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Andis has built clippers in Racine, Wisconsin for over a century, and the Master is one of the most recognized tools in the trade. This guide covers the company’s history from two public sources, then the four Andis clippers and trimmers barbers ask about most, with specs from Andis’s current product pages.
In this article
In this guide
The Short Version
Andis says it has been family owned since 1922, when Mathew Andis created the first generation of today’s Master Clipper in the basement of his Racine, Wisconsin home (Andis “Our Story” page). The National Barber Museum Hall of Fame entry fills in the earlier years: Andis was a toolmaker who emigrated in 1908, started making hand clippers after buying the handles and molds from a bankrupt firm, and took on two partners, John Oster and Henry Meltzer. Four generations later, the company says it is still family owned and still in Racine.
The origin story is one of the clearest in the trade, and the current lineup backs it up with two-year warranties and US manufacturing on the maker’s pages. History tells you why a brand is worth a look; the spec table below tells you which model fits your work.
The 1922 Date and the Oster Connection
Both sources treat 1922 as the turning point, but frame it differently. Andis counts 1922 as its founding year. The museum entry says that is the year Andis sold his share of the partnership to Oster and Meltzer to focus on new products. Either way, the name on the clipper stayed Andis.
The Oster in that partnership is the same Oster behind another barbershop staple. See our Oster Classic 76 guide for that side of the family tree.
The Clippers That Built the Name
Early electric clippers were unwieldy units driven by a metal cable connected to an overhead motor, per the museum entry. Andis’s breakthrough was a small, hand-held, self-contained electric clipper, and it sold immediately. After World War II the company kept releasing models as men’s hairstyles changed.
The museum entry also says Andis resisted diversification and became the world leader in strictly professional clippers. That line comes from a 1970 induction page, and the current catalog reaches home users as well as professionals, but the pro trade is still where the brand’s reputation lives.
How Andis Describes Itself Today
Andis says it works out of a facility “a short drive from where it all began” in Racine and runs on the line “if it isn’t the best, we don’t make it.” Its stated values are creative spirit, customer and community focus, quality, and innovation, and the Andis Foundation funds grants and scholarships for children of employees. That is the company’s own framing, from its story page.
Andis Clippers to Look at Today
We read four current Andis product pages on October 13, 2026. The table shows what the maker lists, and “list price” is what the Andis page shows. Amazon may differ, so check the current price before you buy.
| Model | Motor | Blade | Runtime / power | Weight | Warranty | List price (Oct 13, 2026) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Master Cordless Black Label, Phaze blade (561895) | Rotary, 6,500 SPM | Adjustable Phaze blade, 0000 to 0A | Up to 90 min lithium-ion | 13.2 oz | 2 years | Check Andis page |
| reVITE (86000) | Rotary, 5,500 SPM, ball-bearing drive | Adjustable Fade blade, 00000 to 000; Taper blade sold separately | Up to 2 hours | 11.5 oz | 2 years | $149.99 |
| T-Outliner T-Blade trimmer (04780) | Magnetic, 7,200 SPM | Carbon-steel T-blade | Corded | 14.5 oz | 2 years | $79.99 |
| Slimline Pro Li T-Blade trimmer (33785) | Rotary, 6,000 SPM | Carbon-steel T-blade | Up to 2 hours, corded option | 4.0 oz | 2 years | $76.99 |
Sources: Andis product pages for the Master Cordless Black Label, reVITE, T-Outliner and Slimline Pro Li. All four are listed as made in the USA. Edition names change, so check the exact page for the version you want.
- Master Cordless: the cordless version of the classic, with a 6,500 SPM rotary motor. See our comparison with the Wahl Magic Clip or check it on Amazon.
- reVITE: a lighter, slimmer metal clipper with a ball-bearing drive and up to two hours of runtime. Read our Andis reVITE review or check it on Amazon.
- T-Outliner: the classic corded outlining trimmer, with a 7,200 SPM magnetic motor. Check the T-Outliner on Amazon or read our T-Outliner review.
- Slimline Pro Li: a 4 oz cordless T-blade trimmer for detail work. Check the Slimline Pro Li on Amazon.
For the other big name in the shop, see our Wahl history and models guide. Cross-brand picks are in our best professional cordless clippers roundup.
Buying Notes
- Check the exact edition and warranty before you buy. The four Andis pages we read all list two years.
- Match weight to the job. A 13.2 oz clipper and a 4.0 oz trimmer feel very different over a full day of cuts.
- Corded tools like the T-Outliner never run out of power; cordless models trade that for freedom of movement.
- Replacement blades and parts for the classic models are easy to find, which keeps lifetime cost down.
- Match the motor to the job. The maker’s own specs put rotary motors, 6,000 to 6,500 SPM, on the cordless workhorses and a 7,200 SPM magnetic motor on the T-Outliner, and magnetic motors favor crisp edge work, so let the work you do most pick the trimmer.
- Editions move. The Master Cordless Black Label with the Phaze blade is a different purchase from the standard Master Cordless, and the product pages list both, so buy by the exact model number.
- Budget for the trimmer separately. Andis’s lineup treats clippers and trimmers as two different purchases, and the shop-standard pairing is a Master-family clipper with a T-blade trimmer beside it.
How We Researched This
We used the Andis story page, the National Barber Museum Hall of Fame entry, and four Andis product pages, all read on October 13, 2026. Historical claims are attributed to their sources, and spec claims come from the maker’s pages.
FAQ
When was Andis founded?
Andis says it has been family owned since 1922. The National Barber Museum describes 1922 as the year Mathew Andis sold out of an earlier partnership to develop new products. Both agree on the year.
What is the Andis Master?
Andis calls it the clipper whose first generation Mathew Andis created in his Racine basement. The current Master Cordless is its cordless descendant; see our Master Cordless comparison for specs.
How heavy is the Andis Master Cordless Black Label?
Andis lists 13.2 oz, with a 6,500 SPM rotary motor and up to 90 minutes of lithium-ion runtime.
Is Andis still family owned?
That is the company’s own account, and it has held that line for four generations: family owned since 1922, still run out of Racine, Wisconsin, a short drive from where Mathew Andis built the first generation of today’s Master Clipper in his basement. Independent coverage of the brand repeats the same two facts.
Are Andis clippers made in the USA?
The four product pages we read for this guide all list their tools as made in the USA. That is the maker’s claim for its current lineup; it is not a statement about every product the brand has ever sold, and it is one more reason the two-year warranty on those same pages matters.
How long have Andis clippers been around?
More than a century. The 1922 founding is the milestone both Andis and the National Barber Museum anchor on, and the hand-held, self-contained electric clipper that made the name arrived in the same era, when most electric clippers were still unwieldy units driven by an overhead motor.
Which Andis should a beginner pick first?
For clipper work, the Master Cordless Black Label is the classic barbershop reference and the cordless format fits a learning setup that moves between stations. For detail work, the 4 oz Slimline Pro Li is the lighter hand to learn on and the corded T-Outliner is the shop standard it is compared against.
How does Andis compare with Wahl for a barbershop?
Both are century-scale professional brands and most shops run a mix; this guide covers the Andis side and links our Wahl history and models guide for the other. On the spec sheets we read, the two families overlap on cordless rotary clippers around 6,000 to 6,500 SPM and differ on the edge tools: Andis’s T-Outliner is the 7,200 SPM magnetic-motor standard barbers reach for when the hairline has to be perfect.
What warranty do Andis clippers have?
The four Andis pages we read list a two-year warranty. Check the page for the exact edition you plan to buy.
