The 10 Best Hair Clippers for DIY Buzz Cuts and Shape-Ups (2024)

There's no shame in the at-home hair-cutting game, whether you are trying to cut corners and save cash on those barbershop visits (parents, I see you!) or don’t need anything fancy beyond a half-inch DIY buzz cut. Heck, some of us simply get sick of having long hair and want to do the ceremonial mowing down at home. I’ve been there a few times and relish in those memories.

Regardless of your need, the best men's clippers keep things simple. And no matter how frequently you reach for them, they get the job done for you. But before I get into the “best of” list, if you're looking for clipper inspiration, check out our at-home buzz cut guide, the best celebrity buzz cuts, as well as the imperative beard-to-hair ratio rules—so that you feel confident when it's time to take things into your own hand.

And now, here are the best hair clippers for DIY use, plus a couple of professional picks and some pro advice on what to look for when buying hair clippers.

The Best Hair Clippers for Men, at a Glance

Best Hair Clipper for Men Overall: Wahl Color Pro Cordless Hair Clipper
Best Professional Hair Clippers: BaBylissPRO MetalFX Cordless Clipper
Best Hair Trimmer + Beard Trimmer: Philips NorelcoMultigroom 9000 Series
Most Versatile Hair Clippers: Braun Series 7 Hair Clippers
Best Hair Clipper + Head Shaver: Panasonic Multishape
Best Men's Hair Trimmer for Lineups: Andis Slimline Pro Trimmer
Best Self Haircut Clipper Mangroomer: Ultimate PRO Self-Haircut Kit
Best Men's Hair Clippers for Traveling: Wahl Peanut

Best Hair Clipper for Men Overall: Wahl Color Pro Cordless Hair Clipper

Cutting lengths: 0.5-25mm | Charge time: 6 hours | Run time: 2 hours | Zero gap: No | Warranty: 5 years

Why we love it: This tool makes things easy, gives the best DIY results, and costs much less than its competition. When it comes to at-home haircuts, I urge you to keep things simple. You do not need a lot of complexity from a device. If you're looking to do something wild—and I can't stress this enough—go to a barber. Otherwise, Wahl has got you. Its color-coded guard system helps you gauge how much you're taking off and what you'll wind up with.

The bare-guard clip has an adjustable lever to give you slight variance in your base, which also makes it easy to do some fancy tapering at the perimeter (I know my mother would have loved that back in the day while buzzing her three boys). Between its 1/16” light green clip and the light blue, one-inch clip, the device has a terrific range of length options, with especially sturdy guards that do not have any “give,” meaning you always get consistent results.

This newest model has a lithium-ion battery that holds for twice as long as the previous option (two hours versus one) and will keep its juice for nine months idly without draining. This trimmer is imperative to own for any parents who want to buzz their kids’ hair and save a fortune on frequent haircuts—especially since the kids can opt into so many different hair-cutting lengths and since it’s much easier to remember the length you used based on the color-coded system here. (“Dad always buzzes my hair on bright red,” for example.)

Best Professional Hair Clippers: BaBylissPRO MetalFX Cordless Clipper

Cutting lengths: 0.5-19mm | Charge time: 3 hours | Run time: 3 hours | Zero gap: Yes | Warranty: 2 years

Why we love it: I feel like I’m holding an Oscar whenever I handle my gold BaBylissPRO and a high-powered motorized Oscar, at that. I got switched on to its awesomeness from a barber friend of mine—JoAnn Noriega, who cuts at Headprint Studio in San Francisco. Since this is my pick for the best pro device, I’ll leave it to her professional opinion as to why: “This device has exceptional cutting performance, providing precise and effortless trims,” she says. “I can tackle any hair type or style, plus its long-lasting battery is a game changer in my busy day.”

I’m not the only one who likes that trophy-esque plating, either: “Its sleek gold finish adds a touch of luxury to my toolkit, providing me both quality and style,” says Noriega. “All of my clients comment on how they want to get cut with my gold clippers.”

Best Hair Trimmer + Beard Trimmer: Philips Norelco Multigroom 9000 Series

Cutting lengths: 2mm-16mm with hair clipper guards, 0.5mm-16mm overall | Charge time: 3 hours | Run time: 6 hours | Zero gap: No | Warranty: 8 years

Why we love it: Look, you won’t get me to promote too many multi-tasking beard trimmers and hair-clipper devices. I think the only people who should consider them are guys who want to buzz their hair so infrequently that it makes zero sense to get a dedicated clipper. With that thinking, you need a great, superb beard trimmer device: Enter the Philips Norelco Multigroom 9000, which was our pick for the Best Beard Trimmer overall. This thing has incredible muscle and endurance—more than enough to mow through thick patches of head hair. Its self-sharpening blades keep things frictionless, too.

It’s worth noting that this device feels like a beard trimmer above all. It is thin and will require a lot more time to buzz the top. But if you wake up one day and decide you need a fresh start—but you lack a dedicated clipper—then I sure hope you have this device and sturdy guards on hand. Its sideburn clippers will come in handy, too, even if you’re simply managing the upper straps of your beard.

Most Versatile Hair Clippers: Braun Series 7 Hair Clippers

Cutting lengths: 0.5-35mm | Charge time: 1 hour | Run time: 50 minutes | Zero gap: No | Warranty: 2 years

Why we love it: One thing Braun always nails is versatility, particularly as it pertains to a range of cutting lengths. (As seen in its outstanding all-in-one trimmer, too.) But this hair clipper, in particular, makes it easy to switch quickly between different clipping lengths (17 in total) across two guard attachments.

It stays sturdy as you clip, making it easy to give yourself the slightest DIY fades around the sideburns because of these minute increments. This is a perfect example of a hair clipper for the guy who needs to dust himself off a few times a year but doesn’t want to upgrade to a $200 tool. It’s good enough for the DIY job and isn’t trying to be anything beyond reliable, versatile, and powerful. That’s Braun in a nutshell.

Best Hair Clipper + Head Shaver: Panasonic Multishape

Cutting lengths: 0.5-30mm (also can shave) | Charge time: 1 hour (lithium-ion option) | Run time: 90 minutes (lithium-ion option) | Zero gap: No (but has foil shaver attachment) | Warranty: 2 years

Why we love it: Here’s another multitasking device that I love promoting. When you buy the Multishape, you customize the shopping cart by choosing between different functional heads and two different battery bases (always choose the Lithium Ion for longevity and just $10 more). As for those heads, I like telling guys to invest in all three core heads: The less wide beard trimmer, the broader hair clipper, and the foil shaver.

The Multishape gives you a superb range of options and trimming lengths, and the device is more than powerful enough for all patches of hair. But in terms of this “clipper + shaver” distinction on my list of the best hair trimmers for men: This multitasking device can mow down everything to a stubble (if you so please), and then allows you to swap on that wide-set foil shaver, to take things down to a smooth finish. One device for buzz cuts and bald polishing—perfect. (And as a bonus, it’s your go-to beard trimmer, too!)

Best Men's Hair Trimmer for Lineups: Andis Slimline Pro Trimmer

Cutting lengths: 0-3/8" | Charge time: 2.5 hours | Run time: 2 hours | Zero gap: Yes | Warranty: 1 year

Why we love it: This is technically a trimmer, not a clipper, but it belongs on this roundup because of its superb ability to draw clean lines everywhere. It’s a barber favorite for those line ups, neckline cleanups, and its natural ability to trim at zero-gap length with minimal skin risk compared to other zero-gapping devices. If you regularly line yourself up at home, or if you want to draw clean cheek lines, necklines, sideburns, and beyond—then absolutely invest in the Andis’ Slimline Pro.

Best Self Haircut Clipper: Mangroomer Ultimate PRO Self-Haircut Kit

Cutting lengths: 0.5-15mm | Charge time and run time: Mangroomer doesn't list their runtimes or charge times, but our test run on a new product out of the box yielded 90 minutes to achieve a full charge, and then 45 minutes runtime on that charge. | Zero gap: No | Warranty: 2 years

Why we love it: This one is all about ergonomics and is terrific for the frequent self-buzzer or the balding guy who needs a quick trimming every week or so. The palm-held device is super easy to use and hits all of your blind spots, which is all the more important for frequent trimmers since that rogue tuft will stand out on otherwise uniform stubble.

Best Men's Hair Clippers for Traveling: Wahl Peanut

Cutting lengths: 0.5-13mm | Corded Use: Yes | Zero gap: No | Warranty: 2 years

Why we love it: While I’m the proud owner of a regular corded Wahl Peanut, I need to also call out its cordless option. Both of these devices are perfect for traveling, given how petite the Peanut is (4 inches, is all!). And I’d argue that the corded option (mine pictured here) is even better for the guy who forgets to charge up his devices since it’ll always have power. Still, the cordless one also runs plugged in, so it’s a standout for that reason.

What’s great about the Peanut is how much power it packs into its pint-size body and the fact that its small stature also allows for its use as a beard trimmer on the go. I’m also less and less surprised with how frequently I see barbers using it for detail trimming around the beard and sideburns. I think it would get a little tiring to use it as a buzz cutter regularly—and it’s a little weird to think that you would decide to buzz your hair for the first time while traveling, but this device is a brilliant cleaner upper on the go, at home, at the barbershop—or wherever.

What to Look for in Hair Clippers

What you need from men’s hair clippers at home is much different from what barbers need in professional hair clippers. So I think the best place to start is to differentiate between the qualities that are important for the DIY hair cutter, as opposed to the barber clippers. For that advice, I got an assist from barber and STMNT Grooming Goods ambassador Jovan Figueroa. Here is his very excellent two cents on the matter.

Most Important Qualities for At-Home Hair Clippers

1. Power: “Power is by far the most important, in my opinion, because the higher the power, the more it will cut through any type of hair,” says Figueroa. While pros typically opt for clippers with 10,000 or higher RPM (revolutions per minute), most average users only need something with 6,000 RPM. Opting for something with higher RPM ensures that you're using something that's powerful enough to take on your hair as opposed to a beard trimmer, which tends to have lower RPM since facial hair is uniformly less dense.
2. Sturdy Guards: “This is something that cannot be overlooked as cheap guards can and will produce cheap results,” says Figueroa. If they bend and warp as you move the product over your hair, then you’ll have an uneven buzz at the end. “Most professional clippers will come with regular guards, but I would highly recommend purchasing premium guards,” he adds.
3. Cordlessness: This isn’t a must, but there’s a reason all but one of our picks below is cordless. “It's a plus to be able to move freely without any restrictions, getting tangled in cords, or having to adjust based on where my outlets are,” Figueroa says.
4. Battery Life: If you have a cordless device, then battery life is also important. (Personally, I think it’s easy to charge up the device after every one to three uses since this isn’t likely something you’re using more than once a week.) Most professional-grade cordless clippers will also run while plugged in.
5. Vast Range of Trimming Lengths: “This is optimal because you’ll have a variety of lengths to work with for any situation,” says Figueroa. And while it might feel silly to need more than four or five different cutting lengths—there’s always a chance you’ll want to customize something just so and need that random clipper guard that otherwise sits still forever. Better yet, find a device that has an angled clipper guard for sideburn clipping and fading, like our top pick on this list.

Less Important Qualities for At-Home Hair Clippers

These factors aren’t as important for your at-home search, though mileage will vary on what each buyer needs.

1. Zero Gap: Zero gapping is what the pros use to get you the tightest skin fade of your life. It involves realigning the blades so that the teeth have no real buffer between you and the skin. “Most users can generally ignore the zero-gap adjustable’ feature,” says Figueroa. “However, if you notice that you’re not getting as close of a shave or line-up, you should look into clippers that have a zero-gap option [like the BabylissPRO clippers or the Andis Slimline Pro trimmer on this list]). These give you the ability to adjust the blades closer and cut closer to the skin.”
2. Warranty: “This might be low on the list, but should not be overlooked because most clippers are unfortunately not created equal,” says Figueroa. “I always recommend going for higher-end clippers, so naturally, these tools would be an investment, so it’s great to take note of the warranty.” Still, the warranty will only protect you from factory issues, as opposed to dropping and breaking the device yourself (not covered by the brand—perhaps that type of coverage is covered by the retailer for a few months, though).
3. Waterproof/resistant: “This is not really something I think about or recommend for clippers or trimmers because we should really be using these tools on dry hair,” says Figueroa.
4. Multifunctionality: While it makes sense that some guys want a singular device to mow through their head hair, beard hair, body hair, and beyond, it’s not necessarily something to prioritize, says Figueroa. “In my professional opinion, using a beard trimmer as a hair clipper is like using body wash as shampoo. Can you do it? Sure. But is it recommended and optimal? No.” That said, we have a couple of products on our list that are beard trimmer-forward but offer decent results as hair clippers—for the guys who might only need to reach for them once in a blue moon, as opposed to investing in a dedicated hair clipper.

How We Tested

After more than a decade on the men’s grooming beat, I’ve spoken with dozens of barbers, stylists, and professional groomers about their go-to hair clippers and have tested countless products myself. Long before I started this venture in grooming journalism, I was the frugal shopper who wanted a device that allowed for consistent, easy buzzcuts. Would it shock you that, no matter how many devices I test, my favorite always remains the Wahl Color Pro? (My own mother used it on my brothers and me as a kid.) I remain open-minded to any device that comes along to dethrone it, but for now—in terms of what at-home consumers need from the best hair clippers—I compare everything against that intuitive, durable device.

About the Experts

Jovan Figueroa is a barber and hair stylist and serves as a brand ambassador for STMNT Grooming Goods.

JoAnn Noriega is a San Francisco-based barber at Headprint Studio.

Your Hair Clipper FAQs, Answered

What is the best hair clipper for men, according to GQ?

The best men’s hair clipper for most people is Wahl’s Color Pro Cordless for its intuitive use and low cost. As we say at GQ, most people shouldn’t be giving themselves a fancy haircut. So if you require more than a simple buzz, visit the pros.

Beard trimmer vs. hair clippers: what’s the difference?

While many devices can be used as both beard trimmers and hair clippers, these devices differ in their approach to hair cutting: Beard trimmers typically require less power (since facial hair tends to be less dense) but also more precision on the average device. Meanwhile, hair clippers require more muscle to mow through thicker patches of hair, and the pros will use additional detailing devices for any fancy edgework. Also, beard trimmers are often waterproof, while hair clippers are less likely to be so.

What does zero gap mean with hair clippers?

Think of zero gapping as the ability to get an actual skin-tight clip from your hair clippers. This is done by a slight realignment of the blades so that the hairs can reach right up to those teeth. It’s usually only found on professional clippers and should be left to the pros, given the risks of cutting your skin so close to the blade. (We repeat: Proceed with caution.)

How do you fade your own hair?

It’s best to let a professional barber or stylist fade your hair, however the general logic behind fading is to steadily decrease the clipper length (starting with a low trim or bare shave at the perimeter). If you insist on doing this yourself, then read GQ’s guide to fading your own hair.

Are hair clippers allowed on airplanes?

Yes, your hair clippers are allowed on the airplane, but only in your carry-on hand baggage. Nothing with fixed batteries can be checked in the cargo.