Our Wahl Magic Clip Cordless Review

There are only a few pairs of clippers that are well-known enough to refer to by name, and the Wahl Magic Clip Cordless is one of them. They’re a really popular model, and by and large, people have a lot of good things to say about them. Are they worth it, though?

We’ve written a great deal about Wahl in a lot of different posts, but as one of the clippers we use most often, here we’ll offer our Wahl Magic Clip Cordless review, and discuss what we like—and we like most of it—and what we found a bit lacking (it’s a great product, but not perfect). We’ll also talk a bit about the Magic Clip for professional use vs. home use.

Ready? Let’s jump in:

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The Wahl Magic Clip: What We Liked

As always, we’ll start with the good news first! Here are the features of the Magic Clip that we think are great:

It Features Stagger Tooth Blades

The stagger tooth blades are one of the best and most unique features of this Wahl model. If you look closely, you’ll see that the teeth on the Magic Clip’s cutting blade are not all the same length. Seemingly a small design detail, this actually makes a big difference in the effectiveness and, most importantly, the efficiency of the clippers.

Namely, the staggered teeth allow the blades to move much more smoothly and comfortably through the hair. This is because the shorter teeth feed hairs at different angles up to the longer teeth. This means more hair gets cut accurately and without catching it at a bad angle that pulls or yanks it.

Additionally, the stagger tooth blade makes for a more effective and better-looking haircut. In fact, it’s ideal for both hard- and soft-line fades. Because it feeds the hair into itself, it creates a consistent cut so you can make sharp lines or blend hair seamlessly.

For these reasons, the Wahl Magic Clip is a favorite among barbers and other professional hairdressers. Naturally, you probably have the skills to make great fades and blends with any clippers, but the stagger tooth blades make it easier and faster so you can potentially get through more clients in a day.

However, it can also be good for use at home, especially if you rock a buzz cut. The stagger tooth blades allow for much faster bulk hair removal, so whether you just like the style or are one of our balding gentlemen and have finally decided to shave it all off, the Magic Clip can make it faster and more convenient.

It’s Got “Crunch” Technology

“Crunch” technology is actually directly related to the stagger tooth blades. A side effect of the stagger tooth design is that the hair actually makes a noticeable crunching sound when it’s cut. This is basically a feature for barbers, though it could probably help you out at home as well if you use the clippers regularly.

Its benefit is that it gives you another way to experience the haircut. As a professional, you’re no longer just using your eyes to see and judge how to style your client’s hair, but you can use your ears too. Since the blades make noticeable noise when cutting the hair, you can be confident you’re cutting the hair you want to. In the words of Wahl Engineer Scott Melton, “The blade was specifically designed to make a crisp, crunch sound when cutting. This helps barbers know when their blend has been perfected.”

It’s Portable and Storable

We also really liked how easy the Magic Clip is to store and carry around. For the thickness and toughness of its casing, it’s surprisingly lightweight at just a smidge over 10 ounces. It feels natural in the hand with enough weight to grip and control the power of the motor without it weighing you down and getting tiresome, especially over the course of a long day and numerous clients.

Similarly, it’s not particularly bulky at just 6.25 inches long and fits comfortably into a carrying case. If you’re a traveling barber or hairdresser, we don’t think you’ll have any problem including it with the rest of your equipment.

On the other hand, if you work in a salon or barbershop, it’s easy to store but keep on hand thanks to the hanging loop. From a screw or hook in the wall, you can quickly hang up the clippers without having to worry about opening drawers. Plus, it’ll be right within arm’s reach when you need it again.

The ability to hang up the Magic Clip provides another benefit as well. It keeps the clipper blades dry, clean, and safe. They won’t accidentally get wet or bang into things down in a drawer with other equipment. This way, the blades will likely last you longer.

Finally, it’s worth mentioning the cordless design when it comes to storage and portability. In some ways, the detachable power cord means you have one more thing to keep track of, but considering it comes with eight attachment combs anyway, it won’t make much difference. Meanwhile, the fact that you can separate the cord from the clippers gives you more flexible storage options. Plus, the adapter itself is pretty compact, and you might not even need to take it with you if you just use it cordlessly.

It’s Got Some Helpful Included Accessories

It may not be the clippers itself, but we still really liked what Wahl included with the Magic Clip. Specifically, you get eight attachment guide combs in addition to a cleaning brush and blade oil.

If you’re going to use these clippers at home, it’s certainly nice to have the oil and cleaning brush. To maintain your clippers and give them as long a life as possible, you should clean them regularly by brushing out hair clippings and oil them before every use. If you’re a professional, you likely have maintenance equipment already, but it can never hurt to have more.

More significantly, we liked the included guide combs that easily attach onto the Magic Clip trimming head. From ⅛-inch to one inch, you get a considerable range of cutting lengths, which is nice for professional and personal use alike. You can take better advantage of the innovative stagger tooth blade design to cut nice blends and more elaborate styles.

It’s Got a Tough, Rugged Design

Despite the lightweight design of the Magic Clip, we noted that its housing was particularly durable. Many Wahl models are more focused on private at-home use, so they have flimsier plastic casings that cut manufacturing costs. However, the Magic Clip is one of the best Wahl models for professionals because of its tougher design.

A tough housing like this one is better for a professional hairdressing environment because accidents are bound to happen. When you’re using the clippers day in day out in a busy place, you will inevitably drop them or they’ll bang into something. It’s nice to have the confidence that they can handle regular wear and tear.

It’s Cordless!

Of course, the best feature of the Magic Clip is arguably its cordless design. There’s a lot of talk about corded vs. cordless models, but if you’re in it for a cordless model, this can be a great option. It has an internal lithium battery that can last up to 100 minutes on a single charge. Depending on your situation and the type of haircuts you’re giving, that could potentially last you a full workday before plugging it back in overnight.

Being able to use the clippers cordlessly is a big bonus for professionals because you can more agilely move them around your client without having to worry about the cord getting snagged on something or running out of length. It’s good for personal use too, though, especially if you have a family. It gives you more flexibility with where you give your haircuts, and if you have kids, that can be a big plus. Cut their hair outside or in front of the TV where they’ll be more relaxed and receptive.

Perhaps the best thing about the Magic Clip’s cordless design, though, is that you can use it while it’s plugged in. That’s not the case with most clippers which don’t work when they’re on the charger. This would mean that if you run out of juice, you have to wait to charge the clippers back up. Being able to use the Magic Clip while it’s plugged in means you can pretty much always use the clippers and don’t have to worry about unexpected dead batteries.

The Wahl Magic Clip: What We Didn’t Like

Fear not: no Wahl Magic Clip Cordless review would be complete without some griping, and we have a few things we can complain about, specifically:

It Can Be Difficult to Zero Gap

If you’re not a professional hairdresser or barber, you might not be aware of the zero-gap process. This is where you line up the top and bottom blades of a set of clippers so that they cut right up against the skin. This is really nice for fades, of course, but can be dangerous because if you accidentally put the cutting blade even just slightly ahead of the guard blade, you could end up cutting the skin.

If you’re going to be using the Magic Clip at home, this probably doesn’t really matter to you. However, for professionals, it’s worth considering that this Wahl model isn’t the easiest to zero gap. The main reason is that there isn’t a lot of give with the top screws meaning it takes a lot of precise effort to screw in the top blade without it sliding out of place.

That said, you don’t need to worry about zero gapping as much with the Magic Clip because of the stagger tooth blade technology. Since it feeds the hair into itself, it can already cut a lot closer to the skin than other clippers with similar blade positions.

There are Slight Power Differences Depending on How You Use It

Another problem we found with the Magic Clip is that there’s a small difference in power when it’s plugged in versus when it’s running on the battery. Basically, plugging the clippers in gives them a slight boost of power.

Now, the Magic Clip is primarily designed to be used on battery power anyway, and since its battery is lithium, it provides consistent power throughout its life. However, if you do plug it in, you’ll notice that the motor has a little more kick. This usually isn’t much of an issue, but if you get used to the power on the battery, it might throw you off when you try to use it plugged in.

For this reason, we recommend trying to avoid using it on the battery and then plugged in during the same haircut. However, if you use it on the battery for one client and then plug it in for the next, you’re unlikely to have an issue.

It Has No Indicator Lights

Interestingly for an advanced cordless model, Wahl didn’t design the Magic Clip with any kind of LED or digital display informing you of battery life. This can be a little frustrating if you have a lot of clients and aren’t sure how long you’ve used the clippers throughout the day. You likely want to know whether you’ll have enough power to make it through another client before plugging the device in, but there’s really just know way to know.

Since you can still use the Magic Clip cordlessly, this isn’t as big of an issue. Nevertheless, the uncertainty is definitely a con of this model that otherwise has a modern and innovative design.

It’s Got a Charger Design

Honestly, despite the Magic Clip being one of our favorite cordless hair clippers, our least favorite thing about it is probably the design of the charger. It’s true that it’s pretty compact, and this makes for easier storage and carrying. However, we found the plug itself to be a bit flimsy. Specifically, it has two problems.

First, the charging cord detaches from the clippers a bit too easily. If you’re using it plugged in, it’s easy to accidentally pull out the cord. Luckily, the clippers should keep working thanks to the battery, but the power might drop a little, which could cause a yank. You might also pull out the cord while you’re charging the clippers, resulting in having less battery life than you were expecting.

Furthermore, the contacts wear down faster than other charging models. Because it’s a bit flimsy, the port gets less and less stable over time, and eventually it might stop making contact without holding it there. That can be a real hassle.

Lastly, the worst thing about the charger design is simply the length of the cord. Most corded clipper models have long cords, usually ranging between seven and 10 feet. This is enough to keep the device plugged in while still moving around your barber’s chair no problem. The Magic Clip’s cord is a lot shorter. Yes, you can use it while it’s plugged in, but you won’t have the range of typical corded clippers. You should primarily plan on using the Magic Clip on battery power.

The Wahl Magic Cordless Clippers for Professionals

Like Oster and fellow rival Andis, Wahl is one of the best brands for professionals. The Magic Clip is a great model in this regard due to a number of its quality features, including:

• Stagger tooth blades with crunch technology
• Cordless design with long battery life
• Durable but lightweight casing
• Hanging loop
• 8 included guide combs

We primarily recommend the Magic Clip for professionals on the road or working in a salon or establishment with a lot of other barbers or hair stylists. This is primarily because it’s easy to carry around, and the long battery life lets you use it for a while without having to worry about an outlet. Whether you have to go to a new house or change chairs or stations in the same salon, it’s not hard to take the Magic Clip with you.

Of course, the stagger tooth blades and crunch technology make the Magic Clip a good choice for just about any barber or professional hairdresser. It’s a feature hard to find on other models, so if fades and blends are big parts of your haircuts, you should definitely consider this model.

The Wahl Magic Cordless Clippers for Personal Use

Wahl makes a lot of models designed more for families or even self-haircutting at home. While we’d generally classify the Magic Clip as more of a professional model, you can definitely still take advantage of many of its features for personal use, such as:

• Cordless use
• 8 included guide combs
• Included maintenance accessories

Being able to use the clippers on battery power is definitely a big plus if you want to cut your family’s hair. You don’t have to worry about being close to an outlet but can do haircuts wherever they’re most convenient.

The included guide combs also help you give your family—or yourself—more elaborate hairstyles even if you don’t exactly have a lot of expertise because you can cut at various lengths. Similarly, the included maintenance accessories like blade oil and a cleaning brush help you keep your clippers in shape without too much know-how.

Ta-Da! MAGIC

That’s a wrap for our Wahl Magic Clip Cordless Clippers review. We’re big fans of Wahl—they’re probably the biggest name in clippers, and there’s a reason for that—and while they’re not perfect, we think the pros outweigh the cons. Hopefully there’s something that helps you here—good luck, have fun, and happy haircuts!

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