Wahl USA Elite Pro High-Performance Corded Home Haircut & Grooming Kit

Why it's worth it

The Elite Pro plugs in, so it never fades halfway through a haircut and never needs charging. Its motor pulls through thick, coarse hair without stalling, and the kit includes eight guards, shears, a cape, oil, a brush and a hard case.

A cord is a nuisance right up until your battery dies mid-cut. This one runs at full power from the first pass to the last, which is why plenty of people who've owned both keep coming back to corded. If you're cutting hair for three or four people every few weeks, that consistency is worth the tangle.

It has the most muscle of the home kits here. Owners with thick or coarse hair say it chews through what weaker clippers stall on, and the adjustable taper lever gives you room to blend between guard lengths. The eight guards cover 1/16 inch to 1 inch, which is essentially every buzz length anyone asks for.

From our review of 7 wahl clippers and trimmers

What we like

• +A cord is a nuisance right up until your battery dies mid-cut
• +It has the most muscle of the home kits here
• +The kit is genuinely complete
• +It's built for US outlets only, so it's not the one you pack for a trip abroad

What to know

• –It's loud. Corded clippers vibrate more than lithium models, and this one hums hard enough that a nervous kid may not sit still…
• –Quality control isn't perfect