Old timer told me to lower my clipper angle, I laughed it off for a year until I tried it

Had this guy in his 70s come in around 6 months ago, regular buzz cut type, but he watched me do a skin fade on the kid before him. When he sat down he said 'you're fighting the head shape with that steep angle, drop it to almost flat on the curve and let the blade do the work.' I nodded and did my usual thing. Last week I finally tried his advice on a guy with a real lumpy crown and it cleaned up the line way smoother. The weird part is he wasn't even a barber, he said he watched his dad cut hair in a Wisconsin shop for 40 years. Now I'm wondering how many other tips I've ignored from customers who clearly know what they're talking about. Do you guys take advice from clients or just smile and do your thing? What's a tip someone gave you that actually changed how you cut?

2 comments

2 Comments

keith9001mo ago

...but honestly @west.richard I used to have the same mindset until a customer who fixed transmission for 30 years told me to watch how the blade chatters on short hair. He wasn't a barber either but he pointed out the vibration was from my wrist angle, not the clipper. I tried his tip on the next three cuts and my fades got way cleaner, so now I listen for the technical stuff even if I ignore the style advice.

west.richard1mo ago

Ha, nah... I smile and nod and then do what I know works. Some old guy's dad cutting hair in Wisconsin doesn't make him a barber, and one lucky hit on a lumpy head doesn't prove a damn thing.