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Do you have some holes in you gear game? Today I’m going to be talking about essential tools that you need to perform your job to optimal quality. This is a mixed bag that I have neglected to put in the previous posts, but it is essential gear nonetheless. Read on, and discover a few items you may be missing from making your setup the best in your shop.
A hot blow dryer helps you shape the hair. When you wet the hair you are allowing for a change in bonds that keep your hair straight or curly, and as you heat and manipulate the hair with a brush and blow dryer you are allowing those bonds to form in whatever way you choose. Any of the Instagram barbers that you follow that have pictures of perfect, uniform hair, are masters at styling hair. Once again, without knowing how to style hair properly you will be miles behind people that have spent hours learning how to turn hair into any shape that they can imagine.
For my money, I like Velecta blowdryers. They are a little heavier than some blowdryers, so if you have weak wrists, this isn’t for you. But I’ve owned multiple dryers from this company and I can say this, they blow really hot and they last for a long time, and as a barber that likes good tools, these dryers hit all the benchmarks for me.
That said there are three shavers that I would recommend. The Wahl 5-Star Finale and the Andis Profoil Lithium Shaver are basically one and the same. Both have gold foil, lithium ion batteries, and take the hair off with a minimal amount of effort. They seem to have a very similar amount of battery life, so it is just preference when it comes down to which one you like. I own the Andis, but I really like the black colour of the Wahl Finale. As far as battery life goes they last about the same amount of length. To me, the Wahl Finale is just Wahl trying to compete with Andis, because Andis came out on top with this foil shaver over the Wahl Shaper Shaver.
For my third option (and fourth because I’m going to include two shavers in here) is the Braun Series 7 and Braun Series 9. There are quite a few versions of these shavers out there, but, honestly, for taking down hair to bald, these foil shavers are quite literally beasts. I have seen one take down about three or four days of growth with two or three passes. These are expensive, but effective. They shave both wet and dry, and they are waterproof so you can wash the hair right off of them without worrying about it. The replacement foils are fairly expensive (I have seen them for about 70 dollars), but I’ve heard that you can get over a year with one head. And, the heads are also made of titanium and are less susceptible to breaking.
If you use any of the links that I’ve linked to you can purchase the items that I’ve recommended at no extra cost to you, and I’ll receive a commission. This would help me continue to write these posts for you, so please consider it.
And with this short post I have come to the end of the gear section. For those on that want a list of all the gear and tools that I have mentioned, be on the lookout for the gear guide that I am putting together. This will help you with a premium and budget checklist for putting together the ultimate barbering kit, to help you become a Better Barber. If you want to receive an email about when this is out, please send me an email at mjmartinejohn@gmail.com and put Barber Guide in the subject line.
Next week, we get into how to properly deal with customers so make sure you subscribe with your email by using the blue subscribe button above.
Thanks for coming through once again,
Martin
Do you have some holes in you gear game? Today I’m going to be talking about essential tools that you need to perform your job to optimal quality. This is a mixed bag that I have neglected to put in the previous posts, but it is essential gear nonetheless. Read on, and discover a few items you may be missing from making your setup the best in your shop.
Blowdryer
The first tool is an adequate blowdryer. I like my blow dryers to be hot and I like them to be have some power. Essentially, your blowdryer is used to shape and style hair, without it you are going to be sending out haircuts that look basic, and with the evolution of men’s hair trending towards more highly styled looks, you want to be able to deliver these looks to your customers. You can have an amazing fade, but without the ability to style that hair, you will be sending out a sub-par product. To me, this matters, no matter at what price point you are cutting, because if you can provide a look for your customer that they cannot deliver, or other barbers have been glossing over, you will have a customer for life.A hot blow dryer helps you shape the hair. When you wet the hair you are allowing for a change in bonds that keep your hair straight or curly, and as you heat and manipulate the hair with a brush and blow dryer you are allowing those bonds to form in whatever way you choose. Any of the Instagram barbers that you follow that have pictures of perfect, uniform hair, are masters at styling hair. Once again, without knowing how to style hair properly you will be miles behind people that have spent hours learning how to turn hair into any shape that they can imagine.
For my money, I like Velecta blowdryers. They are a little heavier than some blowdryers, so if you have weak wrists, this isn’t for you. But I’ve owned multiple dryers from this company and I can say this, they blow really hot and they last for a long time, and as a barber that likes good tools, these dryers hit all the benchmarks for me.
Clipper Caddy/Clipper Tray
If you want to keep your corded clippers from tangling up on one another, look no further than a clipper caddy, built to keep your clippers from tangling into one another, and keeping them out of drawers and off of hooks (the hooks always end up failing in one way or another. One of the bad things about these, is that they take up a lot of countertop, but if you are a very clipper riented person, and one that craves organization on your counter, this is something that you should look into.Barber Backpack
If you haven’t heard of BYAPPYONLY, you should check them out. Vince the Barber wanted a backpack that looked decent and had enough room to transport all the gear that you want to bring on your house calls. This backpack has Velcro straps for all your clippers, pockets for your guards, and various pockets to stow away anything you could possibly need and MORE. And it doesn’t look horrible either...it is easily becoming the most professionally desired way to go mobile for barbers.
Electric Duster
If you don’t like pulling apart your clippers and cleaning them with a brush quite so much, or you want to blow away all the hair that collects between your blades to keep them sharp, and keep them working to maximal efficiency, than an electric duster will be your best friend. No more going through boxes of compressed air, you can get one of these and have all the compressed air that you need whenever you need it. They are quite loud, so buyer beware, but they are also quite handy when it comes to clipper maintenance and clearing hair from the body of your clippers.Foil Shavers
I neglected to address foil shavers in the shaving post, but’s foil shave is a great addition to a straight razor when it comes to balding and shaving your customers faces, or if you don’t use a straight razor, in lieu of it. Foil shavers are shavers that will shave your face, your neck, your head, the balding line, whatever you want them to, the better ones on the market can plough thru hair and leave you feeling baby smooth without worry. One complaint is that with coarse, curly hair, these foils may shave the hair off below the skin, leaving them hair that has been shaved more likely to bump up afterwards.That said there are three shavers that I would recommend. The Wahl 5-Star Finale and the Andis Profoil Lithium Shaver are basically one and the same. Both have gold foil, lithium ion batteries, and take the hair off with a minimal amount of effort. They seem to have a very similar amount of battery life, so it is just preference when it comes down to which one you like. I own the Andis, but I really like the black colour of the Wahl Finale. As far as battery life goes they last about the same amount of length. To me, the Wahl Finale is just Wahl trying to compete with Andis, because Andis came out on top with this foil shaver over the Wahl Shaper Shaver.
For my third option (and fourth because I’m going to include two shavers in here) is the Braun Series 7 and Braun Series 9. There are quite a few versions of these shavers out there, but, honestly, for taking down hair to bald, these foil shavers are quite literally beasts. I have seen one take down about three or four days of growth with two or three passes. These are expensive, but effective. They shave both wet and dry, and they are waterproof so you can wash the hair right off of them without worrying about it. The replacement foils are fairly expensive (I have seen them for about 70 dollars), but I’ve heard that you can get over a year with one head. And, the heads are also made of titanium and are less susceptible to breaking.
Station Mat
I’m of the opinion that if you are working at a station, that a station mat is a great add-on for keeping your scissors on a safe surface, and also keeping your clippers safe if you have to put them down for a second. Irving Barber Company has just released a whole bevy of these in different colours and they look incredible, while keeping your tools safe. And, if you are using hot tools of any sort, they are safe up to 200F.
Leather Barber Roll
Also, I neglected to mention in my scissor post, a leather barber roll that you can tuck your scissors and combs into to pack them in, or to put them away for the night. This is a must-have in order to keep your scissors safe from unnecessary wear and tear. Buy one and see, you will feel safer having a barber roll to nestle your gear in.In Conclusion
Hopefully you’ve found a new tool to add to becoming a better barber, some of these are essentials and some are add-ons, but they’re all going to make your experience as a barber more complete.If you use any of the links that I’ve linked to you can purchase the items that I’ve recommended at no extra cost to you, and I’ll receive a commission. This would help me continue to write these posts for you, so please consider it.
And with this short post I have come to the end of the gear section. For those on that want a list of all the gear and tools that I have mentioned, be on the lookout for the gear guide that I am putting together. This will help you with a premium and budget checklist for putting together the ultimate barbering kit, to help you become a Better Barber. If you want to receive an email about when this is out, please send me an email at mjmartinejohn@gmail.com and put Barber Guide in the subject line.
Next week, we get into how to properly deal with customers so make sure you subscribe with your email by using the blue subscribe button above.
Thanks for coming through once again,
Martin
Tools I Use and Love:
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