Clipper Over Comb: Tips From Two Barber Tutorials

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Clipper over comb is how barbers blend short sides into longer hair without a guard. It looks easy on video and is awkward the first few times. I watched two tutorials, one from the Eighty20 Barber Academy and one from Wise Barber in Vancouver, and pulled out the points that overlap. This is a summary of what the videos say. We did not test anything.

A flag: Eighty20 promotes its own molding paste in the description. The tutorial itself is about technique, not the paste.

Tilt the Comb Out, Do Not Lay It Flat

Both barbers make the same core point. Do not lay the comb flush against the head. In the Eighty20 video, the barber explains that a flush comb cuts hairs you already debulked, which pulls the blend up the head and makes it look round. Tilt the comb out until you no longer see the shorter hair sticking out, and cut only what pokes through.

The Wise Barber instructor says the same thing a different way. Angle the comb out about 45 degrees toward you. If you angle out, you leave a bit more hair on the head. If you angle into the head, you create a contour. If you are unsure, angle out, because you can always take more off but cannot put it back. That also avoids ridges and ledges.

Source: Clipper Over Comb Technique | Beginner Barber Tutorial, Eighty20 Barber Academy.

Blade, Lever and Texture

The Eighty20 barber says he uses an Oster Octane with a 30 blade for clipper over comb. If you use a regular clipper instead, you can run it with the lever fully closed, which he says is equivalent to the 30. Opening the lever gives a more textured cut, because it softens the blunt line, a bit like thinning shears.

If you are choosing a clipper for this, one common barber option is the Wahl 5 Star Cordless Senior. Wahl Pro describes it as built for bulk removal, tapering and fading, with a zero-gap adjustable blade and an 80 minute lithium-ion runtime (Wahl Pro product page, read October 13, 2026). For blade basics, see our clipper blade care guide.

How to Hold the Comb and Clipper

The Wise Barber instructor holds the comb between the finger and thumb so it can twist back and forth, and cuts at the spine of the comb. He warns that holding it wrong causes wrist fatigue and says it gets easier with practice.

For the clipper, the Eighty20 barber says to hold it like a pencil, in the center, so the weight is balanced. Holding it from the end puts too much weight on the front.

Moves That Save Time

• Flip the comb: go up with the comb and flip down, then repeat. The Eighty20 barber says this makes the work go faster.
• Cut horizontally for bigger areas, vertically for small, tight ones where you want more detail.
• Reset the hair by combing it with the grain between passes, as the Wise Barber instructor does.
• Use the short hair you already cut as a guide as you carry the blend around the head.

The Eighty20 barber says clipper over comb can turn a 40 minute haircut into a 30 minute one, because blending is faster and more precise. That is his claim.

A Beginner Safety Tip

The Wise Barber instructor suggests that when you are starting out, you open the lever to 0.5 or attach a number 1, 1.5 or 2 guard. That gives you a little “clipper insurance”, so a slip does not scalp the client. He says the technique works best on short to medium hair, though it can also remove bulk on long hair.

For fades and the other half of the haircut, see how to cut a fade at home and our guide to clipper guard sizes.