If you are wondering whether to get an Oster Fast Feed or a Wahl Senior, you will need to specify exactly what kinds of cutting jobs you are planning on doing, as well as how often you plan to use the professional hair cutter.
Other factors, such as the design, body, motor, blade type, noise, heating and the price are also essential when making such a choice. This is why, this Oster Fast Feed vs Wahl Senior comparison focuses on all the details, and their pros and cons.
For starters, if you are looking for easier to use, non-cooling and light clipping device, you should opt for the Oster Fast Feed. For those who are planning to use them on a daily basis for heavy-duty bulk haircuts, you should probably opt for one of the Wahl clippers.
Looks: design and body
Since these cutting machines are very different, it is not surprising that their bodies and their designs differ quite a bit too.
The Wahl 8500 Senior is bigger and heftier – 6.5 inches long and 1.2 lbs. in weight. The body is made of a durable metal chrome bottom and a hard plastic top. Overall their design is more industrial, but they are very practical heavy-duty clippers for barbers.
The Fast Feed clipper has a classic vintage design and is smaller and lighter. In fact their 1 lbs. weight is standard for their category. This makes them much more suitable if you are going to cut your own hair because they are easy to hold and navigate, even if you can’t see what’s going on at the back of your head.
Both Fast Feed and Wahl Seniors are quite sturdy, and will withstand some heavy use, wear and tear, so whichever you choose – you will be getting a durable machine with a break-resistant housing.
Power within: motor and the blades
This is probably the aspect in this Oster vs Wahl comparison which interests you the most, so let’s get started right away.
The 8500 Seniors are powered by a very powerful V9000 electromagnetic motor which can smoothly run through and cut just about any type of hair without choking or pulling on it.
The 8500 Senior has an #1005 all-purpose blade which can be adjusted by pushing the side lever which controls the cutting length. It is sharp and glides smoothly allows for making superbly crisp cuts. If you are interested in getting a zero gap for a close cut, the Wahl Senior makes this job very easy.
If you are more interested in finding the perfect fading clipper, you should probably opt for the Wahl 5 star Seniors instead.
When it comes to the Oster Fast Feed, you should not expect such a strong performance from the Fast Feeds’ pivot motor. Even though it is much more powerful than the other hair clippers of this size, it is still weaker than that of the Wahl Seniors.
The Fast Feed’s adjustable blade is made of top quality, cryogenically tested stainless steel. This means that it too can cut both dry and wet hair properly. Zero gaps can be achieved with the Oster Fast Feed too, but it is a bit more difficult and will take up more time.
The best crisp and precise cuts are achieved by the other famous Oster clipper – the Classic 76 which are one of the best detachable blade clippers on the market. Still, the Fast Feed are capable of delivering excellent results as well.
So, the winner in the category for the best fading clippers in the ongoing Oster vs Wahl competition seems to be the more powerful and precise Wahl 5 star Senior.
The heating and noise levels
Whilst the Wahl Senor seems to be outshining the Oster Fast Feed up until now when it comes to the problem with heating and noise – the Oster clipper is the clear winner.
Due to the ultra-powerful V9000 electromagnetic motors used in the Wahl Senior clippers have a number of fast-moving parts, it is only natural that the Seniors will get quite hot quite quickly.
In addition, the bottom part of the Wahl Senior is made of metal chrome which easily transfers the heat to the body and thus to your hand.
The Feeds’ pivot motor is less powerful and the body of the cutter is made of tough plastic, so they do not heat up too much during use.
Also, the powerful motor of 8500 Seniors can get quite loud, while the Fast Feed has a Whisper-Quiet motor and thus is less noisy.
This is what makes the Oster Fast Feed much more suitable for home use – they are powerful and yet are relatively quiet and don’t heat up too much during a haircut.
What you get in the package
There are many versions of the Seniors on the market which are all priced differently. Still, all Seniors are more expensive than the Fast Feeds.
Both come with sets of blade guards. The Wahl Senior comes with 1/16 to 3/16 inch ones, while the Fast Feeds are sold with ¼, 3/6 and ½ guards as well as a blending comb.
Honestly, when it comes to the added accessories in this Fast Feed vs Wahl Senior comparison there is no clear winner. For both Feeds and the Seniors the complementary guards are plastic and not as heavy-duty as you may prefer.
Of course, you can always get a top quality set of Andis Nano guards which work perfectly well with the Feeds in order to enhance its performance.
So price-wise, the Oster tools are less expensive than all of the Wahl Senior models, but the difference is not that substantial in many cases. The accessories are almost the same with a minor advantage for the Wahl Seniors for its slightly higher quality blade guards.
Conclusion
The Fast Feed is the lighter and quieter option than the Seniors which makes it more suitable for casual home use.
For those of you looking for a more versatile, heavy-duty set of clippers – you should invest in a Wahl Senior model instead. The Seniors may be noisy and can heat up during use, but it is much more powerful than its opponent in this review. For the best results and true versatility, you should opt for a Reflections Senior clipper or a 5 Star Senior.
If you want a professional range barber clipper, you should try comparing the Oster Classic 76 to a 5 star Senior instead.
Anyway, whichever one you pick – you will be doing the right thing, as they all are very well built, reliable and sturdy clipping machines!
