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I bought this trimmer after trying to find a well built, above average product. Reviews were good. Wahl's a good brand. It's a Lithium Ion with tons of battery time. Plus you get lots of attachments which makes the trimmer quite versatile.
On the surface, the trimmer feels good. It feels like a premium consumer grade product, exactly as it should.
Upon use, it is a reasonable product. The design choices are logical, however I do prefer adjustable style versions versus having to swap tips.
I don't use it all that much really, and much of the time it just sits on the counter patiently waiting.
As a trimmer, I would normally give it a 4 out of 5. I think it's well built and appropriate for the cost point. I do think most users will prefer a couple alternative design choices for convenience. At the very least it would have been nice for the tips to be color coded. Rummaging through a bag for a particular size is a pain. Plus there's nothing provided to hold or organize the accessories. Even a lot of the cheapest trimmers come with storage solutions.
Odd quirk
Well, I ran into the same problem as many others with this (and it's product family). At one random point it just stayed on and won't turn off. It seems this is a common problem for the device due to some flaw in the design. It makes the product completely useless. Initially I thought the trimmer was defective and has a critical flaw in its design. I even reviewed as such with two stars and warning. However, I had a hypothesis which turns out to be true.
This device does have a quirky design flaw. Thankfully it's not permanent, but people may think it's so without knowing. I'm sure a lot have been sent back as defective, and a lot of low star reviews exist because of this flaw. The device isn't mechanically controlled in the classic sense. It's very circuit board heavy and in turn is driven by the circuitry in function. This controls On/Off, charging, and the LED. One flaw with some circuitry is that it doesn't work as intended when voltage goes above or below spec. When the battery goes low on this trimmer, the On/Off function gets weird. It will stay on or off, and you can't control it via the button. You have to plug in the charger to stop the trimmer for acting weird. The charger acts as a secondary Off button that is reliable.
So a word of warning.
The trimmer works good when charged, but when the battery's getting low, it may start acting weird. If this happens, thankfully the trimmer is not damaged, but you do need to plug in the charger and recharge the battery. Once the voltage goes back up, the trimmer will act normally again.
I bought this trimmer about 3 weeks ago to replace a cheaper plastic Wahl trimmer that i really liked. The older one's battery started losing charge and it was getting some wear after 3 years of regular use. So i wanted a nicer trimmer and the reviews and specs on this one fit the bill. I spent ~ $65 for the 9864 at the time of purchase. It is much heavier and sturdier than the earlier wahl i purchased and I can get 3 or 4 days of shaves out of one charge.
So i really like the trimmer. Problem was, i lost wall charger on travel and cannot charge it. So I tracked down the Wahl customer service at 1-800-767-9245. Unfortunately, i don't remember the nice woman's name, but I told her my story and that I loved the trimmer but i wanted to purchase another wall charger b/c i had lost mine. She was extremely pleasant and simply ask me for my address so she could ship me a complimentary charger. I was on the phone no more than 2 minutes and i had my charger on its way. I know Wahl is one of the top brands in trimmers, but given this one interaction and the quality of the 9864, i don't think i will ever buy any brand other than Wahl again.
I bought this trimmer because I thought it was the best looking trimmer on the market and would look best permanently out on my dresser. The trimmer work exactly as advertised - nice tight trim (including leaving stubble if desired - which is the look for which I go) and it didn't pull at my face once like every other trimmer I've tried. I haven't bothered much with the accessories but the unit is beautiful, has great heft, and trims like a champ. It worked great both dry and in the shower.
Until it stopped! This is where the story gets weird. One day after returning from a trip (presumably with some baggage handler mishandling) the trimmer stayed on unless it was plugged in. Connected to the wall - off, not connected to its power cord - on. I called Wahl, not expecting much (my thing doesn't work and I have no proof) and they took care of me like a pro. They immediately overnighted me a new trimmer (including all accessories) and told me that if I sent the broken one back they'd repair that free of charge and send it back my way as well as a backup trimmer. What customer service. Between the unit and the service I'll never buy another brand of trimmer again. I just wish there was some way to give these guys more than 5 stars.
Went through multiple inexpensive Conair trimmers over years, seemed that motor would wear out after 1-3 years. Had difficulty finding a more robust product that had the fine-trimmer feature that I wanted for mustache and tight places. This Wahl clipper is a much more substantial tool, so expect it to last a much longer time (about 1 year in so far). I use it daily for medium beard, mustache, hair around ears, and sometimes for close shave of neck (most days use a norelco rotary for close shave work).
The detail trimmer is the must-have feature that I bought the Conair and this for, and it works very well, easily trimming mustache with high precision. The "standard" size T blade works great for beard and around ears, the foil razor works very well, and the different attachments are very easy to swap. I don't bother with the rotary nose trimmer, opting for a different type (Norelco NoseTrimmer 5100).
Battery lifetime is fantastic, has gone for months on 1 charge. I've gone to a habit of charging on 1st of month to try to maximize battery life.
Love the finish, although discovered that it is easy to scratch by metal objects (don't put razor body & stand in same container together). Love the weight & balance, and stainless steel materials. Also availablity of additional/replacement blades, USA manufacture, long-time company should be around for awhile.
#1 longest lasting cordless lithium battery barely ever needs charged after using for an hour doing my entire head to toe manscaping haha. Honestly best deal best product best multifunctional use. **For questions about oiling, please refer to my picture of Wahl's Total Care Spray Can! It's the easiest and fastest way to clean, OIL, lube, Cool, & etc...all in one shot. Takes 2 minutes tops to spray the blades while running the clippers turned down towards the sink and you'll be amazed as to what comes out!! Then whip away the excess oil and put them away until next use! I highly recommend that product if you use these clippers as often as I do!! I use the spray every other time of use. Just to make sure I'm getting the most bang for my buck$$!!
Feature Product
- Wahl Clipper is the #1 brand of beard trimmers and hair clippers*. The brand used by professionals since 1919. Made in the USA , Cutting length without attachments - 0.7 mm
- Dual Voltage/International Use - It can be used for both 110v and 220v. Best Wahl trimmers for when you travel
- 4 Different Attachments Heads let you achieve your best grooming style and authentic look: - wide T-blade for beard and mustache trimming, hair cuts, touchups, body grooming and detailing: - Rotary ear and nose trimmer for hygienic trimming: - Precision detailer for clean up and designs: - Dual Foil shaver for close shaves
- Super Long Runtime - Lithium Ion Plus Rechargeable Technology gives you 4 hours of continuous run time, which means months of normal usage between charging. It also features almost no loss of charge while in storage, is environmentally smart and no "memory" issues so your battery will always take a full charge
- Ideal Gifts/Presents for men/dad/husbands/boyfriends on Father's Day, Valentine's Day, Birthday, Christmas Day, Anniversary, or any special event. *Based on North American Dollar Sales
Description
Real stainless steel body with slate finish lithium ion rechargeable cordless all in one trimmer best for beard, mustache, stubble, ear, nose, and body grooming. Achieve professional results at home with the finest grade self sharpening precision blades. More power and longer runtime with a five year warranty. Twelve individual guide combs from 1/16" to 1" lengths, wide T-blade trimmer, detail trimmer head, rotary nose/ear head, dual shaver head with protective cap, fast charging, storage travel zipper pouch, and styling guide. Made in the USA.
I don't want to repeat all the existing positive reviews, so just read those following notes to clear some myths / issues.:
- there is NO issue with the POER BUTTON unless you get water in it. This unit is not water resistant!!! I checked with the manufacturer and they confirmed that has been the cause of the button to fail. Although their manual says DO NOT WASH people still wash it.
- the COMBS are PLASTIC, but certainly not cheap plastic and they work perfectly fine - they don't pull my hair and they don't irritate my skin, but I haven't tried to cut a long beard, I only have a stubble. Check the sizes to see if you can get away with them. If you require more sizes or a lot of custom sizing, you need a trimmer with adjustable comb.
- it's NOT difficult or time consuming to clean. You just need to take the blades out and use the brush to clean them and the trimmer inside. It takes a minute or two to completely clean the unit and oil the blades after each use. It's a professional grade trimmer, as any other tool it requires consistent and proper care. If you don't have 2 minutes on top of your trimming, wake up 2 minutes earlier or go to sleep 2 minutes earlier. I can't understand those complaints about time consuming cleaning.
- POWERFUL is the trimmer, it goes through my beard and hair like a hot knife through butter! The previous Braun unit was struggling at both.
- the BLADES are awesome!! Sharp and fine.
- it feels good in my hand and it's comfortable to use it.
UPDATE : One year later the blades are as sharp as new! I think I've only charged it 4-5 times during the year trimming my coarse stubble every 3-4 days and my entire head 1-2 times a month. I had to charge my old Braun unit every second or third week at the same rate of use and the blades on it were pulling like crazy few months in. Not on this unit. If anything there may be 2-4% decrease in sharpness at worst. It really is a professional grade tool. I don't think I'd wanna bother trying anything else out there after this experience. Manufacturer's warranty and support is also top of class. Where is the 6th star on here?
This is a nice trimmer that feels good in the hand and has a lot of power. The battery is amazing. I have not had to recharge it and I've been using it for two weeks now, although not daily but still I think it's a pretty impressive battery.
Some of the "closed-end" hair length attachments cause hair to build up very rapidly and affect the cut and I have to clean them out very frequently during use. I would like it better if all the attachments were open-ended to minimize this effect and allow the teeth to move through the hair more easily.
A lot of hair builds up inside the trimmer head as well. I would like it better if the blades allowed hair to fall away rather than build up inside. And I have very short hair so it's not like I'm trying to cut too much long hair at once.
It would be nice to include some sort of organizer or holder for the accessories and charger. All I have is the plain brown cardboard box the kit came in and the flimsy zip lock baggie that the accessories and cleaning brush came in. The stand for the trimmer itself is nice though.
This trimmer is far better than the Phillips trimmer I had as far as battery life but I did like the adjustable attachment with 5 level settings on that Phillips, eliminating the need to remove and change attachments continually.
I haven't used the shaver, nose trimmer and fine trimmer attachments yet. If the hair length attachments were all open-ended and they included a nicer alternative for accessory storage, I'd give it 5 stars. If they replaced all the separate hair length attachments with one multi-length adjustable one, I'd give it 5 stars even without a nicer storage alternative for the attachments and charger.
This is my second Wahl trimmer. My first one served me well until I dropped it in the toilet while it was turned on. That ended it's life sadly.
Pros:
1. The battery on this thing lasts FOREVER. I charge it no more than once a month. I use it to trim my beard and shave my head about once a week. The whole process takes about 30 minutes so I get more than 2 hours of use per charge as well as 30+ days of standby power.
2. The included stand didn't come with my first trimmer and it turns out that I really like it.
3. All the combs and other blade attachments make this a perfect solution for always looking your best
Cons:
1. It's not waterproof, I really wish it was since these are perfect otherwise
2. The blade doesn't stay sharp as long as I'd like, but replacing it cost less than paying someone else to cut my hair even one time
3. The foil shave attachment doesn't seem to always give a consistently close shave. You can use it all over your head and still find random areas that don't seem to be cut as close as others. I just use a razor in place of it now.
Updated: Wahl provided excellent service recovery. Colleen overnighted a new package, after personally inspecting the clipper to ensure it was flawless. It was/is. Apparently Wahl is rolling out new coatings, and I happened to pick an early unit. Oh, well; that can happen. The new clipper works great, and I'm a happy customer now.
Original review: The trimmer arrived this evening, and I want to like it, based on several reviews. On the plus side, it appears to work - I charged it, and it runs, but I haven't used it yet. Unfortunately, my (presumably) brand new trimmer arrived with two rows of scuff marks about 5mm wide, running nearly the entire length of the trimmer (see the photos).
Absolutely love this trimmer. It took me a bit to get used to because it was pulling on my facial hair when I was using one of the attachments, but once I figured the best way to use it to prevent that hair pull I was all good. The nose hair attachment is awesome to have, the very small trimmer attachment is great for under my nose and on the sides of my goatee to make a real tight line, and even the attachment I never thought I'd use the electric shaver works wonderfully. I bought through the Amazon Warehouse deals so I got this for half the cost because it didn't come in the original box and didn't have a manual- big deal! The manual is online, and who needs the box that just gets pitched in the garbage right away. I love the stand that it comes with, and it has a nice carrying bag to fit everything inside. I've been rocking the goatee and beard for over 20 years, hands down the best trimmer I've owned. BUY THIS, YOU WON'T BE DISAPPOINTED!!
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