The best hair clippers for men, recommended by barbers

Unless you’re still rocking the infamous David Beckham buzz cut of 2000 (no judgement here) for most men, cutting your own hair is an absolute no-go. With barbershops back open for good and dodgy DIY lockdown fades a long-distant memory, simply nothing beats the feeling of walking out the barbers with a fresh trim.

That being said, owning a good quality set of hair clippers remains a staple of any well-stocked wash bag. Not only are clippers great for cleaning up facial hair, but a quick tidy around the ears – or if you’re feeling brave, a light trim – is essential for keeping yourself looking sharp and presentable between haircuts.

Fortunately, if you’re in the market for a new pair of men’s hair clippers, there’s a lot to choose from. From professional-grade barber favourites to everyday, family-friendly essentials, The Recommended spoke to three highly respected barbers to find out what you should look out for (and avoid) when shopping for your next pair of hair clippers for men.

Jump to the best hair clippers:

• Best overall hair clippers: Wahl Professional 5 Star Series Cordless Senior Clipper
• Best budget clippers: Wahl Colour Pro Cordless Clipper
• Best battery life: BaByliss Men Super-X Metal Series Cordless Hair Clipper Silver
• Best for facial hair: Braun 6-in-1 Beard Trimmer
• Best for precision: Philips Series 9000 Pro Precision Hair Clipper
• Best all-rounder: Remington T-Series Men's Hair Clipper and Beard Trimmer Kit
• Best head shaver: Wahl Li Ultimate Clipper
• Best range of accessories: Braun 9-in-1 Beard Trimmer
• Best for body hair: Hatteker Beard Trimmer Hair Clipper
• Best corded hair clipper: Wahl Elite Pro Hair Clipper

Our expert barbers:

Our three male grooming experts work for some of the most respected and well-established barbers in London, with decades of experience between them and unrivalled knowledge about which men’s hair care products are the best to buy.

Mark Maciver is a multi-award winning barber and the founder of SliderCuts. Recognised at the Black British Business Awards in 2018 as one of the UK's top black business people, Mark has cut the hair of some of the biggest household names, including US basketball player Lebron James, world heavyweight champion boxer Anthony Joshua, rappers Stormzy and Tinie Tempah, and TV presenter Reggie Yates.

Jovaras Mazrimas has over 10 years of experience in the hair industry and has been working at Joe and Co, voted London’s best barbers by GQ, Esquire and Time Out, for more than five years. Jovaras’ true passion is hair and says he enjoys challenging himself with every creation that he makes.

Joe Pomper is the head barber at Murdock London, which has established itself as a master of grooming, offering a contemporary take on the traditional barbershop experience. Its barbers are at the forefront of everything this barbershop does, including developing its own range of performance products.

What should you look for when buying hair clippers?

According to Mark, the best place to start when shopping for hair clippers is with a reputable brand. From there, you can begin to figure out what style of clippers is best for you. “You need to consider what you’ll be using the clippers for,” says Mark, “then you can choose a particular clipper based on that. For example, some clippers are more suited to coarse hair, while others will be better on straight hair.”

Jovaras points out that there are two types of clippers: corded and cordless. While cordless clippers offer the most mobility, “I always recommend a clipper with a power cord,” he says, “as you get a more consistent cut as a result of the consistent power supply”.

Then there are guards. “Most clippers will come as a set with eight clip-on guards,” says Jovaras, “which are usually made from a durable plastic and are differentiated by a numeric system. Each number differentiates the length of hair that will be left when it’s cut. For example, 0 is the tightest grade and will give the shortest amount of hair.”

A maintenance kit is an added accessory that Jovaras says to look out for. “A little maintenance kit, with a small brush that will get all the hair out of the blades, and some oil to clean and lubricate the blades, will help to expand the lifespan of your clippers as well as its effectiveness, so I would recommend using them.”

What should you avoid when looking for hair clippers?

One of the main pieces of advice our experts gave is to avoid buying hair clippers based on price. Instead, “you should base your purchase on functionality”, says Mark. “Sometimes the cheapest clippers have no functionality whatsoever and the most expensive ones may not do what you’d like them to do either.”

Joe agrees, advising that you should pay attention to each clippers’ key features and functionalities. “Are they corded or wireless? Do they have the attachments for different lengths? A maintenance kit to clean them? Do they come with a separate mini-trimmer for the beard? All these things come in handy.”

Joe also suggests weighing up the price of the clippers and how often you intend to use them. “Let the frequency of use be the deciding factor in how much you are willing to spend,” he says. “The lower-end prices are aimed for home use once a week maximum, whereas the higher-end priced clippers are for the professionals who use them all day every day.”

Jovaras warns that it’s best to be cautious of manufacturers’ claims: “There are so many brands out there that are great at marketing, but not all of the clippers being sold are to a high professional standard. I would highly recommend consulting with your barber or hairdresser to see what they use when they cut your hair.”

Which are the best hair clippers?

“I would recommend the Wahl Cordless Senior Clipper,” says Mark. “They’re robust, cordless – which prevents tangling – you can adjust the blades to suit how sharp you’d like them to be, and they have a long battery life. The shape of it works well too; it fits nicely in the hand, and it’s not too small or too big.”

Jovaras is also a fan of Wahl clippers, recommending the Wahl Colour Pro Cordless Clipper Combo Kit, which he describes as “an affordable, high-performance clipper with a nice weight to it, that’s great for home hair”.

He also approves the BaByliss Men Super-X Metal Series Cordless Hair Clipper, which he personally uses day-to-day, because although it’s cordless, “it has an amazingly long battery life with a short charging time, which means I get a consistent cut every time”.

Completing the full-house of Wahl recommendations, Joe endorses any clippers by Wahl as “it’s what they do, and they do it so well”. In his shop, most of his barbers use the Wahl Cordless Senior Clipper. “They are top-end and produce the cleanest clipper cuts,” he says. “They are also cordless, charge super quickly, are robust, don’t need replacing every year, look smart, have a good weight to them, and are comfortable to use.”

The best hair clippers

Best overall hair clippers: Wahl Professional 5 Star Series Cordless Senior Clipper

A favourite among barbers

Endorsed by our experts Mark and Joe, the Wahl Cordless Senior Clipper is a popular choice among barbers thanks to its top-end performance, durability, ergonomic design and quick charging.

These clippers feature a powerful cordless motor that promises to generate a high blade speed with increased torque, as well as a lithium-ion battery designed for fast charging and consistent cutting power. Mark says they are robust, so won’t break easily if they were to drop on the ground; you can adjust the blades to suit how sharp you’d like your cut to be, fit nicely in the hand, and are generally an “all-rounder clipper and trimmer”.

Best budget clippers: Wahl Colour Pro Cordless Clipper

Ideal for first-time home barbers

This clipper set from Wahl comes recommended by our expert Jovaras, who says it’s perfect for home use thanks to its affordability, high-performance, nice weight and easy-to-use guard system.

Wahl is one of the most reputable brands in male grooming, trusted by professional barbers around the world. This set of clippers may be on the cheaper end of Wahl’s offering but nonetheless includes a full set of ten coloured combs providing cutting lengths ranging from 3-25mm. Promising up to 60 minutes of cordless use when fully charged and with an option to run using the cord if the battery runs low, this is ideal for cutting the whole family’s hair.

Best for battery life: BaByliss Men Super-X Metal Series Cordless Hair Clipper Silver

Premium feel

This cordless clipper from Wahl is used day-to-day by our expert barber Jovaras, who rates its long battery life, consistency, sharp cutting blades and adjustable taper lever.

BaByliss’ Super-X cordless clipper has the best battery life out of our top picks for hair clippers, promising up to an impressive three hours of cordless use when fully charged. This professional-grade clipper also features a robust metal handle, steel blades designed to deliver an ultra-smooth cut, taper control for precise clipping and fading, as well as ten comb guides that provide cutting lengths ranging from 0.8-25mm.

Best for facial hair: Braun 6-in-1 Beard Trimmer

Handy set of attachments

If you’re looking for a set of clippers specifically designed for facial hair, this beard trimmer from Braun comes with six attachments specifically designed to promote precise cutting.

With attachments for long and short beard trimming, hair clipping, contouring, and ear and nose trimming, this rechargeable, 6-in-1 beard trimmer comes recommended by our expert Jovaras, who says its many attachments allow you to get very detailed results. It also features a NiMH battery, which provides 50 minutes of trimming with 10 hours of charge, and comes with a two-pin bathroom charging plug.

Best for precision: Philips Series 9000 Pro Precision Hair Clipper

One for the perfectionists

If you’re a stickler for detail, you’ll love these precision hair clippers from Phillips. With 400 length settings ranging from 0.5-42mm, with 0.1mm precision, you’ll be fully in control.

These clippers are designed to provide long-lasting performance and durability with self-sharpening titanium blades. Phillips promises 120 minutes of cordless use after just one hour of charging for this device, and it can also be used while plugged in. Included in the box are three adjustable hair combs.

Best all-rounder: Remington T-Series Men's Hair Clipper and Beard Trimmer Kit

Versatile trimmer

Designed to provide professional-level cutting at home, these clippers from Remington feature a premium 38mm T-Blade, promising ultra-close trimming, edging and detailing.

Our experts recommend choosing clippers based on functionality and how well suited they are to your intended use. These clippers from Remington include a full-size foiler shaver attachment, precision stubble comb, nine fixed combs, and a travel pouch. It can last up to 5 hours from a 4-hour charge and has a handy five-minute quick charge feature that provides enough power for one trim if you’ve forgotten to charge it and you’re in a hurry.

Best head shaver: Wahl Li Ultimate Clipper

Handy charging indicator

If you’re looking for a set of hair clippers with functionalities suited to head shaving, as well as for trimming ear and nose hair, the Wahl Li Ultimate Clipper is one to consider.

Like the Colour Pro Cordless Clipper, Wahl’s Lithium Ultimate Clipper has a few key upgrades and handy added features. These clippers have a shorter charge time of five hours and a longer run time of 100 minutes and feature lithium-ion technology for greater battery performance. It also features precision ground blades suited to short hair and shaving, a personal trimmer attachment with a built-in spotlight, and an LCD display that shows battery life.

Best range of accessories: Braun 9-in-1 Beard Trimmer

An all-in-one

The Braun 9-in1 Beard Trimmer is our most versatile pick for men’s hair clippers with attachments for beard, face, body, ear and nose.

This trimmer features a long-lasting lithium-ion battery that provides 100 minutes of trimming and can reach full charge within one hour of charging. With 13 length settings providing lengths between 0.5-21mm, it is also washable and waterproof and comes with a Gillette Fusion5 ProGlide razor for clean shaving.

Best for body hair: Hatteker Beard Trimmer Hair Clipper

A safe bet for manscaping

With a fully waterproof design and body groomer attachment, the Hatteker’s 5 in 1 Beard and Hair Trimmer can be used both wet and dry, which is handy for tackling body hair.

With 16 handy attachments, including a beard trimmer, hair trimmer, detail trimmer, body groomer, nose and hair trimmer, six guide combs, a charger with USB connection, a storage bag and a cleaning brush, this clipper is extremely versatile. It also features an LED display to notify you how much charge it has left.

Best corded hair clipper: Wahl Elite Pro Hair Clipper

A solid pick

From our experts’ favourite brand, Wahl, these corded clippers feature the brand’s most powerful and durable motor, promising a premium cutting performance.

These clippers also feature self-sharpening precision blades and combs that are made from engineering-grade materials, which Wahl claims makes them 70% stronger than standard guide combs.

Want to read more expert-recommended round-ups? Check out our grooming page for a full list of recommendations, including our guide to the best beard trimmers and the best beard oils, as recommended by our expert barbers, as well as the best moisturisers and the best face wash for men, recommended by skincare experts.