Barber or national chain hair cutter?

[chiefsfan1]

Who do you all go too? Or DIY. I use Great Clips or Sports Clips.
I have been looking for a barber and been calling them. I did find that not all do the straight blade shave. I never had that done.

 

[JC1]

A barber for me. Far too many cannot properly use a pair of clippers to give a smooth cut.

 

[LoneRanger]

DIY. Male pattern baldness has its advantages. Full size Wahl trimmer and a smaller battery op detail trimmer, buzz it close cut.

 

[IndyIan]

Barber for me, been going to the same 1 man shop for my whole life, and there's only been 2 barbers in 40 years...
The odd time I have to go somewhere else and a chain is usually more expensive and always not as good.

 

[Falken]

I just use a Wahl clipper at home on myself once a month, buzz it down to stubble.

My hair is pretty thick so I got a professional Wahl Magic Clip with the stronger V2000 motor for under 60$ off Amazon.

I kept my old Wahl as a backup in case you drop a clipper and break it or something just to be able to finish off the cut.

 

[opus1]

Chain, specifically SportClips. The one near my house has two really good stylists.

 

[racer12306]

I get my hair cut with the 1.5 blade, all over. With as simple as this is, people still screw it up. Or at a place like Hair Cuttery, they have cheap junk for equipment and it literally hurts my scalp. My scalp is red when I'm finished there.

I've been going to a barber for a number of years now, reserving the Hair Cuttery for when absolutely necessary but normally, I'll wait for the Barber unless he is closed and I need my hair cut that day. I even moved 20 miles away, but fortunately, he's still on my way home from work so I continue to go to the same guy.

He uses an Oster 76 and a straight blade. I have only had one time where it wasn't perfect when I left. I didn't realize it until I got home, and it was a very minor imperfection.

Crazy part is, it is the same/couple dollars cheaper than the chain.

 

[Bottom_Feeder]

The worst cut I ever got was from a barber when I was a teen. It was amazingly choppy and uneven and looked terrible. I've been going to frou-frou hair salons ever since.

 

[supton]

Originally Posted By: LoneRanger
DIY. Male pattern baldness has its advantages. Full size Wahl trimmer and a smaller battery op detail trimmer, buzz it close cut.


I do likewise. I've got nothing against chains, I just never have cared that much about my appearance. A buzz is quick, cheap and uses less shampoo.

 

[Benzadmiral]

I've been going to the same barber at a privately-owned shop in the suburbs since 1979. In that time I've changed my total hairstyle once, from parted-on-the-left to the soft-part-in-the-middle style I have now. He trims my beard too, though I have a Wahl beard trimmer for touchups and the like between barber visits.

Earlier in '79 I tried one of the chains, Great Clips or Supercuts, something like that. Dunno if they're still in business. I wasn't happy with the result, and a buddy of mine said, "Try this guy." That was 37 years ago.

 

[AirgunSavant]

I used the same shop for 50 years
A new one opened up right down the road. Guy said he had been a barber for 28 years.
Uses a trimmer no scissors. I think he better get another job. A barber that uses solely a electric trimmer
is an amateur IMHO.

 

[javacontour]

Originally Posted By: chiefsfan1
Who do you all go too? Or DIY. I use Great Clips or Sports Clips.
I have been looking for a barber and been calling them. I did find that not all do the straight blade shave. I never had that done.


oilBabe cuts my hair most times. #3 clipper all around. Tapered around the ears and in back.

Given the amount of dome showing, it's hard to justify paying full price for cutting only 1/2 a head of hair.

 

[SatinSilver]

One of my coworkers was telling me about the hot babe who cut his hair during his lunch hour. So I go there now. After several visits I was waiting and look on the coffee table in front of me and see some men's magazines mixed in with the regular magazines. You know the Playboy mags and some even more risqué ones that I probably shouldn't mention here. I thought one of the guys mixed them in to be funny. So as I'm looking at them she comes in and says that I can bring the magazine in with me while I'm getting my haircut. Which is what I did, very nice haircut. Then with the Irish barber near where I live he asks if you want a beer while you wait and get a hair cut. That's not bad either.

 

[Rat407]

I now go to the local hair stylist. The barber I went to passed away, he was 89. Great guy and ton of stories to listen too as he cut my hair. I'm also in a small town and 45 minutes away from any other place to get a good hair cut.

 

[bubbatime]

When I was a teen (20 years ago), I went to a barber that charged $5 per cut. He was military style, sit in his chair for 3 minutes, he buzzed it all off at your preferred height, and trimmed up the neck line. Looked good for a 3 minute hair cut, and the guy always had 20 people in his waiting area.

I moved and found a new barber. Guy does a 25 minute cut (mostly talking and making jokes) and does a warm lather and neck shave afterwards with a straight razor. Fantastic experience. He charges $15.

When I can't make it to a barber, I whip out the Wahl trimmer, put a number 2 on, and buzz it all off. Wife does the neck line. A $40 trimmer pays for itself after only a few uses.

 

[totegoat]

Originally Posted By: LoneRanger
DIY. Male pattern baldness has its advantages. Full size Wahl trimmer and a smaller battery op detail trimmer, buzz it close cut.


Just bought one of these at Costco. Has already paid for itself. Wife is getting pretty good with it

 

[ARCOgraphite]

All comes down to the specific person who is cutting your hair..
I get harassed about my comb-over DAILY.
I fond Foo-Foo salons often don't have experienced barbers to give an old guy an old guy conservative haircut.

 

[supton]

Originally Posted By: ARCOgraphite
I get harassed about my comb-over DAILY.


Can we join in?

For years my mother teased my grandfather and his "Bozo the clown" haircut. Dad did the combover too, but somehow he missed mom's mocking. I suspect that's part of why I just buzz mine. [That and cost.]

 

[mrsilv04]

Neither.

I go to a locally owned place where they hire hot girls who actually DO know how to cut men's hair, and they hand you a cold beer as soon as you walk through the door.

The entire building is done in a "garage" motif, and there are several flat screen TV's on the walls with ESPN, Comcast Sports Net.. whatever on.

It actually makes the process enjoyable.

 

[xfactor9]

Btw is there a difference between a "barber shop" and a "hair salon"?

I think of a barber shop as a place run by an old guy. The shop features a 1990's RCA tube TV on a desk. The shop hasn't been remodeled in 30 years, with the same faux wood-grain finish walls. The customer base is entirely male.

I think of a hair salon as a place with multiple female workers, generally cleaner, and their customers are both male and female, adults and children. Some salons also do nails.

Or is there no difference between a barber and a hair salon? Can a barber be female?