The Philips Norelco 7100 looks more like a shaver than a clipper. It feels durable yet lightweight in your hand, and it has a comfortable grip. While it comes with just one attachment, its guard comb has 23 settings. It can also be used with no guard. With a simple turn of its dial, you have length options from 1/32 inch to 7/8 inch, and you don’t have to keep changing guard combs. It’s also virtually maintenance free. The clipper’s titanium blades are self-sharpening, which is a common feature among the best hair clippers, and they can be rinsed under water for cleaning.
The Philips Norelco operates on rechargeable lithium power. According to Philips, its battery provides up to 120 minutes of operation after only an hour of charging, and it gave us 18 minutes beyond that in our lab. While figuring out the attachment was at first a team effort, switching the setting dial was easy, and we liked having so many settings. After checking it out in our lab, we were eager to test the clipper on our volunteers.
Once we started cutting hair, we had a quick change in our thinking. At 7 1/4 inches, the clipper felt long and awkward in the hands of our stylists – they found it difficult to find a comfortable angle – and it wasn’t easy to maneuver. We had the impression that cutting your own hair with this clipper might be easier than cutting someone else’s. One of our testers agreed. “I always do my own hair,” he told us. “And with this I could just zip right through it.”
On a positive note, this clipper did seem to have plenty of power, with a bonus turbo boost feature.
The Philips Norelco Hair Clipper 7100 comes with a 45-day moneyback guarantee and a two-year limited warranty that extends to three years when you register the product online. Also, Philips’ customer service is excellent, with easy telephone access and a 24/7 chat service that impressed us.
