The Rich Barber Company Modified Blade and Blade Setter Review

Results in cleaner lines and shaves

The Rich Barber Company Modified Blade and Blade Setter

Whether you are a professional barber or hairstylist or just a regular guy who touches up his hair and beard at home, a great trimmer is essential. Of course, the Andis T-Outliner has been on my list of recommend tools for decades, but I wish the T-Outliner (and all other clippers, for that matter) would allow me to create a cleaner outline and shave closer. Enter The Rich Barber Company to solve that problem with two unique products. This is my review of The Rich Barber Company Modified Andis T-Outliner Blade and The On the Money Blade Setter.

The Modified Andis T-Outliner Blade

The Rich Barber Company has taken the Andis T-Outliner Blade Set and modified it by removing a very small amount of metal from the tip of the blade. This causes the tips of both the stationary blade and the moving blade to be nearly identical in length, resulting in a VERY sharp edge. In my test of this blade, I found it created extremely crisp outlines and when used for shaving, cut incredibly close. On the neckline and around beards, I am able to create such clean lines with this blade that I don't really need to follow up with a straight razor. For dry shaving, fading or balding, this blade also cuts close enough that I can eliminate following up with a wet shave or foil razor. Granted, it is not as close as a straight razor or even a foil shaver would get, but it is close enough so that visually you can't see much of a difference. I am extremely impressed by the performance of this blade and with the time it saves me. The Rich Barber Company also offers a modified version of the Wahl T-Wide Blade and Andis Outliner II Blade (and a few others), which I expect would perform similarly, although the modified T-Outliner blade was the only one I tested.

There are a few downsides to using the modified blade, however. Because the blade tips are so close, it is critical that the blade be precisely adjusted (more on that in a moment) as any slight misalignment can cause the blade to nick or scratch the skin. I strongly recommend testing the blade on your own forearm (or other tender areas of skin) before using it on the client (or on your face or neckline) -- do this every time you pick the clipper up as a slight bump of the blade can take it out of perfect alignment.  I also experienced an increased problem of hair getting in between the blades, which required me to clean them more frequently. This may be coincidence, so if that changes, I'll update this review. After several days of use, I also very lightly bumped the clipper and chipped the blade rendering it useless. I have ordered a replacement and will certainly continue to use it.

The On The Money Blade Setter

Even if you don't use the modified blade, you can still make a standard blade cut closer by adjusting it so there is no gap between the blades. Doing that by sight can be difficult, so The Rich Barber Company has created their On the Money Blade Setter for the Andis T-Outliner and Outliner II Blades, The Andis Styliner II, and M3 Blades, and the Andis GTX/GTO Deeptooth Blade. The product is extremely simple to use. Simply snap the blade into place, loosen the set screws, push the moving blade forward and tighten up the screws. In my tests, the product resulted in a perfectly aligned Andis T-Outliner Blade with almost no gap between the blade tips. Of course, I've ordered a replacement modified blade, but my standard blade did perform better after using the On the Money Blade Setter.  

The Bottom Line

If you are a professional barber or stylist or home user who is looking for super sharp lines and close shaving from your Andis T-Outliner, Outliner II, Styliner II, or your Wahl Hero or Detailer, I can highly recommend purchasing either one of The Rich Barber Company's modified blades and/or blade setter. The Modified T-Outliner blade and Blade Setter both performed better than I expected. While the modification to the blade does seem to make it a tad more fragile, I think it is a small price to pay to produce cleaner lines and closer shaves. The modified blades retail for around $25 each while the blade setter is just under $10. Blades can be purchased from The Rich Barber Website and the blade setter can be purchased through their website.