The BaByliss Super-X Metal 7700U (from about £90) is the best hair clipper for most people cutting at home: three hours of runtime, a taper lever, every half guard and a metal body.
Prices checked 28 September 2026 across UK retailers and the brands' own UK shops. Some links go to Amazon UK, and TheBarberBoard may earn a small commission if you buy through them. That doesn't change the price or the picks. These clippers were not lab-tested. The picks come from manufacturer specs, what comes in the box, current UK prices and the kit commonly seen in UK barbershops.
If you want the exact same length every time with no guards to lose, get the Philips Series 9000. If you're learning to fade properly, skip the home clippers and buy the Wahl Cordless Magic Clip, a clipper you'll find in a lot of UK barbershops.
Hair clippers compared
Scroll the table sideways to see every column.
| Clipper | UK price | Runtime | Guards / lengths | Taper lever | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| BaByliss Super-X Metal 7700U | About £90 to £125 | 3 hours | 10 guards, 0.5 to 8, plus 2 ear tapers | Yes, 5 positions | Best all-round home clipper |
| Philips Series 9000 HC9450 | About £64 to £105 | 2 hours | 400 settings, 0.5 to 42mm | No | Same length every time |
| Wahl Colour Pro Lithium | £79.99, Wahl UK | 2 hours | 8 colour-coded guards, 1 to 8 | Yes | Families and first-timers |
| Remington Power-X5 HC5000 | £38.49, Remington UK | 75 min | 72 lengths, 0.5 to 35mm | No (fade comb instead) | Best budget |
| Wahl Cordless Magic Clip | £135.59, Wahl UK | 90 min | 8 guards incl. 0.5 and 1.5 | Yes, 0.5 to 1.2mm | Fades and blending |
| Wahl Cordless Legend | £121.50, Wahl UK | 100 min | 10 guards, 0.5 to 8 | Yes, 0.7 to 1.7mm | Fading longer lengths |
| Andis Master Cordless Li | Over £200 | 90 min | None included | Yes, 0.5 to 2.4mm | Barbers doing tapers and bald fades |
Prices checked 28 September 2026 on the brands' UK shops and a UK price comparison site. Ranges run from the cheapest UK seller to full price. Prices change often, so compare before buying.
Verdict
Buy the BaByliss Super-X Metal 7700U for home cutting. It has the longest runtime here, the full set of half guards and a taper lever for blending. The Philips and Remington use adjustable mm combs instead of numbered guards, and neither has a taper lever. Pay more for the Wahl Magic Clip only if fades are the main thing you cut. Buy the Remington HC5000 if you just want a cheap buzz cut and don't care about blending.
What are the best hair clippers for home use?
The BaByliss Super-X Metal 7700U for most people, the Philips Series 9000 for exact repeat lengths, the Wahl Colour Pro Lithium for families, and the Remington Power-X5 HC5000 on a budget.
BaByliss Super-X Metal Series 7700U From about £90
3 hours cordless, 3-hour charge. Guards 0.5 (1.5mm) to 8 (25mm) plus 2 ear taper guards. 5-position taper lever. Japanese steel blade, metal body, 270g. About £90 to £125 at UK retailers.
Three hours on a charge covers several weeks of home cuts. The half guards (0.5 and 1.5) are the reason it blends better than cheaper kits, and the five-position lever adds up to 0.6mm on top of any guard for the in-between steps. The guards are numbered like Wahl's, so a barber's "number 2" is the same guard here. The bare blade cuts to 0.8mm.
Pros: long runtime, full guard set with halves, taper lever, metal body
Cons: the 3-hour charge is slow if you forget, and the price swings a lot between retailers
Check price on Amazon UKPhilips Hairclipper Series 9000 (HC9450) From about £64
2 hours cordless, 1-hour charge. 400 length settings from 0.5mm to 42mm (0.2mm steps up to 7mm), remembers 3 lengths. Titanium blades. About 340g. About £64 to £105 at UK retailers.
The motorised comb means there are no guards to lose, and the memory stores your usual lengths. If you do the same cut every two weeks, set 6mm sides and 13mm top once and they're there next time. It goes up to 42mm, far longer than any standard guard. There's no taper lever, so fading relies on the small steps of the comb.
Pros: exact lengths, no guards, goes to 42mm, fast charge
Cons: the comb makes it bulky around the ears, no taper lever
Check price on Amazon UKWahl Colour Pro Lithium Cordless (79600-809) £79.99
2 hours cordless, or use it plugged in. 8 colour-coded guards (1 to 8), ear taper combs, taper lever. 282g. £79.99 at Wahl UK.
Buy it for the colour coding. When the kids' cuts and yours need different guards, nobody has to squint at tiny numbers. It works plugged in if the battery runs down mid-cut. It has no half guards, so use the lever for blending. If £80 is too much, Wahl also sells the older NiMH Colour Pro Cordless, which has 60 minutes of runtime and a 12-hour charge.
Pros: easy guards, cord or cordless, Wahl build
Cons: no 0.5 or 1.5 guards, and out of stock at Wahl UK when we checked
Check price on Amazon UKRemington Power-X5 (HC5000) £38.49
75 minutes cordless, or use it plugged in. 72 lengths across 4 adjustable combs (0.5mm to 35mm), including a 1 to 5mm fade comb in 0.1mm steps. Self-sharpening blades. 341g. £38.49 at Remington UK (was £76.99).
At under £40 this is the cheapest clipper here that can do a passable fade, thanks to the fine-step fade comb. It handles a buzz cut or a grade on the sides. Adjustable combs flex more than fixed guards on thick hair, so go slowly. It charges by micro USB, which is dated.
Pros: price, huge length range, fade comb
Cons: adjustable combs are less rigid than fixed guards, micro USB, no taper lever
Check price on Amazon UKWhat hair clippers do barbers use?
Wahl (the Magic Clip, Legend and Senior), Andis (the Master) and BaBylissPRO are the names you'll see most often on UK barbers' stations, and barbers usually keep two or three clippers for different jobs.
Professional clippers cost more because the blades and motors are built for all-day use and for cutting close to skin. At home they're worth it only if you want to fade properly. Pro clippers also come with little in the box: the Andis Master has no guards at all.
Wahl 5 Star Cordless Magic Clip £135.59
90 minutes cordless, 2-hour charge. 8 guards (0.5, 1, 1.5, 2, 3, 4, 6, 8). Taper lever 0.5 to 1.2mm, stagger-tooth blade that can be set to zero overlap. About 290g. £135.59 at Wahl UK. Import versions sell for much less elsewhere.
The stagger-tooth blade blends out the lines in a fade, which is why the Magic Clip turns up in so many UK shops, and it's light enough for long sessions. Buy from a UK seller if you want the UK plug and Wahl UK's warranty.
Pros: blends well, light, all the half guards
Cons: overkill for a basic grade, and the blade can be set to cut skin if you adjust it wrong
Check price on Amazon UKWahl 5 Star Cordless Legend £121.50
100 minutes cordless, 60-minute charge. 10 guards (0.5, 1 to 8, 1.5). Taper lever 0.7 to 1.7mm, which Wahl calls its "maximum fade range". About 295g. £121.50 at Wahl UK (was £161.99).
The Legend's lever moves a full millimetre, so one guard covers more length, which suits tapering longer hair and taking off bulk. It's a better pick than the Magic Clip if your cuts are more "number 3 blended to a 4" than skin fades.
Pros: wide taper range, full guard set, quick charge
Cons: less precise than the Magic Clip for the very bottom of a fade
Check price on Amazon UKAndis Master Cordless Li Over £200
90 minutes cordless, 1-hour charge. Adjustable carbon steel blade, size 000 to 1 (about 0.5mm to 2.4mm). No guards included. 374g. Over £200 at UK retailers.
The Master is the classic barber's taper clipper, and the cordless version keeps the heavy, stable feel. It needs Andis guards bought separately, and remember Andis numbers them differently: its #0 is a Wahl 0.5 (see our guard sizes chart). It makes sense for someone training as a barber and is more than a home trim needs.
Pros: excellent blade, wide lever range, stable build
Cons: no guards, heavy, expensive
Check price on Amazon UKWhich hair clippers cut the shortest?
Of the clippers here, the Andis Master Cordless Li (blade closed) and the Philips Series 9000 and Remington HC5000 (at their lowest setting) go shortest, to about 0.5mm.
The BaByliss Super-X Metal's bare blade stops at 0.8mm. The Wahl Magic Clip's blade can be set to zero overlap to cut even closer, but set wrong it will cut skin. For a smooth finish rather than a shadow you need a head shaver; our head shaver guide compares them.
Are Wahl clippers good?
Yes. Wahl makes three of the seven clippers on this list, and its Magic Clip and Legend turn up in many UK barbershops.
The cheaper Wahl kits skip the half guards. The Colour Pro Lithium comes with guards 1 to 8 only, so you blend with the taper lever instead. The Magic Clip and Legend include the 0.5 and 1.5.
How long do hair clippers last?
Several years, if you oil and clean them regularly. The battery usually goes first, and you can replace or sharpen a blade instead of buying a new clipper.
Buying checklist
- Half steps. Blending needs a 0.5 and 1.5 guard, a taper lever or a fine-step comb, and kits without any of these leave lines.
- Runtime. A full home cut takes 15 to 30 minutes, so anything over an hour is plenty. A model that also runs plugged in saves you if the battery dies mid-cut.
- Guard numbering. Wahl and BaByliss use the same numbers. Andis is one step different at the short end. Philips and Remington use mm. Check our chart before you copy your barber's numbers.
- Blade oil. Every clipper here needs a drop of oil on the blade every few cuts, so buy a bottle if none comes in the box.
- Battery type. Lithium batteries, as in the Magic Clip and Legend, hold their power better as they run down than cheaper NiMH ones, which can slow near the end of the charge.
- UK sellers. Import versions are cheaper, but they can come with a US charger and no UK warranty.
Home clippers or the barber?
Both, for most people: a home clipper for simple grades and tidy-ups, and the barber for fades. A good home clipper costs about the same as three or four barber visits. A skin fade is around £18 to £25 outside London (see our skin fade price guide), so a clipper pays for itself quickly if you keep a simple grade. Fading the back of your own head is hard, though, so plenty of people have the full cut done at a barber and tidy the sides at home between visits. Our guide on how often to get a haircut covers how long each style lasts.