Old barber at my shop gave me bad advice on clipper blades

He told me I could sharpen my own Wahl blades with a flat file and save $40. I tried it on a Classic 76 blade after my regular sharpener was backed up. First cut on a regular client left lines and pulled hair like crazy. Cost me $85 to replace the blade and I lost a customer for the day. Has anyone else gotten burned by cheap sharpening advice from the old timers?

3 comments

3 Comments

simon7171mo ago

Bruh that old timer set you up for failure. Flat file on a 76 blade is just reckless.

caleb_thomas931mo ago

Old heads mean well but they come from a time when you could sharpen anything with a file and get away with it. Those Wahl blades have hardened steel and specific angles that a flat file just can't match without ruining the edge.

tyler61mo ago

Those files were fine on the old carbon steel blades but they just chew through the hardened steel on modern Wahl blades... leaves a rough edge that tugs and pulls on the hair. The angle is the other part nobody talks about, you need a consistent bevel across the whole blade or it'll leave different lengths in the cut. People don't realize a sharpening job isn't good unless it's both sharp and smooth.