Philips QC5170/00 Mains Rechargeable Hairclipper

This is my first ever go at cutting my own hair. I'd let it grow 4" long, then set to work with these clippers using the "large comb" attachment at setting 5, = 21mm cut length. My hair was a little greasy, and the cut to begin with was messy, but a good start. The clipper sounded like a bee buzzing around my head. I occasionally stopped to slide off the transparent comb to tip out collected cuttings. I washed my hair, and before it was completely dry continued, going slowly in every possible direction, rotating the cutting head on the clipper body whenever I needed to come at a different angle, listening to the rattling sound each time the teeth engaged with some hair and began cutting, and got a near perfect cut! Was curious about going shorter, so turned dial down to 4 which claims to cut to 19mm on the large comb, and began cutting my now dry hair. Immediately could hear the rattling cutting sound as I moved over each new area. Very neat cut again, just a little shorter. Turned down to 3 = 17mm, then 2=15mm and after a few minutes was satisfied with that length. Those length specifications looked fairly accurate to what I got. I have fine but dense straightish hair. I finished off over the ears with the small trimming blade. I'm very impressed with how easy this device is to use, and I've not even tried the 6 shorter length settings yet. Now that I've got my hair fairly short, it'll only take a few minutes each week kneeling on a towel in front of a mirror to keep my hair looking very neat. Money very well spent.

I've been shaving my head now for almost 12 years, for the first few years i shaved with a set of clippers. Once i got tired of using them i just used to shave to the bone using a gillette blade. Now i'm approaching 30 i was growing bored of constantly have to shave my head, dealing with ingrowing hairs and such and decided it was time for a new set of clippers. When i spotted these i was immediately drawn to 2 things: 1) They're cordless, 2) The blades were stainless steel and maintenance free. Admittedly once i received them from Amazon my heart sank a bit, the clippers didn't match my expectations, it felt light and plastic y'know kind of cheap. But once i used them i was blown away (no i wasn't holding them with wet hands whilst they were plugged into the mains). They performed admirably, i have very fine hair (very little on the top and the usual around the side and back). I did have these on the shortest setting, and i haven't tried them with any of the attachments, but my head feels smooth and it didn't miss any patches. The rotating head isn't a gimmick either, when i was shaving the back of my head, switching the shavers head 90 degrees (you can turn it in increments of 45 degrees) took the strain out holding the clippers awkwardly and helped me achieve what i think is a very good cut. Plus they also double as beard trimmers (again i haven't tried to shave my face with the attachments on). Basically what i'm saying is that these are top notch.

Times are tough so I thought I'd save on the £45/month I was spending on haircuts. Plus, the cuts I was getting were pretty poor so I thought, "What do I have to lose?" I've had other clippers in the past but this one is comfortable to use, it has enough power to cut through my tough hair without jamming and it's fool proof. After three cuts I've got my technique down. I typically have a short-back-and-sides and the secret is to make several passes, reducing the length of the blade ONE step at a time (i.e. setting 5, then 4, 3, 2 etc) - don't jump steps (i.e. 5 to 3) or you will get a dog-chewed finish. Yes, it's more time-consuming but the end result is a lot neater and the gradation is much smoother. (Spend lots of time on the crown as, for some reason, I tend to miss that a lot and the hair stays longer there, making me look like an onion). The swivel head is a bit gimmicky in my opinion, it never quite swivels to the correct angle for me (45 degrees each turn) but that might be down to my funny-shaped head. I tend to keep the blade in one position and that works fine. Battery life is quite good - about 1 hour cutting time. When that runs out, you just plug in the mains to carry on/recharge. All in all, a good clipper with good quality blades and a strong motor that can manage tough hair.

I've been clipping my own hair for about ten years - this being my fourth set of clippers. The first was a Whal, which I wouldn't recommend. The second was a Remmington corded, which I then replaced with a cordless Remmington, since I wanted to cut my hair in the shower. I had that for about four years and was going to replace it with another Remmington until I read the reviews for the Philips QC5170. Having used my new hair clippers six times (I cut weekly), I'm very happy with it. It's lighter than the Remmington and easier to use because of the swivel head and the design of the handle. The battery life is also very good - it only faded after the sixth use, which is better than my old Remmington managed when new. In future I'll thus charge it once a month, to avoid it dying mid-cut. As normal, I use the clippers in the shower, even though it's not certified for that (the Remmington wasn't either). I then do a follow-up using the double-sided mirror on the bathroom cabinet, to catch the bits I missed. Before buying the Philips, I was slightly concerned by the negative reviews, which tend to focus on the minimum cutting length. Quite a few reviewers have suggested that, when the attachment is on the clippers, the minimum cutting length is about 5mm, rather than the 3mm that's advertised. In practice, this hasn't proved a problem to me, since I cut my hair without the attachment, which gets it down to 1 mm. Update: Aug 2012. Clipper has died, probably because of corrosion from exposure to water. Given that it is not a 'wet and dry' clipper, I guess it lasted well. But I won't get another one.

I've used a number of different clippers in the past few years and this is the easiest to use and maintain. The plastic extensions lift off and reattach simply and securely, and the grades 1,2,3 button is reassuringly sturdy; ie you won't slip into a new position mid-trim. The stainless steel blades are easy to maintain because you don't need to oil them like you do with ceramic ones, but I've noticed the difference in sharpness. One day I ended up with track lines, trying to push harder for a closer shave. I found the Wahl blades to be far superior in cutting fine hair. The only reason I moved away from Wahl was that they were fiddly to clean and I ended up with broken bits that slipped out of my hands. However, I will go back to them next time (and try to be more careful!). The major negative point against the Phiips is the size of the plastic attachment. The clippers are obviously not designed for beard trimming. If you want a grade 1-2 beard, it's impossible to trim the moustache without sticking the plastic attachment up your nose cutting it off (attachment or your nose!).

I bought 2 of these last Christmas, one for my son and one for my husband. My son has only used his once or twice as he likes his hair longish and shaggy term time but will lop it off when he comes home for holidays. Hubby uses his about once every two weeks so he has saved a lot of money over the barbers prices. He has his hair short back and sides and a bit longer on top ,like a marine type haircut,he has thick ,dark hair. It does a neat clean job first time and no worries about the blades sticking .It only takes him a few minutes and no need to travel to and from the barbers. I used it for myself for the first time last month to do my own.I have tried with our old wahl clippers and comb before and it is awkward. I cut mine 5" for the crown with scissors but never can layer the shorter back graduated section properly and finally decided to give it a go using the longest length available on the clippers. It was very easy and I really like how the cutting head can be angled so your hand is not all twisted up for the back. It did a smooth neat job and didn't look scalped despite my hair being light coloured and very fine and straight nor blocky as is sometimes the case with scissors,I might even go a bit shorter next go. The cordless facility is very nice as it means you don't tangle in the wire or have to be near a plug socket. Hubby cuts his in the bathroom which has no electric outlet so that he can sweep up the hair easily . You could even use it outside to save on clearing up.

This product is so good. I used to have my hair cut by my wife but after we split needed to do it myself. Was looking at the various hairclippers on the market, in particular ones designed for self use. Went for this one as Phillips is a trusted make and quite liked the design with its moveable head. It comes with an extra clipper head for styling, something I've not used though! Comes with the usual componants, for different lengths can also use without the attachments and lower the grade length, which is really handy. A small brush for cleaning (which is simple) is also included. The unit appears to hold its charge really well, only charge once since buying and still going strong. Design is really simple to use and has caused me no problems or hassle since buying. There is only 2 very small gripes with this product, first one is that no blade oil was included in the pack. From previous buying experience this is usually included. Second gripe is that there was no storage bag, which again usually comes included. These two negative points are only very small. On the whole, if I was to choose a set of hairclippers I would buy these again and again! No better recommendation than that!!

Bought one of these after reading the mainly positive reviews on it, and after my old clippers gave up the ghost. I've always found that buying hair clippers is a gamble, as they are excluded from returns for hygiene reasons. Unfortunately this was one gamble which didn't pay off. Firstly, the cutting grades seem higher than other razors, so if you want a really close shave, forget it, the design of the blade guides adds several mm. OK, this isn't such a big deal as most people can lower the cutting length until they find one that suits them. The second issue is cut quality. The clippers seem to miss little strands of hair, but flatten these down so you can't see them. The result is that after washing, you get little hairs sticking out all over the place which you then have to cut off by hand. Either that or keep going over until you get them. The third issue (and the one that finally caused me to dump these clippers), is the bits you just can't get to with it. The cutting guide is very wide, and for some reason it is just not able to cut sideburns and the bits above your ears, no matter which way you turn the guide. If you also have ridges / dimples on your head, as many people do, you'll have the same issue, the razor isn't able cut into these. This lead to comments from people like "Why are your sideburns darker than the rest of your hair?". I know this isn't just me by the way, as a relative owns the exact same pair of clippers and I noticed he had the same dark sideburns and side patches on his head - it looked ridiculous, and prompted me to throw these out! Anyone who is giving these good reviews must have a perfectly spherical shaped head, either that or they haven't looked in a mirror recently. Take my advice and avoid these. I ended up buying a pair of Wahl Afro T clippers which are very compact and solve all the above issues - and cut in a third of the time.