Quality, at-home haircut for the vain

July 2, 2009 7:06 AM

I wear my hair close-cropped, sort of like Erykah's in the picture on the right (I don't actually like to cut close enough to see skin but I like it low.)

In order for me to keep it this way, I have to cut it at least weekly ... which is expensive and time-consuming. I'm looking for a place where I can purchase barber-quality clippers either somewhere in the Phoenix area or online. I'm not looking for anything I can buy at Sally's or Target (I've tried clippers at both places and they just aren't are good as the ones my very-skilled barber uses.)

Thanks!

posted by notjustfoxybrown to clothing, beauty, & fashion (8 comments total)

My brother, who has been shaving his head or clipping it very very close for years, bought a pair of "professional-quality" clippers here at the advice of his barber.

He got one of the Wahl models, but I don't remember which. (He's a white guy, with thick-ish and curly hair (the hair that's left, that is), and so is the barber, so I'm afraid I can't speak to how well the selection at that store works for black hair or Asian hair or really anyone but my brother's hair.)
posted by Sidhedevil at 7:18 AM on July 2

Ask your barber to buy you a pair at their supply house. Sadly, their good tools aren't available to people without licenses. I had this discussion with my barber last week - I wanted to buy a beard trimmer of the same quality as theirs. The only place she knew was at her licensed-only warehouse.
posted by bensherman at 7:20 AM on July 2

I've always used Wahl clippers. They produce clippers for both the retail market and professional use. The 5-star series might be worth a look.
posted by le morte de bea arthur at 7:24 AM on July 2

I've been through many brands of clippers including Wahl and finally settled on a nice set of Oster's. These ones in fact. They give excellent results and are indestructible. (they also feature on Sidhedevil's link but they're cheaper at my link.)
posted by merocet at 7:53 AM on July 2

You want an Oster Classic Professional 76 clipper. It's gear driven, not one of the vibrator driven types like the Wahls. It's a little more money, but totally worth it. I've been using one for my face & head (#1 blade in the winter, #000 blade in the summer, these two blades are included in the purchase package) for ~8 years (I cut my hair every other day). They are so good that they're often used in military barber shops. The blades are available in the following sizes (they use interchangeable blades - not cheap plastic guides - to cut the hair to the proper length):

00000 - 1/125 inch
0000 - 1/100 inch
000 - 1/50 inch
0A - 3/64 inch
1 - 3/32 inch
1A - 1/8 inch
1-1/2 - 5/32 inch
2 - 1/4 inch
3-1/2 - 3/8 inch

Take what bensherman says with a few grains of salt - the Oster 76 Professional Classic is the best clipper you can buy. Bar none. Period.
posted by torquemaniac at 7:54 AM on July 2 [7 favorites has favorites]

Thanks all for the helpful suggestions. I think that torquemaniac's answer will serve me best. I know my barber generally alternates between a 1 and 1A blade for me and it's the cheap plastic guides I'm trying to get away from.
posted by notjustfoxybrown at 8:20 AM on July 2

Yes! Thats the one to get and the one my barber uses. I didn't know the name of it, thank you.
posted by bensherman at 8:22 AM on July 2

I still have plans to pick up the Oster but after being laid-off, I won't be dropping the $150 for it anytime soon. In the meantime, I've been doing pretty well with my Andis Speedmaster Pro that I picked up several months ago for about for about $50. I finally figured out that in order to get it to the length I like, I have to use it without any of the plastic guards and then put the blade on the high setting. I picked up the clippers at Sally's. When finances improve, I'll go with the Oster.
posted by notjustfoxybrown at 12:27 PM on August 1