Had to pick between a 20 dollar clipper and a 150 dollar one, my wallet is mad

Started cutting at home during lockdown and grabbed a cheap Wahl from Walmart for like 20 bucks. It worked okay for a year then started pulling hair and making a nasty noise. Finally saved up for a cordless Oster about six months ago, 150 dollars on Amazon. Night and day difference, cuts are way cleaner and it takes half the time. No more charging anxiety either since the battery lasts through three cuts easy. Anyone else here regret cheaping out on tools at first?

3 comments

3 Comments

the_matthew22d ago

Did you go with a cordless or corded model? I grabbed a cordless Oster after my cheap Wahl started eating my hair and honestly it was the best 150 bucks I ever spent on grooming. The battery on mine lasts through three full cuts too, which is a lifesaver if you forget to charge it like I always do. My only advice is to keep the blades oiled, even pricey ones get grabby if you skip maintenance. Also, throw an extra 10 bucks at a cleaning brush, it keeps the motor from clogging up with hair dust. Take this with a grain of salt but I think a good clipper pays for itself in barber money saved after about six months.

dakotawood22d ago

Echo that thing about oiling the blades for sure. I went like four months without doing it on my Oster and started noticing it tugging at the neckline pretty bad, thought I'd bought a dud. Cleaned out all the hair dust from the motor vents too and it was like a completely different machine. Also learned the hard way not to cut hair that's still damp, it gums up the blades way faster no matter how good the clipper is.

thomas.parker22d ago

Saw a video where a barber broke down the motor types and it made me realize even expensive clippers need regular cleaning to stay sharp. The guy compared it to changing oil in a car, skip it and everything goes downhill fast. Did any of you ever damage a clipper by forgetting to clean it for too long?