I found this device to be a total waste of money. Where to start?

1. Unless your hair is already VERY short, the clipper needs cleaning out of the hair continually while you are using it. Clogs instantly.

2. It's curved, so the flatter portions of you head, like around the side burns are difficult to do without going over them from several different angles. A pain.

3. Mine seems to randomly go off whenever it gets to a thicker portion of my hair, and my hair isn't close to being considered long. It's pretty short.

Yes the curved cutting surface seems like a good idea, but in practice this is another cheap gadget, and I'm a man that loves a good gadget.

Stick with your tried and true Wahl trimmer and you be much happier.

I bought this after I saw it here and wasn't really impressed. There are some design flaws. Hair gets wedged up in the guard. It doesn't cut very evenly.

have to disagree with the guys above, but it definitely isn't perfect.

1. I had to order the thing through the mail and it was poorly packed.

2. Overall, it doesn't give the impression of being very durable. But with haircuts at $15, paying $30 for it will be fine if it lasts for at least 2-3 years. I bet a $40 Wahl will last 5-10 times longer.

3. I use it every 2-3 weeks. It takes a while to get the hang of it. It's not a fast haircut since you have to shave slowly and carefully (and check with a mirror) to get the cut even. I don't think this is a drawback of the machine. The human head is a complex shape.

4. To make cleanup easier, take one of those tiny 4 gallon trash bags and cut off the bottom and one of the sides. Spread the trash bag over your bathroom sink. Lean over the sink while you cut your hair, and all the hair is collected in the trash bag. No clean up!

5. I've been using it for about 2 months and would definitely buy it again. On the shortest setting it cuts even closer than the Wahl and your hair stays short for a while. It's really convenient. Another thing I love about it is that it is cordless, which my Wahl is not.

Like many new things one must learn the proper skills to operate them.

The clippers work fine - if you have the patience and the desire for the haircut that it will give - because it will only give one haircut.

As far as the Wahl clippers are concerned the Remington Shortcut (I have both) actually gives a better "clipper cut", and by that I mean more even and I do not have to ask my daughter to even up around the neck.

Flowbee solves all the above problems mentioned. It moves all the cuttings into your vacuum cleaner and it has a small cutting surface.

The only thing you have to get past is the cultural "You use a FLOWBEE??" thing.

I've been using a Flowbee for 20 years and once you get it down, it's easy and produces a good result.

Well, I'm sitting here with a dork haircut that looks like I did it myself (which I did). I got the Shortcut trimmer on the strength of the recommendation here at Cool Tools, which I respect a lot, and particularly the assurances that it is "almost impossible to overcut" and "It seems almost impossible to mess up." Let me tell you that it is perfectly possible to mess up your head real bad with this thing.

A few clarifications: Not only does the Shortcut not cut long hair well, it doesn't leave you with even medium-long hair at all. "Short cut" is meant literally - not a shortcut around the barber, but a way to get a *short* cut. The longest setting on the trimmer guard is 1/2 inch. You have to want a *very* short haircut to use this. And if you let it grow out even 2-3 weeks between cuts, the hair guard will clog badly, as one commenter mentioned above. Also, though the product is touted as some sort of revolutionary system that automatically produces good haircuts, it is really just an ordinary trimmer with a large, curved clipper blade. There is nothing special about it that guarantees a perfect cut. It's up to you to get the length you want in different areas, and to blend the sides and back and so forth. If you go over the same spot again and again, trying to get the length right, you will certainly get a "hole" in that spot when you try to comb your hair. And getting perfect evenness in the shortest sections is very problematic - most of the settings on the clipper are short enough that your skin shows through, and even small differences in cut in those sections make your head look very splotchy. Trimming around margins and ears is hard - the little pop-up trimmer does not seem to do much, and using the main trimmer around your ears gives you a huge bald spot just above them.

Now, I am sure my first experience was just bad technique. After I finally stop looking like Forrest Gump, I'll give this thing another try. But don't have unrealistic expectations: the device is designed for a narrow range of haircutting chores, and it does take a careful hand. It's more than possible to give yourself a bad haircut with this thing. Trust me on that one.

I'm sorry, but I'm just going to have to side with the negative reviews on this one. When I first got it, my results were not that good. But I chalked it up to inexperience and figured that the Shortcut has a learning curve just like everything else. I went to a barber to get straightened out before trying again. Even after reviewing the instructions and taking extra care, I still got a bad haircut. The Shortcut just doesn't seem to like hair any longer than a buzz cut.

My unit just got tossed in the wastebasket. I'm going to tough it out until the end of the month; then it's back to a regular rotation with the local barbershop.

I would like to amend my first comment. After using the Remington shortcut several times (I like my hair short-no muss no fuss) the last time accidentally rotating the length adjustment switch with my thumb causing what would be known in most circles as skinheadedness, I put it away and broke down and bought the last (that I know of) do-it-yourself hair cutting system - The Flowbee. I have used the Flowbee now for nearly a year, giving myself a trim once a week, trimming my boy's hair once a month and I even bought an extra set of the clip on length adjustment doohikees and have given my girl friend (at her request) four haircuts.
I gotta say, hands down, The flowbee has my boy coming up to me and requesting a trim, my significant other states that she has saved $140.00 in haircuts and are more uniform and of higher consistent quality.

I still have to ask my daughter to clean/square up my neckline but $60.00 a month in my pocket and I'm not embarrassed to go out in public.

I have to agree that this isn't that good:
1. Battery runs out too quickly.
2. Poor around the ears.
3. Struggles with longer hair.

I have gone back to my Wahl trimmers too. I use two mirrors to do the back of my head and I have special ear trimming combs which work really well.

This thing really is junk and it not deserving of a listing in Cool Tools. Being a thrifty kind of guy, I've been reluctant to throw it away and have tried it repeatedly over the past year. I've been cutting my own hair - short - for about 6 years now, and thought this might be an improvement on my stnadard Wahl clippers. It is not. It is frustrating to use and the results are dubious at best. You have to charge it for quite a while to get it to work - it will not operate when plugged in to the charger. And it doesn't hold a charge long, maybe long enough to do one haircut if you're quick and lucky. Charge it and put it back in the drawer, it will be discharged in a week's time when you are ready to use it again, so you have to go thru the same waiting game for it to re-charge. I'm adding my validation of the negative comments by other reviewers. Don't buy this thing.

I've been thinking about getting this because my cheap conventional clippers are just about worn-out (chattering blades etc.). Thanks to all above for the frank comments.
My impression, which might be wrong, is that:
a) this is meant for crew-cuts only, and won't do much else
b) this is meant to maintain an existing crew-cut, not buzz off the long hair you have
c) this is particularly good for self-trimming your neckline at the back, and nothing else is quite as foolproof for this purpose.

So I'm kinda wondering if this is just what I want for once-a-week touch-up of the short crewcut on my nearly bald head, in spite of the negative reviews above...

I've been using a Flowbee for 5 years. Its LOUD but you get a good haircut when you want or need one. It feels good on your scalp and here's no mess to clean up. It fits the description of a cool tool but your siblings and friends will laugh about it - if they find out. I save (at least) $25 a month and it keeps the head lice population down.

Back again, just over a full year later (see Comment #5, above). I'm updating my comments in light of experience, and because it might be useful to see the difference in perspective between impressions at the newbie and experienced stages.

After a full year of use, my impression is still mixed.

It *is* possible to get a good haircut using this device, and in terms of speed, cost, and convenience it's great. But you have to want the exact type of haircut it gives: as others have noted, it's basically a crew cut, where you have control of the length within a very narrow range, and little else. In my case, I had to change my entire hairstyle to be able to use this; I'm not dissatisfied with my new ultra-buzz, but it's not what I was originally looking for. Also, as others have noted it retains a charge very poorly. You have to fully charge it before each use, and a full charge takes almost a full day; after use, the charge will run out within a few days. One caveat, however, is that it often seems to run slowly or stop after only a short period of use; I thought this was a battery problem, but I discovered that it simply gets clogged with hair very easily. Cleaning the trimmer blade and lubricating it with thin oil returns it to full-speed action; lubricating it every other haircut prevents this recurring. Try that before you conclude it is not charged properly. I have found the side trimmer more useful than I first appreciated, but its teeth are very sharp and its position is awkward; I use it for trimming around my ears, but have to use a regular Remington hair trimmer for beard, neck, and hairline. The construction does not seem to be too flimsy - though it does appear somewhat delicate, in a year of weekly use it has held up well for me. The charger wire seems loose, however, after only moderate use.

In short, the device works very well *IF* what you want from it happens to be the thing it is good at doing. That is not as weak a recommendation as it sounds - I find mine works very well, I'm happy to have it, it's very cheap and convenient, and, by using it twice a week, I'm able to maintain a consistent haircut that I like to within a couple of millimeters in length. But it has real limitations: it's basically out of the question for anybody who does not want a very short crew cut; it doesn't do the full range of facial-hair trimming very well; it requires extensive charging before use; it may not be as sturdy as a traditional trimmer over the long run.

A few tips: put it on to charge the night before you intend to use it, if not the morning before; keep the metal trimmer blade very well lubricated, especially if it begins stalling or running down as you use it; think of the device only as a hair-length regulation mechanism, not a full-service hair styling machine.

I have read all the reviews and I have very mixed feelings about this product. The idea of cutting ones own hair is good. And I think basically the concept of this device is good. But to be very honest it is made very cheaply and I often think. That the manufactures of this thing were just overly concerned with making their bottom line profit. It's a shame that all folks care about is how much product they can sell and how much money they can pull in. I don't think making a good sturdy useful product that last and works is much on anybodies minds these days. People just rather make all the money and profit they can make. And who cares if the thing works well or not. We'll make our money and then come up with another way to make some more and so on and so on. It's like people just don't care: The bottom line seems to to make Money and get all the profit we can. This hair cutting contraption sort of works and sort of dosen't work. Good consept though it's ashame the damn thing is so poorly made. I sort of like it though when it works. Peace!!!