If I were to pick a tough, all-classic-looks, a true hair clipper for men…that would be the Oster Classic 76 from Amazon.com. Once you hold it in your hand, you’ll know how a genuine barber clipper feels.
The 76 is all about quality cuts, professionalism and vintage looks in line with American barber traditions. It’s powerful, sturdy and yes – loud. Its noisy nature, however, is akin to a Harley-Davidson.
In other words, pure class. Let me introduce you my favorite hair clipper in this Oster Classic 76 review.
Overview of Oster Classic 76 clippers
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The Oster 76 body: a Harley-Davidson among clippers
Oster Classic 76 clippers are up there with Andis Master in terms of durability. If not, they are even tougher than the Andis barber cutter. The 76 body is made of valox material that is fall-resistant and pretty much unbreakable. You won’t have to worry about the Oster 76 housing at all.
The clipper’s design is amazing. No other brand can achieve such vintage looks, distilled in how old-school barber tools looked like. You’re getting a living legend with the 76, no doubt about that, and more that you will find out in this Oster classic 76 review.
As a corded hair cutter, this Oster professional clipper comes with a durable, thick 9 foot cord. That’s 1 foot than your usual cord length, so you’ve got some bonus flexibility. You’ll also receive blade oil, clipper grease, a cleaning brush and instructions.
The Oster 76 blades & motor: a barber’s dream
The 76 is Oster’s most famous clipper and the brand’s poster boy. Thus, all Oster 76 parts in this Oster classic 76 review are of extreme quality.
First things first, the motor.
You get tons of torque from the unique motor that means you can cut through any type of hair, wet or dry. Other types of clippers use an electromagnetic motor that oscillates. This is not nearly as powerful as one that rotates on a piston. Again, they don’t have the torque necessary to cut through thick hair like an Oster. Which means that you often have to go over the same spot multiple times to get an even cut. And they tend to heat up. The Oster can heat up, too after a while but nothing like an Andis for instance.
This model comes with Oster’s most powerful yet, a single speed universal motor. Blowing standard pivot or electromagnetic motors away, it makes the 76 a real king among professional heavy-duty hair clippers.
High volumes of hair and continuous use are nothing to the roaring engine beneath the valox.
As for the Oster 76 clipper blades, they are made of stainless steel and tested in extremely harsh environments to ensure both durability and sharpness.
This barber hair cutter is a detachable hair clipper. In other words, you have to change the blades – compared to adjustable clippers.
Upon buying the clipper, you’ll get Oster blades size 1 and 000 with it. The #000 blade leaves hair at 1/50″ (0.5mm) and is perfect for clipper over combs and really close fades. The #1 gets you a 3/32″ length (2.4mm) and is perfect for bulk removal and medium fades.
This is another downside to the Oster 76 as the individual blades can cost a lot. If you have to replace every blade it is going to cost a few hundred. The plus side is how durable they are so they will last a very long time.
If you are just starting out as a barber and are on a budget, keep this in mind with the 76. It is going to cost more than just the price of the clipper.
You may be tempted to go for it anyway and then just use plastic comb attachments on the #000 blade. This could work, but you’re not getting the most out of your 76er if you do this. You may want to tray a Fast Feed if you want Oster, but don’t have the money to spend on the blades.
A note on Oster 76 clipper maintenance
While challenging at first, clipper maintenance with the Classic 76 will grow on you eventually. I want to especially emphasize on the importance of oiling your blades. As a professional tool, this Oster model will last you extremely long. However, you need to take care of it, more so than your home use clippers.
Oster themselves have put out a very thorough video on how to ensure your Oster 76 Classic runs smoothly. Take your time to review it, it’ll come in handy:
This will keep your blades sharp as the hair is acidic and will eventually cause your blades to become dull.
A few considerations & shortcomings
Let me get this straight: this is a heavy-duty, professional Oster hair clipper. If you’re looking for compact, light solutions, look elsewhere. Remington HC4250 shortcut would be a fine choice.
The Oster Classic 76 gets hot and noisy. With such a powerful motor and a bulky body, you can’t help it. In fact, it might be one of the noisiest barber clippers, so you should be aware of that. This is what you trade for having a no-compromise hair cutter for barbers.
As I said, this is a hair clipper for men, not a boy’s tool.
In case your Oster 76 blades run too hot, you should use a coolant. Always be prepared to take a break after a lengthier haircut. Barber tools are like this, the Andis Master itself overheats easily too. Expect the 76 to start getting warm around the 15 minute mark and act accordingly.
When it comes to noise, I already mentioned it: this is the Harley-Davidson of hair clippers. It roars, instead of humming. It’s loud. But it’s tough, manly, and will make you feel proud.
The other major downside is the cost. Oster 76 clippers are some of the most expensive out there. Because of the cost I generally don’t recommend these for home use. Though they will give you a professional quality haircut, the price makes it hard to end up paying for itself with money saved.
For barbers, I know that getting started is very expensive. Filling up your tool box can add up fast. For this reason, many new barbers start out with the Andis clippers since they cost a fraction of the price.
The Master is not nearly as good a clipper as the 76, but it will get you started. Then once you are making money, you can upgrade to the 76. At the shop the 76 will pay for itself much faster since you can work faster and end up doing more haircuts per day than if you didn’t have it.
Fancy variations of the Oster 76 professional clipper
Oster has tons of more models that are all excellent. I love this brand especially since they have rotary motors. This means I have a hard time switching to others since I value the performance so much. If you want to see how the 76 compares to other Oster clippers then check out this article that has information about other types as well.
Final verdict
Without any doubt, Oster Classic 76 clippers are a fierce, powerful, overall amazing barber tool. They are all muscle, durability and professionalism. If you’re looking for a heavy-duty, quality-cuts tools, your search ends here.
If you want a mix of barber tools and more casual use, you can try out the Oster Fast Feed. It doesn’t get that hot, has a lighter body and its pivot motor will net you great haircuts – from fades to buzz cuts.
Grab one of these, feel manly, enjoy the motor noise and remember to oil and cool them. You won’t need anything else.
Oster Clasic 76
Good points
- Amazing motor power
- No hair jamming
- Durable, break-resistant
- Easy cleanup
- Outstanding blades
- Highly professional clippers
Bad points
- Bulky and heavy
- Guards/blades need to be purchased separately
- Tricky to change blades
- Louder than usual clippers
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