No stubble. Just smooth bald shaves, huh?
A few people asked us why didn’t mention anything about Andis vs Wahl foil shavers. Big mistake on our side indeed!
After all, we have beauties like Andis Profoil and the famous Wahl’s 5 star Shaver Shaper, also the equally popular Wahl Finale.
I’m quite fond of the Profoil I’ve been using recently. It’s durable and has an outstanding battery charge:
Still, there are some good points to Wahl’s own electric foil shavers too!
Let’s first introduce a quick comparison chart:
Foil shavers: Andis Profoil or Wahl 5 Star Shaver Shaper?
| Product | Details | ||
|---|---|---|---|
 | Andis Profoil
| Check Price on Amazon.com | |
 | Wahl 5 star Shaper
| Check Price on Amazon.com | |
 | Wahl 5 star Finale
| Check Price on Amazon.com |
There’s a few factors we’ll base our Andis Profoil vs Wahl 5 star Shaver vs Wahl Final review, namely:
Product body & materials quality
Power performance
Battery life
How close & smooth the foils cut
We encourage you to read through the in-depth comparison. All models are ready to deliver slick bald looks and serve as spectacular skin fade/bald fade foil shavers.
Note: The Finale is basically a 5 star Shaper with improved battery life – from 60 minutes on the older NiCad battery to 90 minutes on a Lithium-Ion one. However, I feel its foils are rather fragile, even though it’s great for bump razor reduction.
Body & materials
Andis Lithium Profoil shaver has a 4.75”, 0.2 lbs body. Made of grayish polymer, it is of moderate sturdiness. It could’ve been a bit more durable, definitely, but probably that would take from its extremely lightweight comfort.
In comparison, Wahl’s Shaver Shaper is a bit smaller at 4.6”. However, it weighs almost twice as much at 0.36 lbs. Not that this will make it harder for you to work with it, but a lot of people value feather-like convenience.
The Wahl body has a bit of texture, as well, so it feels less likely to slip out of your hands.
Both models feature hypo-allergenic foil. The difference is that Andis Lithium Profoil relies on titanium as a material. Wahl 5 Star Shaver, on the other hand, decided to go with a delicate gold coating for smooth shaves.
The key here is that they both are using materials that allows them to have an extremely thin foil to over the very sharp blades. It’s essential for the foil to be thin so that it will cut much closer when the hair enters the holes, but too thin and the foil can break which would expose you to all of those sharp, fast moving blades.
Everybody applies pressure when shaving. Be more careful if you go with the #8061-100 Shaver Shaper. Its foils are a little bit more sensitive than Andis Profoil and you can damage them.
I know it is tempting to press down to get a closer shave, but you’re actually doing the opposite. When you press down the blades can’t make an even pass against the skin so they slow down and get interrupted. Just push enough to make contact with the skin and that’s it. Yes, you’ll have to go over the same spot a couple of times to get all of the stubble, but you won’t get razor burn by doing this. You’re more likely to get razor burn when you push hard even if you don’t break the foil as I mentioned.
Some people, like me, don’t like too lightweight of a body. For them, the Wahl foil shaver might feel more “properly” due to its weight. All in all, though, Andis Profoil pick scores higher in this department.
- Andis Profoil 89%
- Wahl Shaver Shaper 83%
Power & battery
This is a huge win for Andis. Not because of the Profoil Lithium shaver’s 9400 strokes per minute rotary motor. Wahl’s 5 star itself is quite powerful too.
No, the reason is the battery.
Battery life is the first factor. Andis’ foil shaver will last for up to 80 minutes when charged. The Shaver Shaper, however, will run for only up to an hour.
Charge aside, though, the battery technology also matters a lot. Andis’ electric shaver comes with the newest Lithium-Ion battery type. Wahl’s model sticks to the older NiCad one.
This boils down to longevity. Every rechargeable battery eventually will no longer be able to hold a charge. You’ll get to a point in which no matter how long you keep the battery on the charger, it won’t get full. And when you use it it dies quickly. The problem is the Nickel Cadmium batteries get to that point much sooner than the Lithium Ion version.
If you use the shavers alot, especially if you plan on shaving heads often, then you’re Wahl will not last as long as the Andis.
Now, NiCad has something called battery “memory”. When the battery charge gets depleted slowly, devices running on NiCad also slow their cutting power. Something that doesn’t happen with Li-Ion technology.
True: you can use both models as corded foil shavers too. For cordless purposes, however, Andis crushes it. Oh, and it runs on 100-240V and 50/60HZ so you can use it globally.
- Andis Profoil 95%
- Wahl Shaver Shaper 79%
Closeness & smoothness of the shave
This is the trickiest department. Both the Profoil and the Wahl shaver are very proficient in what they do. You can use them for finishing after your tight fades, cleaning up necklines or eradicating that stubble you didn’t want anyways.
In terms of smooth bald looks, both will polish your dome with very close shaves.
That said, Wahl 5 Star shaver shaper does seem a little bit better for extra sensitive skin.
Again, this is very dependant on how prone to bumps and irritations your skin is. And it’s not that the #17150 Profoil Lithium won’t deliver a smooth cutting experience.
All I’m saying is that in this department, maybe Wahl’s foil electric shaver does a tad better job.
- Andis Profoil 86%
- Wahl Shaver Shaper 92%
Final verdict
An Andis shaver vs Wahl 5 Star shaver shaper, huh…How can you really compare two of the best products in their own niche?
Well, we just did. As I mentioned, our conclusion is that Andis have done it a little bit better this time. Better, longer battery, a bit more durable foils overall.
However, what Wahl seems to do a bit better is the smoothness of the shaves part.
I’ve used both os these and found them to be pretty close in terms of performance. It’s a tough choice. But, if you held a gun to my head and made me choose, I’d probably take the Wahl.
In reality, though, these are the lone kings in their own niche of barber-grade foil shavers. Just think what will work better for you and pick accordingly.
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Hi, which is the last model of wahl 5 star final?
Thanks.
Hi Viktor! The model Wahl is selling now from their own website is No.8164, which is also sold on Amazon.
I have had both. The Wahl foil lasted about a month before the delicate foil was damaged with light use. Having to keep replacing the foil would not be worth it. The andis is better over all. I like the performance
Agreed that the Andis is better overall. I never had that issue with the foil on the Wahl though, but feel that Andis makes a better foil that is thinner and gets closer.
I do total Manscaping. The Wahl and Andis don’t do well on body hair, so I only use them for “finishing”. I first use a Remington ES-1000, which was the last full “Flat-Head” or “Slot-Head” shaver discontinued in 2005. I don’t know about the Andis foil heads, but Wahl makes 3 different thicknesses. The thinnest shaves the closest but their life is short. So I use the “sensitive” or thickest foil and they last forever. I imagine the Andis and Wahl foils are interchangeable. The next foil shaver I buy will have a Lion battery. I’ve replaced many Ni-Cd batteries in my Wahl. Still waiting for someone to make a replacement for the ES-1000 for those of us who do total body shaving.
I’ve been shaving my head for a while now (with a Gillette Sensor). I have a Wahl Designer that I’ve used for clipping, so a technology I have comfort with. So I’m wondering between the Wahl Balding Clipper vs. the Andis or Wahl Shaver. Is shaver vs. clipper technology likely to produce smoother results?
Wahl U.S.A made. Andis made in China. Easy choice. Wahl.