Best hair clippers to become a pro at-home barber: Tried and tested by GQ's editors (2024)

Chances are, your bathroom cabinet is already fairly well-equipped with one or two personal care grooming tools, so you might be hoping to get away with tidying up your head with a beard trimmer. And while you're very welcome to try and interchange your devices, you simply won't see the same results you'd see from a dedicated hair clipper.

Ostensibly, the two devices are created with different trimming philosophies. Beard trimmers will be all about precision shaving on short hair and stubble, with weaker motors that still cut hair but won't tug so you can delicately work your way around your jaw. The key here is that they're meant to tackle short lengths, and won't do well when fading down longer hair and tapering sideburns as well.

This is where hair clippers will excel. They will more than likely come with a greater range of cutting lengths and a host of guiding combs that can cope with hair longer than a few millimetres, and the motor will be souped up to content with that fact. And while you could certainly do a job with the trimmer, we genuinely advise investing in the proper equipment; you'll thank us in the long run.

Looking after its blades is key to extending the life of your chosen hair clipper. Not only will this mean you'll be able to cut your hair from home for years without buying a new device, but it'll also ensure the blades stay sharp, rust-free and ready to give you the best barnet every time. Your chief responsibility is ensuring the blades are well-lubricated and ready for the next time you use them. To do so, you'll need to clear away the gunk and hair from your previous trim, lubricate and oil up the blades, and thoroughly clean them before sterilising them.

How do you do that? Well, most clippers can be disassembled to let you pull the blades out from the device safely, allowing you to scrub them properly. Many clippers also come with a brush, so you can sweep the leftover hair away, and some blade oil that you can use to lubricate them and keep the rust at bay. Thoroughly lather them up in oil, replace the blades and give them a quick buzz to remove any excess oil.

To complete the job, use some clippercide spray to completely disinfect the blades and prolong their shiny sharpness. A good option is Wahl's hygienic clipper spray, which is £6 on Amazon, since it's cheap as chips and eliminates bacteria from the blades.

There was a time when corded clippers served up substantially more power than cordless variants – not to mention the constant recharging the latter needed. Thanks to improvements in battery tech and more powerful motors, times have changed and, according to Tucker, cordless hair clippers are the best choice for most.

“They may cost a little more,” he says, “but it will be well worth it. No more getting your wires tangled and great if you’re doing a self-beard trim or haircut, as you’ll be able to move them around your head all the easier.” Look out for clippers that can also be used while plugged in, though, for those occasions when you’re desperate for a trim but forgot to charge up in advance.

If you’re looking for a pro-grade cut that replicates your local hairdressers then you’ll need to get the same haircutting kit that barbers use, which can often be a bit more expensive but definitely worth it in the long run. You might be tempted by the flexibility and freedom of a cordless hair clipper that runs on battery power, but most of the best devices are powerful corded hair clippers that glide through your hair, with well-made blade guards of multiple lengths to stop you from cutting too deeply. Partaking in a risky home haircut can put the fear of God into many, but so long as you have something with plenty of length choice, an ergonomic design for easier trimming, and enough power to get through thicker hair you should be good to go.

In terms of brands, many professional barbers will opt for the tried and true makers like Wahl, Panasonic, Gillette, Hatteker and Philips. And if it’s good enough for them, it’s certainly good enough for you.

Remember you’ll need an entirely different tool if you’re looking to tidy up any facial hair at the same time. Your beard hair is completely different to your head hair, and we’d recommend using a dedicated beard trimmer for precision trimming around the jawline over a larger hair clipper.

As with most things, you get what you pay for and there are more blade types and materials out there than you might think, ranging from different grades of stainless steel, titanium or even ceramic. “There’s always a new blade out, which is exciting for a barber,” says Tucker.

“The crunch blade on the Wahl Magic Clipper was always the main go-to for me to create an easy fade, but pretty much all new clippers are now equipped with very good adjustable blades that are waterproof and rust-resistant.” More expensive blades will prove to be more versatile and tend to last longer due to their hardier materials, letting them deal more easily with thick hair as a result.

This does, however, mean you might have different maintenance requirements for different blade types, and some will be better for different hair types. Some will have a brush you can use to clean up once you’re done, but others may have their own cleaning stations, oil or self-sharpening blades to keep things running smoothly for your next trim. We’d always recommend keeping a tidy routine and cleaning them out after each use to clear away gristle and hair, which will help reduce snags for next time and generally make things easier for you.

The best hair clippers for men will be simple tools with attachments that clip over the blades so you can wipe away your previous shavings.

Cutting your own hair for the first time is often a terrifying (not to mention daunting) experience for most people, but it doesn’t have to be. For starters, hair has the rather handy quality of growing back, so all mistakes can be undone. Secondly, there’s never been a better time to experiment, what with most of us still working from home. Don’t panic and don’t rush. “Take your time and start with the longer attachments,” says Tucker. “Work from the top sides of your head, moving downgrades. It’s much easier to control and visually see the change in length, so fewer mistakes.” If you need more in-depth tips, then you’re more than welcome to read our guide on how to cut hair from home.

Weighing up if it's worth investing in your own tools? While we're sure you've got a wonderful rapport with your barber, we're 100 per cent certain that owning your own set of clippers is a better use of your time and money, so long as you're brave enough to tackle your mop chop yourself.

Yes, the barber is a pro and has likely many years of experience to get a premium fade, but do you really want to be paying for each trip when you can just pay upfront for a quality device that can do all that for you without having to leave the home? Chances are it's going to be much better for your bank balance in the long run and then at least you'll have a new skill to brag about to your mates.

Looking for some actual guidance from a proper pro? It's all well and good experimenting with your own head with wild abandon, but at some point, you'll want to take your trimming a bit more seriously. In order to help guide us away from amateur bowl cuts and into quality self-made trims, we've enlisted the help of Joey Anderson from Supply 91. With two hot barbers in London and a host of talent at its disposal, we've got some top tips from Joey that you need to take note of.

So what sort of brand should you be using? Joey says, "I recommend Wahl Clippers – they come with grade attachments, they’re cordless whilst still being powerful, and if they are maintained well they will last a lifetime.

“For those looking for an effective interim between regular professional haircuts, I recommend using clippers to achieve a well-maintained taper look on the sideburns- freshly trimmed sideburns and edges can keep your cut looking fresher for longer.”

Cutting down on touch-up trips to the barbers is a must, so getting this technique down is crucial. To get your practice in, Joey also says, “Utilise various clipper guards; start with the longest grade all over the sideburn, then as you work down the sideburn, gradually moving each guard down, transitioning to lower-numbered guards to create a fading effect. A good rule of thumb, however, is to leave anything below a grade 1 to a professional.”

The modern-day versatility of such grooming devices means you can often use them across other parts of your body, including your jawline. Joey told us, “Clippers can be a great way of maintaining facial hair as well; choose a higher-number guard (you can always work down, taking more hair off, than the other way around!). To fade the sideburns into your beard, you’ll want to go with the grain. In a similar vein, clippers on a 2.5 grade are great for taming long eyebrow hairs.”

In one word- don’t. Joey told us to save the technical cutting to professionals, and we'd tend to agree. It takes a huge amount of patience and finesse that we're simply not capable of. He told us, “A skin fade is a technical approach that takes even the best barbers years to master, so they are definitely one to leave to the professionals.”

Proper grooming etiquette must be followed. Joey says, “After every use, it’s important to remove the grades and brush off any hair from the blades. I like to follow this up with spraying Andis cool care, which will clean and protect your tools. After a day of cutting, I dismantle my clippers, wipe every piece then spray Andis cool care before reassembling ready for the next day. My advice is to clean your clippers or trimmers after every use to keep them from rusting, overheating and allows them to run smoothly. It also keeps the equipment coming into contact with your skin nice and clean, minimising the risk of blemishes and infections caused by bacteria.”

As with every grooming item you own, you should be practising good maintenance to keep them sharp, pristine and ready to clean you up without giving you razor burn or uncomfortable nicks. Thankfully, keeping your hair clipper well-kept is a fairly simple venture and won’t take that much time or effort.

First off, many devices will come with a small bottle of blade oil, but make sure you buy one to keep the metal lathered up and sharp if they don't. It will keep rust at bay and will extend the life of the device, which is handy, as most are fairly expensive and you don’t want to be replacing them more than you have to. To keep the device going even longer, we recommend buying replacement heads if the tool allows you to swap them out.

Before you begin trimming, we suggest you inspect the blades and ensure there aren’t any stray hairs from your previous cut trapped on the metal. Just clean it with a bit of a lint-free cloth or a paper towel. During the process, it’s worth checking to see if hair has clogged up the blades and give it a quick clear-out before continuing. Finally, once you’re done, it’s worth just giving the blades a thorough wipe-down with a bit of cloth to get the hair and gunk out.

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Black Friday 2024 hair clipper deals

Black Friday deals season is upon us, which means plentiful discounts on all sorts of items, from kitchen deals and fragrance deals to Nike discounts, Shark bargains, and, of course, the best hair clippers. Eagle-eyed readers have likely already spotted some of the hair clipper deals above, like 50 per cent off the Panasonic Multishapeic ER-GB62, or 23 per cent off the Braun 6-in-1 Series 3. And there's plenty more where that came from.

We'll be updating this page with more deals as they come in, and we're also checking all major retailers including Amazon, John Lewis, Argos, Boots, and more, to keep on top of all the Black Friday deals. Happy saving.

If you're thinking about taking your grooming routine more seriously, you'll want to tool yourself out with some quality devices that make the whole process easier. We're sure your bathroom cabinet is full of detritus, but it's a good idea to upgrade to the very best gear if you want the best results.

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