Barbers at Mr. Brothers Cut Club in Los Angeles, Drew Rush and Kei were among those chosen to try out Panasonic’s new THE BARIKAN Trimmer as it made its debut in the USA. They talked with BarberEVO about how this tool helps them elevate their craft.
Founded in Harajuku, Japan in 2015, Mr. Brothers Cut Club combines traditional American and European Barbering with modern Japanese design techniques. Since its founding, the brand has skyrocketed, opening a location in LA in 2022.
That’s where Drew and Kei call home. Coming from a background that blends Japanese and American barbering, they were both the perfect choices to try out Panasonic’s new THE BARIKAN range of tools, most notably, the ER-XT70 T-Blade Trimmer. We caught up with Drew and Kei to get their first impressions of the new tool.
Inspired by old-school barbershop culture from an early age, when he discovered Mr Brother’s Cut Club, and its meld of Japanese culture with New Americana style, Drew fell in love. So, when Panasonic launched its new THE BARIKAN Trimmer, which combines Japanese quality with American barbering culture, Drew couldn’t believe his luck.
“When I first got THE BARIKAN Trimmer, it was during the prototype stage,” Drew said. “The bevel, the way it fits in your hand, and the two power levels make this the perfect everyday tool.
“The quality that comes out of Japan has been unanimous for years. It’s good to see something new to the market that’s not just another white label trimmer.”
Japanese native Kei started his career in barbering at just 18, and moved to LA for the launch of Mr Brothers Cut Club’s US expansion in 2022. Since moving, Kei has not only managed Mr Brothers Cut Blub, but started educating for the barbershop’s sister company, BROSH, and is getting to work on Panasonic’s new THE BARIKAN tour as well.
Onstage at America’s Beauty Show in Chicago, Kei used THE BARIKAN Trimmer for a low taper fade. With its T-shaped blade made in-house, barbers have full visibility and control over the cut.
“It’s powerful, smooth, and safe,” Kei shared. “The quality of the tool is incredibly high, which makes it perfect for precision cutting like this.”
With two power speeds – 5200 and 8000 RPMs – THE BARIKAN provides barbers flexibility in offering different services all with one tool. As Panasonic spreads the word about THE BARIKAN making its way to the U.S. throughout the year, the quality of the tool makes quite a statement itself.
“Showing up with a quality product and quality barbers to back it up, I think the Barikan is going to make waves,” Drew said. “It’s going to be exciting to see where Panasonic ends up now that the Barikan is out in the US.”