The Best Clipper Guards of 2024
Barbers and expert stylists would agree that doing a proper haircut takes more than just experience and skill. To get the desired results, you also need the right tools and accessories. In most cases, these include a clipper, cleaning brush, styling combs, and some clipper oil. For slightly more technical haircuts, however, you need attachments for enhanced accuracy—this is where clipper guards come into the picture. They’re designed to fit onto the blades of your clipper’s model, allowing you to cut precise lengths of hair for aesthetically pleasing fades.
There are many different types, materials, and lengths to choose from, which is why clipper guards are not a simple item to shop for. You also have to take compatibility into account, verifying whether or not a guard kit is designed to fit your trimmer model. To help you out, this article lists some of the best clipper guards of 2024, along with a buyer’s guide to help you choose the right set.
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Best Overall
CR8GR8 Clipper Guards
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Most Popular Brand
Wahl Clipper Guard
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Biggest Set
Lavest Clipper Guards
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Sturdiest Build
Andis Clipper Guards
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Shopping for the Best Clipper Guards
Can you think of a single haircut where your barber didn’t use clippers? Clippers have become essential for men's haircuts and beard grooming sessions. The secret ingredient behind all those precise fades and sharp styles isn’t just your barber’s skill, but also clipper guards.
These accessories allow stylists to cut your hair in accurately measured lengths. Switching them out for a different size for each new layer of the fade lets them create seamless gradients, which simply wouldn’t be possible without a clipper guide attached to their machine. If you’re planning to purchase a set to serve your customers better, or to start giving yourself DIY haircuts at home, here’s every purchase consideration you need to keep in mind.
Compatibility
Firstly, consider the brand and compatibility of the clipper guides you’re considering purchasing. Not all guards are meant to fit your particular trimmer model. For example, if you’ve got a Wahl full-size hair clipper, you need guards from either the Wahl brand, or a third-party manufacturer that creates Wahl-compatible guards.
Similarly, certain clipper guards are exclusively designed for Andis clipper models and probably won’t fit your Wahl trimmer.
Brand
These guards can be from Wahl and Andis as native clipper attachments. Ideally, you should get attachments for your clipper from the company that made it (which would usually be Wahl and Andis) as those guards are always high-quality, durable, precise, and easy to install. But, with that said, they’re also relatively expensive.
If you don’t want to pay the big bucks for these premium guides, you can also purchase them from brands like Lavest, Miaco, and CR8GR8 to get the job done for a fraction of the price. All sets clearly state which clipper models they fit, so pay attention to the specifications before adding it to your cart.
Size
The size of the guides in your new set is a key consideration for barbers and stylists. It mostly depends on the type of customers you get in your shop and the haircuts they demand. As an example, for customers who mostly want a number one or two fade, you need a precise set of guides which includes a dedicated guard for ⅛ and ²⁄₈-inch hair lengths.
Did you know that the comb numbering system that’s currently used in the industry was created by Wahl? It entails the following sizes:
| Guard Comb Number | #½ | #1 | #2 | #3 | #4 | #5 | #6 | #8 | #10 | #12 |
| Size in Inches | ¹⁄₁₆ | ⅛ | ¼ | ⅜ | ½ | ⅝ | ¾ | 1 | 1 – 1 ¼ | 1 – 1 ½ |
When you’re in the market for a set of clipper guards for your shop, pick one that includes your most-used clipper lengths depending on the type of haircuts you usually do for your customers.
Comparing the Best Clipper Guards of 2024
CR8GR8 Clipper Guards
Pros
- Ideal at-home guards for Wahl full-sized clippers
- Eight different sizes to work with
- The only 3-inch clipper guard available online
Cons
- Too long for beard trimming
The biggest guard in the CR8GR8 clipper guard set is 3 inches, making it the ideal choice for those of you wanting to cut longer hair with precision. The set also includes clipper guards of 2 ¾, 2 ½, 2 ¼, 2, 1 ¾, 1 ½, and 1 ¼ inch, so you’ll have more than enough sizes for your needs. Each comb has a number assigned to it for reference, allowing you to switch between the combs as needed during a haircut.
Using these, you can give yourself basic haircuts, saving up to $250 every year on barbershop trips. They’re also perfect for giving your kid(s) a neat-looking haircut right at home, even if they don’t want to cut it too short. Overall, the guards are long enough for styling but small enough for a proper haircut. Just pop them into your Wahl clippers and start giving yourself perfectly even haircuts consistently. Boasting the largest guard length with a variety of other sizes to pick from, this clipper guard set is easily our top choice overall.
Wahl Clipper Guard
Pros
- All-black guides match well with clippers
- Compatible with most full-size Wahl clippers
- Ideal for precision fades and complex haircuts
Cons
- Incompatible with Wahl’s Competition series and detachable
Here’s a set of clipper guards from Wahl itself, which is supposed to be a native attachment for use with the brand’s commercial-grade products. It fits all full-size clippers from Wahl, with the exception of Wahl’s detachable blade clippers and competition series. You get eight different guides as part of the set, sizes ranging from ⅛ to 1 inch.
This range of sizes is ideal for all sorts of complex haircuts and precision fades, especially for customers who ask for a specific numbered fade. The numbers 1 or 3, for instance, would correspond to the ⅛ and ⅜-inch sizes in this set of premium cutting guides by Wahl. It’s an ideal piece of equipment for pro stylists and barbers.
Lavest Clipper Guards
Pros
- Color-coded for easy identification
- Comes with a convenient organizer tray
- Guards don’t have any sharp edges
Cons
- Won’t fit Wahl’s Competition series
Made out of nylon material, Lavest’s clipper guards take their build quality one step above its cheap plastic counterparts. These guards are designed to be durable, flexible, and long-lasting, unlike thin and flimsy guards that break during their first month of use. Each clipper guard is color-coded based on the cutting length it represents, with the entire 10-piece set ranging from a ¹⁄₁₆-inch size, all the way to 1 inch.
The sizes are mentioned on each guard with easy-to-read etchings, but you’ll eventually remember them by their dedicated color once you get used to them. For your convenience, there’s also an organizer tray to store all guards safely. These clipper guards work with countless Wahl trimmer models, including the 5 Star series, Color Pro, Elite Pro, Home Pro, Ico, Pilot, Self-Cut Pro, Senior, Extreme Grip Pro, FadeCut, and HomeCut, among many others.
Andis Clipper Guards
Pros
- Sturdy, waterproof clipping guards
- High-quality metal construction
- Fits a variety of Andis clipper models
Cons
- Slightly pricey
Lastly, we have the Andis Clipper Guard Set. It’s designed to be compatible with the MBA, MCA-2, ML, PM, PM-1, PM-4, and PM-5 clippers among others, and is very easy to install into your trimmer with a simple “slide-through” mechanism. Not only will these clipper guards save your time, but also your customers’ time—and that’s one of the major ways to compete in the grooming industry that people don’t normally think of.
These guards feature the sturdiest construction on this list with a metal build, and you can tell that just by picking one up. They’re very simple to clean, provide sharp performance, and last a long time despite repeated and frequent use in a busy barber shop. The sizes included are zero, one, two, three, and four — i.e., ¹⁄₁₆, ⅛, ¼, ⅜, and ½ inch.
People Also Ask
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Q: Are metal clipper guards better than plastic ones?
A:Yes, metal guards are better than plastic ones in more ways than one. Steel or metal guards are more durable than plastic, rubber, or nylon ones as they don’t crack or break. They also feel more comfortable in the hand and look better than their plastic counterparts.
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Q: Can I use a clipper without any guard installed?
A:Yes, you can use your clipper without a guard — and that’s called the “zero setting” in stylist jargon, as there’s no guide installed to restrict the amount of hair your trimmer can cut. Barbers often use trimmers without a guard on customers who want their fade to start from zero, or to shape things up and clean patches during a beard trim.
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Q: How does the clipper guard numbering system work?
A:Clipper guards typically go from zero to eight in size, but some sets also go to 10 depending on the manufacturer. Lower numbers depict shorter hair lengths and are typically used on precision fades.
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Q: Are Wahl clippers better or Andis?
A:The industry has always been torn between different brands of clippers, but it all boils down to personal preference. According to the consensus among experts, Wahl seems to be better at producing ergonomic and lightweight clippers, while Andis models tend to be more heavy-duty and powerful with a higher stroker per minute count.
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Q: How do I know what model my clipper is?
A:If you purchased your trimmer or clipper a while ago, chances are you have no idea what model or series it belongs to. To check, simply have a look at the user manual that came with it. Look for that series or model number in the list of compatible clippers when you shop for a new set of guards for it.
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