Andis Slimline Pro Li vs Slimline 2, T Outliner & Wahl Detailer (2024)

There’s a lot of love out there for Andis Slimline Pro Li, and I’ve got to say it’s fully deserved.

This neat little trimmer is solid for anything from necklines to light touchups or detailing work.

It’s also one of the lightest barber-grade trimmers. At only 0.3 lbs, it’ll never cause you any hand fatigue even on the busiest of days.

Let’s talk about it. In particular, I’ll give you some advice regarding:

• Slimline Pro Li vs Slimline Pro or Slimline 2
• Comparison between Slimline Pro Li vs Wahl Detailer or Beret
• What’s the difference between the Pro Li and the classic Andis T Outliner?

02/16/2024 07:26 pm GMT

New vs old:
Andis Slimline Pro Li vs Slimline Pro vs Slimline 2

Here’s the thing: Andis don’t really manufacture the older #32655 Slimline Pro. However, as some merchants still have it in stock, people have been asking me what’s up with these two.

Whatever the Pro does, the newer #32400 Slimline Pro Li does better. Highlights include:

• A 2 hour Lithium-ion battery life, instead of the older NiMH with the Pros.
• Faster rotary motor: 6000 strokes per minute against 5700.
• D8 blade over the older, not as close-cutting D7 blade.

What about the Slimline 2, though?

Very similar conclusions. While the Slimline 2 trimmer has the same motor as the Pro Li, it suffers from two drawbacks:

• The battery life isn’t as reliable and requires a longer charging time.
• The blade isn’t a part of Andis’ D-series T blades. It’s not optimal for barber-grade edging or lineup work.

If you’re a professional, I’d definitely go for the Pro Li in this case. You need power and reliability, and the trimmer isn’t that much more expensive than the other two models.

Wahl’s competitors:
Slimline Pro Li vs Wahl Detailer or Beret

If you ask a bunch of barbers, there’s a good chance some of them will actually have both a Pro Li and a Detailer.

I’ve been a longtime satisfied user of the praised Professional Detailer too:

Its very compact size (just 5″) makes it one of the smallest high-end trimmers on the market. While not as lightweight as the Pro Li, it’s still only 0.43 lbs. Easy to work with and maneuverable for trickier areas like around the ears.

In terms of crisp lines, Detailers hit as good as the Pro Li. A big advantage: unlike the D8 blade, the opening under the Detailer blade isn’t as wide.

The Pro Li blade design allows for trimmed hair to fall right into that gap. Effectively this means you need to clean it more frequently compared to how Wahl designs their blades.

That said, the Detailer is corded and a bit noisier.Also, Slimlines work a bit better when zero-gapped.

There’s a cordless Detailer out too. It improves everything over the corded version, but costs a pretty penny as I’ve noted in my comparison of Wahl trimmers. As a 5 Star Detailer, it also features a wider T-blade which deals better with bigger surfaces and necklines.

As for the Beret or the Sterling Mag…

These are Wahl’s quietest hair trimmers. The blade also has a softer touch. While not as good as the Pro Li for bulk trimming, these two are perfect for more sensitive areas.

Their silent operation really helps with kids, if you do kids’ haircuts or lineups. The finer teeth of the Beret, however, might stall with bigger volumes of facial hair.

Finally, the guards of the Pro Li are more diverse. The Beret attachments start from 1/8″, so you can’t really go comb-short with it as you can with Andis.

The classics:
Andis Slimline Pro Li vs T Outliner

OK, now that’s the classic battle for those who want to stick to Andis trimmers only.

Make no mistake – the high-rated T Outliner is way more powerful.

First, it deals with an electromagnetic, not a rotary motor. This allows it to unleash 7200 SPM of pure trimming power compared to Pro Li’s 6000 SPM.

But there’s a dark side to that… heat-ups and weight. The T Outliner will turn hot if you work with it more than 10 minutes and it weighs double at 0.7 lbs.

Another thing that the T Outliner does better is its famous T blade. Those close-cutting blades cut sharper and form more precise, crisper lines whatever you decide to do. They heavily outperform the D8 blade of the Pro Li.

Additionally, the T-blade covers a wider area. You can branch out to better bald fade finishes this way.

Corded, heavier, heats up…But comes with more power and better blades.

What can you do?

First, you can opt for the cordless T Outliner. While it has a slightly shorter battery life (100 minutes vs 2 hours), it’s basically lighter, mobile upgrade. Costs quite a bit, though.

Second, you can swap the D8 blade and put a T Outliner blade like this on your Slimline Pro Li. It might take some time and involve a bit of sweaty work, but it’s doable.

Here’s a video that shows what the process looks like:

If you decide to go for it, let me know the results!

Hope this was an informative review of Andis Slimline Pro Li and several alternatives it battles things out with. If you’ve worked with any of these trimmers, let me know what your impressions are. If you’re looking for a clipper to supplement your trimmers with, check my Wahl Senior review. One of the best pro machines on the current market, hands down.