The Hair Trimmer That Turned Me Into a Budget Barber
“My Wahl trimmer dies mid-haircut and pulls hair on longer settings. The Philips Norelco 7000 has self-sharpening blades, a 5-hour battery, and costs $7 more. Seven dollars. I let seven dollars stand between me and a trimmer that doesn't give me a lopsided fade.”
Wahl Color Pro Cordless Hair Clipper
54,321 reviews
Pros
- +Color-coded guards so you don't buzz yourself bald
- +Comes with every attachment known to man
- +Cordless convenience
Cons
- -Motor struggles with thick hair
- -Battery dies mid-haircut — you'll look like Harvey Dent
- -Pulls hair instead of cutting it on longer settings
- -Gets dull after 3 months
Philips Norelco Multigroom 7000
67,890 reviews
Pros
- +DualCut self-sharpening blades — never dull
- +5-hour battery — enough for a family of four
- +23 attachments for everything on your body
- +Fully washable — rinse under the faucet
- +Steel frame that survives being dropped
Cons
- -Only $7 more but feels like comparing a sedan to a truck
- -So many attachments you'll lose some
- -Makes you think you can cut your own hair (you probably can't)
The Story
During the pandemic, I decided to cut my own hair. This decision was based on zero barbering skills and one YouTube video titled 'Easy Self-Fade for Beginners.' The thumbnail showed a guy with a perfect fade. The video did not mention he was a licensed barber.
I bought the Wahl Color Pro because the guards are color-coded. Red is longest. Purple is shortest. The idea is you can't accidentally buzz yourself bald because the colors guide you. This assumes you remember which color is which while holding a vibrating razor to your own head in a bathroom mirror where everything is backwards.
First haircut: the battery died halfway through. I had one side of my head at a 3 and the other side at whatever length the original hair was. I looked like Harvey Dent from Batman. I plugged it in, waited 10 minutes for enough charge, and finished the job. The result was... a haircut, technically.
The Wahl also pulls hair on the longer guard settings. It grabs instead of cuts. Each pull feels like a tiny bee sting on your scalp. By the end of the haircut, my head looked like I'd lost a fight with a cat.
The Philips Norelco Multigroom 7000 has self-sharpening blades (no pulling), a 5-hour battery (no Harvey Dent), and costs $34.99. That's $7 more than the Wahl. I paid the difference of a fancy coffee to stop torturing my scalp.
I still can't cut my own hair well. But at least the tool isn't the problem anymore.
The Lesson
If you're going to give yourself bad haircuts, at least use good clippers. The Philips Norelco 7000 costs $7 more than the Wahl and doesn't pull your hair out or die mid-fade.
Affiliate Disclosure: Links on this page go to Amazon and include an affiliate tag. If you buy something, I earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. This is an honest comparison of products I've actually used. Product details, prices, ratings, and review counts are approximate and may be outdated. This page was created with AI assistance. Not professional product advice — just one guy's experience.
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Glen's Musings — AI, investing, and building things. Occasional. Free.
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