The Wahl 5-Star Cordless Barber Combo is Wahl's own packaged clipper-and-trimmer pair for barbers who fade and line all day: both tools run high-carbon steel blades under titanium and diamond-like carbon (DLC) coatings, which Wahl builds to resist rust. The Magic Clip Cordless carries the patented gold Stagger-Tooth blade at 6500 RPM; the Cordless Detailer Li carries the gold T-Wide blade at 6700 RPM and adjusts to zero-gap with the alignment tool in the box. Made in the USA.

In the box

• Wahl Magic Clip Cordless clipper (8591L1)
• Wahl Cordless Detailer Li trimmer (8171L)
• 6 cutting guides - 1.5 mm, 3.0 mm and 4.5 mm for the clipper, 1.5 mm, 3.0 mm and 4.5 mm for the trimmer
• Blade alignment tool for setting the trimmer to zero-gap
• Styling comb, blade oil and cleaning brush
• Charging cords for both tools

Why the packaged combo

This is not two boxes taped together - it is Wahl's own combo, and the tools inside it are specified as a pair. Wahl states it plainly: the Magic Clip Cordless is designed to blend as it cuts, while the Cordless Detailer Li delivers sharp lines with one-hit precision. The patented Stagger-Tooth blade blends hair while simultaneously creating texture for a softer finish; the T-Wide blade adjusts precisely to zero-gap with the alignment tool included here. Both blades are high-carbon steel under titanium and DLC coatings, so the pair shares one blade standard rather than two.

Key features

• Patented gold Stagger-Tooth blade - blends hair while creating texture for a softer finish
• Gold T-Wide blade on the trimmer, adjusted to zero-gap with the included alignment tool
• Titanium and DLC coatings over high-carbon steel - rust resistant
• Clipper: 6500 RPM, cutting length 0.5 - 1.2 mm, 295 g
• Trimmer: 6700 RPM, 147 g
• Clipper 60 min charge = 120 min run time; trimmer 45 min charge = 100 min run time
• 6 cutting guides at 1.5 mm, 3.0 mm and 4.5 mm per tool; cord or cordless, 100 - 240 V

What to expect at the chair

The two tools are built for opposite ends of the same cut and feel like it. The Magic Clip is the heavier of the pair at 295 g and sits in the palm for blending passes, its lever setting the cut from 0.5 to 1.2 mm without a guide. The Detailer is 147 g, held like a pen, and its T-Wide blade is what goes to the hairline. Each has its own battery, so the clipper's 120 minutes and the trimmer's 100 minutes run down independently.

Who it is for

• Barbers who want Wahl's own paired clipper and trimmer rather than two separate buys
• Anyone whose day is blending, fading, shape-ups and pattern work
• Barbers who want the same blade standard - titanium and DLC - on both tools
• Experienced home users who cut their own fades and want the trimmer for the edges

Who it is not for

• A close skin finish - a foil shaver's job; neither tool here shaves
• Anyone needing guides above 4.5 mm - this combo ships three sizes per tool
• Anyone who only fades, or only lines - the single tools are the cheaper route
• Anyone who wants a charging stand in the box - these charge from their cords

Professional tip

Set the trimmer with the alignment tool before the first client, then work the cut in one direction: blend with the Magic Clip while the head is full, and when you bring the Detailer to the line, commit - one hit on the line, then move on. Going back over a zero-gapped line is how it creeps.

How to use

1. Charge both tools before the first cut - the clipper takes 60 minutes, the trimmer 45.
2. Oil both blades: a drop at each end of the cutting edge and one in the centre, run briefly, wipe the excess.
3. Set the trimmer's blades to zero-gap with the included alignment tool, with the tool switched off.
4. Blend and fade with the Magic Clip - guides at 1.5 mm, 3.0 mm or 4.5 mm, then the bare blade on the lever.
5. Take the shape-up, the neckline and any pattern work with the Detailer.

Care and maintenance

Brush both blades out after each client and oil them every day you use them - a drop at each end of the cutting edge and one in the centre - with the Wahl blade oil from the box. Wahl specifies its own oil, and a blade cleaning spray always gets a drop of oil afterwards, because it leaves the blade dry. Never soak a tool or a blade in any solution: the titanium and DLC coatings are rust resistant, they do not replace oil, and a dry blade is the usual reason a clipper starts pulling. Reset the trimmer with the alignment tool rather than by eye whenever the blade comes off. And for sectioning hair while you work, add the XanitaliaPro SalonPro hair clips.

In short

• Wahl's own 5-Star combo: Magic Clip Cordless clipper and Cordless Detailer Li trimmer
• Patented gold Stagger-Tooth blade and gold T-Wide blade, titanium and DLC coated
• Clipper 6500 RPM, 0.5 - 1.2 mm, 295 g; trimmer 6700 RPM, 147 g
• Clipper 60 min charge = 120 min run time; trimmer 45 min charge = 100 min run time
• 6 cutting guides at 1.5, 3.0 and 4.5 mm per tool; 100 - 240 V; made in the USA

Frequently asked questions