Feather blades are amazing, whatever you put them in. I’ll stick with my Merkur.
I’m all about the Astra blades nowadays. Nothing else can manage to cut through my steel-wool-like beard for more than a shave or two.
Yep, Astra Superior Platinums for me. I change the blade every Sunday morning. It’s only 9.5 cents, what’s the point of stretching their lifetime out?
I love the Wahl Peanut, and after a half dozen others I haven’t found anything I like as much as it for trimming my beard. EXCEPT the beard length I like is between two of the guide combs that come with it, and I can’t find any other than the size that come with the Peanut.
Until I do, I’m using another Wahl:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0058SY1XQ/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o09_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
It feels solid, much better built than the Phillips and Panasonics I’ve tried. It doesn’t have the adjustable combs the others have but it has enough I think I’ve found a length I can live with.
However, I continue to look for a guide comb in the length I need for the Peanut.
That’s the one I use, for which Wahl is shipping me a new shave head (the one you attach the combs to) and a set of combs, for free. I find the combs to be somewhat fragile, and I would caution you to go slowly while cleaning the heads out, to avoid doing what I did to mine.
After I got my first Peanut and felt how much better it worked than any battery-charged clippers, I started wondering what lay farther up the continuum, so I Googled “What is the Cadillac of hair clippers?” and got an unambiguous answer: the Oster Classic 76.
Like the Peanut, it’s meant for professional use. The cutting power is tremendous. It’s not even remotely fragile, and every part is replaceable anyway. There’s a huge assortment of blade assemblies and (I think) guides. I use a 00000 blade and task-appropriate guides, which I keep in my own little jar of Marvicide along with related items.
I wouldn’t buy any consumer-market devices (except the Philips Bodygroom, which has unique properties). They just seem flimsy and underpowered by comparison.
I upgraded from the Wahl to an Oster and the difference was remarkable. Not that 76 model though, almost half the price.
It’s a fraction of the size, weight, and noise of the wahl while having better cutting power. With the wahl my scalp would always look a bit red and irritated afterwards, whereas the Oster doesn’t cause any discomfort.
Finally! A trimmer for my nose ears. Sold!
I have to have this now. I’ll try to hold off until Christmas, but I doubt that’s possible.
That’s what I still use my Peanut for.
You have nose ears too? There are dozens of us!
No, I don’t have nose ears. Because I shave them off every few hours.
Just to avoid tragedy — the Classic 76 is a clipper, not a trimmer, so don’t put the blade directly onto bare skin unless you’re some kind of finesse clipper wizard. The Peanut can be used directly on bare skin.
Mentioned it a few posts up back in 2017, but I still use the Philips Oneblade exclusively for shaving. Since May 17 I’ve used five cartridges only, and it still works like new. A close-enough shave that’s faster than alternatives and zero skin irritation, and low cost.
I used mine this weekend, as I do about once a month, when I’ve let a beard grow for a few days. It’s great for an initial trim to make the proper wet shave more comfortable.
Oneblade is OK for that initial trim, but it really isn’t close enough for a final shave for me. It also takes FOREVER to get it to resemble a real shave. I threw mine out.
I imagine if you have a beard it would work really well.
I do maintain a beard, which also works well for me since I use the offset clip things.
I picked up a new Braun Series 7 electric shaver, since my last Braun made it 8 years before giving out. I’ve had many elextric razors, 4-5 years is usually a normal lifetime. It was unable to hold a charge for about the last year but over my last business trip it just will no longer turn on at all. I could attempt to fix it, I’d wanted to do a battery replacement on my own, but whatever, it was time to throw money at something new. I’ve used other brands in the past but Braun to me mimics how I shave with a blade, which I like quite a bit.
There are times I still use a bladed razor, for those I have a stock of shave club blades, etc. Those times are pretty rare, however.
I did gander at the Phillips Norelco a bit, but the circular shaving annoyed me a bit when I last had a Norelco. For now it’s a pass. A new shaver isn’t cheap at the upper tier models, but as mentioned, mine tend to last me for quite a while with the minor expense of foil replacements when things get really rough, or more often, broken.
Mentioned upthread by @YakAttack, here is that Wirecutter review of all.
I loved my Wahl Peanut. But I could never get a guide comb the right length for my beard.
I am now using a Wahl cordless trimmer that was referenced above, nice weight, and it has a comb that is the length I want. Is is a #2, 1/4 inch. But I was thinking, I KNOW the Peanut has an S2 that is labeled 1/4 inch.
However, for whatever reason, with the Peanut the Wahl sizes seem to go S1 - 1/8, to S2 - 1/4 inch, to S3 - 1/2 inch, but he jump from the S1 to the S2 is huge (the next sizes are incremental. And even though both my trimmers are Wahls, the size 2 - 1/4 inch seem to be significantly different.
To articulate visually:
This is the Wahl Peanut S1-1/8th inch, in white, next to the Wahl rechargeable s2 - 1/4 inch. The difference looks reasonable.
But here’s the Wahl Peanut S2- 1/4 inch compared to the Wahl rechargable S2- 1/4 inch:
I don’t get it. And every Wahl Peanut or other set that fits this seems to be the same.
All I want is a guide comb for the Peanut that is truly 1/4 inch that matches the size of the Wahl rechargeable #2 1/4 inch! Any guidance?
Thanks
Jeff I can’t tell, are the peanut guides the same size to fit onto the trimmer? In other words, can you fit the guides from your rechargeable onto the peanut?
I’m asking because there are a lot more third party guides for the standard wahl fit. And if so, there are some that offer half sizes from what I understand. At least my barber has them.