Wahl Super Taper Hair Clipper

First, a little on my personal experiences with clippers; feel free to skip ahead to the next paragraph for the real review. Now, I'm slowly going bald and I look stupid with hair beyond a certain length. I've accepted that, and have started cutting my own hair varying lengths of "short" regularly. For this purpose, I've owned close to half a dozen different trimmers/clippers with batteries and chargers, including three Remingtons and a Philips; one by one, they've all had something go wrong with them, whether a small yet vital plastic part breaking (which can't be bought off eBay for less than the whole trimmers's original cost) or usually the motor simply getting clogged with hair over time until it sounds like an asthmatic hamster running on a squeaky wheel. After getting utterly tired of the flashy chrome and black plastic covered monstrosities marketed with totally misleading ads such as these: http://www.amazon.com/gp/mpd/permalink/m3SUHZUJV6A0HX/ref=ent_fb_link that feature CGI, generic energetic rock, engine sounds totally unrelated to the actual performance of the product, utterly false promises of "superior performance"and powerful motors, I'd had enough. I didn't want a clipper with pointless features such as USB charging and useless digital displays that would get clogged up after a year of moderate use. Hence, this review. I opted for a slightly more expensive option this time, the Wahl Super Taper; mains only, no useless battery (do you really need to cut your hair if you're not even in a place that has power?). It feels heavy in your hand like a professional tool is supposed to, and that weight is all motor. And what a motor it is - it's got the power to get through the dirtiest, thickest and wettest hair with a single pass without ever getting clogged or slowing down. It'll cut hair neatly and without tearing, going through it like a knife through hot butter. The device allows for ample adjustment, and with four separate guide combs and the ability to taper the length you can get any length up to 20mm or so. If you need to go longer, other guide combs are available. And they're all in quality nylon as opposed to hard plastic, meaning they're easy on the scalp (when properly directed) and are much less likely to break (and spares are widely available even if they do). The package contains little more than the device itself, the guide combs and a couple of regular combs and some oil. There are no pointless frills to this product; just a great clipper that should last you a lifetime. Given all that, £40 is a steal. So do yourself a favour: end the cycle of endless frutration with cheap battery-powered clippers and spend the £10-25 extra and get yourself something that just plain works.

Good bit of kit being buying Whal clippers for years at the lower price end have served me well just find the blades seem to blunt easier now so treated myself these are substantially heavier than the others and more powerful three cuts in and no issues

Once it became apparent that I wasn't getting value for money on haircuts (they were taking less and less time as my hair got less and less), I decided to buy some clippers to cut my hair myself. My first pair, a cheap brand, were useless, and I only succeeded in making myself look remarkably silly. Having gone back and read reviews in more detail, I decided to try again with the Wahl Super Taper. My first impression on taking them out of the box was that they were heavy, and felt as if they meant business. I'd read other reviewers on Amazon noting that their clippers needed alignment before use, but I just dived straight in, and sat down to cut my hair. It was then that I learned what I should have worked out earlier - with clippers, as with most things, you get what you pay for. The cut was smooth, with none of the pulling that I'd found with my cheaper clippers, and it's only necessary to go over every area once - the sharp blades need no more than this. There are four grades of attachment come with the clippers - 1, 2, 3 and 4 (although it's possible to buy others separately). These are pretty sturdy, and don't bend when cutting, which was the problem with my cheap clippers. If the attachments bend, then you end up cutting far shorter than you intend, which can make things look terrible. I've used the grade 2, 3 and 4 attachments, and all work well. There's not much in the way of accessories with the clippers - simply a small cleaning brush, the attachments mentioned previously, and some cleaning oil. The cleaning oil is pretty important, as the blades will rust if they get too wet, according to the accompanying leaflet. I was worried about this at first, but after four or five cuts, the little brush has been sufficient to clean the clippers. If I had any small criticism, it would be that the clippers are mains powered only, but this isn't really a problem - the power lead must be a couple of metres long, and the clippers are so powerful that any batteries would down quickly. All in all, I'd be surprised if you can get better clippers than these. Well worth the money - and if you think they are at the expensive end of the scale, just do what I did - work out how often you cut your hair, how much it costs per cut, and then see how long they'll take to pay for themselves. I feel somewhat stupid that I hadn't bought these some years ago.

I have been cutting my own hair and family hair for a while, so wanted some good value clippers, but not fork out too much money for some clippers. This is my experiences after about a year of use Pro's - Durable, I have used these about every 2 weeks, and am not the best at taking care of things and the clipper has no signs whatsoever of slowing down - Powerful, if your looking to cut hair down for ceaser or bald fade it will cut through here quickly. Negative -As others have mentioned the combs aren't the greatest. They do not look like as durable as the clipper itself. -The side adjuster moves very easily. This is a nightmare to do fades, and try to bridge the gap between combs 1 and 2. If you're a guy and have fairly large hands you can easily knock the clipper from open to fully closed. Those who are concerned about the clipper heating up, that is an issue with ANY clipper, and is NOT exclusive to this product. So in conclusion a solid buy, if your cutting your own or your families hair. It lacks the precision of the more expensive clippers and the ability to do more advanced things like fading, but will be perfectly satisfactory for day to day use. In addition I think the price is a big plus, for some clippers which will last a long time and are good quality

This is a professional tool,it is very smooth and does not heat up during use . It is also not as loud as some clippers are.

Update: It's September 2023 and I've had these since around Nov 2012 and they are still working well, though perhaps now as sharp as when I got them. They've been used every couple of weeks. Oil and look after them and they will last. I do feel I should perhaps get a new one soon, but still does the job. Can't recommend these enough. I've used them about 6 times now and these clippers seem like heavy duty, weighty and professional. Comes with sizes 1-4 comb attachments, a tiny bottle of oil and a little cleaning brush. I shaved my head to it's minimum cutting distance (3mm) and shaved with it too. If you are after a light stubble look or want to maintain your beard then this is for you. The blade distance is altered by the little leaver on the side so you have some control over the length of the hair and then to leave even more of the hair you just clip on the combs. They are really easy to use. You need to look after them though by cleaning them after use and oiling them so you need to keep a screwdriver nearby. It was my first time cleaning them but it was easy enough, you just have to make sure the first teeth are aligned and straight before tightening the screw. They are not good as a liner though so if you want a sharp edge to your hair then buy a liner. If you put the blade edge to your skin it will snag it. Early days yet but so far I am very happy with them and will save me money at the barbers. I recommend you check out the videos on YouTube on how to cut hair which can be helpful if you want to shape, taper etc.

Clippers New too hair cutting, however due to natures retentive progress I have taken the decision to have ago myself. After reviewing all the clippers I decided to go for the Wahl Super Taper Hair Clipper, these clippers may be more expensive but in my view well worth paying. There are robust and feel like they will last for years. Held my breath on the first pass, but no problems the clippers cut cleanly and made a real professional job. The combs worked well and seem to attach to the clippers OK, however I would just make one observation, one needs to insure the comb is attached squarely. Delighted with the purchase and delivery in fact one could ask for no more, great service. These clippers will pay for themselves in a very short period, glad I have taken the job in house. Update 3 March-- Have now used the clippers for 6 weeks and I agree the combs are rubbish, they have started to fall off, will no longer trust them. Have ordered new metal combs direct from Wahal uk site. However the clippers are first rate but let down by the cheap combs. The New metal combs have side clips.

Bought some "budget" clippers for home use years ago - tried them once and halfway through the "cut" - hair yanked and scalp bleeding - much to my girlfriends amusement. I'd been put off by this experience and have for the last 7 years been using the barber, great, but the cost seems to go up regularly - now £8.50 for a quick "strim" seems slightly excessive - when they are quiet you "feel" like your getting your moneys worth, however if the barber is busy its a quick 5 mins max. Thought I'd take the plunge and try another pair for home use. Read lots of reviews and wanted something professional that wouldn't snag. Opted for these and very impressed. Feels like a quality product, solid in your hand and didn't snag once. Comes with a range of combs, oil and instructions. I did consider the newer cordless model - but the reviews on this seemed mixed and for almost double the price didn't seem worth the expense (Its only for my head) First results? - little mixed - clippers fantastic, wife cutting the hair - well lets say not as perfect as the barbers, but for the first time I thought she did pretty well - can only improve. I'll be looking to purchase a 0.5 grade comb - to make it a little easier (1 on top 0.5 on the back & sides) My only small minor criticism is that there is no storage bag. I would have purchased a matching Wahl one, but they seem to only produce larger "salon" ones. The "real" deal - none of the this cheap crap they try and flog you that imitates the genuine article - highly recommended!