That moment I realized I was using too much heat on my clippers

Last Tuesday I was fading a kid and his hair kept getting that burnt smell and I couldn't figure out why until another barber in the shop leaned over and told me my clippers were set way too hot and I was basically cooking the hair instead of cutting it. He showed me how to dial it back and suddenly the fade came out smooth and the kid didn't flinch. Anyone else ever find out they were making a simple mistake with their gear that took ages to notice?

3 comments

3 Comments

ryan_shah381mo ago

Man that burnt hair smell is rough, I know exactly what you mean. So what temp do you usually keep your clippers at now after that lesson? I've got a friend who still swears by cranking it all the way up and I keep telling him he's just making more work for himself with crispy hair.

dakotab931mo ago

Man I still cringe thinking about that smell from my old Wahl clippers back in 2019, it was like a campfire but worse somehow. I keep my clippers at a steady 400 degrees now, anything above that just feels like you're asking for trouble (and crispy hair). I tried my buddy's clippers once that he had cranked up to like 480 and it literally smoked on my first pass, I couldn't believe it. Low and slow is the way to go, you know? Your friend will learn eventually, probably after he burns off a chunk of his own hair one day. That burnt hair smell just sticks in your nose for hours too, it's the worst.

henryp401mo ago

Wait, I thought clippers weren't supposed to get that hot, mine just have an on/off switch and no temp control.

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