Had a barber in Tucson tell me I was holding my clippers wrong

I was in Tucson last month visiting my brother and stepped into this old school barbershop near 4th Avenue. The guy cutting there must have been 70 years old, been doing it since the 70s. He watched me do a fade on my brother and just said 'you're fighting your tools, let them do the work.' He showed me how I was gripping my clippers too tight and using my wrist instead of my arm. I always thought a firm grip meant more control but he explained it actually makes the cuts choppy because you can't feel the blade against the skin right. I tried his way on the next head and it was way smoother, took me half the time too. Has anyone else had an old timer show them something that completely changed how they cut?

3 comments

3 Comments

mary_martin221mo ago

Old timers always know the real tricks haha. Had a guy in Dallas show me the same thing with shears - I was gripping em like a caveman and he just tapped my hand and said "let the scissors breathe." Changed my whole cut that day.

williams.jenny1mo ago

Yeah @mary_martin22 that's so true. I read this article once about how barbers hold their tools, and it said a tight grip actually makes your cuts less smooth. It's like you're fighting the tool. That "let it breathe" thing is perfect. It's not just scissors either, I bet it works with clippers or even a paintbrush.

cora86322d ago

My dad was a mechanic his whole life and he always told me the same thing about wrenches. Said you gotta let the tool do the work, not muscle it. Same principle applies here for sure. @williams.jenny you're dead on about clippers too. I've watched guys buzz their own head with a death grip and you can see the lines in the cut, it's choppy. Loosen up your hand and it just glides smoother. There's something about tension in your body that transfers right into whatever you're holding. Even when I'm just messing around with a screwdriver at home, if I'm gripping it too tight I strip the damn screw every time.