The 8 Very Best Hair Clippers

Cordless | Motor: Rotary | Battery life: 100 minutes | Guards and attachments: 8 guard attachments

I’ve recommended the Wahl Magic Clip countless times, so awarding it the top spot here was a done deal. It was also the most recommended product by our barbers, who told me that it’s strong enough to manage every hair type. However, it’s also great for precision blending, too, according to Lester Rivera of Florida barbershop the Spot. Alejandro “AJ” Albano, creative director and barber at Tuft NYC, has been using the cordless Magic Clip since 2015 and agrees that it is the “lightest, easiest-on-the-wrist clipper” he’s used in his two decades of cutting hair. My tester Andre Gill, who has coarse hair and sensitive skin, was also impressed. He appreciated how easy it was to shape his beard with the clipper and told me that the range of guards let him “pick the length I wanted nicely.”

Wahl actually makes the majority of the models on this list (some of which also appear on our list of expert-recommended beard trimmers). While reporting that story, I asked Fellow Barber founder Sam Buffa why the American manufacturer’s name is so popular among his peers, and he told us there are two reasons: The quality of Wahl blades makes its products “the most bang for your buck,” and those blades often “stay sharp for longer.”

Corded | Motor: Not specified | Guards and attachments: 13 guard attachments, plus two combs and a pair of scissors

For a more affordable option that will satisfy anyone in need of a quick cut, allow me to point you toward the inexpensive Wahl Color Pro. Even though this clipper is on the cheaper end of Wahl’s product line, barber David Kim of the Electric Barbering Company in New Jersey says you’re always going to get a “professional product” from the brand, and this one is no exception. Sposito says the Color Pro has a “great guard setup,” which takes the form of 13 guards (ranging from 1/16-inch to one-inch) color-coded by length (hence the “Color Pro” name). The color-coded guards aren’t the only thing that makes this clipper great for at-home cutters: It also comes with two combs and a pair of scissors, or pretty much everything you’d need to cut men’s hair at home. Barber Ronnal Lee King also likes the Color Pro — the first clipper he says he ever used — telling us that home use will deliver “an almost-professional cut without professional prices.”

Cordless | Motor: Rotary | Battery life: 60 minutes | Guards and attachments: 3 hair cutting guards plus 7 more beard and shaving attachments

Philips Norelco is another favorite brand of mine — you’ll find plenty of its products in my grooming roundups. Its multipurpose trimmer is particularly handy, though, as it’s one of those devices that can be used as both a clipper and a beard trimmer (which you can read more about in my beard trimmer guide). Andy Baraghani, cookbook author and recipe developer, who used to share his self-administered quarantine haircuts on Instagram. Baraghani, who generally keeps his hair on the shorter side, told us he’s used this trimmer both to cut and style it for “about eight years now,” praising its ability to “get the job done as fast as possible,” whether he’s trimming hair, sideburns, or beard. The clipper comes with three beard-trimming guards, a stubble-trimming guard, and three hair-cutting guards (3/8-inch, 1/2-inch, and 5/8-inch).

Cordless | Motor: Pivot | Battery life: 5 hours | Guards and attachments: 8 guard attachments

For guys who aren’t as regular with maintenance, this clipper (made for cutting head hair) is great for those with slightly longer, more outgrown hair. Strategist senior writer Liza Corsillo has been using it to trim her husband’s “curly, fast-growing hair” for several years. “I like it because it’s cordless, you can charge it with a USB cable, and it has a nice range of guards,” she says, the latter detail being especially important to her as a first-timer who wanted a wide margin for error. (The clipper comes with eight guards and a lever that adjusts their positioning to provide a cutting range from just under 1/16-inch to just over 3/4-inch.) Corsillo adds that the clipper is “really precise, with a lever for blending that I’ve got better at using each time.” It’s also made from sturdy stuff: “In the picture, it looks like it’s plastic with a chrome plate, but it’s actually steel throughout,” she notes.

Cordless | Motor: Rotary | Battery life: Not specified; rechargeable batteries and charger included | Guards and attachments: 4 guard attachments

For anyone who knows they want a buzz cut, two of the barbers I spoke to recommended the lightweight Wahl Peanut — which is also one of my favorite beard trimmers — as the best clipper for getting that shorter style. Mark Miguez, co-owner and barber at New York City’s Friend of a Barber, who has used the Peanut to cut his own hair at home, says that while it comes with fewer guards than the other Wahl clippers on this list, the ones included are all you need “for a basic buzz cut” (the four included guards range from 1/8-inch to 1/2-inch). Sposito also recommends the Peanut to prospective buzz-cutters, saying its modest size and weight is “meant for the home cutter but strong enough for professionals.” It’s also available in a corded version. Before buzzing everything off, some advice from Dhiran Mistry, hairstylist and owner of the Carriage House salon: “If your hair is already short, you can just go in with clippers, but if your hair is long, you’ll have to cut length before using clippers, because otherwise it can get caught and that would be really painful.”

Cordless | Motor: Rotary | Battery life: 210 minutes | Guards and attachments: 10 guard attachments

For keeping on top of your newly buzzed head, you’ll want something close and precise — like this steel-lithium device from Wahl. “The box comes with a bunch of different guards, oil for the blades, and a pair of scissors,”says Mistry. “If you’re shaving it all off, it doesn’t matter if you start in the front or the back.” He doesn’t recommend trying a fade, though, “because those are extremely difficult for even a professional to do.” He suggests you pay close attention to your ears, hairline, and neckline, running the clippers over those areas another time to stay on top of fuzz. The long battery life should give you more than enough time to spot-check.

Cordless | Motor: Rotary | Battery life: 120 minutes | Guards and attachments: 4 guard attachments

I’ve also written about the Andis Slimline Pro in my beard-trimmer story, which is a multipurpose beard trimmer and hair clipper. Whether used on your hairline or beardline, experts like Albano, Miguez, and Rivera love the “wandlike, easy-to-maneuver” Slimline Pro for neatening edges — making it a tool to consider if you’re more concerned about tending the perimeter of your hairline than your whole head. Wood Smith says it’s “easily maneuverable to trim even hard-to-reach hairs on the neck.”