Ah, receding hair. The bane of us, men. As a diffuse thinner, I’ll tell you a secret you probably already knew anyway, though:
Nobody really cares about our bald heads.
That’s right. I’ve experienced it myself — and you will see for yourself too. No need to fret about it.
Everybody will care if you don’t shave these balding patches, though. These aren’t cool. Not at all.
Normally, I’d advise you to grab Wahl’s 5 star Balding clipper from Amazon.com its one of the best balding clippers and be done with it.
However, different cutting strokes for different balding folks, right? So I’m giving you a few choices – pick the best balding clippers that fit your style.
Recently, I’ve been experimenting with shavers (photo below), but the Wahl actually cuts as close as them:
Note: Oster 76 and Andis BGRc are detachable blade clippers. I recommend you also grab a #00000 blade with them (leaves hair at 1/125″/0.2mm or less!)
The 5 Best Balding Clippers For Shaving Your Head
| Product | Details | ||
|---|---|---|---|
 | Philips Norelco QC5580/40
| Check Price on Amazon.com | |
 | Wahl 5 Star Balding
| Check Price on Amazon.com | |
 | Andis BGRc
| Check Price on Amazon.com | |
 | Oster Classic 76
| Check Price on Amazon.com | |
 | Wahl Peanut
| Check Price on Amazon.com |
In this article:
- What are the best balding clippers
- What are balding clippers and how they work?
- Reasons for selecting exactly these clippers for balding men
Best value for price balding clippers:
Wahl Balding clipper
There’s a reason Wahl’s Balding clipper is so popular and falls among our best balding clippers. An extremely powerful set close cut hair clippers, these come with the trademark Wahl V5000 electromagnetic motor. Outshining any regular pivot motor, the V5000 guarantees faster, more precise shaves.
The Wahl blades cut incredibly even, resulting in a cut equal one to two day’s hair growth. That’s the closest you’ll be getting with any other stock blade – around 0.1/0.2mm. The clipper weighs 1 lbs and measures 6.25″, a bit bulkier than some other bald head clippers.
This set of clippers for shaving your head is also a part of Wahl’s 5 star series. You receive guaranteed quality as the brand has reserved this product line for their top notch models only.
Quiet in terms of operation, with a durable body, produced in Illinois. This fantastic hair cutter deserves the spot for the best budget clippers for a bald head. You can read our full Wahl Balding clipper review too.
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Easiest to use & maintain balding clippers:
Philips Norelco 5580/40
Another set of extremely close cut clippers, the Norelco 5580/40 comes with self-sharpening blades made of stainless steel. Do you find oiling and maintaining hair clipper blades a hassle? These are your best friend, then.
You can take the Norelco 5580/40 apart and wash its parts for even easier maintenance. No other shaving clippers will require so little of you. If you like clean cuts with zero string attached, these are your hair clippers for bald men.
This Philips balder comes in a cordless mode for flexible, mobile hair shaving action. A strong Lithium-Ion battery guarantees you 60 minutes of uptime.
It feels good to have balding clippers that don’t require charging after every shave. With its lightweight design, the Norelco 5580/40 is undoubtedly the most compact and convenient bald head shaver you can find.
I’ve got to admit, however: the Norelco blades aren’t as sharp as Wahl’s contestant when it comes to smooth shaves with balding clippers. However, they will be more gentle to your scalp, which is an important tradeoff.
If you’re interested in more in-depth information on it, you can read our Norelco QC5580/40 review.
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Best Andis balding clippers:
Andis BGRc ceramic clipper
Hands down. This is the most exquisite way to rock the bald looks with style and elegance. Andis BGRc are one of those rare ceramic hair clippers.
The ceramic blades are of unmatched quality and sharpness. They are way more durable than steel blades. Less maintenance worries for you, more focus on a truly professional slick bald shave.
If you want to nail an extremely close shave, grab an additional #00000 CeramicEdge blade. It’ll leave your hair at 0.2mm!
The BGRc shaving clippers are also 10% lighter than other professional models like the Wahl balder with their 0.90 lbs weight. Their body is also quite durable, made of high grade polymer.
Andis BGRc comes with a powerful rotary motor suited for any stylist’s needs. Combined, the ceramic blades for shaving your head and motor type guarantee both quiet and cool operation. You won’t have these Andis balding clippers heating in your hand as they are 70% cooler than other models.
You can get Andis BGRc in corded or cordless mode. Whichever you choose, rest assured: no other electric best balding clippers will give you such an elegant way to shave your head bald. Read our thorough Andis ceramic review here.
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Best runner-up clippers for bald heads
Wahl Peanut hair trimmer
In a way, the Wahl Peanut clipper is similar to Norelco 5580/40. It focuses on a compact design and aims to provide you with a flexible shaving experience. You can easily maneuver the Peanut for a more versatile approach to buzzing your head down.
No, really: this little clipper for bald heads is a mere 4 oz. Its body? A miniscule 4″, easily outshining any other balding clipper with its size!
Like the Andis BGRc, you get a rotary motor here. Its powerful operation is supplemented by sharp stainless steel Wahl blades. They are very precise and will cut very close to your scalp.
Unlike the Balding clipper’s blade hazards, though, you needn’t concern yourself with overly sharp Wahl blades here.
An important strong point of the Peanut hair trimmer is its price. A real deal, even its cordless version won’t break your bank. This doesn’t mean it compromises on quality here.
Again, though, the overall sharpness of the blades pales in comparison with Andis BGRc or Wahl’s 5 star balding clipper. However, you get a mobile, compact cutter for those head shaves at home.
You get a very potent set of Wahl close cut best balding clippers for your head shaving needs, as our full Peanut review finds out.
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Oster 76 classic
The Oster 76 classic hair clipper is the most durable and long-lasting electric clipper you’ll see. While not a hair clipper for bald heads per se.
Their precision and the evenness of the cut are spectacular. You won’t have to worry about going through your scalp twice to ensure you’ve left everything smooth. The 76 will deliver smooth bald cuts with its precise, cryogenically tested detachable blades that rival the BGRc ones.
My colleague here Ryan has likened the Classic 76 Oster professional clipper to a Harley Davidson. Just make sure you once again get a #00000 blade for these 0.2mm cuts!
This is true: their vintage design screams class and adheres to the long-lasting American barber traditions. A fall-resistant, ultra durable body makes sure the powerful “engine” inside remains untouched no matter the circumstances. And the universal motor inside that housing?
Nothing can beat it and I’m not exaggerating. There’s a reason why this smooth shaving clipper is barbers’ favorite tool, and makes it to our list of best balding clippers.
Any 76 Classic clipper owner will tell you: once you buy a set of these, you’re set for quite a few years ahead. With baldness here to stay, the 76 is a very wise investment, even though its price might initially seem a no-go to you.
Just keep in mind that this professional balding clipper can heat up quite mightily. This can be solved by using a cooling spray to chill things a bit. Check out Oster 76 classic review to learn more about its potential and why it makes it to our list of the best balding clippers.
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Remington HC4250
In my opinion, one of their best innovations was these balding clippers that are ergonomic and easy to use.
When a product can be used easily and effectively, you’re going to use it often. With an already low price that means you more than get your money’s worth.
Cordless Convenience
When shaving your own head, it is so much easier to not have a cord dangling in front of your face. Anything to make the process quicker and less of a hassle always come as a nice bonus.
How is the battery life?
After a four hour charge, you get about 40 minutes of runtime. This is enough to do at least three haircuts before it needs to charge again. If you are keeping up with your haircuts and not waiting for it to get too long before you buzz it down, then you’ll get even more cuts per charge.
The shorter your hair is, the less of a struggle the motor will have which uses less juice.
The battery is a Lithium Ion so it can keep a charge for years before it starts giving out. In fact, your motor will probably give out before the battery does.
Unique Blades
To really cut your hair evenly the blades are curved. This is great as it maximizes the contact with the head to cut more hair at once, which also saves you a lot of time.
Think about it.
A flat blade going against a curved head doesn’t make much contact. Probably only about one third of the blade is actually cutting any hair. With the HC4250 you’re making 100% contact.
Except for one area.
Behind the ears. This is not curved, so you will have to go over that spot a couple of times to properly get that hair cut down.
The blades are really sharp and stay sharp for a long time. If your hair is thick it can cut through it really easily.
You can get your hair down to 1\16 of an inch so it is just barely above bald.
Ergonomic
The small size and interesting shape is so easy to grip and gives you way more maneuverability than a traditional clipper.
Remington focused on making a totally ergonomic model that fits right into the palm of the hand.
Adding to the ease of use is the fact that it is waterproof. To clean it up after, simply rinse it under the faucet.
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Skull Shaver Beast Clipper
If you have looked at any of the head shaving electric razors, then you are certainly familiar with the Skull Shaver brand.
What sets this apart from the rest of the lineup is that it is a hair clipper and not a shaver. An electric razor is great to get right down to the bone, so to speak, but it can only do that one thing.
Having a clipper allows you to use it for haircuts, beard trims and a variety of lengths. It is not a mono-use tool, in other words.
Ergonomic
Adding to the convenience it the unique design. Instead of gripping it and holding it in your palm like the Remington HC4250, you put your fingers in a grip and palm it that way.
A pivoting head keeps the blade in contact with the skin almost at all times to cut a lot of hair at once.
This gives you way more of a glide that can cut down the cutting time by a lot. Saving you time by avoiding the lines at the barber and even more time by making quick work of shaving your head? Sold!
Battery Runtime
Sporting a Lithium Ion battery, it charges fast and keeps a charge. You’ll get 60 minutes of runtime out of this beast.
How many haircuts is that? Assuming your hair is short already and you are just buzzing it right back down to one length, I figure each haircut will take about 7 or 8 minutes. Accounting for a little bit of lost juice as it sits, I would say you can get 10 haircuts on a full charge. If you cut your hair once per week, then you’ve got over two months of cuts before you need to recharge it.
Powerful Motor
Cutting through thick hair is easy since the motor is quite powerful. If you look at the way it is constructed, you can see that the area that houses the motor is actually quite large.
Keeping the motor above the hands was a unique way to fit a large motor in while still keeping the size and shape small enough to handle easily.
There is a lot to like with this unique clipper including the plastic comb attachments. If you decide to change your haircut from bald to tapered. Then you can use the combs to give yourself a regular haircut, albeit short.
Or, you can use it as a beard trimmer using the same combs.
Ritter H & B.C Professional Zero Gap Hair Clippers
They are so small, yet so powerful.
They are already 0 gapped so they can get right down to the skin. Down to way less than 0 millimeters.
Weighing less than .25 pounds, they are ultra light. And it can fit right into the palm of your hand. Add cordless to the mix and you can see how convenient these clippers are.
Then, if you decide to grow your hair above balding and need to taper, it includes four plastic comb attachments.
A wide blade on a small body gives you great maneuverability all while cutting more hair at once then a similar sized trimmer or clipper.
Battery Life
Ok, one downside to the clippers is the use of a Nickel rechargeable battery. To be fair, it does give a 65 minute runtime which is very generous. The problem with Nickel based batteries is they don’t hold a charge for as long as Lithium. You should still get a few years out of the battery, but it would have been nice to have the peace of mind a Lithium one brings.
Very Convenient
I love the fact that little details were thought about when designing these balding clippers.
First, it can be used on 110V or 220V. If you travel overseas frequently, this is awesome news. No need to bring a transformer with you to use it internationally! Not only that, but it includes an EU adaptor to plug it in and charge it.
Next, it can be used with or without the cord. If you find the battery is out of juice, just plug it in and it will charge while you are using it at the same time.
If the battery can’t hold a charge anymore, you can still always use it corded until you decide to upgrade.
Powerful
A 6000 RPM motor in such a small clipper is almost unheard of. This puts it in professional territory. If you need a good set of trimmers to do edging and line ups that can also do double duty as a balding clipper then this is your best pick.
And, on top of that it is dead quiet. It simply makes a murmur while it’s running.
Overall, these are a great set of clippers for home use or in a shop.
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MANGROOMER – ULTIMATE PRO
You have probably heard of the Mangroomer as they make back shaving electric razors.
Now, they have entered the balding clipper market and have designed a neat little clipper to make shaving your head a breeze!
Shaped not unlike the Remington HC4250, it fits right into the palm of your hand.
How does it compare to the HC4250?
Let’s start with the price. It is roughly $20 less for the Mangroomer than the HC4250. If you are on a budget that is great news and might be the only reason you need to go with this over the Remington.
Now the blades. The HC4250 has a curved blade which is great for the contours but not great behind the ears.
The Mangroomer has a flat blade that is not great on the contours but does great around the ears. And the blades are self sharpening so you are guaranteed a close shave without pulling.
The blade on the Mangroomer is also wider so it cuts a lot of hair at once making a haircut a bit faster.
The ergonomics of the Mangroomer are not as good as the HC4250. The problem is that you grip it from behind instead of over the top. If you decide to grip it from the top you’ll end up shutting it off as the power button is right there. So does the Remington, but the way it is more flush means it is not easy to shut if off by accident.
A rubberized grip does help with handling the clipper.
As far as battery life, it does give a bit longer runtime than the Remington. It seems like it also can cut faster with a more powerful motor so I think you’ll get more haircuts from a full charge with the Mangroomer.
Also like the Remington is that it is waterproof for easy cleaning.
So, which one is better? Honestly it is a push since both have their pluses and minuses.
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What exactly are balding clippers?
Most of the usual hair clippers come with adjustable blades. They switch between #1 (3/32″ or 2.4mm) to #000 (1/50″ or 0.5mm.) As you yourself know, this doesn’t nail the slick bald looks.
This is why I don’t recommend you getting the usual hair cutters. Sure, they’ll shave close, but they won’t get as closer as you wish.
As I mentioned, with detachable blade clippers be sure to get an additional Oster or Andis close-cutting blade.
If you’re too concerned about clippers and want to give electric shavers a try…Well, check my comparison between foil and rotary shavers and which one works better for bald heads.
If you have thinning hair, but aren’t in Bald Territory yet, fret not. There are numerous ways to make things look better before you muster up the courage for a full head shave.
This concise guide to quality pomades for thin, brittle hair might spark up some ideas in your grooming habits!
I’m an outdoor enthusiast and have sported a full beard since I was in my early 20’s. Originally, growing a beard was a way to save time when getting ready each day, but I quickly realized that keeping a neatly trimmed beard takes work and some forethought. That’s where this site comes in.
You get to benefit from my years of experience. I’ve reviewed many of the top hair clippers on the market today and also included some information on what works best for me. A great beard will turn lots of heads in your direction.
Since I never know when I’m going to find myself being photographed, whether it’s climbing in Yosemite, or playing volleyball on the beach, it’s important to me to always look my very best. Maintaining my beard is part of my daily routine and I hope you’ll find some useful tips and information on this site to help you on your journey.
Dear tech Wahl Clipper’s support
I´m a 32 years old african american guy.
I always trim my hair and my beard as low as possible. But I can not shave with razors because it causes me Pseudofolliculitis barbae. That’s why I’ve been using Clipper Wahl Peanut for both my hair and my beard. Unfortunately on my last trip to Europe I connected to the 220w electric plug and it stopped working. I was very happy with this product, but it burned by overcurrent. Now I think it’s time to upgrade, but I want to buy a product that would cut my hair and beard the same length as the wahl peanut, so I wont get any skin irritation.
What do you suggest?
Thank you
Byron, hello there!
First of all, let me note that we’re not a Wahl support site — merely people who are interested (and use) clippers. Think of us as clipper enthusiasts 🙂
Now, onto trimming…So, you don’t want to continue using the Peanut? Hm…usually it’s a good choice if you want to keep both your hair and beard/mustache neatly trimmed. Clippers usually specialize in cutting hair and longer beards; trimmers focus on facial hair.
For facial hair, I’ve had good experiences with Andis T Outliner. I have sensitive skin and it didn’t irritate me.
However, it’ll be hard to shave your head with it due to its smaller blade.
Honestly, in your case, I’ll continue with another Peanut. I use a separate trimmer for my facial hair, and (recently) a foil shaver for my head.
Let me know if you need any additional info!
Alex
The old Andis D2 rechargeable trimmer is hands down the champion for ingrown beard sufferers. I have bought and tried everything over twenty years and still nothing compares.
What would you recommend for as close a shave as possible on the head? I currently use clippers, but believe that a foil shaver may be able to offer a closer cut?
Many thanks!
Hey Chris!!
The 5 star Balding gets surprisingly close for a clipper, not sure what you’re using.
That said, yes, foil shavers most of the time will be as close as a razor (almost). I do think it differs depending on the person – whether a foil or rotary is better, I mean.
For example, foils are SUPPOSED to be more gentle. Yet I have a far more comfortable time with my Norelco rotary. It does leave a bit more stubble than the foil shaver I have though.
Not sure if you saw it, but my post on those two types might be of help when you make a decision: https://www.hairclippersclub.com/foil-vs-rotary-shaver-for-face-head-bald-sensitive-skin/
But according to my experience so far, the 5 star Balding is almost equal to your average foil. Blades are sharper and definitely require attention, though!
Cheers!
Alex
Hello,
can Andis T-Outliner be used for head hair trimming?
Hi Bisha!
It can be used for shaving your head indeed – some people do this, though I stick to using it for my beard.
My main issue with using the T Outliner for head shaving is that the blade is narrower than what traditional clippers have. It’ll take a longer time, which paired with the T Outliner being prone to heating up might be a bit uncomfortable.
But it’s a possibility for sure!
Cheers,
Alex
Hello Alex,
ok i understand since it is a trimmer and not a clipper but why the Wahl Peanut would be good a choice to shave the head?It is a trimmer as well,same as Anids T-Outliner
Hi!
I am looking for the closest shave, without using a razor. I originally purchased the Wahl Balding clipper, which lasted me about a year, and now I purchased the Oster 76 with a 5-0 blade. The Wahl definitely gave a closer shave than the 5-0.
Is there anything on the market that can give an equally close shave as the Wahl? The downside to the Wahl was lack of portability, it didn’t last for me as well as it should have, and replacing the blade is difficult. thank you!
AJ, so sorry for the late reply, we weren’t around the past few weeks!
When I used the Andis Profoil it got quite close, veeery similar to the 5 star Balding. However, it did take a bit more time to go through the whole head in my case. It’s also a foil shaver, not a clipper – I think I mentioned my comparison between it and the Wahl 5 star Shaver Shaper in this article.
If it’s about clippers…yeah, a 00000 blade on a detachable is the closest thing at your disposal. But as you mentioned it still doesn’t go as close as the Balding. :/
Cheers!!
Alex
HI Alex,
I’ve been using a normal Philips face trimmer to cut the hair on my scalp for the past few years. I’ve been losing my hair and now I need a trimmer that will cut as close/short as possible so that I can get that sandpaper feel. I’m thinking about either getting the Andis T Outliner or the Wahl Balding clippers.
I would go for the Wahl Balding, but I’ve read some reviews stating that the teeth are very sharp and many have gotten cuts and nicks from it. The weight and noise of it is also a concern.
I’ve read your post stating that the Wahl Balding clippers cuts down to 0.1 or 0.2 mm. I’d love to know how close the Andis T outliner cuts down to. Is it 0.1 or 0.2 as well? I’d really appreciate it if you could help me out. Have a great day.
Greetings!
Thank you for your reviews.
I am searching for my Dad for clippers that will clean, completely, his fine hair in the back, neck and up on the head area. Also, something that doesn’t tear the skin off or nick a lot. Something durable.
I would prefer clippers that act like a foil razor, but don’t want to use a razor.
Any recommendations?
Thanks!
Mo
Notes someone mentioned that sandpaper feel but didn’t see a reply for a mid range price shaver. I don’t like razors and don’t care for that smooth razor finish. Prefer somewhere to the sandpaper area of length. What is the length of that closeness if you know and what would be best. I like the adjustable levers on the side but is not a must.