Wahl Senior Review: Beast Clipper in Beautiful Black

Among all the Wahl 5-Star Clippers, it’s tough to choose between them because they seem similar but in reality, they’re all very different from one another.

Thus, I’ve taken up the responsibility to review each of them individually, starting with my most favorite – the Wahl Senior review.

I believe Senior is a complete clipper, capable of doing almost everything that otherwise might have required more than one device to perfect.

For all the short haircut and fade style enthusiasts, hold on tight because I’ll be reviewing it first-hand considering both a home groomer and a professional’s requirements and preferences!

“Wahl Senior is indeed the senior clipper in the 5-Star family bringing home the perfect blend between luxurious design and superior performance. I’d pick the Senior everyday over any other clipper for versatile haircuts!”

Wahl 5-Star Family

Wahl has a wide array of clipper and trimmer series in the consumer market for grooming enthusiasts and professionals.

Out of those regular and specialized serieses, the 5-Star Family is considered to be one of the most premium line of clippers ever produced by the brand.

Wahl 5-Star is associated with the big names like Magic Clip, Senior, Detailer, Legend, Balding, Hero – each excelling at certain niche tasks that has to do with haircut and styling.

Are you interested to know which of these Wahl clippers stand out as the most appealing electric haircut device on the market?

Then feel free to check out my article on Wahl clippers in particular to see how I ranked their top units currently available for purchase!

Unboxing the Wahl Senior

 

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Wahl Senior is encased in the regular 5-Star box that slides the cover out to unveil a folded pack with perfect space management.

Such packaging from Wahl is among my favorites as it makes unboxing, categorizing and storing a straightforward task.

On one side, a holder rests the Wahl Senior clipper and on the other, you’ll notice the power cord, guide combs and Wahl manuals.

Underneath the clipper, there’s a Wahl comb, cleaning brush and lubricating agent – all following the Wahl standards.

What’s Inside the Box: Wahl Senior Clipper, 3 Guide Combs (1/16″, 1/8″, 3/16″), Charging Cable with Adapter, Brush, Lubricant, Comb.

Wahl Senior: Specifications

Before we delve further into the first-hand review of the Wahl senior, let’s take a look at the technical specifications for general convenience.

• Weight: 13 oz
• Color: Black & Silver
• Wireless: Yes
• Adjustment Lever: Yes
• Guide Combs: 3
• Blade: (#2191) Adjustable 0000 Blade
• Motor Power: 6,500 RPM
• LED Indicator: Yes
• Battery Runtime: 70 minutes

Which Features Make Wahl Senior Stand Out?

Wahl clippers aren’t the most feature-heavy devices on the market because the brand focuses on the most important bits and builds around those aspects with utmost quality.

So the certain things that make Wahl Senior worth its money should be mentioned and reviewed, otherwise how would you know the greatness of this clipper?

Best Wahl Design So Far

While there are good looking clippers by Wahl, like the Magic Clip, Chrome Pro or even pricier ones, Wahl Senior is the one I find the most appealing in the design department.

What I Like

What I Don’t Like 

Dark Knight Aesthetics

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Call me biased, but I can’t wrap my head around the suave housing the Senior comes with as if it’s my first love of a hair clipper.

The top half is engulfed with a shiny yet solid black finish with the Wahl 5-Star logo and Senior text is scripted out of silver tone.

Underneath is a fully metal body showing scratched texture, paying homage to the true metal finish and hints at the durability of the clipper.

The lever and the power button are draped in bland gold, completing a clipper comprising by far one of the finest color palettes.

Perfect Grip

Wahl clippers rarely contain rubber textures or paddings on their devices. While there are some exceptions, the majority of the philosophy to ensure grip lies within the curves of the clippers.

Senior is one such example of this great philosophy as the curves and bevels on the sides and top part render some of the firmest grips ever to exist.

It never slipped out of my hand even running in full power and allows for diverse gripping techniques should the haircut necessitates anything of that sort.

For left handers, you may sense the power button poking at your hand but it’s tolerable and doesn’t compromise grooming tasks to a larger extent.

Great Lever Placement

Lever placement in clippers and trimmers always concern me. I’ve handled numerous grooming devices, some even at top end who fail to place their lever with sufficient clearing for grip.

But Wahl isn’t a new brand shooting blinds in the design department and they’ve always come out on top with their lever and power button’s location.

Wahl Senior too belongs to that category. While using the clipper with a full grip, I was able to adjust the blade’s gap using the lever or even turn it on/off without having to make any adjustments.

It implies your clipping tasks with this device will be very much efficient and less disturbing – which poses it as a prime choice for barbers all over the world.

Wahl Senior: Built to Last!

For most cases, Wahl clippers priced over $100 are usually built with premium materials and made to last at least 5-7 years without running into any major issue.

Of course, it has to do with the maintenance and degree of care you show the clipper, but trust me, Wahl Senior can take even the roughest of treatments for consecutive days at a stretch.

By this time, you probably already know that the clipper is made with German technology and if you know what it means, the realization will sink down that the Senior is guaranteed to survive.

With this technology, the solid housing, sustainable motor unit, sturdy blades and even the plastic-covered lever feel premium to hold on to and generate the sense of durability.

While the device does indeed pass all my drop tests, I’d urge you not to do so with the blades on.

Don’t get me wrong, it can withstand accidental drops but making a habit out of it is not ideal for even the most expensive electric grooming devices.

Lastly, as most clippers are, Wahl Senior isn’t waterproof so don’t try rinsing it underneath the tap.

Maintaining a clipper for the longest time is like owning a pet – you have to cater to it the way it’s intended, with patience and care.

What I Like

What I Don’t Like 

Additional Important Wahl Senior Features

Apart from the design and looks, certain elements in this clipper are just as great as it looks. Why not uncover them to analyze this clipper with utmost detail?

What I Like

What I Don’t Like 

Handy Weight Class

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I simply LOVE the weight and balance of this clipper! Despite being cordless and storing a battery unit inside, it weighs only 13 ounces!

It’s crazy to think about really. With a durable plastic and solid metal casing, stainless steel blades, powerful motor and a battery unit, I don’t know how Wahl managed this feat.

And this weight class doesn’t only make moving it around easier, but also minimizes the chances of fatigue during the long days in your salon.

Also, everything is perfectly balanced that allows for precise maneuvering and drawing out neat fades from the word go!

Zero Gapped Blades

Out of all the Wahl 5-Star clippers, Senior is the only device that comes with a zero gapped blade system out of the box.

While other Wahl clippers can be zero gapped manually, none of them have the fine edged surgical blade technology as this one, making its zero gap cuts stand out from the rest.

Senior features a (#2191) adjustable 0000 blade – the prime purpose of which is drawing out zero cuts and all the fades that such a blade is expected to deliver.

When the adjustment lever comes into the equation, Senior offers the most versatile cuts due to a very wide gap between the minimum to the maximum setting – 0 mm to 1.2 mm.

It means, grooming with Wahl Senior gives you endless possibilities of styling out and removes any necessity for having a separate clipper for dynamic haircuts!

The Most Powerful Wahl Motor

Did you know that Wahl Senior houses the most powerful motor in the entire Wahl 5-Star series?

That includes some of the corded clippers as well and this beauty outclasses all of them, all thanks to the highly energized rotary motor!

By Wahl’s estimation, this motor can clock at around 6,500 RPM, that’s more than my ideal requirement of a good clipper.

Once the clipper is turned on, you’ll know that the motor system is unique and appealing by both the sound and feeling of it.

And how does the motor perform? I’ll tell you all about it in my personal experience section!

Lever & Comb Guards

As I already mentioned about the lever system, it’s built with solid plastic like most other Wahl 5-Star clippers, the only exception being the Magic Clip unit.

The flexibility of blade gap can be paired up with the three durable metal clip guide combs coming in with the package.

You may wonder why an expensive clipper like Senior comes with only three combs whereas others come with 6-8 attachments.

The reason being, you get the diversity of 1.2 mm in the blade alone, just tweak your lever. Now imagine utilizing that with any of your guides between 1/16″, 1/8″ and 3/16”.

For each of the guards, you get to move around 1.2 mmm, expanding the guard’s capacity beyond the threshold any of the other Wahl clippers are able to go!

LED Battery Indicator

At the feet of the Wahl Senior, you’ll locate a sizable LED light that turns on either when you flick the power knob or plug it in for charging.

There are three indications this one light is able to give you: when it requires charging, when it’s on or charging and when it’s fully charged.

So there’s no risk of running out of juice in the middle of your grooming task as your smart clipper will warn you at least 15-20 minutes before running out of battery.

Even then, you have the liberty to plug the device in the power cord and keep it running at full pace without any hiccup!

My Experience with the Wahl Senior

It’s time I put the feature analysis behind and discuss my experience with the Wahl Senior with info from my first-hand use and the data provided by my barber friend!

What I Like

What I Don’t Like 

Zero Gap Quality

As zero gapping is the major selling point of Wahl Senior, I’d say it lives up to the promise significantly well!

Having the lever adjusted at zero gap, I closely inspected the blade alignment to check out if there’s any safety gap between the blade and the teeth.

There was none, so it’s safe to say that the (#2191) Adjustable 0000 Blade does indeed clip as close to the skin as possible!

I’ve tried out zero fade and bald cuts on my brother and believe me, I’ve never felt a responsive set of blades in a clipper in my entire life!

One drawback I sensed is that this blade system isn’t meant for bulk hair removal. Not that it fails to perform this task, but I think there are better alternatives like the Oster Classic 76 with a wider blade unit.

Clipping Comfort

Comfort is what drives consumers toward a particular grooming device, and with the highest power motor and sharpest set of blades from Wahl, the Senior is a masterclass to deliver pleasant haircuts!

It’s not only kind on the skin even while zero gapped without any guides attached, but the experience is convenient on the groomer’s end as well.

Even the most amateur groomers (such as myself with a professional device) can draw out the haircuts of their desire with limited experience handling a clipper.

The learning curve isn’t steep since there’s not much technicality to learn about, all you need is to master the technique of holding the clipper in the right way to deliver smooth haircuts each time!

Personal or Professional Grade Clipper?

Seeing all the capabilities, quality and the price point of Wahl Senior, it’s no surprise that this question may arise in the minds of many consumers.

I’d say the Senior is basically a professional clipper designed to create close cuts effortlessly, within a very short time and withstand rough use.

That said, this is also a luxury clipper for personal use that can take care of any degree of hair grooming done at home.

The grip level, weight class and ease of operation confirms it can be used on yourself with some practice and certainly you can do different cuts on someone else if you manage to learn all the techniques.

Its long battery life and use with the sizable cord makes professional grooming possible and I’d say it can belong to both a barbershop and your house chambers with equal convenience.

Sound Level

Sound level speaks about three things: one, how good the motor power is; two, if the noise can cause any disturbance to the ears and three, if the latter stages of battery life leads to underperformance by the motor.

First off, the motor sounds powerful enough as Wahl claims to be and the pitch is a tad bit sharper than other Wahl 5-Stars.

Secondly, the noise level is tolerable in my opinion because there are far louder clippers to exist in the market, especially the corded ones.

Thirdly, I didn’t face any drop in performance in the final battery stages, although the last 5 minutes of the clipping can feel a little underwhelming.

Other than that, the sound level has crossed out the mentioned concerns from my list. Wahl has indeed delivered a complete package in this Senior unit!

Wireless Clipping – Check!

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As I’m reviewing the Wahl Senior cordless variant, I’d most certainly push it to be regarded as the clipper with maximum maneuverability!

The weight class, balance, degree of vibration and the ergonomics – all of it comes into consideration and most certainly the battery life.

While Wahl claims the battery life to be around 70 minutes with full charge, I’d say they have been fair in this judgment.

My Senior lasted slightly over 70 minutes in both home use and barbershop conditions. As I already stated, the final 5 minutes leaves the performance a little to be desired.

Additionally, the power cord that attaches at the bottom of the clipper is 2.4 meters long – enough to move around the head you are grooming without the cable getting in the way.

So for both wireless and corded clipping, the Wahl Senior is an extremely gratifying device with portability and dynamic modes of operations.

What Type of Cuts Can the Wahl Senior Handle?

Let me reiterate – Wahl Senior is meant for zero cuts and fades due to the surgical, 0000 blade system.

Cuts like zero fades, old school tapers, precision fades etc. are literally a piece of cake to draw out using the device.

The three premium guide combs backed up by metal plating does add more diversity to the potential of the Senior.

This ability and the lever’s adjustability with the range of 1.2 mm ranks the Senior as one of the most complete hair clippers ever to exist in the grooming industry!

How I Tested the Wahl Clipper

My clipper testing procedure is almost always similar and consists of three phases.

The first phase is my personal inspection, ranging from closely observing every bit of it, drop testing, grip testing and so on.

Second phase began with utilizing the sharp blades on my brother’s scalp, making full use of the zero blades and guide combs from the package.

The final phase is always lending the clipper to my barber friend for spending a couple of rough days in his shop and taking in his assessment afterward.

All of these came together as the baseline upon which I designed and wrote this thorough review article.

Is the Wahl Senior Worth its Price?

At first glance, the Wahl Senior does feel quite pricey. But then again, you must understand that good hair clippers are rarely cheap due to all the expensive components that go into them.

Senior’s build quality alone tells you that the materials used for crafting the clipper has cost the Wahl design team quite a lot of resources.

And to balance it up with the sharpest and durable zero blades and the most powerful motor ever to be developed by Wahl does indeed crank up the tag.

It’s a must have clipper for barbers in my opinion as my friend suggests – the Senior makes grooming tasks tons easier.

The clipper responds precisely to the user’s demands and is agile with shorter cuts The selling point for home groomers is that the Senior is a one-time purchase.

Meaning, if you get yourself a Wahl Senior, ignoring the price point, this has the caliber to serve not only you but your following generation as well – yes, it’s built this well!

How to Use the Wahl Senior?

Using the Wahl Senior is a very straightforward affair. All you need to do is to familiarize yourself with the clipper, its button, lever and the overall gripping pattern.

• Once you’ve learned the basics, pick the haircut of your desire that you want to mimic. Based on that, adjust your lever or attach a guide comb out of the three options.
• These guides attach very easily – anchor the inner crevice of the comb at the tip of the clipper blades and click at the back to secure it firmly.
• Then flick the power knob to get into action! Learn the animations of hair clipping from seeing others doing it, there’s no better teacher than that.
• You can even adjust the lever mid-cut to create a variable fade that’s sleek and smooth.
• Finally, after the haircut is done, remove the guide comb, clean it out and store it inside the package.

• As per the blades, all the hair doesn’t come out with the brush, so you’ll need to unscrew the blades to mop and dust out the stray bits.
• Note that realigning back the blades can be tricky if you’re doing it the first time. Rule of thumb is to put the two blades flat against an even surface while screwing them tight.
• In the end, lube the blades and turn on the device for five seconds to seep that in.

Following these guidelines, you’ll be an expert in using Wahl Senior in less than no time!

Wahl Senior vs Magic Clip : See the Difference

Wahl Senior and Wahl Magic Clip are two top-grade 5-Star series cordless clippers from Wahl that often confuse many consumers.

There’s of course the question asking which of these two is the better clipper. I’ve used both of these clippers first hand and I might help you reach a verdict in this matter.

One of the main reasons for considering the Wahl Senior vs Magic Clip is their price range. If there’s a second reason, it’d have to be their overall quality.

Different Blade Systems

Wahl Senior and Magic Clip are built with two completely separate visions and meant for unique tasks to test their capabilities.

As you already know, Senior endorses an Adjustable 0000 blade (#2191) whereas Magic Clip utilizes a Stagger Tooth blade (#2161).

The latter blade system doesn’t zero gap out of the box and the adjustment range of the blade is between 0.5 mm to 1.2 mm.

Stagger Tooth blade is built with the Crunch Blade technology – meaning, you’ll hear the hair crunching as the blade cuts through every density or coarseness.

So in short, there’s no better or worse in the blade department, rather there’s a matter of preference and the grooming task you’re supposed to be performing with your clipper.

No. of Cutting Guides

Wahl Magic Clip comes with a striking number of 8 guide combs consisting of the guide sizes 1/8”, 1/4”, 3/8”, 1/2”, 5/8”, 3/4”, 7/8”, and 1”.

This means, Magic Clip will let you cut your hair at longer lengths than Senior would and with much more precision for the longer cuts.

It’s got to do with the Crunch Blade technology that allows Magic Clip to deal with slightly longer hair with ease.

Wahl Senior with its three guide combs cater more toward shorter variants of haircuts. Since there’s no overlap in specialization, again, it comes down to which one you need and prefer.

Wireless Performance

The comparison of wireless performance assesses the battery life, weight and balance of the Wahl Senior and Magic Clip devices.

Magic Clip is slightly battery when it comes to battery runtime, around 80 minutes of relentless performance whereas Senior lasts around 70 minutes.

Then again, none of us should keep either of these clippers running this long as it’ll cause the device to heat up. 30 second breaks after every 5-10 minutes should suffice.

Weightwise, Magic Clip is 3 ounces lighter than the Senior and poses less risk for fatigue if you’re considering longer days.

Then again, Senior’s balance is much better than Magic Clip as the former’s weight class in collaboration with the balance allows you to go for precise haircut techniques.

So heavier doesn’t always have to mean something negative, you get my point?

Types of Cuts

As you could make it out from the comparison table, Wahl Magic Clip and Senior are specialized in different departments of haircuts.

One thing we’ve learned already is that Magic Clip caters better toward slightly longer hair whereas Senior is meant for the shortest of cutting techniques.

Senior’s prowess shows in bald and zero fades, along with the traditional tapers all around the head and precision fades to any degree of your preference.

Magic Clip’s Stagger Tooth blade is an expert in sketching out textured cuts on the sides and at the nape, additionally seamless blends are made possible with the adjustable range.

Their guide combs also come into the equation that set aside Wahl Senior and Magic Clip in their haircut type expertise, so it’s for you to decide what you need from your clipper.

Ergonomic Variance

Both the Magic Clip and Senior clippers are ergonomically different and the grips aren’t similar to one another due to the shapes and materials.

Wahl Senior’s top, black portion allows the gap between your thumb and pointing finger to fit perfectly, confirming it’s ready for precision in hair clipping.

While Magic Clip doesn’t have that at the top side, the underside is made of plastic instead of stainless steel and consists of ergonomic crevices to allow better finger placement.

Also, Magic Clip has a dedicated, shiny thumb resting place right underneath the blades up top.

Since you’ll be using the Magic Clip more in a vertical motion while Senior comprising both horizontal and vertical animations, the thumb rest or the lack of it in the two designs make sense.

If I have to pick sides, I’d say the Magic Clip’s grip feels slightly better than Senior.

But overall, there’s no contest of Wahl Senior vs Magic Clip because of their difference of commitment and your requirements as well as preference is all that matters to pick between them.

FAQ

Time for us to take a stroll through some of the questions popping up on the internet concerning Wahl Senior and some of its use. Let’s make sure we have no queries left after this section!

Q: Why does my Wahl Senior make a loud noise when using it?

A: The noise level in Wahl Senior is based on two things – one, the most powerful rotary motors ever developed by Wahl running at 6,500 RPM constantly. The second reason is the rapid grinding between the blades to ensure smooth cuts.

If the noise level is exceptionally loud, then you can try running it without a cord to see if the levels are the same. If yes, then it’s either the sound level is beyond your expectation or the motor is malfunctioning. If not, then it’s probably due to a voltage issue.

Q: Wahl Senior worth it for a beginner?

A: Definitely! Wahl Senior is the most intuitive clipper unit to ever exist in the market. You can simply pick it out of the box and get to clipping with almost zero experience. All you need is the knowledge of how a hair clipper works and the techniques you can utilize to compose a haircut.

Q: Do you prefer Wahl Seniors or Andis Masters for your faders?

A: If it comes down to my preference, I’d pick the Wahl Senior over the Andis Master for my fades. Wahl Senior feels more sturdy to use as opposed to Andis Master, has a better battery life and overall delivers a precise outcome in less time.

Final Thoughts

As I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again – the Wahl Senior review is among my comfort zones of writing articles because as biased as it may sound, Senior has always been my most favorite hair clipper.

And it’s because of numerous reasons of course. I love the housing aesthetics and build quality every time I lay my eyes on the device.

Clipping with this unit feels completely different than all the other Wahl 5-Star clippers combined. I truly don’t know why that is, if you use them side by side then you may relate with me in this regard.

Would I buy Wahl Senior if I wasn’t reviewing it and solely wanted a home grooming clipper? Yes! In a heartbeat! This is the sort of investment that returns the profit year after year without falter!