Skip to main content

Fixing my Wahl 9918 Groomsman Beard and Mustache Trimmer

Not everyone would bother repairing a $25 beard trimmer, but why not fix something for under $5 instead of spending another $25?

My Wahl 9918 Groomsman Beard and Mustache Trimmer has admirably performed its beauty duty for many years, but the time came when the battery just wasn't holding a charge any more.  Most people would just put the trimmer in the trash and buy a new one, but I figured I could repair my otherwise excellent Wahl and save some money.

In fact, even high priced trimmer and rotary shaver brands, like Norelco and Remington, can be easily repaired using a process similar to the one I used to fix my Wahl.  Read on to find out how.

I opened up the Wahl by popping off the black plastic faceplate with a tiny flathead screwdriver, which revealed two screws.  By removing the two screws I was able to easily open up the unit, revealing the guts of the device.


Backplate off, Revealing the screws


The internals are rather simple: a motor, a simple circuit board, a switch, and a NiCad battery pack soldered into place.
The Internals, with new battery pack

I concluded that the battery was no longer holding a charge, so I worked to replace it.  I bought a set of NiCd Rechargeable AA Cells with Solder Tabs.  The solder tabs are very useful - they make it reasonably easy to solder together a new battery pack.   You can also buy pre-assembled packs to repair Wahl, Norelco and Remington products with, for example, the battery packs found here.

To create a new battery pack using two cells, I used some electrical tape to wrap together the two new cells, in plus-to-minus orientation.  Then I used a trusty soldering iron to solder one of the plus/minus tabs together.  I pulled the foam off the old battery pack and stuck it onto my homemade pack.

Then I unsoldered the old battery pack from the Wahl and soldered my new pack in its place, ensuring that I kept proper polarity.

After, I cleaned up some corrosion on the switch with a pencil eraser and an emery board, and reassembled.  A little test proved good, and so I plugged in the trimmer and let it charge overnight.

Now the Wahl works like new! It runs perfectly and charges perfectly to.  It continues to provide me with a beautiful beard, 15+ years running.

UPDATE, 2019-07-06

In my haste to trim my beard, I dropped my beloved Groomsman onto the bathroom floor resulting in the cutting head detaching from the body.  The plastic mounting posts of my Groomsman had cracked, leading to loose screws.  The cutting head would not say attached to the body.  Ug!

I was planning to resign and buy a new Groomsman, like this one.  After all, the cracked part of my Groomsman is normally under a significant amount of stress, squeezing down on the spring system of the cutting head.  It seemed like a plastic structural repair would not be reliable.

But I love the Groomsman that I've owned for so many years.  I decided that it would be worth trying to repair the cracked plastic posts with that super standby, cyanoacrylate adhesive (super glue).

I cleaned the broken plastic with rubbing alcohol and let it dry.  Then I used small dots of liquid super glue (not the gel kind) on the broken plastic parts and held it all tightly together with some tape and rubber bands.  I let the adhesive cure for a full 48 hours in a humid environment (that's how super glue cures!  Humidity!). Then I carefully reassembled my Groomsman by mounting the head back on the body with the two mounting screws.

The result? Excellent! My Groomsman lives on, for a mere 10¢ worth of epoxy.

 Don't give up!  Keep your Groomsman grooming.

 

Labels:

Popular posts from this blog

Fixing a SodaStream Jet, part 1: Disassembly Guide

I've had my SodaStream Jet for years, and once in a while something has gone wrong. Disassembly is the first step to repair.  Start with this article to see how to disassemble the SodaStream, and then once you have that down, scroll through my other articles to see how I repaired specfic SodaStream problems. SodaStream Jet Disassembly Guide Tools Required Flat head screwdriver Phillips head screwdriver 1. Remove the Carbonator.  Duh. 2. Remove the black panel lever The front big black tilt lever needs to be removed first. Removing this panel is tricky, but it isn't impossible. Looking up at the bottom of the black panel, there are two tabs, one on the left and one on the right. These tabs fully secure the panel in place. The trick is to use a flat-head screwdriver under the plastic to gently lever the tabs out of the way.  Note in the pictures how I approach these tabs with my screwdriver.  I usually release the left side first, and then I release ...
Read more

Robust Installation of an HDHomeRun Networked TV Tuner. 64 OTA channels!

I added an HDHomerun (HDHR) over-the-air (OTA) streaming box to my home network, bringing over-the-air broadcast TV to my computers, phones and tablets.  The HDHR is a big upgrade from my previous setup: using a simple "window mount" antenna directly connected to my TV. A TV-attached antenna is good for watching some TV for free, but the HDHR offers so much more flexibility. Figure 0: HDHomeRun on my basement wall   My original OTA TV setup was haphazard at best. It was finicky, ugly, and hard for other people at home to use. I would actually tape my antenna to a window whenever I wanted to watch OTA TV. Plus, it only worked on my TV and not with my other devices. I wanted a cleaner and more modern OTA setup. After looking at possibilities, I developed two goals: (1) bring my OTA TV into the modern Internet-connected era, and (2) set it up in a reliable and pretty way so that other family members wouldn't have to fool around with the antenna or anything else.  With that,...
Read more

The Mac Mini Discontinued?

There are rumors that the Mac Mini is going to be discontinued. I disagree. Instead, I think it will evolve by being merged in with the Apple TV product. Of course, I don't work for Apple, so I have no idea if my plan is workable. But I do think that it is a possibility, as it considers: Leveraging current engineering projects Reducing manufacturing costs Simplifying the product line Staying reasonable in terms of product costs Here's my thought of how I would converge the Apple TV and Mac Mini concept into one compelling product: Stick the guts of a MacBook into an Apple TV sized case Drop out the LCD, the battery, the keyboard, the DVD Drop in a (cheaper, bigger) 3.5 inch HDD drive, in lieu of a 2.5" notebook drive. Add various Video Out options Provide a standard MacBook power brick Now you've got a fully capable computer - a computer as powerful as a MacBook - that basically cost nothing to engineer (other than reboxing the thing). You still have a computer ...
Read more

Bad Drivers

They say that 50% of drivers are better than average, and 50% are worse than average. This is meaningless, as 90% of drivers are lousy, dangerous drivers. There are a lot of cars out there, and therefore you see a lot of driving nonsense.  Drivers are texting, reading, and eating cereal from a bowl.  Drivers speed into intersections and crosswalks.  They crawl at traffic lights, they quickly accelerate and decelerate due to a lack of attention.  They ignore signs and roadway markings.  They ignorant that the pavement is wet and it's 32° F outside. In the mean time, the police really can't keep up with it.  Pulling people over for minor infractions is a pointless game, particularly because cars pulled over increase traffic and therefore increases the potential for accidents.  Furthermore, it isn't right to give someone a $100 ticket for a stupid and meaningless infraction.  Cops generally have better things to do. But when you add it all up...
Read more

Fixing a SodaStream Jet, Repair #2 - Broken Fill Button

My Soda Stream Jet's fill button broke, which means I can not longer carbonate water by pressing the pushbutton. This caused all sorts of grief in my household. Here is how I managed to repair my Jet to give it another 10 years of life (hopefully). First, a look at the button The fill button on the top of the SodaStream is actually a simple lever. Pressing down on the button moves a pin that does the actual work of pressing open the Carbonator's valve. Unfortunately, the axis point is fairly thin and can see a lot of stress. That's where my Soda Stream button cracked. [ I think the usage tip here is "don't over-press the button like a gorilla, it doesn't do anything but put high stress on the button."] Cracked levering point of the button The Pesky Lever Retaining Pin The Fix It was pretty easy for me to replace the button: Take off the back of the Soda Stream and remove the carbonator. Push out the the button lever's steel retaining pin. This takes qu...
Read more

Other Posts

Show more