In terms of brands, many barbers will opt for the tried and true makers like Wahl, Panasonic, Hatteker and Philips. And if it’s good enough for them, it’s certainly good enough for you.

Remember you’ll need an entirely different tool if you’re looking to tidy up any facial hair at the same time. Your beard hair is completely different to your head hair, and we’d recommend using a dedicated beard trimmer for precision trimming around the jawline over a larger hair clipper.

Are all hair clipper blades the same?

As with most things, you get what you pay for and there are more blade types and materials out there than you might think, ranging from different grades of stainless steel, titanium or even ceramic. “There’s always a new blade out, which is exciting for a barber,” says Tucker. “The crunch blade on the Wahl Magic was always the go-to for me to create an easy fade, but pretty much all new clippers are now equipped with very good adjustable blades that are waterproof and rust-resistant.” More expensive blades will prove to be more versatile and tend to last longer due to their hardier materials, letting them deal more easily with thick hair as a result.

This does, however, mean you might have different maintenance requirements for different blade types, and some will be better for different hair types. Some will have a brush you can use to clean up once you’re done, but others may have their own cleaning stations, oil or self-sharpening blades to keep…