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wahl senior cordless review

Wahl Senior Cordless Review

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The Wahl is one of the oldest hair clipper companies and was founded in 1919 in Sterling, Illinois. They have played a major role in the progress of hair clippers because they have constantly been innovating and coming up with new designs and features. The Wahl Senior cordless clipper is one of their best-selling products, but it is not a new one. The Wahl Senior series was launched back in 1948 and has been selling like crazy ever since.

Of course, the 1948 Senior clippers have nothing to do with today’s Senior cordless clipper. The technology has advanced a lot, and the Senior cordless clipper has many features that the old models could only dream of.

But enough with the history class, let’s move on to the actual review and see if the Senior cordless clipper lives up to its name.

Wahl Senior 5-star cordless Quick Pros and Cons

If you are in a hurry and don’t want to read all the details about the Wahl Senior 5-Star Cordless clipper, here are its pros and cons

Pros

  • Good Grip
  • Sharp Surgical Blades
  • Powerful Rotary Motor
  • 70 Minutes Battery Run Time
  • Premium Packaging

Cons

  • Overheats Easily

Wahl Senior 5-star cordless Overview

wahl 5 star senior cordless

I know that most of you want to know about the quality of the blades and the motor, but we thought to start this review a bit differently. So, we decided to start with the general feel of this clipper.

General Feel

As soon as you take it out of the box, you can see and feel that this is a quality product. It has a heavy-duty feel to it, and while it is a bit on the heavy side (13 ounces), it is very comfortable to use.

This is might be something personal, but with the ultra-light clippers, you don’t really get the feeling that you are in control, and the extra weight of the Senior gives you a sense of stability. We don’t know how to explain it to you exactly, but I am sure that a lot of professional barbers know what we are talking about.

Materials and design

Wahl 5 star senior cordless top

This clipper is half plastic and half metal. The front part is made from black plastic (the older model was dark blue), and the back is made from metal. This has its pros and cons, and we are going to talk about them more in-depth later. But what’s really good about this clipper’s design is its grip! As you can see in the photo below, the metal back side has some nice curves that your fingers will fit perfectly between them. This, along with its rectangle-like shape and the thumb rest in front, gives you great control of the clipper.

Finally, it has a brown-gold taper level fade on the side, which is great if you are planning to use it for fades (this is a reason it has made it to our best clippers for fades article), and the on and off button that also has the same color.

wahl 5 star senior cordless back

Blades

wahl 5 star senior cordless blades

The blades are another strong point of this clipper. The Wahl Senior comes with zero-gapped, straight surgical blades (#2191). And if all this sounds like jargon to you, let me explain what all these mean and why they are so good.

First and most importantly, they are very sharp blades that can cut both bulk, and do fades with ease. The fact that they are zero-gap means that you can get a very close cut (not as close as the balding clippers), and this is always important if you want your fades to look on point.

Finally, while Wahl uses taper blades in most of their clippers, they use surgical blades on the Senior cordless. The difference between the taper and the surgical blades is that the taper blades are not straight and have a small angle. This means that they don’t cut as close as the surgical blades, which is why they are called taper blades.

Related Article: Should You Zero Gap Your Clippers?

Motor

wahl cordless senior rotary motor

If you are familiar with Wahl clippers, you are probably familiar with their super strong V9000 motor. And while Wahl uses the V9000 motor in the corded version of the Senior clipper, they use a different (but still very powerful) motor in the cordless version.

The Wahl Senior cordless comes with a rotary motor that is not as strong as the V9000 but still gets the job done. This is Wahl’s top rotary motor with great torque that can generate about 6700 rotations per minute. This makes the Senior cordless 25% faster than the Magic clip, which already is a very fast clipper (We have a dedicated review of the Wahl 5-star Magic Clip that you can read here).

But what does this all mean?

Well, it means that the rotary motor, along with the very sharp blades, make this clipper a powerhouse that can cut through any hair type in bulk without any problems.

Battery

And, of course, since we are talking about a cordless clipper, we should also talk about its battery. The Wahl 5-star Senior Cordless has a lithium-ion battery with 70 minutes of run time after 70 minutes of charge.

Seventy minutes of run time is not the longest, but what matters most is the equilibrium between the power and the run time. And in this case, the Wahl Senior cordless does a great job.

What we are trying to say is that while there are cordless clippers with a longer run time, they are not as powerful as the Senior cordless. So, for such a powerful motor, 70 minutes is actually very good.

Sound

I know that many of you find the sound of clippers very annoying, but let’s be honest, hair clippers are machines with motors that will make some noise, and the Wahl cordless senior is no different.

That being said, Wahl made a great effort to reduce the noise level of the Senior cordless and compared to the 2017 model, they did a great job. You can hear the sound difference in the video below.

Packaging

wahl senior 5 star package

Wahl didn’t pay much attention to their packaging and has received many complaints about it, but they listened to their customers and have made some changes. It might sound a bit silly, but buying a high-end product is not only about the product itself but also the experience. The unboxing process is very important and is a big part of the customer experience. Imagine having ordered a brand new iPhone and receiving it in a simple box. It would be a bit disappointing, right?

The same goes for hair clippers, but Wahl didn’t seem to understand this until recently. The new packaging is much better and gives the experience of a high-end product.

But Wahl didn’t only improve the packaging itself but also what’s inside the box. The new Senior cordless comes with a comb, an oil with a small brush for the blades, the charger, and three guards the number 1/2 guard, the number 1 guard, and the number 1&1/2 guard.

wahl 5 star senior cordless package inside

What we don’t like about the Wahl 5-Star Senior Cordless

Overheating

Now that we have told you all the good stuff about the Wahl 5-Star Senior Cordless, it’s time to talk about the bad stuff.

The biggest flow of this clipper is that it overheats easily. Remember when we were talking about the materials, and we told you each material has its pros and cons? Well, in this case, the metal casing is a bit of a double-edged sword.

The good thing about it is that it makes the clipper very durable. Metal is more resistant than plastic, and it will make the clipper able to withstand some falls.

On the other hand, metal is a good heat conductor, and this is the biggest problem of the Wahl 5-Star Senior Cordless. The clipper gets hot, which is a problem, especially if you are using it professionally, because you will have to take breaks to let it cool down.

Vibration level

Another smaller problem of the Wahl 5-Star Senior Cordless is that it has a high vibration level. This is not a big problem cause all clippers vibrate (this is how their motors give motion to the blades), but it can be annoying, especially if you are not that used to working with powerful clippers.

Wahl Senior cordless FAQ

How Long Do Wahl Seniors Last?

Wahl 5-Star Senior Cordless has a lithium-ion battery with a run time of 70 minutes after 70 minutes of charge. While it is not the longest-lasting cordless clipper, it is still a good amount of time for such a powerful motor.

What Is The Difference Between Wahl Senior And The 5-Star Senior?

The difference between the Wahl Senior and the 5-Start Senior is the blades. The 5-star Senior uses the zero gap #2191 surgical blades that offer a closer cut, while the Wahl Senior uses the #1005 blades.

What Is Wahl Senior Cordless Good For?

The Wahl senior cordless is good for both bulk cutting and fades. Thanks to its very sharp blades and powerful rotary motor, it can handle any hair type.

What Motor Does The Wahl Cordless Senior Have?

The Wahl cordless senior has a rotary motor. While this motor is not as powerful as the V9000 motor, it is very powerful and can reach up to 6700 RPM (rotations per minute).

Conclusion

By now, you know the good, the bad, and the ugly about the Wahl 5-Star Senior Cordless.

This clipper is a very good choice for both beginners and professionals. Thanks to its blades and motor, it is good for both bulk cutting and fades. It is a well-designed hair clipper with a good grip and comes in nice packaging with all the accessories that you need to get started.

The biggest problem with this clipper is that it overheats easily and has a high vibration level. But if you can look past these two problems, the Wahl 5-Star Senior Cordless is a great choice.

If there is something that you would like to ask or add, please leave a comment below.

We would love to hear from you. 🙂

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