Wahl Senior Cordless Review – Powerful, Heavy-Duty Clippers

Rating: 9.4/10

The Wahl Senior Clippers have been the hair industry’s most widely used hair clippers.

This long-serving clipper has stood the test of time due to numerous upgrades to its motor, cutting blade, and casing.

Its outward appearance has changed very little since it was introduced back in the 1980s.

The most significant change happened in 2017 when Wahl introduced its 5-Star Series of clippers and trimmers.

Although the original Wahl Senior is still available, it has effectively been replaced with the Wahl 5-Star Senior Cord/Cordless.

Basically, you get the best of both worlds – the reliability and reassurance of a mains power supplied clipper, plus the freedom and flexibility to use it cordless.

I like this clipper a lot, and totally get why it’s so popular in barbers and hair salons.

It’s what I call “a proper hair clipper” – rugged, durable, a little weighty, a powerful motor, and with a good cutting blade.

With the new Seniors, Wal hasn’t simply replaced the casing with a sleeker, glossy version and rebranded an older version.

No sir!

The 5-Star Senior Cordless Clippers are a new and unique set of clippers that has many features not found on similarly priced machines.

Here’s my review of the Wahl Professional 5-Star Series Cordless Senior, and why they are favored by professional barbers:

In a hurry?

Get the Wahl Senior Cordless on Amazon.

Features:

Cord/Cordless Operation

Cordless hair clippers are without a doubt the future.

Manufacturers are getting to the point where they can produce cordless machines that have similar torque and blade-speed to corded models.

Wahl certainly recognizes the demand for cordless clippers and has been hard at work to accommodate this.

These Senior Cordless Clippers are part of the new(ish) 5-Star Series producing cordless clippers and trimmers.

The advantages of not having a trailing cord when cutting your own or someone else’s hair are obvious.

However, it usually means higher production costs, which in turn results in higher prices in the shops.

Powerful Motor

For professional use, the power of a hair clipper, or trimmer, is often the most important feature a barber looks for.

This is where the Wahl Cordless Senior comes into its own.

It features Wahls’s most powerful, rotary motor that generates a higher blade speed (approx 6400 – 6700 rpm) with greater torque.

This effectively means the cutting blade runs faster and stronger, giving consistent power. Almost 50% more torque and 25% faster motor speed than the Magic Clip.

It makes cutting thick and/or wet hair much easier.

For continual use, the power of these clippers set them apart from most of their rivals.

Only the corded Oster Classic 76, Oster Octane, and Andis Master can beat the Senior Cordless for power.

Unique Fade Blade

Given the fact most barbers and hair stylists will use hair clippers to fade a client’s hair, Wahl introduced a specific fade blade to the Seniors.

The 2191 precision cutting blade has a smooth, thin, flat bottom that can be zero-gapped for super-short styles.

The teeth are longer which helps to separate the hair easier.

All chrome-coated to prevent rust.

The adjustable taper lever comes as standard, giving the user the ability to adjust the blade height for more precision with blending and fading hair.

Lithium-Ion battery

The popular and efficient Lithium-Ion battery gives the Senior Cordless a run time of approx 70 minutes before you need to charge it.

It takes 120 minutes to fully charge.

The run time is, without doubt, a negative feature of these otherwise stellar hair clippers.

Unless you have another pair on standby, you’re going to have to charge them up after 2 or 3 cuts.

For emergencies, you could use them plugged into the mains, but that’s not why you bought them right?

For home use, however, this shouldn’t worry you one bit.

For professional use, it’s a trade-off; power and speed, over how long they will run.

The clippers have a blue LED light that illuminates when they are charging and turns off when not.

Sleek Design

The design of the Senior Cordless has changed quite a lot from the original Seniors.

It is slightly thinner, has ergonomic indents for fingers and thumbs, and has a heavy-duty aluminum bottom case for extra durability.

There’s also the classic 5-Star glossy finish to the top-side.

It looks like a professional hair clipper and feels like one too.

It’s certainly a more weighty clipper – although I like that, and many barbers do too.

What Is Included In The Box?

• Wahl 5-Star Senior Professional Cord/Cordless Hair Clipper
• Charger
• Premium Guide Combs – #0.5 (1.5mm / 1/16″),  #1 (3mm / 1/8″),  #1.5 (4.5mm / 3/16″)
• Small tube lubricating oil
• Styling comb
• Cleaning brush
• Red blade guard
• Operating instructions
• 1 Year Wahl warranty

Pros And Cons

Pros & Cons of the Wahl 5-Star Cordless Senior

Pros

• Super powerful motor
• Up to 48% more torque than Wahl Magic Clip
• Ergonomic handling
• Easy cord-free handling
• Great for fades
• Can be zero-gapped

Cons

• Run time up to 70 minutes
• 2 hour charge time
• Only 3 guide combs in US version

Accessories:

Your Wahl Senior Cordless Clippers are a work of art and there are some great accessories to compliment it and to help keep it in tip-top condition:

Wahl Professional Premium Cutting Guides

Unfortunately, with the US version, you only get 3 guide combs with the Senior Cordless.

Luckily these Professional-grade Metal Clip Cutting Guides should give you all the cutting lengths you’ll need.

They are highly recommended and will fit most Wahl clippers including our Senior Cordless.

Aproca Hard Travel Storage Case

There is no dedicated storage case for the Wahl Senior clippers.

However, this Aproca Hard Travel/Storage Case works just fine and is an excellent addition to store your clippers.

Wahl Premium Hair Clipper Blade Lubricating Oil

As with any hair clippers, you only get a very small bottle of lubricating oil.

Do yourself a favor and grab a full-size bottle when you purchase the clipper.

The Wahl Hair Clipper Blade Oil is the stuff you need.

You should oil your clipper blades before and after every use with a few drops and that tiny little bottle won’t last long.

Just get it!

See also: An Easy Guide To Hair Clipper Maintenance

Wahl Senior v Magic Clip

A lot of people want to know what the differences are between the Wahl Senior Cordless and the Magic Clip.

They are both exceptional machines and both have different qualities.

Motor

The main difference between the two is the motor.

The Senior has a more powerful motor and a faster cutting speed.

This naturally helps when cutting thick or wet hair.

Not that the Magic Clip doesn’t perform well under these conditions, it just doesn’t have the same power.

Run Time

Run time is another feature that separates the two.

The Magic Clip will keep going for at least 20 minutes longer than the Senior with a run time of around 90 minutes+.

Metal v Plastic Housing

The Senior has an aluminum housing case which while more durable and hard-wearing than plastic, is prone to heat up after 20 minutes or so of constant use.

The Magic Clip is made of hard plastic and takes much longer to heat up.

The following video review compares the first version of the Wahl Cordless Senior with the Magic Clip.

(Wahl has since changed the color of the Senior to a smart glossy black. Other than that, there is no difference.)

Video review of Wahl Senior Vs Wahl Magic Clip

FAQs

Hair Cut Demo and Review of Wahl Senior Cordless

Wahl Cordless Senior on Amazon

Final Thoughts

The Wahl Cordless Senior Clippers are very much a professional-grade machine that is a firm favorite with barbers and hairstylists.

The stand-out feature for me has to be the powerful rotary motor.

For a cordless clipper, it cuts through any hair type with reassuring ease and consistency.

The trade-off comes with a run time of around 70 minutes.

It all depends on how often you think you’ll be using them. You might decide to get 2 pairs in order to keep one fully charged.

If you need more cutting time, you may want to consider the impressive Andis Master, which will power through cuts for over 90 minutes on a single charge.

The chrome-plated fade-blade is sharp and true, and the taper lever provides a more responsive, detailed cut.

It’s a well-weighted clipper that is easy to handle and performs as you would expect from a top-end model.

Although it’s targeted at the pros, in a busy salon, I think it is just as suited for home-use.

Peter