Best Clippers for DIY haircut

[JoshuaNY]

Hey gents,
I have always had short hair. For many years I went to a barber and would get a fade. However, a few years ago I decided to save some money and cut my own hair.
Nothing fancy, I usually go at my head with some clippers and a #1 or #2 guard.

I have some sort of Wahl clippers not sure of model. I am interested in a higher quality clipper as the one I have is not that great.

What do you folks like?

 

[Obiwan]

I bought Osters about a year or two ago and found them ti be the best out of any clippers I've previously used. They are also what every barber I've gone to use.

Whatever brand you decide on, I'd opt for one with a pivot motor over a magnetic one.

 

[malocchio]

the oster classic 76 has no equal....last time I looked ,still made in america...this thing will last forever,it is the barber standard of the world....I have used mine every other night for at least 30 years,and only maintenece was to replace the brushes one time and a few lubes....I use a 0000 oster blade to take down the 2 days growth,then go over my skull once more with a "surgical" andis 00000 blade......it gets it down like a de razor,but much easier on the scalp....can't beat the old 76...

 

[Member357]

the oster classic 76 has no equal....last time I looked ,still made in america...this thing will last forever,it is the barber standard of the world....I have used mine every other night for at least 30 years,and only maintenece was to replace the brushes one time and a few lubes....I use a 0000 oster blade to take down the 2 days growth,then go over my skull once more with a "surgical" andis 00000 blade......it gets it down like a de razor,but much easier on the scalp....can't beat the old 76...

Is it really that good? I'm finding my scalp a little irritated with wetshaving, and if these can shave as close with less irritation i might have to splash out on them!

 

[Scott0079]

I've got a set of Forfex with ceramic blades and I couldn't be happier.

 

[vCJv]

Is it really that good? I'm finding my scalp a little irritated with wetshaving, and if these can shave as close with less irritation i might have to splash out on them!

yeah the osters i pretty damn good, and get very close as well, i use them quite often on my clients worth the price. You can get good deals on the oster 76 online.

 

[Member357]

yeah the osters i pretty damn good, and get very close as well, i use them quite often on my clients worth the price. You can get good deals on the oster 76 online.

Yeah i've got a set in my cart on Amazon and i'm mulling it over. Only thing is, none of the sellers i'm looking at for the 00000 blade (the closest one) will ship to Japan, which is kind of annoying....

 

[vCJv]

ahh i see, that sucks, when you do find a seller you'll love the 00000 blade though.

 

[malocchio]

I prefer the andis 00000 blade on the oster 76 clipper,although the 00000 oster blade cuts fine, it is not as comfortable as the andis..in recent years most blade guards have not had the time put into them to make the guard teeth nice and round and smooth....I wish I would have kept my old housings and just bought new blades...

 

[mmack66]

I use a Wahl clipper, and it works great for me. Andis or Oster are the 2 names I see when people talk about fancier clippers.

 

[Member357]

I used a Wahl years ago before moving to wet shaving because that particular model just didn't shave as close as I would like.

I bit the bullet and order the Oster 76 anyway. Still have to find the blade somewhere, have emailed an ebay seller for a price on shipping. Some charge $30+ for shipping! Expedited shipping from Amazon to Japan was way less than that for a much heavier item!

 

[TZee]

The Oster 76 is great, as is the Andis Master, especially if you get the magnetic blades.

 

[Member357]

Thanks for all the advice guys. I ordered the Oster 76 Classic, and the Andis 00000 blade. Looking forward to trying them out and will report back here after I do.

 

[JoshuaNY]

Sounds like the Osters are one of the top picks. I'll have to look into it when my Wahl breaks down. Which could be any day now.

 

[Rossmeister]

This is what I use!

http://www.shavercentre.com/philips_qc5170_clipper.html

 

[nymtber]

I use a Wahl clipper set from walmart. $25 for a MADE IN USA clipper. Works pretty good, much smoother cutting than the previous cheap thing I had. It is all I need, and should last me 10+ years.

 

[noahpictures]

Another vote for Osters for quality.

 

[jrfuda]

The Osters are great. The 76 Classic is preferable to the 76 lites (though a good $50+ more). The guys and I, having no barber shop during the last deployment, used a set of 76 classics to give eachother a good dozen haircuts a week and they worked great. At home we had some ~$20 Walmart clippers, and I wanted to upgrade. The wife and I ended up being sold on the 76 lite after looking at them and the classic side-by-side at Sally's. After we used them a few times, however, we noticed that the blades got pretty darn hot. We typically cut my hair and my 2 boys' hair (mine every 10-14 days and the boys monthly). I wish we would've spent another $50 and got the classic. It's worth it, especially if you're already spending over $100 for clippers. The heat is not an issue with a guard in place, but when you're trying to get a nice tight cut wth a multi-0 blade, it just gets too darn hot.

Now, about the Wal Mart Clippers (not sure of the brand) I brought them with me on the current deployment and have been cutting my own hair for the past 7 months without any issues. I was worried they'd get fried since - even after using the 222-to-110 transformer, they'd not like the 50Hz power (as we did lose a pair of cheap clippers on the last deployment to this issue) but they're holding up really well.

 

[Oglethorpe]

I just got an Oster 76 on sale from overstock. $108 shipped. My wahl clippers just broke.

 

[mhdena]

Let me echo the Oster 76, I have a 50+ yr old Oster 22, the predecessor to the 76, I've benn cutting my hair every week for 30 yrs, today I buzzed it all off, finished with an Andis t liner and then shaved with a quattro.

The closest blade I have is an Oster 000, I may get a 00000 if it shaves as close as wet shaving.