Wahl Chrome Pro Review: Compared with Elite Pro & Ultra Quiet

Why spend extra when you can spend less to buy a complete grooming kit from a revered brand such as Wahl themselves?

Let me introduce you to this handy solution - Wahl Deluxe Chrome Pro - a hair clipper that costs almost one-third compared to the other clipping devices in the market.

It’s actually a well-designed clipping device, even if you disregard the price point. Yes, it’s corded, but by utilizing a battery less unit, Wahl managed to bless it in many different ways.

For instance, this hair clipper comes with a total of 21 accessories - it’s insane! You won’t ever need to visit a barbershop if you manage to buy this tool for regular use.

Specs: Wahl Chrome Pro (27 Piece)

Let’s learn about the technical elements of the Wahl Chrome Pro hair clipper and understand the basics at a quick glance.

• Dimensions: 19.6 x 6.1 x 4.5 cm
• Weight: 15.5 Ounces
• Colors: 1 (Black & Reflective Silver)
• Accessories: 27
• Separate Trimmer: Included
• Blade Type: Precision Blades
• Blade Material: Carbon-coated Stainless Steel
• Motor Type: Electromagnetic Vibrating Motor
• Adjustment Lever Range: 1-3 mm
• Cord Length: 3.09 Meters

Pros & Cons

I’ll briefly give you the positive and negative aspects for the Wahl Chrome Pro. It should help you make your purchase decision.

What I Like

• Huge accessory library included with the purchase
• Adjustment lever lets you fade and taper around
• Rubber-padded handle comes with dedicated thumb rest spot
• An absolute steal for the price
• Blade unit has self-sharpening properties
• Motor is powerful enough for a variety of hair types

Areas for Improvement

• Overall plastic material goes into the build
• Can feel heavy for some consumers
• Can’t zero-gap

Verdict If you’re looking to purchase a complete set of guide combs, scissors and other accessories at a highly affordable price for regular home grooming, nothing beats Wahl Chrome Pro on any given day.

Unboxing the Wahl Chrome Pro

Wahl Chrome Pro Deluxe Edition arrives inside a paper case, along with a carry pouch made of strong fiber for easy storage.

If you get the standalone variant, not the combo, then you'll get a robust box shaped like a mini-briefcase. Made of cheap plastic, yes, but it’s sufficient to protect every inner component with ease.

Also, you’ll be able to store every accessory inside each pouch for effortless portability. Overall, the unboxing and storage system gets a 5 out of 5 star from me. 

What’s Inside the Box: Wahl Chrome Pro Deluxe Clipper, (Trimmer if You Buy the Combo), 8 Guide Combs, 3 Ear & Styling Guards, 2 Barber Combs, 2 Hair Fastening Clips, 1 Barber Cape, 1 Cleaning Brush, 1 Blade Oil, 1 Storage Pouch, 1 Spray Bottle, User Manual.

Wahl Chrome Pro: Useful Features

The following section discusses the ever useful features for the Wahl Chrome Pro and helps you align your needs with its qualities.

Feature Highlights

• 27 accessories render it a complete kit
• Precision blade made with stainless steel and high-carbon
• 15.5 ounces of weight lets you glide around with ease
• ‘POWERDRIVE heavy-duty motor’ is claimed to be 35% faster than other cheap tools
• Adjustment lever has a range between 1mm to 3 mm for fades

Plastic Build with Fine Looks & Dedicated Grip Spots

Even though the Chrome Pro looks like a premium hair clipper from the looks, its housing is made with plastic, not metal.

Despite that, the outer layer seems to absorb regular usage and protects the inner components, credit is due to the rubberized layer.

On that note, that black, rubber layer reinforces grip that a lot of other grooming tools lack. It lets you place your thumb firmly and confidently stroke around with no sign of slippage.

15.5 Ounces of Weight

The 15.5 oz weight on the Chrome Pro might seem like a lot at first, but you should know that this weight is measured with its cord on the scale.

I’m not going to complain about this weight class as it sits in the medium gradient of hair clipper weights, anchors down your strokes to render the haircut more neat and precise.

 It’s true that such a weight is not ideal for longer grooming sessions. But in my opinion, Chrome Pro is mostly a house-tool, thus you’ll be able to get your job done long before your fingers give in.

Functional Precision Steel Blade

Right off the bat, let me tell you this, the Precision Steel blade in the Chrome Pro is not zero-overlapped and the minimum cutting range is 1 mm.

Its build material is stainless steel with a coating of high-carbon, making it somewhat comfortable for direct skin to blade contact.

Also, with its self-sharpening properties, you won’t feel the obligation to replace it as frequently as other blade units in affordable hair clippers.

Faster Electromagnetic Motor

Video: Wahl Chrome Pro Motor Power

I initially had my reservations about the Wahl Chrome Pro motor and thought the ‘POWERDRIVE heavy-duty motor’ being 35% faster to be a marketing stunt.

But after using it first-hand, I had to change my opinion. By powering this tool relentlessly using a permanent cord, Wahl’s electromagnetic unit actually works wonders! I

was able to trim through coarse hair for bulk trims and stroke out shorter haircuts with relative ease. The only place where it struggles is against long and kinky hair, so that’s a precaution for you.

Numerous Accessories to Help New Groomers

For your convenience, I’m going to list out the guards included inside the package of this hair clipper so that you can learn exactly what to expect.

In the guide comb department, you’re getting: 1/16", 1/8", 1/4", 3/8", 1/2", 5/8", 3/4", 7/8" and 1" guards.

Other than these, there are two more ear guards for each ear, and a precision guard for particular styling outputs.

Overall, its accessories that fit into a storage case seals the deal for me, making it the ultimate choice a beginner or home groomer could ever hope for!

For the combo, the inclusion of a beard trimmer felt useful at first. But checking out its quality, I’m not sure if this will have any practical use for me - it’s cheap and not that great to be honest.

Lever Gap Allows Varieties Hairdos

While I’m not a fan of the adjustment lever and its cheap quality, the 1 mm to 3 mm range does indeed add some perks to the Chrome Pro.

You’d be able to create longer fades and taper around your hair, however, the tapers are not going to be skin-close.

To alter between lengths, the lever does respond but I’m still quite skeptical about its length retention - at times, I felt the lever drift a little. But it’s just me being too picky I guess.

3.09 Meter Cord Offers Flexible Maneuvering

The longer cord length for the Chrome Pro does indeed liberate your roaming area and reduce your dependency on the power outlet location.

 Also, this length of 3.09 meter reduces the issues of tangled cord while you’re grooming your own hair - something I didn’t expect at this price point.

Where the cord connects to the clipper handle, a flexible, thick protector keeps the cord connection safe and presents an enduring design in the long run.

User Experience of Wahl Chrome Pro

Before you buy the Chrome Pro, you should definitely have a look into its real-life performance to understand where you’re going to be spending your money.

Experience Highlights

• Easy to use design
• Heat and noise levels are manageable
• Blade & motor performance together is above average
• Not satisfied with guide comb performance
• Direct trimming against skin is possible

Trimming Closeness and Comfort

As I mentioned earlier, you should expect your closest trimming outcomes to be somewhere around 1.0 mm to 1.2 mm, depending on your hair texture, ruling out its potential for balding hair. 

The blade itself is comfortable enough for going without any guard, credit is due to the carbon-steel design of the blade.

Due to the gap in the blade teeth even in the shortest setting, you should expect a no-pull outcome, but dense hairs are heard to be vulnerable to pulling at times.

Grooming Speed

Grooming speed with the Chrome Pro varies based on your hair type, volume and expertise. In general, I’m satisfied with my speed - I have fine hair and average density.

I’d say it’s not ideal for ethnic, curly or kinky hair, the blade just isn’t sharp enough and the motor unit remains unable to salvage that situation.

With some skills, bulk trimming may take around 5-10 minutes, including refinement. Since lining up isn’t up to par using this device, you’ll have to rely on a separate trimmer for that.

Potential Performance & Outcomes 

I’ve crafted out different fade haircuts - from low to high. Also, on a buzz cut number between 4-8, Chrome Pro can definitely draw a visible taper all the way around.

Other than fades and buzz cuts, bulk trim at different lengths using the guard combs available will come in handy for you.

However, the guards tend to feel flimsy at times for me and due to the cheap build, harshly pressing these guards against your scalp can feel unnerving.

Versatility

Does the Chrome Pro trim your beard along with your hair? To investigate and find an answer, I actually tried trimming my beard using this tool.

To my surprise, it indeed works to a certain extent, although it's mostly restricted to bulk trimming without any guards.

Otherwise, hair grooming and styling remain its strongest suit - so the versatility score is somewhere around 6.5 out of 10 in my opinion.

Cleaning & Maintenance

The blade unit for the Chrome Pro is screwed to the handle, thus removal is a trouble for consumers without hair clipper maintenance literacy.

But the good news is, you really don’t have to do any of that for regular cleaning and maintenance. Just grab a brush and clean out the blade teeth.

Apply the lubricant provided inside the package to let the blade teeth breathe and grease out. A couple of drops should suffice.

Wahl Chrome Pro Testing Procedure

Testing out Wahl Chrome Pro wasn’t really an easy task, considering all of the accessories that I had to individually put to action.

In addition to that, the blade and motor combination had to go through a wide array of grooming operations on different types of hairs to find the optimum benchmark.

Also, for the durability test, I initiated a drop test and overall close inspection to present my verdict.

From performance, robustness, quality of outcome, comfort level, heat and noise levels - it all took me around a month to complete, and this article is the fruit of this effort.

Who Should Consider Buying the Wahl Chrome Pro?

Wahl Chrome Pro is hands down a personal grooming tool - be that for the price or for the overall features as well as performance.

Since it’s a complete starter kit, beginners who have never owned a hair clipper can definitely consider it to be an option.

Whether you groom once a week or once a month, Chrome Pro is ready to support your cause and give you greater value out of your money than almost any other tools in the market.

Wahl Chrome Pro vs Elite Pro vs Ultra Quiet: Find Your Soulmate

If you’re looking to differentiate between three of the budget-grade yet above average Wahl clippers, this section will bring that on for you.

I’ve categorized the similarities and differences under two separate sections to let you comprehend things under a better light.

Similarities

• They share self-sharpening blade units made with steel
• Corded design with adjustment lever
• Offer a lot of guards enough for home grooming
• None of them are fitting for professional environment
• Easy and similar maintenance

As you can see, the blade units are quite similar in these three Wahl hair clippers - made with stainless steel and associated self-sharpening quality.

All three are corded hair clippers and contain adjustment levers to create hair gradients, fades and tapers.

Although different in number, they come with plenty of guards, enough for home grooming and you won’t feel the need to buy separate ones from the market.

These are not meant for professional settings. Home consumers will find it very easy to clean and maintain the tools in concern. 

Differences

• Motor Strength: Elite Pro > Chrome Pro > Ultra Quiet
• Ultra Quiet is the better tool for reduced noise and vibration
• Chrome Pro and Elite Pro have plastic build, Ultra Quiet build with metal
• Ultra Quiet and Elite Pro contain better quality guards
• Ultra Quiet heats up the least, but weighs most among three

Out of the three, Chrome Pro has the medium strength level in terms of motor power, the housing is built with plastic, rubber-coated and average in the noise and vibration scale.

 The guards it has are the least favorable and more likely to hurt your scalp. But overall, it offers the maximum number of accessories to the buyer.

Elite Pro is similarly a plastic-built tool but lacks the ergonomic prowess like Chrome Pro. Its guards are better-graded than Chrome Pro but falls short against Wahl Ultra Quiet. Another factor about Elite Pro is that it contains the most powerful motor of the lot, thus has a faster trimming pace and is better suited for slightly textured hair.

Ultra Quiet has an insulated handle with a metal outer shell, marking it the most robust yet heftiest tool out of the three.

Its guards are snappy and comfortable to use. In terms of noise level and heat generation, Ultra Quiet outranks Elite Pro and Chrome Pro.

However, this design has led to a lower motor torque, restricting its expertise only on fine hair with average density or lower. 

Key Takeaway: Let me give you the ideal buyer group for each based on my observation.

• Buy Chrome Pro: For a complete starter kit including the highest accessories, great ergonomics and above average performance.
• Buy Elite Pro: For thicker hair and superior performance using robust guards - but the amount of accessories are less and falls short in the ergonomics department.
• Buy Ultra Quiet: For lower noise, vibration and heat generation, paired with premium guide combs and durable design, although it’s meant for thin hair and weighs more.

FAQ

I’ll be answering two more questions regarding the different variants and models of Chrome Pro to clarify your conception of this hair clipper.

Q: What’s the difference between Wahl Chrome Pro & Deluxe Chrome Pro?

Ans: Basically, the Chrome Pro variant that comes with the trimmer unit and additional accessories is referred to as Wahl Deluxe Chrome Pro. The base Chrome Pro variant brings on numerous accessories as well, but not the trimmer and costs less.

Q: Does Wahl Chrome Pro have a cordless variant?

Ans: Apparently yes! The cordless Chrome Pro is priced somewhat similar to the corded Deluxe Chrome Pro but there’s a significant difference between the built materials and performance. Long story short - the corded Chrome Pro is faster, more powerful and overall sharper than the cordless one.

Concluding Remarks

While reviewing my Wahl Chrome Pro, I managed to consult with one of my friends who has owned this clipping device for the past three and a half years.

His opinion goes something like this: “...it’s not the best one out there, but nothing else can beat this for the price….”

And that’s actually true. If you’re looking for a way to save cost on barbershops and start grooming your hair on your own, Chrome Pro stands as a valid candidate for that.

Because at this price point, the cordless tools you’re going to get are not as powerful. And the corded tools won’t offer this many accessories. Chrome Pro bridges these to give you a win-win situation.