It had to happen one day. It was Sunday morning and I had just started to give the bonce a good clipping when the clippers slipped out of my hand and crashed onto the floor causing the upper clipper to fly off. I pressed it back into place, but when I switched the clippers on they gave out a sad groan and gave up the ghost.
A Quarter Century of Service
I bought those clippers back in 1999 when I arrived in Japan and have used them without any trouble ever since, without taking any particular care of them. I dropped them several times over the last quarter century and a few years ago the plastic cover that protected the power port where you plug in the cable came off, but that did not affect the clipper motor so I continued to use them until last weekend.
Yamada Denki
So, with my bonce only partially clipped, I headed out to our local Yamada Denki electronics store, just a convenient minute's walk from my place, to buy a new set of clippers, without for a moment checking the time. I got there at a quarter to ten only to find the place shut because the lazy devils don't open until ten.
I went back an hour later and wandered around - noting a whole shelf full of fancy soda water machines, a product that I'd never seen before on the shelves of a Japanese electronics store.
Price Range
I eventually stumbled upon the mens' grooming shelves and was presented with a selection of hair clippers that ranged between a suspiciously cheap ¥1,000 ($6.85) to an extravagant ¥10,000 ($68.50) that came with a bunch of superfluous gizmos and features. I chose a basic set by "Tescom" (a somewhat dodgy brand name if you think about it) for ¥3,500 ($23.90) and wandered home to finish off the job of clipping my bonce.
A Good Choice for Digital Nomads!
How has hair-clipper technology changed over the last quarter century?
Whereas my good old "National" clippers required an AC plug and were only effective when plugged in, my new "Tescom" clippers can be charged up with any "Type C" phone charger, then unplugged and used without a lead, which also means they can be taken abroad and used in any country that has an electricity supply. I didn't take that into consideration when I bought the clippers, but for an aspiring digital nomad, that must be a bonus win!
I don't think my Tescom clippers are quite as vigorous in their clipping power as the good old National set, and I doubt that they will last as long - but for now at least, they get the job done.
Cheers!
David Hurley
#InspiredFocus