How do you choose hair clippers?
Choose hair clippers
Before you buy hair clippers, it's important that you ask yourself the following:
- What do you want to trim?
- How many shaving lengths do you need?
- Which shaving lengths do you need?
- Do you want to detail and shave?
- How do you want to clean your hair clippers?
- Do you want a wired or wireless model?
- Do you often take hair clippers with you?
What do you want to trim?
With all hair clippers, you can cut and trim your hair. Do you also want to trim your eyebrows, sideburns, beard, neck, or ear hairs? Then you need extra attachments. You can trim you beard with a trimming head that you can click onto the hair clippers. Those are 2mm on average. You can trim your nose and ear hairs with a small round trimmer comb. You can use an extra small trimmer head, trimmer comb, or precision trimmer for your eyebrows and sideburns, so you can accurately trim the hairs.
How many shaving lengths do you need?
Hair clippers work with separate comb attachments with different lengths, or an adjustable comb attachment. If you want to create a haircut with a nice fade, you hair clippers with different lengths and small steps. You can find the smallest steps between shaving lengths with hair clippers with an adjustable comb attachment. These combs have many lengths which you can change with a slider. If you want haircut with a long fade, hair clippers with separate brush attachments are suitable.
Which shaving lengths do you need?
Precision work
Do you want a practically bald result or a haircut where you can barely see the short hairs? Go for a shaving length of 1mm or shorter. For a longer, but still buzz-cut, hair clippers that have various shaving settings between 1 and 3mm are more suitable.
Short, but full
For a short haircut, you often need different shaving lengths between 1 and 10mm. You can create a nice fade between the longer hairs on top of your head and the shorter hairs on the sides. Which lengths you need for the side depends on your personal taste.
Longer haircut
For a longer haircut, you need shaving lengths of 16mm or more. Some hair clippers even shave to 40mm. Keep in mind that it takes practice to neatly trim longer hair. You can use a comb and scissors to cut the longest hairs before you start with the hair clippers.
Do you want to detail and shave?
With hair clippers, you can make your hair shorter. Do you want to trim and shave your hair, you can choose hair clippers with a shaver head. Do you also want to create neat lines and detail? Choose hair clippers with extra small attachments, mini hair clippers, or a separate precision trimmer. The head of hair clippers is often too wide. With a small attachment, mini hair clippers, or a precision trimmer, you can detail your haircut with a neat hairline or shaven parting, for example.
How do you want to clean your trimmer?
With a maintenance brush, you can brush off the head of the hair clippers when you're done. If you also want to rinse the head of the hair clippers, choose hair clippers with a washable head. With these hair clippers, you can rinse the head under a faucet. Sometimes, you have to detach the trimmer head for this. A washable head doesn't mean that the entire device is water proof. You can only rinse the complete device under the faucet if it's completely waterproof.
Do you want a wired or wireless model?
Wireless hair clippers have a chargeable battery or batteries. The advantage is that you have complete freedom of movement when you're cutting your hair. The downside is that you sometimes have to charge your device. Wired hair clippers only work on the power grid. You always have to be close to a socket, but you never have an empty battery. Hair clippers that are both wired and wireless are always ready for use and offer complete freedom of movement.
Do you often to your hair clippers with you?
If you often take the hair clippers with you, it's smart to buy a device with a sturdy storage pouch or case. This way, your hair clippers are protected from damage, and you keep all the accessories together. If you mostly use the hair clippers at home, a soft pouch is sufficient. You can use it to neatly keep all the attachments and accessories together in the bathroom. If you want to give your hair clippers a fixed spot, choose hair clippers with a stand.
