The 10 Best Cordless Hair Clippers
Editor's Notes
December 02, 2020:
During this update, we focused on removing the majority of the options from little-known brands, and, instead, looked to offerings from companies that have a reputation for making high-quality trimmers and other barber tools. This alone lead to eliminating 40 percent of the previously-recommended models. We also choose to remove the Philips Norelco All-in-One because we felt it was actually better suited as a beard trimmer, rather than something you would want to give yourself a haircut with.
The last model we removed was the Wahl Professional Limited Edition 100 Year, but this was mostly for price reasons. It is extremely expensive and, other than being the limited edition release with some unique aesthetic details, doesn't offer any features not found in the Wahl 5 Star Series Metal Edition, which is a new addition and costs significantly less. That being said, it is by no means cheap, as it, too, is a commercial-quality model that would be well suited for professional barbers.
The Andis Master 12470 is another new inclusion that would be a smart choice for barbers. Both it and the Wahl 5 Star Series Metal Edition can be zero gapped for extremely close-to-the-head cutting action, and both also feature rugged metal builds.
While the LiMural Multipurpose and Sminiker Pro don't come from immediately recognizable brands, we decided to include them on the list as budget-friendly choices. Of these two, the LiMural Multipurpose certainly offers a better build quality and even we were surprised and impressed by the many professional features it has for the price, like the taper lever and metal body. The Sminiker Pro, on the other hand, is really best for simple touchups between barbershop visits. It is a bit underpowered and we definitely wouldn't recommend it for anyone with very thick.
June 10, 2019:
This list required a significant overhaul, as we discovered availability issues with the Pecham Groom, Andis 64850, and Yohoolyo Trimmer, leading us to remove these items. We also eliminated the Philips Norelco 7100 due to quality issues stemming from reports regarding a lack of consistent power, a bulky design that makes it difficult to wield, and a propensity to become clogged. We got rid of the Wahl Lithium Ion as well after discovering too many reports of the tool completely dying after mere months of use.
In assessing the remaining models on the list, the Sminiker Pro stood out as the best value, providing enough potential length settings to satisfy professional users even if it doesn’t offer as many accessories as some of the pricier models. We moved it up in the rankings.
Several new models made the updated list, including a couple that can be used with or without a cord. We added the Elebebe Kids to make sure the list includes an option geared toward children’s and infant’s haircuts. One of the primary benefits of the new Philips Norelco MG7750 is its assortment of useful grooming accessories, such as nose and ear hair trimmers, as well as standard pieces for maintaining beards of different lengths.
The Cordless Hair Clipper: Maintaining Precision And Personality
The cordless hair clipper is a styling implement designed for both speed and precision.
Personal grooming plays an important socioeconomic role in defining one's personality, values, and self-esteem. With this in mind, people often choose to take extra care when selecting the home grooming tools or professional services that are right for them to uphold such values, even if that means spending a little more in the process. A sturdy pair of cordless hair clippers is an essential tool for defining a man's self image and sense of pride, but it's also versatile and powerful enough to shape his hair to exacting standards.
The cordless hair clipper is a styling implement designed for both speed and precision. It is powered by an electric motor with a pair of sharpened, stacked, and comb-like blades made from either stainless steel or ceramic. Coming into close contact with one another, the blades oscillate from side to side in order to make close cuts to a person's hair. The device is also typically equipped with a dedicated charging station for its battery. A given set of clippers will include one of three motor types: magnetic, pivot, or rotary.
Known for its low power consumption, quiet operation, and very few moving parts, the magnetic motor runs at high speeds and combines the use of both a spring and electromagnet to vibrate the clipper blades. Magnetic-motor-driven clippers are ideal for shaping light-to-medium textured hair. The pivot motor uses two electromagnets, but without a spring. Although its overall blade speed is slower than that of the magnetic motor, the pivot motor delivers nearly twice the amount of cutting power, making it a good choice for dealing with thick, wet, or heavy types of hair. The rotary motor is the most powerful of all three types and is available in both alternating and direct current models. Rotary motors are ideal for bulk hair removal and they're also adept at cutting dense animal hair.
The cordless hair clipper is an efficient and safe alternative to a pair of barber shears. This is not to say that barber shears are inferior, however. The clipper shapes hair into various styles and does so with minimal fatigue to the operator, whereas the use of barber scissors requires a bit more concentration and time to achieve the same level of precision. Interchangeable rubber blade guards of different sizes not only control the amount of length that is cut, but they provide additional safety from potential injuries caused by the sharpness of a blade. The guards also make layering possible, depending on a person's desired style. The clipper is also useful for body grooming purposes, as there is no cord obstruction or danger of being impaled by a scissor blade when attempting to trim down thickly-growing chest hair, for example.
Matching Functionality With Style
Important considerations to keep in mind are the weight and maneuverability of the pair of clippers you choose, particularly under professional barbershop conditions. If the device is used constantly for long periods of time, then something lightweight with an ergonomic and contoured grip minimizes user fatigue during those extended cutting sessions. A comfortable grip makes it easier to perform precision cuts along hairlines and hard-to-reach areas of a person's head, including behind the ears.
Important considerations to keep in mind are the weight and maneuverability of the pair of clippers you choose, particularly under professional barbershop conditions.
One must consider both the type of hair they are cutting and the motor designed to help the blades power through it. For example, if you plan to cut thick hair from either a person or an animal, then go with a clipper equipped with a rotary motor powerful enough to withstand prolonged use, while also quiet enough not to scare Fido.
The blades of the device you choose should be durable, simple to sharpen, and relatively easy to remove for proper cleaning and maintenance over time. Ceramic blades, for example, are a good option for long cutting sessions because of their natural resistance to corrosion, as well as their ability to stay cooler than most steel blades. An option with adjustable blades affords you the choice of using the clipper to trim your beard, giving you as close a shave as you desire.
Regardless of whether you're a professional barber or simply looking to clip your own hair, a device with plenty of attachments, like blade guards, provides you with the ability to clip hair at varying lengths, which allows the device to appease the unique desires of your customers when they come to you for a trim. Additional accessories that come in handy include a cleaning brush, so you can keep the device's moving components free of clogs, and lubricating oil to prevent the blades from jamming.
A Brief History Of Cordless Hair Clippers
The general history of the electric hair clipper begins as early as 1911, when Sterling, Illinois high school student Leo J. Wahl began experimenting with a vibrating electromagnet motor. Using the knowledge from this experience, Wahl developed a vibrating medical massager for his uncle, J. Frank Wahl, who began manufacturing the devices for sale to local barbershops. When his uncle left to serve in the Mexican Revolution, Leo took over the manufacturing business.
By 1919, Leo patented and manufactured the first practical electromagnetic hair clipper. By the end of 1920, Wahl's factory had produced and sold thousands of these devices to barbers, working directly with them to help improve his designs. In 1921, the Wahl Clipper Corporation was born. A few decades later, in 1967, the corporation released the very first cordless hair clipper, a device that used its own rechargeable battery technology.
With product availability in nearly 165 countries, the Wahl Clipper Corporation is still one of the most successful and internationally-recognized leaders in the hair clipper industry today, along with other companies such as Andis and Oster.