Early Retirement Extreme Forums

It sounds like the clipper tool doesn’t matter much? Or does it? Any clippers to avoid?

It matters. Get a pro tool that plugs into the wall and drives through hair, wet or dry regardless, like a boss. Avoid battery models and plastic gimmicks. We started with the latter for $30 at WMT in 2004. While it lasted another 15 years to the constant annoyance of the clipper and the clipee, we eventually inherited the good stuff from FIL. Meanwhile, I was continually looking at a $120+ Oster 76 solution. In retrospect, it would have been worth it.

I've been using what I think is the Wahl chrome pro for at least 10 years with no problems. If I remember correctly it was about $40 when I bought it but it looks like the current model is $80 on Amazon, maybe due to increased demand due to covid. Before that I had a very cheap clippers that only lasted a few years.

The ad copy for the chrome pro says they don't need to be sharpened but I have slid them around a whetstone every few years. I don't know if it was really needed or not.

My method for cutting hair with a Wahl clipper is to start with the angled combs and cut a circle around the ear, with the comb directly following the curve of the ear. There are two angled combs, one will work from front to back on one ear, and from back to front on the other ear, so I do both ears, then switch to the other angled comb and go over the ears again in reverse direction. Then I use the 1/2" comb up the sides and back and as I come around the curve at the crown of the skull, I lift the clipper straight up without changing the angle to create a fade of sorts. I do this around the head, several times over each area. Then I use a 3/4" comb on the top of the head, front to back, back to front, angled, side to side, etc. To shave the back of the neck, I take off the comb and trim up from the neck to a curve where the skull meets the neck. I do this by feeling, although I like the idea of using a rubber band or cap to establish the trim limit and may try this in the future.

To trim my beard, I use the 1/2" comb and trim both up and down, with the direction of the beard hair and against, several times in each area. I follow up with a trim by scissors over the next few days as the hair relaxes and moves into place.

A few of my Wahl plastic attachments broke over the years, and even though I only needed a couple sizes I bought a new pack of all the sizes. They must have changed the design in the past few years because the new ones seem much less likely to snap than the old design. Wanted to mention this in case anyone has had the same problem with their old Wahl clipper attachments - it was well worth replacing.

I also got a size 10 and a size 12 (the pack that came with the clippers only went up to size 8) and the longer sizes come in handy. You just have to be a little more careful with them since they can bend - don't put too much pressure and go slower with them.

Thanks for the advice. Will go for higher quality.
Looks like stores are mostly sold out for high quality clippers (due to corona as suggested previously?) Will just let it grow until they’ve restocked and I can find a sale then. Till over the summer?

don't discount looking for very high quality but second hand. my grandfather had an old, metal set made in the USSR in the mid-60s and used it for 50+ years. There were no external attachments (or the external attachments were lost to time) but the blades were in overlapping sets and you could retract one set with a lever to achieve a less close cut. 2 options only, but that thing was immortal. Over time, he'd learned how to get it to do what he wanted it to do.

I'm sure capitalism has come up with a suitable equivalent.

Has anyone tried the hand powered clippers?

sky wrote: ↑

Thu Jun 25, 2020 6:53 am

Has anyone tried the hand powered clippers?

Why? Like if you need a haircut while camping?

I mean, it's cool that they exist, but I've gotta imagine the electric ones allow the user to be more precise, as the action of squeezing the hand will cause position drift.

sky wrote: ↑

Thu Jun 25, 2020 6:53 am

Has anyone tried the hand powered clippers?

i looked for them online after seeing the rob greenfield video about the 44 possessions in a backpack or whatever, but all i could find were pricey and unreliable “vintage” decorations with no accessories and no guarantee they’d work. east german collectible type stuff.

i used to have electric ones but they sucked and i gave them away years ago.

i’m currently using barber’s scissors in what is more of an ongoing pruning operation than an actual cutting session. this also prevents significant disasters (unless i cut my ear off or something).

DH has a buzzcut / short hair style - I used to maintain it with a electric clipper, but thankfully our teenage daughter has now relieved me of that duty

I think we must do something wrong with handling the clippers. After the second cheap one (around 20 euros) died on us, we bought a pro-tool (the one my SIL uses in her hairdresser shop!), but this did not last long than 2 years either, coincidentally it broke just as the warranty was over...
so either all three of us handle the thing in a damaging manner, my husbands hair is made of wire or we're unlucky in picking out clippers. Very frustrating!

So now I can say that I have officially managed to replicate Rob Greenfield's effort and cut my hair with a manual hair trimmer. Contrary to what he says in one of his videos, it is possible to purchase a manual hair clipper from China on ebay, but one has to wait over a month for it to arrive. For example:

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Retro-Vintag ... SwHk9eqAic

The nut here is plastic and not metal and in my case broke. Possible to replace with a 3mm nut (ideally butterfly wing, but I had a regular one and worked as well).

I used a 9mm clip and a 6mm just above the ears and hairline at the back. DW tells me I look good, I think so too!

Benefits:
* free exercise for the forearms
* stretching (to cut the hair at the back)
* free haircut
* no electricity needed
* cheaper
* can be done anywhere with a free standing+hand mirror

It works for bread brilliantly as well.

I must say that in order to get the clips fit onto the trimmer, I had to file/cut the back of the lower blade part (the rounded bit on the photo if you click the link). Where I live there is a great workshop so I was able to do it on an electric grinder in 10min.

I cleaned and oiled my electric clippers for the first time in six years. Apparently that is how long it takes for them to lose lubrication and get jammed up with bits of hair. Probably should do it more frequently. But $15 for six years of haircuts and beard maintenance is pretty alright.

Wahl evangelist and Super Taper II owner.

** GET A MADE IN USA MODEL **

Even if secondhand, USA made. Keep it clean, keep it oiled, and adjust the blades. It will last decades.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kw4lYMbWE28