Professional barbers or even amateurs have individual preferences in choosing a hair clipper. There are varieties of best hair clippers available in the market today that are reliable and durable and also there are those that are not.
Professional barbers and hair stylists have hair clippers especially designed for their cutting needs and also for individuals for home use needs. Picking a clipper always depends on your personal preferences (given the features of the product) and, of course your budget.
I admit that I was once picked the wrong clipper because I don’t know how and what to choose. Don’t let this happen to you too. I want to impart my knowledge to you about hair clippers and how I come up to choose the right clipper for me.
So, go through this article because it will provide you informational guides, reviews and tips in choosing the right clipper.
What exactly is a hair clipper?
A hair clipper, compared to other hair cutting tools, cuts large volume of hair and does the heavier duty. Sometimes we are confused with a hair clipper, hair trimmer and a shaver (razor). First, these three tools are designed to remove hair.
While hair clipper cuts huge amount of hair (bulk cutting), hair trimmer cuts the opposite amount. Hair trimmer is built for simpler tasks like detailing, tapering and refining. On the other hand, shaver is designed to remove hair closer to skin. There are also hair clippers designed to do both trimming and balding.
Factors to consider in choosing a good hair clipper:
Motor
If you make a living through hair cutting, you need a powerful motor that withstand no matter how tough hair cutting is. But, for those who don’t or just for home use, motor might not be a factor. You need to understand what motor type the hair clipper has if you are a pro or a novice.
If you are a professional, always consider that you are cutting hair with different volumes. You can pick hair clippers with universal motor (operates both AC and DC), rotary or pivot. There are also those with magnetic motors that are reliable and durable like v5000 and v9000 motors.
Attachment Guides
Most electric hair clippers today have attachment guides or guide combs ranging from 1/16 of an inch to 1. These are very important because the customers will decide what length they want their hair to be cut.
Or, if you are cutting your own hair, what length do you need to attach to the clipper to accomplish your personal hair style? Each hair style have different lengths, so might as well have your guide combs ready for the tasks.
Blades
Hair clipper blades have sizes ranging from 0.2mm to 13mm. Most hair clippers with magnetic motors have blades made of high-carbon steel and designed to be self-sharpening.
There are blades that are made of certified Zirconium Oxide which conducts less heat. There are also those which are made of titanium for durability. You can check out these kinds of blades when buying a hair clipper. You can read about numbers and sizes of guide combs and blades here.
Ease of Maintenance
One of the most important things you should know about is to maintain hair clipper performance at its best. Today’s hair clippers have maintenance materials included in the box such as lubricant, brush and maintenance manuals. You need these materials to keep your hair clipper running for years.
Design
Is it ergonomically designed? Will it feel comfortable to my hand? – Two of the many questions for you to answer whether you will buy the clipper or look even deeper. Most clippers today have different designs especially the body.
Some are made with metals like aluminum and some are made with high quality plastic material. Ergonomically designed hair clippers are those that fit comfortably to your hand.
What hair clipper do I exactly need?
First of all, you need to ask yourself this question. Are you a pro or a novice? Given the factors above in choosing the right hair clipper for you, it will always depend on how and to whom you will use the clipper.
Reviews of the 5 Best Hair Clippers (Corded)
Note: If you are looking for cordless hair clippers, we wrote a separate review on this page.
1. Oster 76076-010 Classic 76 Professional Hair Clipper
This electric hair clipper is a monster! Packed with out of the box features, this clipper is the best partner for barbers. With durable Cryogen-x blades attached in a solid casing plus equipped with a powerful universal motor, this clipper can last over a simultaneous hair cutting without a snag.
A well-built and well-engineered hair clipper which is designed for professional use, this is not recommended for novices. You need strong and steady hands to handle this powerful clipper.
Oster Classic 76’s powerful universal motor can cut through dry or wet and thick, high density hair. This clipper doesn’t care what hair type you have. It is accompanied with 2 detachable blades that can easily be changed and adjusted in no time.
Whatever type of hair you have, its heavy duty performance stands out other clippers in terms of reliability and durability. If you are looking for a clipper for regular use, no matter how much the price is, then this clipper is what you need.
This is best recommended for people whose livelihood is hair cutting or hair styling. Included attachments of this hair clipper are #000 and #1 blades, lubricant, clipper grease, blade guard and cleaning brush.
Best for: Any hair type, texture and density, wet or dry
Not suitable for: Long hair
2. Oster Professional 76023-510 Fast Feed Clipper with Adjustable Blade
Lighter than Oster Classic 76, this is much preferred hair clipper for novices and semi-professionals. This clipper is noted for its silent pivot motor, accurate cuts and user-friendliness.
It is cheaper than Oster Classic 76, but it also performs well with adjustable blades (1/50-inch to 3/32-inch) that precisely cut short up to medium-length hair. However, this is not recommended for cutting and shaving mustache or beards.
This clipper has only four guide combs (1/8 inch to ½ inch) and doesn’t have protective case for traveling. The notable silent operation makes it attractive to people who are irritated with vibration and noise.
It also runs cool even for several minutes of using because the blades run at slow speed but you should oil it to prevent overheating. Overall, this clipper made its position as one of the best in terms of quality and longevity.
Best for: Short to medium-length hair, wet or dry
Not suitable for: Mustache and beard and long hair
3. Andis Master Clipper (01557)
It is equipped with magnetic motor. If you hear loud noise and vibration, it is normal for clippers which use magnetic motor. But Andis Master Clipper provides adjustable flat head screw to minimize the noise.
Andis Master Clipper is built for simultaneous hair cutting thus, you need to put oil every usage to lessen heat and since aluminum, which is also a metal, tends to build up heat faster. In addition, it doesn’t come with a case but comes with handy single lever to adjust clipper blade cutting length.
Best for: Short, thick, dry hair
Not suitable for: Wet hair
4. Wahl 79524-2501 Chrome Pro 24-Piece Haircut Kit
In spite of its attractable equipment, Wahl 79524-2501 Chrome Pro is not as powerful as professional clippers available in the market and is not as silent as Oster Professional 76023-510 Fast Feed Clipper. Plastic blade guard might also be an issue if it is extremely exposed to heat. Bottom line, this clipper is not designed for regular use but it is a good hair clipper to start with in terms of price and precision.
Best for: Short, thick, dry hair
Not suitable for: Bulk hair cutting
5. Wahl 84701 Professional Super Taper II Hair Clipper
Downside of Wahl Professional Super Taper II is noise and vibration. Since this product uses electromagnetic motor, you can expect that it will make some noise and a bit of vibration. If you find this annoying, you can look for hair clippers that use pivot motors which run silently and quitely like the Oster Professional 76023-510 Fast Feed and Andis Promotor.
Best for: Short to medium-length, dry hair
Not suitable for: Wet hair