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Not being a Pro Footballer flouting lockdown barber rules - after 3 months my hair is looking pretty disheveled.
What's the weapon of choice amongst STW for letting the wife loose on the barnet? Is there anything in the "not too pricey" range that is worth a punt?
The cheapest good clipper will be something like a wahl corded clipper. I use some wahl magic clips for shaving, expensive but they gnaw through stubble better than any trimmer.
BaByliss clippers work well for me
The advantage of cordless is that I can use them in the bathroom where it's easy to clean up the clippings from the tiled floor.
I've had a set of these for 10 years. They've worked flawlessly on me in that time and during lockdowns I've also used them on the dog. I couldn't think of a time when I'd need to cut my hair away from a plug socket so just went with a wired set rather than battery powered.
I've been using a Philips one since April last year - cost me nearly 3x the retail at the time but has now paid for itself cutting once a month! Have to get the GF to finish my neck though as I simply can't work out a way of seeing it.
It's corded and I think a rechargeable one would be better.
Had a quick look, they seem to have replaced it with a newer model but this is the one I have Philips Clipper
Cordless are good. Then you can cut your hair in the garden, which stops the need to tidy up (and, I tell myself, gives the birds something for their nests).
I use some sort of Philips one; it is a few years old, but them. But the new version.
Blimey - they have gone up a lot! https://www.amazon.co.uk/Hair-Clipper-Philips-HC5632-13/dp/B081CYQVWG
but will still pay for themselves in a year
I've just bought the Wahl clipper set pictured above. First outing in a day or two. I was previously using a Philips trimmer unit and it was a bit of a struggle and not that great. I may never visit the barbers again if the Wahl clipper is good!
Cordless for the reasons above.
Get in shower cubicle, sort out yer hair, armpits, baws, and whatever else needs a tidy, wee mirror on the shower caddy to make sure you've not missed a huge chunk of yer napper, turn on shower and wash it all away.
Done.
I've got these ones. They're pretty sick. They're curved like your bonce.
I use them on my head and my face. Can't comment for other areas.
Had a cheapo £15 (Babyliss?) set for years which worked fine. After literally a decade of monthly use it started making crunchy noises so I splashed out on Wahl balding clippers which seem very well made and feel nicer in the hand. I've only had those a couple of years so I can't really say much about longevity.
Wahl corded. The batteries eventually fail to hold charge, like all battery devices on the cordless ones.
Wahl Colour Pro Styler Hair Clipper 9155-2417X was £12.99 at Argos and does a great job*. Difficult to find stock though.
* having an able and willing partner helps!
Those Wahl colour ones are excellent.
The only thing they don't do is a super tight 00000 cut.
Hard to look elsewhere unless cordless is a must.
I've got the Wahl ones with the multi-coloured attachments. Seems to work well.
Wahl Super Taper corded here - and lovin' it.
Very substantial, satisfying piece of equipment to use - and you may recognise it from previous visits to the barbers.
I thought it was very reasonable for £63.
Got mine from Coolblades.
Wahl Super Taper corded here
Same here - and for the reason you said - it's what they have at the barber's 🙂 And no risk of battery dying while you're in the middle of a snip.
I've exclusively used clippers for over 20 years now (started receding so shaved it all off and just carried on). Just always used Wahl cordless and never had a reason to change. On my 3rd pair in all that time and they are the most expensive I've ever bought at £50ish
The Babyliss 'super crewcut' clippers are the best by miles, because they're designed for you to cut your own hair. You just rorm them around your head rather than contort your hand to get at the back of your own head, with a pair of clippers that were designed for somebody else to do the job.
A triumph of logic, really. They really are absolutely brilliant!
Good luck tying to get hold of any though. This question was asked in the first lockdown and you couldn't get a pair anywhere. A quick look suggests that's still the case
Had a cheaper Wahl corded that's lasted maybe 15 years? but was dropped and the blade broken (plus a couple of the plastic clip on length guides had broken). Wasn't economic to buy replacements for those two parts.
Replaced it with an Elite Pro as the guides come with metal clips and should last longer.
https://www.wahl.co.uk/product/elite-pro-haircutting-kit/?
I own Wahl corded ones and hey are good.
I then bought some cheapo pet grooming cordless ones off Amazon for the dog, I now use them on myself as less faff than corded. I can't see any difference between pet and human clippers. If you can't find stock of human clippers then just by dog ones, they are just the same
https://smile.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B07FPH5LW4/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1
I relented and got some just after christmas.
For me, wireless as no bathroom socket.
One word of shopping caution/advice. A lot are advertised as beard clippers or just clippers, but due to the proliferation of evil magician/hipster sculpted beards there are many that only come with guards/adjustability up to 10mm length which is about a number 3 in barber talk.
I managed to get a set that goes up to 20mm which is about as shourt as I want for the bulk of my hair, just using the shorter ones to taper it around the ears/back.
If you can’t find stock of human clippers then just by dog ones,
Plus you can lick ...
Oster corded. Probably similar to a wahl, but all the wahl's were out of stock when I bought it in lockdown 1. Does a decent job. Well the limiting factor isn't the clipper, just whether my kids are taking the job seriously or not.
My dad was a hairdresser for over 30 years.
His recommendations were always corded for main cuts, cordless for detailing.
Budget - Wahl Super Taper corded
Premium - will last forever / everything replaceable / low vibration - Oster 97s
I have both (the Oster must be 20 years old) and they are by far superior, but are about 3 to 4 times that of a super taper
Wahl corded here, last cut used no attachment, be warned it's short....
Use an old dry toothbrush to clean blades mid cut and after.
Miss the hairdresser and the head massage I used to get.
I bought these last lock down https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B086MYQ2KY/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1
Seemed to work OK (although pricey for a generic Chinese brand but was all I could really get at the time). I soon realised though I was better off just waiting on the barber's to reopen as although the clippers bit was OK my brain couldn't cope with the scissors bit in the mirror - ended up giving the clippers to my brother as he has kids that needed hair cuts.
I did consider just clippering all over at one point (and the Babyliss round thing looked interesting) but chickened out as my hair tends to stick up stupidly if too short and I can't be arsed using gel etc. all the time.
I seem to be holding on to a luxurious barnet, and am becoming noticeably hirsute as I can't get to the barber for my regular short back and sides. Are these clippers meant for shaved heads or is there a chance of something semi-respectable for those of us with hair?
Not my hair cut for a year now and no plans for the future.
https://www.wahl.co.uk/product/colour-pro-cordless-clipper/
Got one if these direct from Wahl last year and been very happy with its performance and results.
Are these clippers meant for shaved heads or is there a chance of something semi-respectable for those of us with hair?
You get a full set of guards with them, some of which aren't short at all. At the end of the day they're a set of mechanised scissors. You don't have to go down to the bone
I threw the guards in the bin obviously, as I'm a proper slaphead 🙂
Wahl Super Taper's here. Been shaving my head with them for >15 years and they haven't missed a beat. Buy a big bottle of blade oil and give them a drop after every cut and they should last a lot longer than any cordless ones.
You get a full set of guards with them, some of which aren’t short at all. At the end of the day they’re a set of mechanised scissors. You don’t have to go down to the bone
I threw the guards in the bin obviously, as I’m a proper slaphead 🙂
Cheers. So the guards are the same as asking for a number 3 (or whatever) at the barber's?
The Babyliss ‘super crewcut’ clippers are the best by miles, because they’re designed for you to cut your own hair.
100% agree.
We got the £20 Wahl one that does cordless or corded in late May last year (it was the first thing either Argos or Boots could supply to our area in May after ebay sellers failed to deliver). Kit included combs for different length and scissors for tidying the stray bits.
They work fine, my wife has slightly reluctantly become barber to me and the lad since then. Wahl video on you tube explains how and she does a better job than a lot of barbers. Has more than paid for itself. Probably similar to the one with multicoloured combs but with a battery and was available at the time.
https://www.argos.co.uk/product/7507616?clickSR=slp:term:hair%20clippers:9:14:2
Cheers. So the guards are the same as asking for a number 3 (or whatever) at the barber’s?
Exactly, fella! I think they generally go up to number 7, or something. Not short at all, just tidying everything up. So I've heard anyway. I do mine down to the bone with no guard every few days 😀
Wahl super taper. Had mine years. Perfect
What about beard trimmers?
Scissors for the. Beard.
Wahl Super Taper cordless here, charge last for ages, can cut my hair wherever I want. Due to having typical MPB I only use a 1, 2 or 3 grade and get my better half to tidy the back.
Replaced the battery once since I've had it, easy job to do.
Exactly, fella! I think they generally go up to number 7, or something. Not short at all, just tidying everything up.
Gotcha. Time to be brave!
Finally took the plunge. Spent £11 on a set of Wahl clippers from Argos. Mrs R did the deed - number 6 on top and a number 3 round the back and sides. It won't win any prizes but certainly survives a zoom call.
I was tickled by some wag's comment about the 'Prince of Wahls' so I got one, corded. Going for a number one takes on a whole new meaning and I did read mineral oil (or presumably chopping block oil) is a good substitute lubricant. Battery seems to last very well. 20 something quid.
I bought the "BT7240 Braun Beard Trimmer and Hair Clipper set" back when it became apparent I wasn't getting to a barber anytime soon and also that I no longer really had enough hair to merit the word "haircut" 😑
https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B0842PBJVQ/
Good points:
- cordless, so I can stand in the bath to shave without making a huge mess
- has a dial to adjust length which is much easier than faffing about with different guards.
- has a smaller detail head that's good for pesky bits right under nose etc
- easy to clean: heads come off and it can be washed under the tap
The Babyliss ones up the thread have been updated and are in stock at Amazon.
I'm using the updated version and they're pretty good.
https://www.amazon.co.uk/BaByliss-MEN-Crew-Cut-Yourself/dp/B07TMP3ZNH
Another vote for Wahl corded ones. Bought some from a friend* 25 years ago for a tenner and haven't been to a barbers since. Even with zero maintenance, they're still going strong.
(* Friend had bought some clippers, given himself a 'strong' haircut and his wife had immediately made him sell them...)
Babyliss XTP cordless work for me. Bought them in first lockdown so definitely got my moneys worth. They go up to an 8 (25mm) but they also fit wahl combs, so I’ve bought a 12 (32mm) as I prefer hy hair a bit longer!
I was tickled by some wag’s comment about the ‘Prince of Wahls’ so I got one, corded. Going for a number one takes on a whole new meaning and I did read mineral oil (or presumably chopping block oil) is a good substitute lubricant. Battery seems to last very well. 20 something quid.
I bought a corded vacuum cleaner 18 months ago and the battery still hasn’t run out - remarkable technology these days.
Blimey – they have gone up a lot! https://www.amazon.co.uk/Hair-Clipper-Philips-HC5632-13/dp/B081CYQVWG
/blockquote>I bought a set of these from Amazon just after Christmas. They were £55 then.
They work well and are easy to adjust.Wahl corded. The batteries eventually fail to hold charge, like all battery devices on the cordless ones.
At which point they just turn into corded clippers 🙂
@Kayak23 - I bought one of those nearly a year ago, after lockdown of hairdressers and barbers meant my hair was turning into a lank, stringy mess, ‘cos I wear a hat all day at work. All the shops had been cleaned out, online wasn’t much better, and I finally tracked down one of those on ebay, only two left, and I think it came from Indonesia!
I paid half that price, though! They get used once a week, with the 2.5mm comb on.
I’ve also used it on my g/f’s hair, under protest, but the results were ok, to my utter surprise, she even got compliments at work from customers, asking where she’d managed to get it cut! Helps that she prefers it fairly short.
Certainly worth every penny, saved me £70-80 in haircuts! Really should have got it cut to stubble ages ago, just trying to postpone the inevitable really - had quite a few comments about how much better I look with it shaved, not that that’s saying much, really... 🤪
We acquired a Wahl corded clipper shortly into lockdown 1 with the need to do two spaniels looking likely. Theyve been used once on the (rather reluctant) dogs since then, and twice on me. Sitting in a kitchen chair on an old duvet cover in the middle of the kitchen floor, which makes it a piece of p1ss to pick up 90% of the trimmings and just shake it out into the wheelie bin. Just advise your assistant to wear something on their feet other than socks, or the socks quickly become more hair than cotton, which isn't likely to be popular
Dont ask how I know this.