There hasn’t been a whole lot of innovation in the personal grooming sector in recent years (besides the Mach20 of course). Razors and shavers have gotten better but they have mostly been slight improvements over conventional design. Remington recently came out with ShortCut trimmer which is a break from the traditional clipper design. The ShortCut is shaped like a comb and is in fact much easier and more effective at cutting your hair than with old school clippers.
If you’ve ever cut your hair with an old school set of clippers you know it’s kind of awkward maneuvering them around your dome. There’s no one easy way to hold them and you have to keep adjusting your grip around the cord.
Some of you may also know how easily the clip-on length guides can clip-off. The first time I shaved down bald was in an effort to even out the bald spot that resulted when the #2 guide slipped off my clippers and I shaved a landing strip right down the top of my head.
There is also the problem that you have to take a million passes to get all the hair. The Remington ShortCut pretty much cuts those short comings out of the picture:
- The ShortCut’s clippers themselves are a little more than 2.5 inches, an inch broader than my conventional clippers, plus they have a curved edge that contours to the shape of your head.
- It is shaped like a hair brush, and that is just how you use it, like you were brushing your hair. It’s an easy and natural motion.
- Instead of separate attachable length guides the ShortCut has a removable guide that adjusts with the turn of a dial. The available lengths are 1, 1.5, 2, 3 & 4. It also comes with an "balding attachment" to set a 0 length. (I tried it without this attachment, but I got a little skin irritation from the blades)
- It is cordless, and one charge is more than enough to cut your hair two or three times.
- It has the pop-out trimmer that you find on most face shavers that lets you do the precision trimming and touch ups.
As I read back through my post I realize that some of my comments wreak of infomercial and I’m not one for editing beyond spell check so let me say that my love for this simple little hair cutter is sincere. It’s simple, effective and a major UPGRADE over the old hair clipper form factor. Plus, it’s only $35. It’s a no brainier… or no hair-er.
How do you tell the difference between the “balding” comb and the “regular” comb? I have this product, the directions don’t tell you which is which. Thanks!
Steve
The balding comb has the plastic prongs pointed inward, toward the blade. It comes installed on the clipper from the factory. I made the mistake of using that one on my son. He was my guinea pig for the Shortcut Clipper test.
I figured it out after reading the manual (of course) and have now given him another haircut and I threw caution to the wind and did my own this morning.
I guess it looks OK since my wife didn’t laugh hysterically or run out of the room when I came downstairs. Feels pretty good now, that’s for sure.
One caveat though; take your time. And if you have a full head of hair to start with like I did, be patient and keep at it.
I wonder what the longest haircut could be. I read the clipper leaves hair in the 0 - 0.5 inch range. If that is true then it is designed for realy short cuts.
Thanks
I bought these, and used them for the first time today, and they stopped working while I was trying to use the trimmer around my ear. They turn on for about 5 to 10 seconds then shut off as if they are jammed or the battery were dead, but I charged it all night, and the battery light is not on at all. I’m very dissapointed with them.
I’ve had the same problem - charging overnight (24 hours in fact) and then only turning on for 4-5 seconds. then nothing. And I am on my third replacement. I really like it, if only it would stay on longer than 5 seconds. Maybe the fourth one will be a charm.
Why make this thing battery operated anyway? The charging clearly doesn’t work… I have the same issue as the last few posters.
I’m having the same problem as everyone else. This is my second one. It works great only if you can keep it charged.
Is there any answer. These clippers are like foos gold!!!
The same problem as all of the above reviewers…these clipper are the Worst ever. They only work for 5 seconds after a charge!! The don’t work at all. It would be best if Reminghton stopped selling them.
Jim
My first one worked great for one year. I order one off Amazon last week, and put it on the charger for around 12 hours. I went to use it, guess what.. NO GO!
THEY NEED TO PULL THE PRODUCT IF THEY ARE HAVING THIS MUCH PROBLEMS WITH IT.
I really want to get one of these as I always get a #1 cut when I get my hair cut every 4-6 weeks… Getting something like this, I could just do it myself every 2-3 weeks and keep it as short as I want… However, I’ve heard so many people about the charging issues, I’m going to have to steer clear until they update the model and fix the issues… In the meantime, I guess I can give the Philips Norelco QC5170 a try, which probably isn’t perfect, but seems to be better overall, especially in the area of holding a charge, but doesn’t look nearly as easy to use.
I, too, am having the same problem as everyone else. This product worked great for about 6 months, but then the blue light stopped coming on and now it only works for 10 to 15 seconds and then stops. I’d like to buy another one, but after reading all the other comments, I probably won’t. Could Remington post something about this problem?
I bought these clippers and used them for about 6 or 7 times, then
they just stop working…whats the problem? It seem like everyone
else has the same problem….I would advise people not to buy them.
Used the shortcut for about year work flawlessly then the bluelight stopped lighting during charging and trims for about 40 seconds then needs charged overnight to get another 40 seconds. Loved the product until the charging issue.
I am on my third clipper. Remington has been great about replacing them, but I have had it with them. The third one started not holding a charge last week. Same problem as the first two. The customer service rep told me the last time I got a new one that they were having problems with the charge.
This time, I want my money back.
I am on my second clipper. The first one worked great for about 6 months then the blue charge light stopped working. I didn’t know if the power supply was bad or something else was wrong. I discarded it and bought a second one. After about 6 uses, the blue charging light also stopped working but it still charges. After I use it, I plug it in for 36 hours, which is how long the blue charging light would stay on when the light worked. It takes a charge and is usable.
I have purchased three of these shavers (for me and my two teenage sons) because they work great. Quick, clean shaves, and very easy to clean (just rinse under water).
Mine quit working after about a year. I was happy with the cutter but in the end the battery charge was shorter and shorter.
I called Remington this morning and they discontinued this product and told me if I shipped them my dead cutter they would send me a check for the “current retail value” of $18.00.
Bottom line is they haven’t made this for a while now so anything on the shelf is old stock and the battery life is suspect.
This thing is crap…Good for about five uses then the battery won’t take a charge…Can’t run it while on the charger either…I give it a “DON”T BUY” rating…Can’t even get it apart to replace the battery without breaking it…Again…” DON”T BUY “…Save you money.
I bought one of these for my husband for Christmas. The blue light never came on and the clipper didn’t charge. Thanks for all your posts I was thinking of getting a new one, but now I think it’s just a waste of time and a rotten Christmas present.
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I have had one of these for a couple of years now and also had the issue of it not recharging after about a year, so it’s not under warranty anymore. But as the clippers themselves are awesome, I just use it plugged in. Plug in the charger for a couple of minutes and continue using it plugged in … problem solved.
@Darren - How were you able to use it while plugged in? I have two of these clippers and neither would work while plugged in. Just curious if you found a way around it or your is just an exception.
As far as mine goes, I ‘ve had it for more than a couple of years. Blue light is out but continues to charge. But charge would only last a few minutes so I have to make sure I finish trimming quickly. I’m looking for an alternative but most likely from another company. Great while it works but battery sucks.
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I bought one of the SCC-100Rc less than a year ago. It worked fine for the first clipping, then the battery went but charged beautifully and lasted for one clipping. The next time charging, the blue light went (would not and did not come on) but the battery seemed to charge after an inordinte length of time charging (upwards of 36 hours), but the blue light still did not and has not come on. I like this clipper, it is superb, if Remington could only get the charging system to work according to label claim. Too bad, too sad.
I still use mine. I’m on the second one - the first one rattled.
I do find that I have to charge it a L-O-N-G time to get any decent battery life out of it.
If it’s been sitting around it needs to be charged at least 72 hours. I make it a point to plug it in at least 3-4 days before I want to use it.
After using it, I make sure to give it at least a 24-hour charge before putting it away. The blue light stopped lighting during charge, then the last time I used it it mysteriously came back on for a day or so, then it went off. Maybe it came back to life because some water has gotten inside, I don’t know.
As long as I give it the L-O-N-G charge, it still works great!
Wish there was a way to run it as a corded device though. If the battery gives out on me, I may look into hacking it. Too bad it doesn’t run with the charger plugged in.
It is a terrible product. I bought in London Drug at about $70. I only cut my hair 3 times. Then it is broken. The blade does not work , it can not cut a single hair.
It is terrible ,fancy looking product. I will never , ever recommend it to anyone.
Does anyone recommend a similiar cutter?
I’ve had the same charging issue problem however my clipper still works while plugged in. I’ve had it for 2+ years now and it is still going strong. However I dropped it today and it split apart, but I managed to fix it but I am now looking for something similiar for if/when it finally fails
Cheers
guys any idea how to use this while its plugged in charging. would solve the cordless method. id be happy with it working somehow.
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I had one for 3 years. It works when plugged in to mains (battery charge was really short). Charging light is green (not blue). Few months ago I ordered new one of Amazon as the old got a bit blunt. A new one (with blue light) is crap. Worked only for a minute (after charging for 48hrs). But the worse IT DOESN’T WORK when plugged in to power! Looks like Remington engineers really put efforts into ‘improving’ charging problem… I’m now scouting the web for the old model SCC100 not SCC100R (which I’m guessing is the ‘R’evised version :-). It’s a shame as there is no functionally comparable clipper from another company…
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For everyone having the charging problems. Relatively easy and low cost fix - just a little extra effort. I’m on my 4th year with no real problems.
Yes the battery is crap but you just need to invest in a <$20 heating pad and heat the clipper up when charging and certainly before using it.
I found the trick to charging it is to heat it up on low before plugging it in then before using it, heat the clippers up to medium or high. Should get plenty of power for about 6-7 minutes. Then I reheat it once more, wipe excess loose hair out of my head, then a few final passes.
As for charging (and I live in Florida where it’s mostly warm) I keep the unit wrapped in the heating pad all week and turn it on maybe every other day for a couple of 10min cycles (or whenever the heating pad is programmed to shut off)
So, remember the unit has to be warmed up to trickle charge and hotter to be used.
The only issue you should have then is blade replace if ever, anyone able to do this ? Probably cheaper to buy a new unit.
One more suggestion for the best performance I found. After brushing the excess hair off the blade, which you should do after each use in addition to tapping the unit while it’s running and the plastic comb attachment is removed to shake out the excess hair.
Downside to this is it brushes the oil off the blade so be sure to re-oil (just a couple of drops) every 3rd time you use the clippers and be sure to wipe the excess oil off the blade too. Since there are battery power problems, you want to be sure there is close to no drag on the blade moving.
When you run out of the Remington oil, get some sewing machine oil - Wal Mart has Singer all purpose machine oil for a little over $1 which should last you years.