The one stat that surprised me at my barber conference in Columbus
I was at a barber expo in Columbus back in March and sat through a class on clipper blade care. The teacher threw out a number that stuck with me: a dull blade can pull 30 percent more hair than a sharp one, and most of us are running blades way past their prime. I checked my own drawer and found 6 blades I had been using for over a year without swapping. That explains why my fade clients kept flinching on the neckline. I picked up a cheap blade sharpener after the class and the difference in how the cut feels is real. Now I sharpen every 8 to 10 cuts instead of waiting for a tug. How often are you all touching up your blades?