Had a clipper just die mid-fade on a Saturday rush

I was in my chair at the shop in Springfield, right in the middle of a skin fade on a regular. My main cordless clippers, a pair of Andis BGRCs I've had for two years, just went completely silent. No warning buzz, nothing. The client's hair was literally half done, with a clear line right above his temple. I had to grab my old corded Wahl Seniors as a backup, but the guard system is different, so blending that line took me like ten extra minutes of careful work (and a lot of silent panic). The guy was super cool about it, but I could tell he was getting antsy. My whole rhythm for the afternoon was thrown off. What's your go-to backup plan when your primary tool fails mid-cut? Do you keep a second set of your main clippers charged and ready?

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3 Comments

williams.jenny5mo ago

Man, my backup clippers died once too, right in the middle of a busy day.

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terryk105mo ago

You said your whole rhythm was thrown off for the afternoon... but come on, it's just one haircut. Grab the backup clippers, fix the line, and move on to the next chair. Stuff breaks all the time. I've seen guys finish a fade with trimmers when their main clipper died. It's not that deep, you just adapt and keep going.

5

alex3075mo ago

You talk about "just one haircut" like it's nothing. But what if that one client is already running late and you're trying to make up time? You grab the backup and it's not zero-gapped, so now you're messing with the blade trying to match the line. That throws your whole timing off for the next three people. Ever had that happen?

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