl Magic Clip Sound

In terms of sound, Magic Clip doesn’t make a loud buzz and it’s more than tolerable as opposed to a large number of top-grade hair clippers.

The precision-engineered rotary motor is bound to make the buzzing noise and the crunching of hair on top of it are the sounds you’re most likely to hear.

This sound isn’t deafening even when used right next to the ear and the people I’ve used this clipper on have agreed on this matter without any hesitation.

It’s probably because of the cordless aspect of Magic Clip, limiting the RPM at the sweet spot that allows relentless cutting actions without overworking the clipper, unlike Andis or Oster.

So, if lower sound levels are a priority for your clipper purchase, Magic Clip is ideally placed to meet that criteria.

Maneuverability

From the gigantic battery life, you can already tell that the Magic Clip is meant for portability, and the weight class certainly reinforces this claim.

Add grip level to the consideration and you’ll end up with one of the most maneuverable hair clippers on the current market!

Because of the grip points, I was able to handle the clipper any way I wanted to. It’s responsive and not tiring at all.

Even with this lightweight, I could find precision in drawing the tapers around and even crafting out some delicate fades.

Attaching the cable does compromise the movement a little, but 80 minutes of battery runtime indeed renders wired use something you’d only require during an emergency.

Hair Cutting Diversity

Let me reiterate – Magic Clip can create almost all sorts of fades, blends and tapers. Only lacking shows when it comes to bald fades, but manually zero gapping the blades can walk your way around it.

Bulk removal is possible with this clipper and I’ve tried it myself on a couple of occasions. I’d say, it’s really good for a portable clipper meant for blending and fading.

Otherwise, Oster clippers perform somewhat better in this regard, so pick the Classic 76 if bulk removal is your prime concern.

From coarse hair to finicky texture, Magic Clip can cater to all of it without any hiccup. It does indeed open doors for diverse haircuts and the blends are usually softer than most other devices.

How I Tested the Wahl Magic Clip

Like all the other grooming devices I’ve tested out, Magic Clip too went through extensive amounts of tests and analysis.

For home use, I applied it on my brother, a friend of mine and even on my own hair to see how self-grooming feels with the Magic Clip.

As per surviving barber-shop environment, I asked my barber friend to squeeze the most out of it for one week straight and he obliged.

Also, I broke down the clipper to see how the blade system is assembled, how the motor functions and overall the fundamentals to this exquisite electric device.

Based on all of the insight from the tests mentioned above, I did my scoring on each important criteria and you’ll find the overall score at the end of this article.

Who is Wahl Magic Clip For?

I’ll be straight with you – Magic Clip is equally good enough for home use and professional use.

Home groomers with any hair type can bring the best look out with this clipper and it’s so easy to use that no one needs to be technically adept like a professional to reach the minimum standards.

The ergonomics, portability and one switch to set things in motion is something any regular consumer would prefer and Magic Clip grants you that conveniently.

Professionals can replace their existing hair clipper with Magic Clip in the blending and fading department.

The weight class and smooth as well as quality outcome surpasses the professional benchmark and guarantees to leave the customers satisfied.

Wahl Magic Clip Cleaning & Maintenance

Magic Clip is not a waterproof device, so washing the blades isn’t generally the go to solution for cleaning.

What I prefer to do is to mop the blades up using a rag after every clipping session and then lube the blades to keep them sharp.

On a weekly basis, I unscrew the blades and perform a thorough mopping action so that there’s no build-up clogging the blade system.

I also lube the motor during this time – particularly the rotary head that pops out underneath the blade system.

For lubricating the blades, I apply three drops of the lubricating agent Magic Clip comes with and keep the device turned on for 10 seconds to seep the oil in the crevices.

How to Zero Gap Wahl Magic Clip?

There are a couple of different ways to zero gap Wahl Magic Clip. The most simple one requires you to unscrew the blades without removing them completely.

Rather, reach a point where the top blade can be moved around. Find a flat surface to align the top teeth with the bottom one precisely.

Then, screw back on to fasten the blades at the zero gapped position and that should do the trick for you.

In the end, Magic Clip is not meant to be a zero clipper and I’d say keep it at the default settings to experience the more versatile outcomes this enigmatic clipper is able to carry out.

Wahl Magic Clip VS Legend: Which One Do You Need?

Magic Clip and Legend from Wahl are two of their top tier clippers that share tons of similarities when it comes to superior performance.

But what are their key variances which set them apart from one another? Which one do you require for your specific hair grooming needs?

I’ll discuss that in the form of a battle: Wahl Magic Clip vs Legend discussion should answer all of these questions for you!

Blade Type

The major difference between the two clippers lies within their blade system. While the Magic Clip comes with a Stagger Tooth blade, Legend is equipped with a set of Wedge blades.

These blades are completely different when it comes to clipping outcomes. Magic Clip blades are meant for softer blends and more sober outcomes.

On the other hand, blades in Wahl Legend bring out some blunt looks that are smooth yet strikes out in hindsight.

The teeth are deeper on Legend, giving you headspace to go from longer to shorter transition without having to alter clipper devices.

Magic Clip in this regard focuses on a hair body that’s already short and goes even shorter to make things look seamless.

Therefore, it’s a matter of preference about which of these blade systems you require and for a barber shop, I reckon both are equally important to exist in your arsenal.

Motor Power

Wahl Legend is slightly louder than the Magic Clip and it’s because of the degree to which its motor can push the torque.

Legend is endowed with a V9000 rotary motor that’s a little bit more powerful than the one Magic Clip comes with – a V5000 rotary motor.

This gap in power is intentionally placed by Wahl because of the deeper teeth in Legend and its expectation to work with larger hair volume than Magic Clip.

The motor powers are sufficient for both the clippers since each is designed to perform unique tasks of their own.

There have been no tugs or pulls with all sorts of hair, although I’d say Legend performs better when it comes to bulk removal as it’s the only major edge over Magic Clip.

Lever Quality

Did you know that Wahl Legend comes with an adjustment lever built with metal? It’s not always the case for the 5-Star cordless devices to contain levers of such quality.

Take Magic Clip or Senior for example. Their levers are built with the standard plastic material Wahl generally relies on for their construction.

So what makes Legend so special? I’d say it’s because of the larger adjustment gap and in general the highlighting of the ‘Legend’ title.

There has to be something special to earn the name and Wahl thought designing the lever this way would add to the clipper’s premium nature.

Performance-wise, Magic Clip and Legend’s levers function the same. Only difference is in the tactile feeling and in the long run, Legend’s lever is probably going to be the more durable one.

Ergonomics

From the earlier discussions, you’ve seen how well designed the Magic Clip housing is, with all the carefully planted ergonomic points to grant you sufficient clearance during a full grip.

Wahl Legend on the other hand has gone for a slightly minimalistic approach in the housing ergonomics.

The underside is somewhat similar to Magic Clip with all the finger placement crevice guiding your grip away from the lever and power switch.

But at the top, there’s no thumb rest and that’s fine by me. Because Legend’s mode of operation doesn’t demand you to keep your thumb planted at the chest.

Rather, a full, firm grip is what you’ll be utilizing while creating the best haircuts using the Legend, so there’s no winner or loser in this department.

Types of Haircuts

Legend and Magic Clip are built with completely different philosophies of hairdos and thus, the outcomes cannot be compared for better or for worse.

As I mentioned before, Magic Clip is expert in creating seamless blends that are of softer nature, some textured sides that can continue around the name, much like tapers and fades.

Legend creates fades that are much longer than the ones of Magic Clip. Tapering isn’t part of Legend’s forte but it can masterfully craft out soft line fades – the middle ground between soft blends and stark outlines.

Additionally, seamless blends and blunt looks are quite easy to create with Legend while these aren’t the go-to tasks for most other quality hair clippers you’d find around you.

Adjustable Gap

Magic Clip’s adjustable gap is slightly narrower than the one of Legend. The former can joggle between 0.5 mm to 1.2 mm using the adjustment lever.

As opposed to it, Legend has a complete 1 mm width between the lowest to the highest setting, between 0.7 mm to 1.7 mm with the tweak of the lever.

We can deduce two things out of it. One, Legend caters more toward longer hairdo outcomes and the fades as well as the blends are supposed to utilize a wider surface area.

Magic Clip is meant for precision and deals with slightly shorter haircuts. That’s how you can end up with textured sides if you manage to go in without any guide combs.

Adjusting the lever is straightforward for both of these clippers and it can be achieved without turning the clipper off in the middle of a haircut.

Verdict: Pick the Legend for longer hair, wider hair area to work with and slightly blunt outcomes. Go for Magic Clip if your working area is mostly around the bottom half of the sides and back, softly blending out these regions is your priority and overall dealing with less hair volume.

FAQ

There are still some queries left to be addressed that I failed to cover in the Wahl Magic Clip review section. I’ll answer them in this FAQ segment for consumers’ convenience.

Q: Is it worth paying more for the new limited edition Magic Clip?

A: This question from a Reddit thread needs answering because the new limited edition of Magic Clip is worth almost twice as much as the cordless edition.

In my opinion, the newer one is only worth it if looks are your primary concern and want to attract customers based on that. Or you’re simply a collector of finer things.

When it comes to performance, both of the Magic Clips are almost the same. While it’s true that the limited edition blades are sturdier, it’s not worth getting a completely new clipper with that much expense.

If I were given the choice, I’d stick with my older cordless edition since performance is my prime concern out of a hair clipper.

Q: Where to buy legit Wahl Magic Clips?

A: There are plenty of places you can buy legit and authentic Wahl Magic Clip units. One source is Amazon and I’ve added the official link above in my review section. Otherwise, you can visit Wahl’s official website based on your region and place orders. But remember, you’ll get better deals on Amazon for these legit items.

Q: How long does it take the Magic Clip to charge?

A: We now know that Magic Clip lasts a little over 80 minutes with one full charge. And for that charge, the duration is usually around 2 hours or 120 minutes. It’s quite fast in my opinion, credit goes to the lithium-ion battery installed inside.

Q: Can I interchange Wahl 5-Star chargers?

A: Yes! All of the Wahl 5-Star chargers contain the same charging port. All you need to make sure is that the voltage matches with your region, the rest of it won’t be a problem.

Concluding Remarks

So, is buying the Magic Clip cordless with a price tag over $100 worth it? I’ll definitely say yes to this, both for professionals and home groomers.

It’s a lasting investment in my opinion. The materials used for constructing the Magic Clip are solid, the blade is durable and remains sharp for a very long time.

If you’re torn between the corded and cordless editions of Magic Clip, I’ll urge you to go for the cordless one.

It’s highly liberating and the cordless variant simply cannot match that.

Would the Magic Clip replace my previous clipper for regular use? For the blends and fades I so much love, it most certainly would in a heartbeat!

Score
Clipping Quality	4.8
Adjustable Lever	4.7
Blade Sharpness	4.8
Maneuverability	4.8
Versatility	4.7
Ergonomics	4.7
Accessories	4.8
Overall	4.75
Verdict Magic Clip is renowned for its quality of haircuts, ease of use, comfort it generates across different hair types and the superior ergonomics in the Wahl 5-Star line. I’d definitely recommend buying this clipper for regular use as it’s meant to endure the perils of time.