Hot take: hand clippers vs. foil shavers for bald fades

I been doing bald fades for about 6 months now and always used foil shavers. Then last week this older barber told me to try hand clippers with no guard for the same effect. I tried it on one client and it left way more lines and irritation than my foil shaver. But another guy at the shop swears hand clippers give a closer cut if you go against the grain. Who else has tested both and which one do you stick with for the smoothest finish?

2 comments

2 Comments

cameronf884d ago

...and that's the thing, right? I feel like this whole debate is just like deciding between a sharp kitchen knife and a mandoline slicer. The hand clippers give you that raw, aggressive cut, but you gotta be way more careful or you'll mess up the client's skin. The foil shaver is like the mandoline, it's more forgiving and gives a smoother finish, but you hear guys swear the hand clippers get closer if you have the touch for it. I've tried both and honestly, I stick with the foil because I'd rather not deal with the cleanup from a line that looks like a checkerboard. It's the same reason I use a guard with my trimmers instead of just raw dogging it with a 000 blade, less margin for error.

abbyg604d ago

So you're saying the foil shaver is basically the "I'm not trying to be a hero" tool, right?