Remington Virtually Indestructible HC5855 Review

Inside the Remington Virtually Indestructible Haircut & Beard Trimmer is a powerful magnetic motor protected by a high-impact polycarbonate casing.

Top Ten Reviews Verdict

The durable, compact Remington Virtually Indestructible clipper has a comfortable grip and a high-impact casing. Its affordable price looks even better when you consider all its features and accessories.

Pros

  • +

    The Remington Virtually Indestructible is backed by a 60-day moneyback guarantee and a limited lifetime warranty, the best warranty protection of all the clippers we tested.

Cons

  • -

    The kit’s storage case is oddly shaped and is too small to store all the clipper’s attachments. Further, it doesn’t look like the same case that is pictured on the product’s box.

Why you can trust Top Ten Reviews Our expert reviewers spend hours testing and comparing products and services so you can choose the best for you. Find out more about how we test.

Inside the Remington Virtually Indestructible Haircut & Beard Trimmer is a powerful magnetic motor protected by a high-impact polycarbonate casing. Its precision-ground blades are aligned using Remington’s POWERCUT Blade System, and its blade guards attach easily and securely. Featured in our guide to the best hair clippers, this Remington is easy to clean, and its design is compact and functional. While it may be a bit short for a larger hand, it gives you a comfortable, nonslip grip. It looks more industrial than the Wahl Comfort Grip Pro, but it’s similarly sized and shaped.

The only real drawback we found with the Remington Virtually Indestructible Haircut & Beard Trimmer was its case. The zippered storage pouch we unpackaged looks nothing like the one pictured on the clipper’s box. The case we received was long, narrow and oddly-shaped. More significantly, it wasn’t quite large enough to easily house the clipper and all its accessories – nine guard combs, a blade guard, blade oil, a styling comb and a beard brush. One of our haircut volunteers thought the beard brush was made for the grill, but it’s functional, sturdy and handy. Although there’s no hair removal brush in the kit, we didn’t consider it a deal breaker.

The Virtually Indestructible’s motor is powerful and quiet, and its quality lives up to its name. Its questionable case aside, the clipper is unquestionably one of our favorites, especially given its impressive performance and affordable price.

The blades are self-sharpening, removable and coated with steel. Remington says their performance is twice that of comparable clippers. Although proving that claim was beyond the scope of our testing, we agree that these clippers are fast. They were clear leaders for speed in our testing and cut cleanly through both fine and thick hair.

Remington is a leader in terms of customer service. The company provides customer support by phone, direct email and traditional mail, and we spoke with several helpful representatives. We experienced only very brief hold times and received courteous, knowledgeable support.

It’s important to note that at just 5.5 inches in length, this clipper may be short for users with larger hands. Also, its motor warmed more than others during our lab tests. When we subjected each clipper to a 12-minute run test – the length of an average men’s haircut – we felt a little more heat from the Remington Virtually Indestructible than we experienced with comparable clippers. However, we weren’t worried about it in terms of a possible defect. Remington’s lifetime warranty gives you one of the best warranties available for electric hair clippers. The Wahl Elite Pro has the only other lifetime warranty in our lineup, and its protection has more limitations.

Its MSRP matches that of the Philips Norelco Hair Clipper we tested, but that’s where the similarities end. While the Remington Virtually Indestructible is powered by a rugged, 8-foot cord, the Philips Norelco is cordless and much less industrial. The Remington has many more features and accessories, and we preferred its ergonomic, nonslip grip. The Philips Norelco is shaped more like an electric shaver and was harder to maneuver when we cut our volunteers’ hair.

The Virtually Indestructible isn’t the least expensive electric hair clipper in our lineup, but we give it a solid recommendation as the Best Value. We’ve nicknamed this clipper our workhorse, and it has plenty of power.

Jennifer Christensen

Jennifer Christensen has written for many newspapers and magazines and has broadcast experience in television and radio. She has earned journalism awards from the Utah Press Association and the Society of Professional Journalists and enjoys being a writer for Top Ten Reviews. Jennifer has five amazing children and loves to hike, play the piano, kick a soccer ball and eat ice cream.