Smooth, Sleek, Sophisticated: The Best Balding Clippers for a Fully-Shaved Look

Before we jump in, we want to share a quote from a friend—it’s a quote we like a lot, and it sums up our attitude towards the fully-bald / full-shaved look:

The experience of balding is something that happens to you, whereas the decision to shave your head and embrace the no-hair look is a decision. A choice, in other words. It’s something YOU decide, and in making that decision, you’re back in control—and that change in mindset means everything.

In this post, we’re going to talk about clippers—and in particular, the best balding clippers for a close, clean, full-shaven look—but first we want to share some insights that have made us, as bald and balding men, deeply happy, and deeply satisfied: 

Somewhere in the last 10 years or so, things changed, and they got a LOT better for us.

We live in an imperfect world, but somewhere along the line we’ve seen a near-universal acceptance that a clean-shaven head is not only an acceptable look, but an incredibly alluring look. We were genuinely thrilled to see men with full heads of hair—full heads of hair!—clip all their hair off and go fully-shaved. If you think about that, it’s absolutely astonishing, and it marks a new era in what is considered attractive in a man.

The best part of that acceptance is that these sea changes in what is considered attractive seem to be lasting.

Take, for example, beards. For the longest time, beards were seen as odd or creepy or hokey—and then they got really hot about ten or fifteen years ago. That’s died down, but do you know what you still see a lot of? Beards! And we’re talking about beards across all ranges of the male kingdom—college guys, post-grads, guys in their 30s, middle-aged guys. All rocking beards, looking great, and having fantastic lives.

In other words, it’s safe to say that these new trends—including the fully-shaven look for bald and balding men—have found a steady and enduring place in our cultural idea of masculine attractiveness. 

What a time to be alive. That sounds a bit silly, but seriously—what a time to be alive. Ask any of your uncles or grandfathers or older guys what it was like to be bald or balding in their era, and they might not feel the optimism we’re feeling now.

So here we’ll talk about six balding clippers that we think make the grade. Each one is good for a different scenario/need, so hopefully there’s something here that works for you.

Let’s jump in:

Summaries: Top Clippers for Bald and Balding Men

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The Best Balding Clippers: Our In-Depth Reviews

Here we’ll dive into the details—our picks for the most capable balding clippers, and what we like and dislike about them:

The Wahl Color Pro Rechargeable Hair Clipper and Trimmer

Summary: the Wahl Color Pro Rechargeable Hair Clipper and Trimmer can be a great option for men with sensitive skin, and it has color-coded guards that can make short trims very easy

Pros:

Dependable design

Cordless and rechargeable

Removable stainless steel blades

Color-coded guards (these are actually very helpful!)

Cons:

Not waterproof

We’ll start with the standout feature of the Wahl Color Pro Cordless Rechargeable Hair Clipper & Trimmer: it doesn’t have a cord. It’s cordless and rechargeable, and while that doesn’t sound like a big deal, it’s actually pretty fantastic because a cordless clipper gives you a lot of freedom to navigate your head and clip as you please. Most high-end clippers feature a cord—and that’s great, especially if you’re a barber or give cuts to your friends—but it can be a pain when you’re at home in front of the mirror. So, right off the bat—excellent.

So that’s nice, but the Wahl Color Pro meets the two most important requirements of a balding clipper: 1) it has a strong, durable motor, designed to last a while, while also performing at an intense level, and 2) it features self-sharpening stainless steel blades. Those are the most important features you’ll need on a pair of balding clippers, and the Wahl Color Pro meets expectations for both of them. That’s not really very surprising—Wahl has been making clippers and trimmers and shavers for decades, so they’ve got their act together, and many of their models are top-notch.

With all that said, here’s the simple-yet-incredibly-fantastic aspect of the Color Pro, and where it gets its name: it comes with 8 trim guards, each in a different color. That doesn’t sound so impressive, but think about it—have you ever bought a trimmer and looked at all those guards and been unable to tell how long each is? Well, now you know exactly what they are: the red one is 3mm, the purple one is 6mm, the blue one is 10mm, the orange one is 13mm, the yellow one is 16mm, the grey one is 19mm, the green one is 22mm, and the steel one is 25mm. There you go! Now you know. We find that feature incredibly helpful.

The color-coding system is also great because it can let you know if you’re missing any combs, as well. When the combs are all black—and they’re all black in, like, every other single clipper set out there—you open that carrying case and look in there and you have no idea if you have all of them or if some are missing. With color-coding, you know exactly what you have.

This isn’t the fanciest model out there—nor is it the most impressive—but we recommend this as often as we can, because it can absolutely get the job done, without too much fuss or muss. We love products like this, that are effective, easy to use, and simple.

The Wahl Peanut Clipper for Beard and Hair

Summary: The Peanut packs a punch—it’s capable of providing a barbershop-level trim, and because of its size, it’s maneuverable and can reach out-of-the-way places

Pros:

It’s named “The Peanut”

Solid motor designed for long-term use

It has a relatively narrow shaving head, and can be used for detail work

Can double as a beard trimmer

Cons:

Features only four different-size combs

This one seems like a joke, but the Wahl Peanut Clipper for Beard and Hair is actually a really good piece of machinery, and a great clipper for anyone who wants to do at-home grooming.

Wahl has been making clippers and trimmers for a very, very long time, and they wanted to make something that had all the power of a regular-sized trimmer, but in a smaller, peanuttier size.

Hence The Peanut—it’s designed to clip as well as any other tool, but because of its small size, it’s capable of getting into difficult angles and doing detail work. That makes it great for home grooming not only of your head, but also your beard, as well.

The clipper itself is very good—nothing super-fancy, but very good—with detachable blades (which are easy to take on and off—other models have detachable blades, but they’re really difficult to remove and insert). It features four combs of different lengths, and that’s an interesting choice—very often, you’ll buy a clipper, and it’s come with a dozen different combs, and you’re never quite sure if you’re using the one you used the last time. Having only four options can help you keep track of things (but it does limit your clipping options when it comes to length).

This is a great all-around option, and a sturdy little guy we love to recommend. And, lest we state the obvious here, we love the name. It’s fun to think of a bunch of guys sitting around a long desk, asking each other “So what are we going to name this thing?” and one guy says, “Well I don’t know it kind of looks like a peanut, why don’t we call it ‘The Peanut’” and all the other guys say “Yeah that makes sense let’s go with that.” A true moment of Dude Harmony.

The Remington Shortcut Pro Self-Haircut Kit

Summary: The Remington Shortcut Pro is an innovative clipper model that can give you a closer, faster shave without irritating your skin due to a contoured blade that fits the curve of your head—and because it’s waterproof, it’s great for shower use

Pros:

Comfortable non-slip grip

Extra wide contoured blade

Waterproof and washable

Cordless

Cons:

Short battery life

Not great for detailed trimming

There are some great clippers that are FANTASTIC for barbers, but not so great if you’re at home using them on yourself. The Remington Shortcut Pro can be a great option for home use, and that’s because of two features that make it different from other models:

First, it’s got a design that’s made to be graspable by a person shaving his own head, whereas most clippers are not designed that way. The non-slip ergonomic grip on the Shortcut Pro makes it easy to glide the clippers over every part of your scalp, AND the blade itself is contoured and extra wide, allowing you to cover more of your head in a single stroke. Very often, with normal clippers, the edges of the blade don’t even touch the skin due to the curve of the head, and that usually results in longer shave times and more uneven cuts. The Shortcut Pro design minimizes this in order to provide a fast, even shave.

Second, it’s waterproof. While a lot of head shavers are waterproof—those are the ones with little discs on the head, where you grasp the entire device in your hand—clippers are a lot less common to be waterproof, and they can be hard to find. The fact that the Remington Shortcut Pro is a waterproof pair of clippers is GREAT. It’s a real bonus that saves time and keeps you from making a huge mess. The waterproof functionality also makes the Shortcut Pro easy to clean—another huge plus.

Of course, to use it comfortably in the shower, the Shortcut Pro is cordless, and requires batteries—and the battery life is… OK. A full charge will get you 40 minutes of usage, and while that’s definitely plenty to integrate shaving into your morning routine every day or every other day, there are clippers out there that hold a better charge (but again—most of those clippers aren’t waterproof, so it’s a give-and-take).

Other than the moderately weak charge, we’re bullish on the Shortcut Pro. Oh, one more thing—the “Shortcut” is a pretty clever name. It provides you with hair that’s been “cut short,” and it’s also designed for quick use to save you time—in other words, it provides you a “short cut.” When you consider that this is both a pair of clippers AND a dad joke, that’s a pretty amazing thing 🙂

The Philips DIY Easy Reach 180 Degree Hair Clipper

Summary: with its unique design, the Philips Easy Reach can be a great option for guys who hate getting tangled up in a clipper’s extension cord, and it’s great for getting hard-to-reach areas

Pros:

Clipper head rotates 180 degrees

Adjustable cutting range from .5mm to 15mm

Easy to clean

Cons:

The charge doesn’t last too long

We’re big fans of the Philips DIY Easy Reach 180 Degree Hair Clipper, because it’s so different than its peers. Most clippers have that classic “oblong” design—kind of like a rounded rectangle. That’s the tried-and-true model, and it’s okaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay… but a lot of men find it difficult to use when cutting their own hair off their heads. And it’s true—that rectangle shape can be easy to use on someone else, but it can be difficult to use on yourself, and navigate the weird angles and turns of your noggin.

Enter the Philips Easy Reach. It’s an adjustable model that features a hair clipper than can rotate 180 degrees, so you can get to all those difficult-to-reach areas of your skull (like that curve right above the base of your neck, that is IMPOSSIBLE to reach!).

So that’s fantastic, and if you’ve experienced frustration with classic models, this can be a nice change of pace. It’s got some decent stats otherwise, too—it’s got 13 settings, that range from .5mm to 15mm, just in case you want to go longer or shorter on your hair length—and it’s relatively easy to clean.

It’s not perfect, however—the 60 minutes run time is decent, but not that impressive (but again, some guys don’t care about that), and it’s not as durable as some of the more high-end models (meaning it may not last as long). Those features are pretty normal for a pair of clippers in this range, though.

If you’re looking for something different, or you’re frustrated by not being able to shave over every part of your head, this can be a great alterative. We put this in our list of best balding clippers, but not every guy is going to love this, because it, too, takes some getting used to—but it can be a fantastic alternative for guys who get frustrated with traditional clippers.

The Wahl Professional 5-Star Balding Clipper

Summary: A beautiful, old-school model that’s made for professional or personal use—it can provide an extremely close cut, and it’s the only model we’ve found designed specifically as a balding clipper

Pros:

Designed specifically for balding men

Strong, reliable motor

Clippers can provide a very close trim

Gorgeous!

Cons:

Not a great pick for beginners

We don’t often suggest products based on their looks—we’re “function over form” fellas, as are most guys—but if we did recommend items based solely on their looks, we’d be talking about the Wahl Professional 5-Star Balding Clipper. It’s just a handsome model, and if you’re looking for a barbershop-at-home feel, this is the one we’d suggest. It looks exactly like that tool you’ll see barbers using, because… well, the Wahl Professional is a common choice for barbers!

The real reason, of course, to get a model like this is because its durable and well-made. It’s got a solid well-built motor that operates at a steady 120 volts/60 hertz—very strong—and designed for near-constant use. While you can use it as your at-home clipper (and many guys do) you can absolutely make it a professional tool, for trim after trim after trim.

Even the details are well-made. The chord is chemical resistant (which may not matter so much at home, but makes it a great option for barber shops, where there are a lot of odd chemicals and concoctions lying around), and it’s 8 feet long—good for a professional setting like a salon, but also long enough so that you won’t trip over yourself if you’re using it at home.

The models itself comes with somewhat limited accessories—two attachment combs, a cleaning brush and some oil, and a rear blade guard—and while that’s not a lot, it’s fine if you’re well-versed with a clipper and know what you’re doing. That lack of accessories does, however, make it a poor choice for beginners, who are probably better off getting a simpler model (like the Color Pro Rechargeable or the Wahl Peanut).

So, this is the real deal, and we’re very comfortable recommending it for both form and function. It’s capable of providing a super-close trim, it’s well-built and durable, and it’s designed for professional or at-home use.

Do you know our absolute favorite part about the Wahl Professional, though? It’s designed specifically as a balding clipper, and you can see those words emblazoned right on the back of the model itself. How great is that? That’s a rarity in the world of clippers, and as we mentioned in our intro to this post, it’s evidence that the close-shaven look is here to stay.

The Andis Professional Master Adjustable Blade Hair Clipper

Summary: Our “best-of-the-best” pick, with a very powerful motor designed to produce any kind of shave or look you want—great for personal or professional use.

Pros:

Very powerful motor—can provide an extremely close shave

Easy to adjust and very intuitive

Handsome!

Cons:

Not a great pick for beginners

Here it is! The pinnacle, the peak, the best of the best: the Andis Professional Master Adjustable Blade Hair Clipper. Do you need the Andis Professional in order to get a fantastically clipped skull? No. Can it help a great deal? Yes.

This is the model we measure others against, really, for a lot of reasons:

It’s got a very powerful motor. This, too, operates at 120 volts/60 hertz, and can execute 14,000 cutting strokes per minute. That’s incredible, especially considering that many other high-end models usually range from 5,500 to 7,200 cutting strokes per minute. That alone makes it a standout, and it’s designed for high-intensity usage, over long periods of time.

It’s good for multi-use. As you would expect from a clipper designed for professional usage, it can do whatever you need it to—the only limitation is your personal skill as a barber. It can texture, it can taper, and it can fade (and fade as well as a dedicated pair of fade clippers). And, perhaps most importantly, it can be zero-gapped, and while that’s not always a concern for at-home folks, it’s very important to barbers.

It’s designed for easy usage. Few things are as irritating as a clipper that works well, but is a pain-in-the-neck to operate. The design on the Andis is very intuitive, and after you get the hang of it, you can adjust the blade to cut fine to course seamlessly, with just the flick of your thumb on the side level. That’s not the flashiest feature of the Andis, but it’s one of the best, and once you get used it, you can zip through length adjustments and work very quickly.

It looks gorgeous. Again, we’re “function over form” guys, but… well, when the “form” is awe-inspiring, you have to take notice! The Andis is silver chrome, just like the Terminator, and got a sleek-but-sturdy looking design. Very attractive.

So… this is it! The Andis Professional isn’t for everyone—not everybody needs a clipper of this caliber—but if you’re looking for a deluxe, capable pair of clippers that can perform at a high level for long periods of time, this is the one we’d recommend.            

Before we wrap things up, there’s one other pair of clippers we’d like mention. They’re a bit different—in fact, they’re not technically balding clippers at all, but you shave your head with them—and a lot of guys love them. They are:

Hand-Held Skull Shavers for a Fully-Shaved Head

Technically, this last pick is a head shaver and not technically a pair of balding clippers, but because we know so many guys who use them to get a completely-shaven look, we should we’d mention our favorite one. It is:

The Skull Shaver Pitbull Gold PRO

Summary: The Skull Shaver Pitbull Gold PRO is a high-quality shaver specifically designed for getting that sleek bald look while using up hardly any of your precious time, and it has an incredibly intuitive feel—it’s very easy to use, and it’s one of our all-time favorite models

Pros:

Comfortable ergonomic grip

Fast, close shave

Waterproof

Easy to clean

Cons:

Not technically a clipper, so some guys may need to get out of their comfort zones

The Skull Shaver Pitbull Gold PRO is probably our favorite of all the devices we use to shave our heads. It’s got basically everything we’d hope for in a head shaver:

It’s Got a Great Grip. The design of the Pitbull is “heads and shoulders” (ha) above the rest. It actually feels good in your hand, and you can slide your fingers directly under the motor, making it so that you’re essentially just rubbing your hands over your scalp to shave it. It feels intuitive and easy, and it actually feels natural, somehow—like you’re waving your hand over your head and your hair is disappearing.

It’s Got a Strong Motor. We could feel the hummmmmm and with its four rotary heads, you can make quick work of your shave. The Pitbull Gold PRO is waterproof, so you can conveniently use it in the shower as well. It’s worth noting that the waterproof rating is IPX5, which technically means it’s rated for “jets of water,” not full immersion, so be careful not to drop it in your shower and leave it there, especially if there’s any standing water in your shower (but you obviously wouldn’t want to do that with any model).

It’s Got Decent Battery Life. The battery life on the Pitbull Gold PRO is actually pretty standard for a high-end model—you get 90 minutes of shave time, but given how quickly you can use this to shave your head, that 90 minutes can last you a while. Re-charging is simple too, thanks to the USB charging setup.

Clean-Up is Very Easy. The heads are also easy to pop off, which makes it simple to clean. Altogether, this is just a quality shaver that gives you a good shave but is convenient at the same time.

Easy-of-use and effectiveness—that’s really all we can ask for. Excellent.

Look Great, Feel Great

We hope there’s something here that’s helped you. The fully shaved look become a great option for balding men or even men with full heads of hair who just want a cleaner, more convenient look, and we encourage you to try it. We did, and we haven’t looked back.

Thanks for reading—have fun, be good, and happy shaving!