Was doing a 6-year-old's first haircut at a party in Brooklyn last Saturday, tried to freehand and he jerked his head. Left a chunk missing. Switched to thinning shears for the rest and it was way more forgiving. Anyone else use them as a safety net for squirmy clients?
Honestly, I had this apprentice start at my shop in Phoenix about a month ago. His first few fades were so uneven I had to fix every one of them myself. But around week 3, something clicked for him. He started using a smaller guard to blend the bald line and slowed way down on his clipper-over-comb work. The before and after difference on his cuts now is night and day. Has anyone else seen a sudden jump in skill like that with a new barber?
Bought one of those fancy sharpening kits for my clippers from a guy on Instagram and after 3 tries I ruined two good blade sets and realized I should have just sent them to a pro for $15 each.
I figured treating myself to a nice cordless clipper would save me time on walk-in fades. Thing worked great for about 90 days, then the battery just wouldn't hold a charge past 15 minutes. Called the company and they said warranty only covers defects, not 'normal battery wear.' How is 3 months of normal use considered wear and tear? Any of you guys had better luck with a specific brand for cordless clippers that actually last?
I've been doing bald fades for 3 years now. Always used my Wahl clippers with no guard. Last month I picked up a $60 foil shaver from a supply shop in Denver. First client came in, I prepped the fade with my clippers like normal. Finished up with the foil on the bottom. Man, that area was smooth. No tiny bumps or missed hairs. Clients have been texting me saying their head feels better for days. Has anyone else made this switch and noticed a difference with regrowth time?
I was booked solid from 9am to 5pm with mostly fades and one kid who would not sit still. Every single cut came out clean, even the squirmy 6-year-old's buzz fade. Anyone else have those days where everything just clicks and you feel like you can't miss?
Saw a guy toss out a perfectly good set of Wahl blades last week. Just because they felt dull. Heat kills them not use. Get a proper stone and some oil. Take 15 minutes to lap them flat. Save yourself $40 a set easy. Anyone else still sharpening their own gear?
Bought a clipper sharpening kit off Amazon for $200 thinking I'd save money long term. After 3 tries it wrecked two pairs of my Wahl Seniors, and a repair guy told me those cheap stones ruin the blade alignment. Has anyone else had luck with a pro sharpener in the Midwest?
I was in Chicago at a barber expo last spring watching this older guy do a fade. He looked at my hand and said, 'You're choking the neck, man, loosen your grip.' I'd been gripping those clippers like a hammer since barber school. Soon as I relaxed my wrist and let the weight sit in my palm, my lines got way cleaner in one cut. Anybody else have a basic habit they had to unlearn the hard way?
I've been saying this for 2 years now since I took that anatomy course at community college, but guys still swear by it and I just don't get why everyone in the shop thinks it makes a difference.
I had a guy come in last Tuesday wanting a traditional straight razor shave with the hot towel prep. I figured it would take maybe 25 minutes tops, but I kept messing up the lather consistency and had to redo the towel steps twice. How long did it take you fellas before you could knock out a proper hot towel shave in under half an hour?
I was always wondering why my fades looked muddy after a few days. Turns out I was using too much overlap between my guards and not fully closing the lever before moving up. A barber from Detroit watched me do a cut at a shop I was guesting at and just said 'bro you're skipping the half guard step.' Felt like an idiot but my fades have been clean ever since. Anybody else have that one basic thing they missed for way too long?
Bought a 10 pack for $22 and after three haircuts every single one was duller than a butter knife, has anyone else had better luck with a specific brand?
Kept wondering why my hot towel service felt lukewarm by the time I wrapped it around a client's face. I tried different towel warmers, even bought a more expensive one from a supply house for $300. Turns out I was just overstuffing the unit and not letting enough air circulate between the towels. Finally watched a video from a barber in Chicago and felt like a complete idiot. Anyone else waste way too long on something this simple?
Started cutting at home during lockdown and grabbed a cheap Wahl from Walmart for like 20 bucks. It worked okay for a year then started pulling hair and making a nasty noise. Finally saved up for a cordless Oster about six months ago, 150 dollars on Amazon. Night and day difference, cuts are way cleaner and it takes half the time. No more charging anxiety either since the battery lasts through three cuts easy. Anyone else here regret cheaping out on tools at first?
He showed me his 20-year old Oster 76 that he said never saw a drop of oil (just a quick spray and wipe after every head) and I gave it a shot on my own clippers for a month and they actually run smoother quieter and don't gunk up as fast, has anyone else ditched the oil or am I the only one who got converted?
About 6 months ago a older barber named Dave watched me do a fade and just said 'you're fighting the hair the whole way.' I had no idea what he meant. Turns out I was going against the growth pattern on the crown every single time because I learned from YouTube videos that never mentioned grain direction. Fixed it in one cut and the blend was way smoother. Anyone else have a basic thing click way later than it should have?
I was at a barber meetup in Columbus last month and watched three different dudes try to blend a fade using lever play with the wrong guard size. They kept chasing the line and making it worse. If you are doing a zero fade you don't need a #2 guard to knock down the bald line. That just pushes the line higher. Use your half guard open first then work down. Has anyone else noticed new barbers skipping the half guard step on fades?
Started back in 2002 at a shop in Columbus. Back then a fade meant clippers with no guard and a 1 guard blended together. Now these kids come in asking for a burst fade with a zero gap and skin lines. I had to learn all over again about 5 years ago when a younger barber showed me how to use my trimmers differently. The tools changed sure but the expectations changed way more. Anyone else feel like what we do now barely looks like what we did 15 years ago?
Bought a Mizutani 30-tooth thinning shear three months ago, thinking it would level up my fades. Used it twice. Keeps snagging on fine hair and now I'm back to my $40 pair from the supply store. Anyone else regret splurging on fancy tools?
I used to spend 20 minutes honing and stropping for every neck shave until I grabbed a disposable-blade shavette three months ago and now I'm done in under eight with zero blood, has anyone else made that swap and noticed the same time drop?
Old school barber named Ray told me to use thinning shears on a thick cowlick crown that I usually fight with clippers for 20 minutes. I tried his method on a regular last Tuesday, blended it smooth in five minutes and the guy almost cried happy tears. So who's got the real deal advice I should trust next, the old heads or the modern scissor guys?
I switched to that expensive clipper blade oil from the thermal line last month, figured it'd make my blades run smoother. Two weeks in, my Andis Master started overheating mid-cut on a $50 bald fade and I had to grab my backup. Learned my lesson, I'm sticking to the basic Oster oil I've used for years - cheaper and it just works. Anyone else get burned by a trendy product like that?
Had a day last week where all my cuts lined up perfect. Three fades, a beard trim, and a kid's cut all back to back. Every blend was clean, no one complained about the wait. Even my clippers seemed quieter and smoother. Anyone else get those magic days where you can't miss?