NOVAH Clipper Review: What They Do Well and Where They Fall Short
By NOVAH Editorial · Updated November 3, 2026 · 10 min read
Key Takeaways
- Are NOVAH clippers any good? For someone cutting their own fade at home, yes: a taper lever, half-size guards (1.5 and 4.5 mm) and two speeds are what a fade needs, and the Amazon listing averages 4.5 stars across 12,000+ reviews. If you only ever cut one length all over, buy something simpler.
- We make these clippers, so treat this as the manufacturer's account rather than an independent test. What we have tried to do is be specific about limitations rather than vague about them.
- The features that matter for fading are the taper lever, the guard set with lettered half sizes, and two speeds on a brushless motor.
- The motor runs at 6,000 RPM standard and 6,500 RPM in turbo. Those are the figures we will stand behind.
- Runtime is 5+ hours on standard speed per charge for both the clipper and the trimmer, and less on turbo. We do not give a turbo figure.
- If you only ever buzz one length all over, you do not need the lever and the half guards, and we would rather say so than sell you the wrong tool.
Who Is Writing This, and Why That Matters
NOVAH Grooming makes the clipper reviewed here. This is not an independent test and it would be dishonest to present it as one.
That being the case, the only thing a review like this can usefully offer is specificity. Anyone can write that their own product is excellent. What is harder, and more useful to you, is naming the things it does not do, the figures we will not publish, and the buyer we think should choose something else. Those sections are further down and they are the reason this page exists.
For an independent view, the Amazon listing carries a 4.5 star average across more than 12,000 reviews at the time of writing. Those are written by people who bought the product and owe us nothing, and they are a better source than we are for whether it holds up in ordinary use.
What Is Actually in the Box?
The core combo pairs a clipper and a trimmer. Both have a metal body. The clipper has two speeds and an LED display on the back that shows charge, speed and lock state; the trimmer has a battery display.
The guards are hard plastic, and the set includes half sizes. That last detail sounds minor and is not. The half sizes, lettered A (1.5 mm) and B (4.5 mm) on NOVAH's guard chart, are the guards that halve the steps at the short end of a fade: A sits between bare blade and the 1 (3 mm), B between the 1 and the 2 (6 mm). A set with whole sizes only makes fading harder than it needs to be.
A fade is a long cut, held at awkward angles in a mirror, so how a clipper sits in the hand matters. We do not have a confirmed weight on file for either tool, so this review does not compare them with other machines on weight.
We would rather lose the sale than misstate a number. If the warranty term is decisive for you, check the product page before you buy.
What Does It Do Well?
It has a taper lever. On a clipper meant for fading, the lever is the feature to check first. A lever needs enough travel that a three-quarter position cuts differently from a fully open one; if the range is too narrow, every position does roughly the same thing and you are back to blending with guards alone. NOVAH's product page describes it as a variable-gauge lever that sets the gap with one thumb. We have not measured its travel, so we make no claim about its range.
Two speeds on a brushless motor. 6,000 RPM standard, 6,500 RPM in turbo. A brushless motor has no carbon brushes, so there is less internal friction and no brushes to wear down. What matters on any clipper is whether the speed holds when the blade meets dense hair, because a motor that bogs down leaves lines; we have not run a load test, so we do not claim a figure for it.
The guard set includes the half sizes. Six hard plastic guards from 1.5 to 13 mm (1.5, 3, 4.5, 6, 10 and 13).
You can watch it in use. The video above, produced in partnership with NOVAH, is a working barber cutting a full self-fade with NOVAH clippers. Watch it for the order of guards and lever positions: that sequence is what a beginner has to learn, on any machine.
| Feature | What we publish | Confidence |
|---|---|---|
| Motor speed | 6,000 RPM standard, 6,500 RPM turbo | Confirmed, we will stand behind these |
| Guard set | Six hard plastic guards, 1.5 to 13 mm, including half sizes | Confirmed |
| Body | All-metal housing | Confirmed |
| Display | LED display on the back of the clipper (charge, speed, lock state); battery display on the trimmer | Confirmed |
| Speed settings | Two on the clipper | Confirmed |
| Battery runtime | 5+ hours on standard speed, less on turbo | Confirmed; no turbo figure given |
Each row is a figure NOVAH has confirmed. Warranty terms are on the product page; check them at the time you buy.
Where Does It Fall Short?
Three genuine limitations, stated plainly.
1. Runtime is 5+ hours on standard speed, and less on turbo. That is the figure NOVAH confirms for both the clipper and the trimmer. We do not give a turbo figure, so if you run turbo for much of a cut, expect less.
2. This review does not state a warranty term. Check the warranty terms on the product page at the time of purchase rather than relying on a number from us.
3. The guard range stops at 13 mm. The longest of the six guards is the 4, at half an inch. If you want to leave more than that on top, that is a scissors job, not a guard length this set covers.
Who Should Buy Something Else?
Anyone who needs a published turbo runtime. The figure on file is 5+ hours on standard speed, and we do not give a turbo figure. If a turbo number is decisive for you, that is a legitimate reason to buy a machine that publishes one.
Anyone who only ever cuts one length all over. If you buzz your head at a #2 and have no interest in fading, you are paying for a lever, a half-guard set and a two-speed motor that you will never use. A basic single-speed clipper does that job, and we would rather you bought that.
Anyone who wants to cut with scissors over comb. That is a shear technique. No clipper, ours included, is the right purchase for it.
The NOVAH Pro Clipper + Trimmer set is available on Amazon.
Check price on AmazonWho Is It Actually For?
The person cutting their own hair, or their family's, at home, who wants to fade rather than just buzz.
That is a specific buyer and it is who the feature set is built around. The taper lever, the half guards and the two-speed motor are all things that only start to matter once you are trying to blend rather than clip. If you are that person, the case is straightforward: the feature set covers what a fade needs, and everything after that is practice.
The secondary case is the barber who wants a cordless machine for home visits or as a second clipper at the station. The taper lever and the half-size guards suit that; check the 5+ hours on standard speed against the hours you cut.
How Should You Compare It With Other Clippers?
We are going to be careful here rather than comprehensive, because comparing our own product against named competitors in our own review is not a position from which we can be trusted to be fair. We do not quote a price either: check today's price on the listing.
What we can say usefully is what a fading clipper needs, so you can judge any clipper against the same list: a taper lever with enough travel to cut differently at different positions, and a guard set with half sizes. Those are what a fade depends on. A clipper missing them is not a worse fading clipper, it is a clipper that is not really for fading.
Then check what each maker publishes: motor speed, runtime and the speed it was stated at, the guard sizes, and the warranty term. Ours are in the table above; for the warranty term, see the product page.
4.5
Average star rating across more than 12,000 Amazon reviews. Written by buyers who owe us nothing, which makes them a better source on durability than this page is.
Questions worth answering before you buy any clipper
- Does it have a taper lever, and does the lever have enough travel to cut differently at different positions?
- Does the guard set include half sizes, or whole numbers only?
- How are the guards built, and do they flex under pressure?
- Does the brand publish a tested battery runtime, or a marketing figure?
- What is the stated warranty term, on the product page, at the time you buy?
- Are you fading, or cutting one length all over? The second needs far less machine.
- How many hours a day will it run, and does the maker publish a runtime for that?
⚠️ We would rather lose the sale than misstate a number. Runtime is 5+ hours on standard speed. This review does not print a warranty term; if it is decisive for your purchase, check the warranty terms on the product page at the time you buy.
NOVAH Pro Clipper + Trimmer
★ 4.5 stars from 12,000+ Amazon reviews
A cordless clipper for the bulk of the cut and a trimmer for lineups, edging and detail work, sold together as one set.
Check price on AmazonFrequently Asked Questions
Are NOVAH clippers good for fading?
Fading is what the feature set is built around: a taper lever, half-size guards, and a two-speed brushless motor. Those are what a fade depends on. We make them, so weigh that, but the 4.5 star average across 12,000-plus Amazon reviews is a more independent read.
How long does the NOVAH clipper battery last?
5+ hours on standard speed per charge, for both the clipper and the trimmer, and less on turbo. We do not give a turbo figure. Charge after each cut so a flat battery never meets a half-finished fade.
What RPM is the NOVAH clipper?
6,000 RPM on the standard setting and 6,500 RPM in turbo. Those figures are confirmed and we will stand behind them.
Do NOVAH clippers come with half guards?
Yes. The six clipper guards include two half sizes, lettered A (1.5 mm) and B (4.5 mm) on NOVAH's guard chart. A sits between bare blade and the 1, and B between the 1 and the 2, which is what lets a fade blend in smaller steps.
Are NOVAH clippers suitable for a working barber?
For home visits or as a second machine, the feature set fits: two speeds, a taper lever and half-size guards. Runtime on file is 5+ hours on standard speed per charge and less on turbo, so check that against the hours you cut before relying on one cordless clipper for a full day.
What is the warranty on NOVAH clippers?
This review does not state a warranty term. Check the warranty terms shown on the product page at the time you buy.
Sources
- NOVAH x Faded Culture self-cut tutorial (embedded above)
- NOVAH Pro Clipper + Trimmer (Matte Black) product page, https://novahpro.com/products/novah-professional-barber-hair-clippers-trimmers
- NOVAH Pro Clipper (Matte Black) product page, LED display on the back showing charge, speed and lock state, https://novahpro.com/products/novah-professional-hair-clippers-matte-black
- Amazon customer reviews for the NOVAH Pro Clipper + Trimmer: 4.5 stars from 12,000+ reviews
Related Reading
NOVAH Grooming publishes this guide and sells the products mentioned in it, both here and on Amazon. Links to Amazon go to our own listings and are tagged so we can see which guides help people. Prices and availability are current as of publication and may change.
