Ten guards or a wheel
Ten guards and a case, or a wheel and three combs?
These two cost within a couple of euros of each other and take opposite approaches to the same job. The Remington gives you combs and everything around them; the Philips gives you a wheel and expects the machine to do the work.
| Compared on | HC5811 | HC5630/15 |
|---|---|---|
| How length is set | Ten guide combs plus a 0.8–2 mm lever | Zoom wheel, no comb change |
| Length range | 3–40 mm on combs, 0.8–2 mm on the head | 0.5–28 mm |
| Number of settings | Ten combs | 28 settings |
| Blades | Self-sharpening ceramic | Not published |
| Runtime | Up to 50 minutes | Up to 90 minutes |
| Charge time | 90 minutes | Not published |
| Mains operation | Yes | Yes |
| Washable | Not published | Fully washable, per Philips |
| Also in the box | Aluminium case, scissors, comb, neck brush, cape | Travel case, cleaning brush, charging cable |
A tick marks the better answer on that line only. Counting ticks does not decide the page — the two verdicts below do, because these products answer different questions.
Take the Remington if this is your first clipper and you own nothing else. The cape and the neck brush are what decide whether a home haircut ends in an afternoon of cleaning, and ten guards cover a wider span than the Philips wheel reaches.
Take the Philips if you intend to blend rather than buzz. A wheel changes length mid-pass, which no bag of guards can do, and 28 settings at 0.5 mm steps is finer than ten combs three millimetres apart.
The Philips, at 0.5 mm on the wheel. The Remington reaches 0.8 mm, but only with the combs off and the lever on the head — its combs start at 3 mm.
For a first machine, more than the specification difference between these two. Neither wheel nor comb changes where the hair lands, and only one of these boxes contains the thing that does.
Ceramic blades · 10 guards, 3–40 mm · 50 min · case, cape, scissors
The clipper with the longest accessory list of this lot: ten guards covering 3 to 40 mm, an aluminium case, scissors, a comb, a neck brush and a cutting cape, around self-sharpening ceramic blades and a stated 50 minutes of cordless runtime.
Best for: A first clipper for cutting at home, where the cape and the case matter as much as the motor.
≈ 33 €
28 lengths, 0.5–28 mm · zoom wheel · 90 min · fully washable
A zoom wheel that sets 28 lengths between 0.5 and 28 mm without changing anything on the head, a comb designed so cut hair does not clog it, and a body Philips describes as completely washable.
Best for: Home haircuts where the length changes as you go, rather than one length all over.
≈ £44 / 35 €
