Founded all the way in 19th century, does Dutch Philips have what it takes to rival companies specialized in a singular purpose – producing professional-grade electric hair clippers?
When it comes to design and price tag, it Norelco QC5130 certainly looks like an attractive proposition, but what about what matters the most – haircutting performance? As a versatile cordless hair clipper how does its battery stand compared to the Wahl’ and Andis’ counterparts?
Find out in this Philips Norelco QC5130 review.
Who Would Benefit From Norelco QC5130?
Norelco QC5130 hair cutter is aimed at busy people who often travel, hence the cordless feature and enticing aesthetics.
Narrow along its entirely length right up to the blade-end, Norelco clipper’s ergonomics make it a very comfortable clipper to use. You won’t find yourself losing your grip on it.
The light weight helps with the level of comfort as well – only 0.5lbs – which makes it a good hair clipper for kids.
Standard weight for hair cutting machines is around 1lbs, so achieving only half of that weight is truly exceptional. Especially when you consider that cordless clippers are heavier than the corded ones due to battery weight.
The comfortableness of Norelco QC5130 clipper extends to other areas as well. Specifically, the noise level generated. Compared to Wahl models, it’s practically silent!
Yes, that is a hyperbole, but not an extreme one; you will only hear slight humming coming out of the Norelco hair clipper. Again, this makes it a great option for small kids, alongside its feather-weight category.
As for maintenance, Philips is a master of streamlining products, given their immense range of appliances and gadgets. In fact, oiling the motor is not even necessary. Something that would be a part of your maintenance chore with the Wahl lineup of hair clippers.
How Does Philips Norelco QC5130 Deal with Haircuts?
Fortunately, you won’t experience any snagging if you track it along the hair line at a reasonable speed. This is due to stainless steel blades that excel in terms of sharpness and precision.
The blades are marketed as ‘self-sharpening’ which effectively means that they require less maintenance than usual. Nonetheless, it would still be a good idea to apply the oil every couple of months.
Continuing its support to be used on kids, they are designed with sensitive skin in mind, so they are very gentle on your scalp.
Unlike more specialized hair clippers, Philips decided to do something unique with the Norelco QC5130 model. Namely, blade length adjustments are done with a built-in comb holding 10 length setting. This range starts from the lowest at 1/8″, and end at the highest at 7/8″.
In addition, you can remove the built-in comb, which gets you another useful length – 1/16″ – which is perfect for really tight shaves.
Where Is the Compromise?
So far, the Philips Norelco QC5130 review is going pretty good, but for that very affordable price tag, there has to be some catch, right?
It turns out that the catch is in the outdated battery. There are several issues with it:
- It is not the modern lithium ion, but the older NiMH battery.
- This leaves its operation to only 40 minutes, which is quite lower than the industry standard of 60 minutes.
- The full charge time is exceedingly long – 10 hours!
- The battery is itself soldered to the internals of the hair clipper, which means it can’t be replaced. The whole machine has to be replaced.
With all that being said, thousands of Philips Norelco QC5130 reviews do not indicate that it has issues with longevity, or the build quality. Still, it bears mentioning so they can update the battery in future iterations of what is genuinely a great cordless hair clipper.
Besides that, the only other gripe we had with QC5130 hair cutter is the inclusion of a plastic comb. It could have been of higher quality, but that is one of the reasons the price is in the low-to-moderate range for a cordless machine.
Conclusion
Lightweight, compact, quiet, and stylish, Philips Norelco QC5130 hair clipper checks all the right boxes.
As cordless hair clipper models by Philips go, it is definitely one of their best-buy offerings.
However, if the long battery charge is an issue for you, Philips Norelco Hair Clipper series 7100, model HC7452/41 would be a great option. It has even more built-in length settings – 24 -, it employs lithium-ion battery, and its charging time is only one hour!
Otherwise, the performance between the two models is basically the same. All you have to decide if the extra price would be worth it.
