State of the Barber Industry: Clash of the Chargers
This article originally appeared in my newsletter, theGuideline. Sign up and get trending barber content sent right to your inbox every Monday.
40 weeks ago, I shared No.01 of theGuideline. Why did I call it that?
Without a guideline, you don't know where you are, where you've been or where you're going.
My goal for the weekly newsletter was to become "the Guideline" for the barber industry. A place where we could look at where we are, where we've been and where we're going. Once a week, you would receive valuable, thought provoking and practical content to your inbox.
Whether you have read none, one or 25, I have officially published 40 newsletters. That's a lot of content. And to close out 2023, each week I am going to share a theme related to the current State of the Barber Industry.
At the end, I will incorporate all the themes into an official downloadable State of the Barber Industry Report.
State of the Barber Industry | 01: Clash of the Chargers
Ultimately, companies are fighting for square footage on your station. They want you using their tools. And this year we witnessed most clipper companies update the way their tools are charged.
Let's take a look at all the charging news from this year.
Charging Stations Everywhere
Andis went for it with the BeSPOKE Trimmer. It can only be charged via a wireless induction stand. Did it flop? Originally $250 but has now been discounted 25% to $188. Clearing the shelves maybe?
Meanwhile, everyone else is hopping on the charging station train.
Wahl released their brand new 3-in-1 Power Charging Station where you can mix and match Wahl tools. It looks very similar to Tomb45's 6-in-1 Wireless Charging Pod Base Set. The same concept but gives you the ability to mix and match clipper brands.
But wait, there's a new player in the game. With 36 adaptors and counting, patent pending HexPod also lets you mix and match brands. Each pod magnetically connects to the other and will allow up to 10 pods to charge at once through 1 plug. You definitely have charging station options.
USB-C is making a play
Wahl's brand new Hi-Viz Trimmer features USB-C and StyleCraft just released their new Uno 2.0 Foil Shaver last week that also is USB-C. If you have USB-C for your phone, then these might be convenient?
Interchangeable Batteries
And then there's Babyliss. They released the brand new FXONE Collection that features a snap in and out battery that is interchangeable amongst their clippers, trimmers and shavers. There is no other way to charge these tools. No third party power pod, charging station, insert etc. The FXONE LoPro Collection drops this week, Nov 1st on their website.
If anything, the FXONE seems like a checkmate move to make you buy the entire collection, thus taking up all the square footage of your station. It'll land well for Babyliss barbers, but might be annoying for barbers who aren't brand loyal.
So...why does this matter?
At the end of the day, it's your station. This new wave of innovative charging products does provide an opportunity to clean up your station and ultimately keep you organized.
But also...is it all hype?
Do you need a charging station? Do you need a new clipper or trimmer or shaver? Depending on your situation, that $150, $250 or even $350 might be better invested in something else.
We'll wait for next week to talk about that though...
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Written by Matthew Mendoza
Licensed barber, educator and consultant based in California. He is passionate about helping barbers pass their barber exam, develop their business and diversify their income. He hosts a podcast, writes a weekly newsletter for the modern barber and offers 1-on-1 consulting.
