How Long Do Hair Clippers Last? (Here’s What You Need to Know)
So you want to know how long hair clippers last.
Well, you’re in the right place for answers.
In this article, we’ll cover this topic in detail (and I’ll give you tips on what you can do to increase their longevity.)
With that said, let’s get into it.
How Long Do Hair Clippers Last?
Quick answer:
High-end hair clippers can last years as they’re built for frequent use.
But low-end/unbranded clippers may only last 1-2 years but this all depends on maintenance.
Maintenance plays a big part in determining how long your clippers will last.
When it comes to a clipper’s lifespan, what factors are important?
What are the signs of replacement?
We’ll cover this next.
How Long do Clippers last
There are several factors that dictate how long clippers last.
These would be:
- Quality
- Frequency of use
- Maintenance
- Storage
- Type of hair being cut
Let’s start off with the most important one in my opinion.
Quality
To put it simply, If you have poorly made clippers. They won’t last as long as premium clippers.
Don’t get me wrong, you can still get a few years out of them and they’ll be good quality however getting a decade of high performance will be difficult.
If you have new-ish clippers from brands such as Babyliss, Andis, or Wahl as an example you have some guarantee they will last you and if they start failing, you have the support to get things fixed.
You can find some of the best clippers in this guide below:
Best Clippers for Fades (Master The Art Of Fading)
Best Hair Clippers For Home Use 2024: How to Choose and Use the Best Clippers
Off-brand clippers may not have the support or research to invest to produce long-lasting clippers.
So they’ll do well for a few months then completely fall off a cliff later on.
But next up…
Frequency of use
If you intend to use your hair clippers for personal use, then they will last you a while, doesn’t matter if they’re high quality or not.
I use my hair clippers once a week on myself and friends and I have never seen any performance issues when it comes to haircutting and I don’t think I will any time soon.
Unless something major happens to my hair clippers i.e. damage from water-dropping them, or the blades wear out, I don’t need to replace them anytime soon.
This will most likely be the case for your clippers too.
What makes the difference is how well-kept they are.
Hair Clippers For Everyday Use
If you’re a barber and you use it every day, you should expect a good few years out of your clippers too especially if they are high-end clippers.
However, the emphasis is still on maintenance, (we touch on this later) and it becomes more important.
When asking multiple barbers about their main hair clippers they have said a good pair of high-end hair clippers has lasted them around 10 years.
Your clippers can certainly be with you for this long too. Just keep up with maintenance and store them in the correct place after use.
Type of hair being cut
Now, this one doesn’t matter too much as well… hair clippers are built to cut hair.
However, when you mix difficult-to-cut hair and frequent use, your blades can certainly feel the strain and that affects how long your clipper blades last which affects how long your clippers.
We’ll talk about blades further down this article.
Thicker, coarser hair can be more difficult to cut and may cause more wear and tear on the clippers than finer hair.
Whenever possible, come hair out as much as you can if you see knots.
This not only makes the hair a lot easier to cut but helps to stop your hair clippers from becoming hot.
Clipper Care
Now onto maintenance.
This is important, pay attention.
You must take care of your hair clippers, more specifically cleaning them.
To ensure the longevity of your hair clippers, you need to make sure they are hygienic. Doing this will provide the best possible results when cutting hair for yourself and your clients. It also makes sure your hair clippers don’t cut skin as they will be at their best.
And let’s not talk about how much time and money you will save and not having to worry about replacing your hair clippers.
These are the benefits of correct clipper care:
- No noise
- No Rust
- Sharper cuts
- No hair pulling
Let’s put it into practice.
Hair Clipper Maintenance
To get the most longevity out of your hair clipper’s maintenance cannot be neglected. After every use of your hair clipper, you should look to brush away any remaining hairs.
This keeps dirt and debris from staying inside your clippers and building up which rapidly decreases performance.
All you need is a hard bristle baby brush to sweep away any lingering hair after a cut.
Pick up a professional clipper brush below or you could use an old toothbrush (but that might be a bit strange, but it’s up to you)
Afterward, whether you use your clippers casually or as a professional, you should sterilize your clippers with a disinfectant spray. Below are my top recommendations.
Andis Cool Care Best OVERALL
Clippercide Spray DEEP CLEANER
H-42 Barber Spray Best Solution Based spray
I go through why these are my top picks and the importance of disinfecting clippers in my best hair clipper disinfectant guide.
This video shows the process up until this point.
After disinfecting your clippers, you should then look to oil your clippers with a petroleum-based lubricant.
Again my top picks with further explanation in my best hair clipper oil guide.
This is all done to make sure your hair clippers do not become:
- Dirty and unsafe
- Rust
- Decrease in performance
Just some simple tools can help your clippers to go the distance and I’m sure you’ll appreciate It.
Now I will quickly walk you through putting these all into practice.
How To Clean Clippers
Step 1: Spray down
Brush and spray down your clippers as shown above.
Follow the previous steps above and use the Andis Cool Care to clean and sterilize your hair clippers quickly.
Step 2:
Once you’ve sprayed down your blades with the Andis Cool care, you can start using the blade care.
Partially fill the lid of the Andis blade care tub with the blade care formula (enough to cover both blades as I previously told you at the start of this article.)
Step 3:
Place your blades in the blade care solution and turn your hair clippers on.
Allow your clippers to run in the solution for 10-20 seconds and watch the micro hairs leave your clipper’s teeth
Step 4:
After you are satisfied with how clean your blades are, take out your clippers and wipe away any excess blade care solution.
Now take the blade care solution place it in a container and dispose of it.
Step 5:
Now you need to oil your hair clippers.
With your hair clippers in hand place 3 drops of hair clipper oil along the front cutting rail and 2 on the side.
Then turn your hair clippers and massage the oil into the blades by opening and closing the lever.
Do that for 30 seconds then turn your hair clippers off and wipe away any excess oil.
And just like that, your blades have been deep cleaned and sterilized all without your taking apart your hair clippers.
Doing this will make your hair clipper blades last longer too.
You can pick up some blade solutions below if you want to follow this process:
If you want to know the full process of hair clipper cleaning, check out these posts below.
How often should clipper blades be cleaned?
Hair clipper care and maintenance should be done after every use of your hair clippers.
- Spray your clippers with a disinfectant after every use
- Use a blade solution after every few cuts and every working day if you’re a barber
Yes, it is tedious, but to ensure the health and longevity of your hair clippers it must be done, and honestly, it doesn’t take that long.
It will save you the pain and hassle of blunt hair clippers and mechanisms jamming and not working properly.
Just a small price to pay for optimum performance.
Signs Your Clippers Need Replacing
Now, if you have a feeling your clippers have met their maker here’s what you can check to confirm it.
- The reduced performance or cutting power
- Excessive noise or vibration
- Damage to blades or motor
- Wear and tear on housing or other parts
These are all notable signs and they can be restored, it doesn’t mean your clippers are gone forever.
Replacement
At this point, you should now know whether you can save your clippers or not.
If you can you might want to opt for a new, high-quality pair that will last you a while and give you some good cuts.
Below are my favorite hair clippers for providing fades:
The 5 Best Hair Clippers for DIY Buzz Cuts in 2024
If you’re looking to get a sharp liner to pair with your new clippers, check out my best lineup clipper article too.
How Long Do Hair Clipper Blades Last
Talking about blades, when we talk about clippers not lasting long, most of the time it comes down to blades.
If your hair clipper blades do become blunt and you love these clippers so much that you can’t see yourself replacing them, sharpening them may be necessary.
Some hair clippers claim to have self-sharpening features but I’m not sure I believe this feature is there.
Most high-end clipper brands advertise this feature but I think it’s all talk in my opinion.
When hair starts getting pulled or hair doesn’t get cut at all you know it’s time to sharpen those blades.
Following the hair clippers manual, you can safely and accurately remove the hair clipper blades.
These guides with teach you how to use a grinding stone or sandpaper to sharpen your hair clippers.
However, if you are unsure about how to do this correctly it can also be done professionally by your nearest professional bladesmen.
Conclusion – How Long Does a Clipper Last
You came to this article to find out how long hair clippers last and the simple answer is straight out of the box, from a well-established brand, hair clippers should last a lifetime of 5-10 years or more. However, maintaining factors should not be ignored, these are:
- Brushing
- Cleaning
- Sterilizing
- Oiling
If you would prefer a more in-depth guide on how to perform these acts of maintenance, Download the free Maintenace guide which covers all of these topics in detail
