Quite a few people would probably laugh at the Flowbee – and its gimmicky infomercials.
They won’t laugh once they see what a great job it actually does, though.
Because the short answer is that yes, the Flowbee on Amazon.com really works and that we will confirm in this Flowbee haircutting system review. With quite the spectacular results, even!
My father used to cut our hair with an older gen Flowbee that lasted us 9 whole years. And that was despite me and my brother being little brats and doing our best to break it down…
Don’t let appearances fool you: the Flowbee rocks. It’s convenient, saves quite a bit of money and should last you for years to come.
Sure, it might not have the most cutting edge design. Everybody can see that. But aren’t we looking for something practical anyways?
We’ll also present some Flowbee alternatives, such as the AirCut, as well as related products from Remington and Waahl.
In this Flowbee haircutting system review I want to expand on a few things:
What exactly is the Flowbee hair cutter?
What can you use it for?
Who is it suitable for?
A Flowbee vs Robocut comparison
- Flowbee alternatives
Quick Overview
| Product | Details | ||
|---|---|---|---|
 | AirCut - Self Hair Cutting Kit
| Check Price on Amazon.com | |
 | Remington HKVAC2000A Vacuum Haircut Kit
| Check Price on Amazon.com | |
 | Wahl Professional Vacuum Clipper
| Check Price on Amazon.com | |
 | Flowbee Haircutting System
| Check Price on Amazon.com | |
 | Robocut Model-r28 Vacuum Haircutter
| Check Price on Amazon.com |
1. What exactly is the Flowbee haircutting system?
The Flowbee is a pretty basic concept: a hair cutter that relies on suction to collect your trimmer hair while cutting it at the same time. The benefit is that you don’t have any hair clutter around when you’re done.
How does it work?
Pretty simple – you just connect the cutter to your vacuum cleaner via a simple hose attachment. Flowbee is compatible with the majority of vacuum brands and models. Keep in mind the power output needs to be 3 hp or 8 amps.
Note: Your vacuum’s power also contributes to how well the Flowbee performs. Vacuums with better suction power will lead to quicker haircuts.
You control the cut’s length by using so called “spacers”. They allow for hair lengths from 1/2″ to 6″ at increments of 1/4″.
If you feel a little confused, here’s a short demonstration video:
A hair cutter that relies on suction to collect your trimmer hair while cutting it at the same time.
2. What can you use a Flowbee haircutter for?
I won’t lie: this system isn’t as versatile as a good pair of clippers. It’s primary purpose is to help you achieve simple home haircuts in the 1/2″ to 6″ hair length range.
If you value simplicity and want presentable, but easy hairstyling, you’ll like it.
If you want detailed work like fades or tapering work, you won’t get these done that well. I recommend you look at adjustable blade vacuum clippers instead.
Also, keep in mind that it works better on fine/straight hair. Thicker hair or extremely curly hair might take some time and prove to be harder to style with the Flowbee.
For it to work properly and give you an even haircut, the hair needs to be straight when it enters the blades. Your hair may not be pulled straight enough depending on how thick and curly it is. People with ethnic hair may want to think twice about the Flowbee because of this.
Note: whatever you decide to do, don’t try to cut more than 1/2″ worth of hair length at a time. The manufacturer recommends sticking to the fixed increments.
3. Who is it suitable for?
This was my father’s primary reason for using it. Haircuts on four family members would guarantee a few hours of cleaning up! Our family skipped on this by using a Flowbee when I was a kid.
Of course, it makes sense to use the hair cutting system for personal use too. You can use a Flowbee alone, without the need of another person helping you either. Very easy to work with and no unneeded complications.
If you have longer hair, cutting your own hair with scissors is very tricky. It requires a triple mirror and a lot of patience. And making a mistake could send you to a barber to fix it. An expense you were looking to avoid. The Flowbee takes all the guesswork out of it and takes a fraction of the time. It’s really hard to screw up your own haircut with a Flowbee.
4. Flowbee vs Robocut: which should you choose?
Now, as you can guess, the Flowbee isn’t the only system of this kind around.
There’s also the Robocut from Amazon.com – a more portable, lightweight take on home haircuts. There’s a few differences between both models you should keep in mind:
The Robocut has extended cutting length control: 1/4″ to 24″ (compared to Flowbee’s 1/2″ to 6″). This means you can get quite the neat buzzcuts with the shorter adjustment.
It can connect to any vacuum (no 3hp/8amp+ limitations)
It runs a tad quieter than the rather noisy Flowbee
In addition, the Robocut haircutting system has a dial-like length controller. You can adjust the cuts on the go. A bit more convenient than changing the spacers as you need to do with the Flowbee.
Another benefit is that Robocut is more suitable if you want to trim your pets’ fur. If it’s about dogs, however, I recommend you read our guest author Giorgio’s list of best dog clippers. They’re a better choice.
Anyway! Here’s how the Robocut vacuum hair cutter looks in action:
That said, a few people point out that a Flowbee feels sturdier and delivers sharper haircuts. My observations are 50/50 here.
On one hand, I have a friend who swears by the Robocut. On the other, an acquaintance complained about the model pulling on his hair annoyingly.
The Flowbee is the pioneer in this market and my father used it when I was a kid, so I’m partial to it. However, the Robocut vacuum cutter is also worth looking into.
Unfortunately, those cheesy commercial you’re used to seeing mean that it has become somewhat of a joke and hard to take the brand seriously. This shouldn’t be the case. It isn’t going to perform miracles, but it does the job it needs to do.
Ultimately, after reading this Flowbee haircutting system review, the choice is up to you. These were my personal thoughts — I advise you to read a few reviews from people who’ve used them and make your decision!
Provides a more portable, lightweight take on home haircuts.
5. Flowbee Alternatives
Flowbee is an extremely popular product, and it might happen, that you will find yourself looking for it in vain. Do not despair - there are other products based on the same brilliant idea.
Here are some other products that we would recommend looking into if you can't get your hands on the Flowbee:
A portable alternative for easy, quick and precise haircuts wherever you need them!
A stylish product from Remington that comes with a complete kit.
Professional, commercial grade equipment for more experienced home barbers.
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Good review! I’ve had my Flowbee for years and wouldn’t be without it. Caveat: buy it directly from the factory in Texas at Flowbee.com (usually cheaper than Amazon). The Flowbees on Amazon are Chinese knockoffs which is why some of the reviews state they’re not as good as they used to be. They are if you get them from the factory in Texas.
Hi Ross! Thanks for the comment. There are, indeed, a lot of knock-offs on Amazon. However, this one is sold by Flowbee themselves.
But it is true. Flowbee is not as good as it used to be. I’ve been using it for over 25 years and the first is much stronger and sturdier and with stronger blades and motor and the plastic less brittle than the second one. It still words fine (bought the second one only because spacers were not available seperately at that time!). New ones are still good though.
You can see from the video, he’s not cutting his hair with it. His hair isn’t long enough to reach the blades with the spacers he has mounted. He just messed up his hair before, then combed it afterwards. Still looks bad.
I bought a Flowbee in 1994. It took me three months to screw up the courage to use it. Now I am close to 300 haircuts. I keep track of the number on the back of the owners manual for hoots and giggles. Once I started using it, I have never looked back. Right now my haircuts take about 10 minutes at a cost of about 30 cents a haircut. If you are as cheap – no make that efficiently frugal as me, you will get one. Definitely the real deal.
I bought my Flowbee in 2008 and it’s still going strong. I love NOT having to make an appointment, drive to the salon, wait for the perpetually-late stylist, listen to her grumpy rantings, pay her money, and then drive home only to have to take a shower to get rid of all the loose hair on me. The Flowbee is a great invention that is still selling.
I’ve had mine for well over 20 years now, and lost count of how much I’ve saved!
I’m in Australia, and they are not available here, so had to buy one while I was visiting USA. I have never told anyone about it, and I swear no-one has ever commented negatively about my hair style!
I really love it, it’s actually fun, and moreover, it saves TIME not driving to barber, waiting, then sitting in chair making small talk and driving home again.
Such a simple idea, but LEGENDARY!
I hope they are still around if I need to buy another one one day.
I bought my Flowbee when it first came out! It has to be at least 40 years ago. I can’t guess how much money I’ve saved. It was a great purchase. I’ve replaced the combs 2 times. Now it’s time to get some new ones again.
My daughter posted a video of me cutting my cousin’s husbands hair to make fun of me. I didn’t care it still operates perfect!
Just remember you CAN’T return the flow bee for a refund. My wife bought it for me as a present directly from the flow bee website and it didn’t work for me because I prefer to cut my hair shorter than the included attachments. I called flow bee and they said they do not accept returns for refunds. I told them I never even opened the box and they still said they will not accept a refund. The costumer service woman told me to go sell it on eBay.