The Wahl brand itself is enough to shake you up as a reader on your seat as it’s one of the most desired brands in the grooming industry, not only at this time but also has been such that it dates back a long way.
In this brand, there are three unique serieses that you’ll find on the clipper market going by the titles: Magic Clip, Senior & Legend.
I’ve had many of my customers ask me what are the basic differences between these serieses and how they stack up against one another.
From such queries, I realized it’s important for everyone to know the answer before making a purchase that’ll cater to their needs in a much better way.
Thus, my comparative review based on experience lands here like a battle between Wahl Magic Clip vs Senior vs Legend. Going through this will remove all your confusion and identify your winner that’ll serve you the best in your coming days.
Table of Contents
Wahl Magic Clip Vs Senior Vs Legend : Comparison Chart
| Features | Magic Clip | Senior | Legend |
|---|---|---|---|
| Color | Bright Red | Premium Black | Deep Scarlet |
| Design | Fine Grip | Ergonomic | Bulky |
| Zero-Gap Range | 0.5 mm – 1.2 mm | 0 mm – 1.2 mm | 0.7 mm – 1.7 mm |
| Lever Type | Regular | Short & Bulky | Slim & Extruded |
| Weight | 290 grams | 369 grams | 464 grams |
| Runtime | 80 Mins | 2 Hours | 1 Hour |
| Accessories | 8 Comb Guide | 3 Metal Comb Guide | 8 Comb Guide |
| My Rating | 4.5 (out of 5) | 4.8 (out of 5) | 4.2 (out of 5) |
| Price | See On Amazon | See On Amazon | See On Amazon |
What Do These Serieses Signify?
Like a lot of people, you might get confused about what the Magic Clip, Senior & Legend series signify and the reasons they are different from one another. Before moving on to my detailed breakdown of the differences between them, let me inform you on the very basics.
This way, you will have the foundation of knowledge upon which my further review can take form.
Wahl Professional 5 Star Magic Clip Hair Clipper
The Magic Clip series has a crisp motor and adjustable lever that alters between different trimming lengths. This series sits in the middle in terms of price-point between the three and the length range, weight, grip level along with the motor power makes it a unique choice for home-consumers across borders.
Wahl Professional 5 Star Senior Clipper
The Senior has a premium look to it and the first glance at it is enough to witness the professional grade of production that Wahl has implemented on it. It also has different ergonomics, length settings, blades, motor power etc. different from the rest of the models and it’s priced at the highest range among the three clippers of concern.
Wahl Professional 5 Star Legend Clipper
The Legend clipper series is the most classic-looking and antique-designed corded clippers within the Wahl family. With the housing color, blades, length adjustment arm and overall philosophy behind this device, it’s a very unique accessory to have as a professional barber and equally as a home user. It’s priced at the most affordable range delivering superior results, so any amount of money spent on it is never a waste.
The Ultimate Fight: Magic Clip Vs Senior Vs Legend
To sort out the ultimate fight between Wahl Magic Clip vs Senior vs Legend, I’ve identified 10 grounds upon which the varying qualities can be compared and ranked from better to worse.
With an overall assessment in the end, I’ll provide my personal verdict among these units for your convenience.
Color
Starting off the comparison between these three superior clippers with their unique colors. I must say, I’m in love with each of them separately and I can’t really announce a winner on this matter. If you listen closely, you’ll understand my dilemma and I’ll urge you to pick the color based on your own taste, because mine is completely overwhelmed with all three.
The Legend comes in a scarlet housing with a golden accent that starts from the blades and goes all the way to the end. Within that golden area, the bodywork is a shiny, reflective piece that falls only shy to a mirror. This vintage-looking design and color-tones have remained in the Wahl family for a very long time!
The Magic Clip is a shade darker in scarlet than the Legend variant. It lacks that long golden-accented area, rather it’s replaced by the cursive writing of the Magic Clip name on the body with gold. The button is a shiny, silver one that pays homage to the original Legend, and it feels like a modern day reinterpretation of that design from the past.
The Senior stands out in terms of color as it comes in a dark-night, shiny black housing which enhances the premium tone by a long shot. Instead of golden, the Senior text is written in a faded silver color which only reinforces the deluxe nature of the design. With such a minimal design, Wahl has made sure to accentuate the color-sense further than most clippers of such kind.
Design
The design comparison between the three is also similar to the color aspect – left up to preference. However, my experience comes from a professional groomer’s perspective, so I’ll highlight what I liked about them and disliked as well.
To begin with, the Legend variant felt slightly bulky to me since it’s based on older architecture. The grip area is slightly wide which can unnerve people with short fingers. The texture on the housing ensures that the grip is firm and I’ve never had it slip out of my hand ever.
As opposed to the Legend, the Magic Clip is slightly slimmer and offers a firmer grip. The texture is slightly smooth and it doesn’t hamper with the grip level in any way. A hook at the bottom lets me hang it in my store and saves space in my cabinet.
Lastly, the Senior has the best grip level in my opinion. The housing is ergonomic, there’s an indented line that goes all around the side which lets me rest my palm conveniently. It’s a good choice for me if I have to clip hair all day long without stiffing up my muscles.
Blade Type
This is one of the most significant aspects that set apart these three clippers from one another. Each of them are equipped with unique clipper blade types that are capable of certain operations once aligned properly. Out of these, you must identify which one you need for your preferred activity and haircut.
Starting with the Legend, it’s attached with a “crunch” Wedge blade technology that’s good for clean cuts and sharp adjustments. I’ve performed different fade haircuts with this clipper for years and it’s never disappointed me, nor my clients!
The Magic Clip comes with a stagger tooth top (#2161) blade which is ideal to chop through dense hair and thick textures. Due to the nature of this blade, the clipper makes a crunchy noise while operating which offers a tactile feel for me and I get reassurance that my job is getting done strand by strand.
Senior variant comes with the latest blade technology made with ceramic. A (#2191) adjustable 0000 cutting blade has made sure that my clients feel utmost comfort while using it, and fading has never been more comfortable after I endorsed this clipper into my arsenal.
Zero Gap Range
Each of these clippers represent different zero gap length settings that are optimal for low, mid or high fade so you can select your preferred device based on these variances. The Legend version can taper between 0.7 mm – 1.7 mm without altering the blade. Soft line fading and seamless blends is the strong suit for the Legend blade.
The Magic Clip however can go much closer, between the range of 0.5 mm – 1.2 mm which I’ll hold over the Legend. It’s good for seamless blends and the staggered teeth enable me to create textures like no other clipper.
But the Senior beats all two in terms of zero gapping as it ranges between 0 mm – 1.2 mm, which is insane in my opinion. For traditional skin fades, precision fades and on-scalp deep tapers, I never pick anything aside from the Senior and neither should you.
Lever Type
I’ve found significant distinction between the lever types among these three clipper units. Differences in lever types not only make the changing zero gap length comfortable or uncomfortable to some extent, but also the fluctuation between grip convenience is affected as well.
The lever in Legend variant is slightly bulky and it sticks to the housing without any gap. It’s not as clicky as I would have liked, shorter in length which often renders it challenging to grab hold of, but the precision is there so I won’t be deducing marks for it.
The Senior has the best lever in my opinion. It’s thin and it sits out from the housing which spares interference with my grip and clipping tasks. The alteration between length is very precise and each length setting is responded by a strong, tactile click which I prefer a lot.
The Magic Clip sits in-between in terms of lever type. It sits closely like the Legend but the arm length is slightly longer like the Senior – so it feels like the merger of the two. Zero gap lengths can be precisely altered and clicked in place without causing any trouble.
But still, I prefer the Senior is this case as it stays out of my way and is made with a sturdy build quality. This is my opinion, you can still try them out in person at any store if you like, that would settle your confusion if there is any.
Weight
When you’re a professional barber who has to work relentlessly throughout the day, the slightest of weights matter, despite how miniscule it might seem. Thus I’m presenting the weight differences between these three so that you can plan ahead for your hefty clipping tasks.
Among the three, the Legend is the heaviest of them all. It’s 464 grams in weight, and trust me, after prolonged use I’ve had days when my fingers would be fatigued due to the amount I’ve had to grab hold of and maneuver all day long.
Senior comes in second in the weight list at 369 grams. Although it might seem a little heavy, a certain degree of weight matters as well. This is why I’ll place Senior at the optimum level, because the weight allows me to convert it into fade away with precise motion.
Magic Clip is the lightest of them all, weighing only 290 grams. Such a lightweight clipper is a piece of delight to have in my collection and it’s an ideal device for me to keep on carrying throughout the day with the least amount of effort.
Motor
Each of the three clippers are endorsed with unique motors that operate the blade for the smoothest actions. The Legend contains a V9000 motor which is cool and doesn’t create much noise itself. I’ve never had any heating issues with it which is very surprising for the price I’m having to pay.
The Magic Clip and Senior consist of similar high-power motors that are energy efficient and manage to get the best performance out of the battery cycle without being too aggressive. They never tugged or pulled at full charge and I’ll keep these two ahead in terms of motor capabilities.
Price
Price is a very important factor while buying a clipper, but when it comes down to some of the finest Wahl clippers, you shouldn’t compromise with the cost in my opinion. Each of these devices are priced at certain ranges, so if that’s still a concern for you, you’ll get a Wahl device out for you anyway.
Legend comes at the most affordable price point at Amazon, costing around $65. Magic Clips sits in the middle with a price around $100 and the Senior costs around $140 on the same website. Keep in mind that Amazon prices are frequently upgraded, so these might not always remain the same.
For what they’re worth, Wahl leaves me no chance to criticize their cost because they’re price to performance has been magnificent. I’ve used them for years and yet these clippers have endured everything that’s been thrown at them. So, if you don’t have a budget cap, I’ll suggest you not to ponder over their cost.
Runtime
In terms of battery runtime, the Senior has stood out from the rest of the clippers with an astonishing two hour runtime! I’m not joking! It happened and it’s been constantly this way for me. I’ve never had to bother much about its charge in the longest of days and that’s a blessing to have in your clipper I must say.
As per the Magic Clip, the runtime falls a little shy to the Senior by approximately 15-20 minutes. This isn’t a lot, certainly nothing a home consumer should be bothered about. Professional groomers can get away with it, but an overloaded day might demand a couple of charges in-between should the Magic Clip be the only device running.
The Legend cordless provides over an hour runtime without any drop of juice. And for the corded version, it does compromise some of the unique angle operations, but on the other hand it never runs the risk of dying out.
Accessories
All three of these clippers come with every necessary accessory that a barber might need, so I’ve never had any good reason to make aftermarket purchases. The Legend comes with 8 attachment comb cutting guides of 1/8”, ¼”, 3/8”, ½”, 5/8”, ¾”, 7/8”, and 1”. The Magic Clip comes with the same set of comb guides as the Legend.
The Senior however comes with three metal clip attachment comb cutting guides of 1/16″, and 1/8″, 3/16″. Apart from these, it comes with an additional recharging transformer. All three of the Wahl clippers contain cleaning brush to upkeep regularly and clipper oil for proper maintenance.
Verdict
It’s now time for me to place a verdict on Wahl Magic Clip vs Senior vs Legend clippers. Based on these 10 factors, I’ve been able to find the ultimate victor of the battle, let’s see if my verdict matches with yours after this brief journey.
All things considered from a barber’s point of view, I’ll hold the Wahl Senior as my overall winner. It’s efficient, has a gigantic battery & supreme grip, the blades are fine & sharp and gets the job done in the quickest possible time at a price range that is acceptable for a clipper of such grade.
Among Wahl Magic Clip vs Legend, I’ll have to hold the Magic Clip over the Legend solely because of the performance and design. Legend is a slightly older model which was the prime clipper at that time, but Magic Clip has certain advantages that the Legend just fails to match.
Lastly, if you’re on a budget, I’ll still say the Legend will serve you well as a home consumer. It’s a great price for an individual’s clipper and made to survive for a long time in the future. A sustainable investment is always a good investment, and Legend is its living embodiment.
