I estimate that I have saved almost $2,000 to date by cutting my son’s hair at home instead of taking him to the barbershop based on a haircut every three weeks. Honestly, the time I’ve spent in front of the mirror talking with him about life and the things he’s interested in has been worth a whole lot more than that.

A lot of guys would love to save the time and expense of going to the barbershop anymore than they need to, but they worry about finding the right equipment.

Wahl is one of the most trusted names in the barber community. Almost every set of clippers in the hands of a professional barber is either a Wahl or Oster. This trimmer set I’ve reviewed here will get the job done without breaking the bank. You can certainly spend a lot more than this on some of the higher-end Wahl clippers, but I don’t think you need to if you’re just cutting hair once or twice a month at home.

This set comes with everything you need to do a wide range of men’s haircuts. There are 10 guards in varying lengths, but you’ll find that you only end up using the same few every time. The adjustable taper lever on the clippers gives you even more control within the range of length of each individual guard. You also get a pair of scissors, comb, cleaning brush, blade oil, blade guard, handled storage case, drawstring bag for the guards, and a cape (which I’ve never bothered with).

The clippers themselves are heavy and actually have a little bit of recoil when you turn them on. There is more than enough power to cut without pulling. I’ve never had an issue with the guards coming loose on the trimmer head thanks to the design of the stainless steel clips. The only piece in this set that Wahl could have improved on is the quality of the drawstring bag for the guards, but this isn’t that big of a deal for me.

Replacement blades are less than $20 on Amazon and take less than a minute to change with a screwdriver. I’m still on the original blades that came with my clippers that I’ve been using for approximately the past seven years. They’re just now getting to the point where they’re not cutting with as much ease as they used to.

Some guys are worried that they won’t be able to cut or trim their particular hair style at home — and they may be right. To be sure, some haircut styles are easier to do than others. Our son, Cole, likes to keep it short on the sides (#1) with a high fade and longer on the top (#4 or #5). It’s a timeless haircut that is cool in the summer but not too short overall and looks good on just about anyone.

I learned how to cut a decent fade while I was deployed to Iraq. We lived in an old Soviet-built dam that had no barbershop, so it was up to us to keep our hair within Marine Corps regulations. Our haircuts weren’t perfect and they certainly didn’t need to be. I got a lot better as our deployment progressed just as I have continued to improve my efficiency and overall results cutting my son’s hair these days.

I get a haircut about every three to four weeks at a great local men’s barbershop. I keep a traditional faded haircut with a hard part. I’m able to touch up my hard part line and trim the sides to get a “just left the barbershop” look and extend my last professional haircut for at least a week. You would be surprised at what you can do with a mirror and a little bit of practice and watching some YouTube videos.

I was grateful that I already had my own set of clippers at home during the stay-at-home orders for COVID-19. Not only were all the barbershops in the state shut down, but every store was sold out of clippers as well.

I can go to the gym or run, come home and work strenuously in the woods, and I can still smell this deodorant no problem. I recall hobbling into the shower – sunburned and with salt crystals on my face and neck from sweating so profusely – and I could still tell that I had used this deodorant.

Guys like Irish Spring because it’s a legacy brand that’s masculine and leaves you feeling and smelling clean.

If you like the original Irish Spring bar soap, then you’re going to like this deodorant. It’s not like other products that claim to have the same scent across different formulations. Irish Spring deodorant smells like someone melted down some of the soap and loaded it into the stick.

This two-pack is a bargain given how much better it works than antiperspirant deodorants that cost almost twice as much for a single stick.

There’s not much else to say about something this simple, but I just wanted to share a product that I like so much better than the dozens of brands I’ve tried out over the years.

My sister, who is from Charlotte and lived in Texas before that, introduced me to Goody’s this past Christmas when I was visiting family in Pennsylvania and experienced a severe and prolonged headache, which is unusual for me. She gave me a couple of packets of it and told me that Goody’s is very popular in North Carolina (where it was developed) and in the South in general.

I was impressed with how quickly it started to work, so I ordered some on Amazon. I still take ibuprofen as needed following marathons or all-day work-a-thons on my property, but in the rare event that I get a headache that is bad enough to need to take medicine, I’m going for the Goody’s Extra Strength Headache Powder.

You can dissolve the powder in a glass of water or put it directly on your tongue. I actually put it under my tongue, as it’s more convenient, works faster, and delivers the maximum amount of ingredients instead of leaving them on the inside of a glass, even though the powder does dissolve almost completely.

One packet contains 325 mg. of acetaminophen, 500 mg. of aspirin, and 100 mg. of caffeine. Caffeine is what’s known as an analgesic adjuvant for the treatment of headaches, which is another way of saying that it helps the main ingredients work better. Also, as anyone who consumes caffeine on a regular basis already knows, a lack of caffeine can cause a headache in and of itself.

You get one box of Cool Orange and one of Mixed Fruit Blast with this combo deal. I slightly prefer the Cool Orange, but both flavors are great with no unsettling aftertastes. I also bought a box of the traditional unflavored Goody’s Headache Powder, but I didn’t care for it at all because of how bitter it was. If I have a headache that is bad enough to require medicine, I at least want it to be palatable whenever possible.

The packets themselves are very convenient. In addition to our bathroom closet at home, I keep a few in each vehicle, my tackle box, range bag, and my desk at work. They take up almost no room and will keep far longer than their official expiration date given how well the packets are sealed. They can be somewhat tricky to open without scissors, although they are meant to be opened without them.

I love the outdoors, but sometimes the outdoors doesn’t love me back. When I’m lying in bed and thinking about all the progress I made on my outdoor projects, I want to think about how much my family and I enjoy our trails and our woods, not how many bug bites I received.

DEET-based insect repellents don’t work particularly well on me. Mosquitoes will still land (but won’t bite) when I apply OFF! or something similar, even within the first several minutes of applying it. Repellents containing picaridin discourage them from landing in the first place and seem to remain effective far longer. I’m not saying that Sawyer repellent smells great, but in my opinion it’s far less noxious than an off-putting dousing of DEET.

I wish I had known about Sawyer repellent during my time in the service. I grew up using OFF!, so I just assumed that it was the best thing out there, but I still got my share of bites during training and when we went to the field. I definitely would have had my friends and family send me cans of this during my deployment had I known about it. The mosquitoes that hung out in the palm groves and along the Euphrates River were malicious once the sun went down.

Sawyer is extremely effective against mosquitoes, ticks, and gnats, but only about 80% so against deer flies during their peak activity. With that being said, it still does better than other formulations that I have tried – and trust me, I have searched long and hard for a product that will keep these persistent buggers away.

The company also makes this formulation in a lotion, which purportedly lasts longer, although I haven’t noticed much of a difference. I prefer the spray because it’s more convenient to reapply it on the move and it’s less messy, especially if there is nowhere to wash your hands.

You already know that I talk extensively about the importance of preparedness on my podcast. There are certain things that I always keep in each of my vehicles (fire extinguisher, first aid kit, etc.) and bug spray happens to be one of them even though it’s not something we keep for emergencies. I’ve saved the day on several occasions by being the only guy at the picnic or the hike who brought bug spray and had enough for everyone to keep from being miserable.