Cheap Barbershop
- Thread starter Arman
- Start date
NEW -> Contingent Buyer Assistance Program
You just go in, pull a number, make eye contact with your preferred barber and they will usually tell you how many are in front of you.
There are two sets of twins at Bell Tower (or at least another set of brothers). The original twins, Mike and Gene, are the owners, their sister and mother also work there. Those are my go to guys (even the sister occasionally). The other brothers (I think they are related) are Vietnamese I think and are older.
Sometimes I experiment and try different barbers if I don't have time to wait... good and bad. The bald guy who looks a little like Santa didn't cut my hair right, I had to do a ps9 post fix when I got home. My last one, even though I went in at 8:15am, I had to try the next available because I didn't want to be late for the first pickup basketball game and there were two guys in front of me for both twins. It was a younger caucasian guy on the right... he actually did a decent job.
I also find that certain ones are good with kids haircuts... you have to ask which ones when you go there. My kid has had his share of bad and good cuts (much to test's chagrin) and the inconsistency has mom-banned me from taking him there.
@jamboreedude:
I Yelped Sand Canyon Barbers, they are expensive... $15+ for a haircut. That's why you have to go out of Irvine to get a cheap cut.
I may be big bacteria'd and ugly... but I'm not balding (yet).
Still have no idea what possessed my mother to give me a perm (my dad got one too).
ps99472
New member
I tip for service, the guy spends a lot of time on my hair (3x the amt of time versus the other barbers) and the attention to detail shows... He's one of the few barbers in my life where I didn't need to make any adjustments when I get home..I'm gonna start tipping more the longer I go to him...
irvinehomeowner
Well-known member
It just depends on how short I get it or if I feel like busting a pompadour for a few weeks.
IHO Trivia: Which of those 3 hairstyles have I had?
IHO Trivia: Which of those 3 hairstyles have I had?
irvinehomeowner
Well-known member
Bell Tower doesn't have a charge list or a phone reservation list.SoCal said:
You just go in, pull a number, make eye contact with your preferred barber and they will usually tell you how many are in front of you.
There are two sets of twins at Bell Tower (or at least another set of brothers). The original twins, Mike and Gene, are the owners, their sister and mother also work there. Those are my go to guys (even the sister occasionally). The other brothers (I think they are related) are Vietnamese I think and are older.
Sometimes I experiment and try different barbers if I don't have time to wait... good and bad. The bald guy who looks a little like Santa didn't cut my hair right, I had to do a ps9 post fix when I got home. My last one, even though I went in at 8:15am, I had to try the next available because I didn't want to be late for the first pickup basketball game and there were two guys in front of me for both twins. It was a younger caucasian guy on the right... he actually did a decent job.
I also find that certain ones are good with kids haircuts... you have to ask which ones when you go there. My kid has had his share of bad and good cuts (much to test's chagrin) and the inconsistency has mom-banned me from taking him there.
ps99472
New member
Here are my two cents for Bell Tower..
One of the twins is to your immediate left when you enter... never had a cut by him so can't comment but he is fast..
Viet dude next to him sucks.. I got a cut from his once.. I told him high fade.. and he said medium fade look better.. the nerve! to tell me what I want!
Biker dude (santa) is next.. never got a cut from him.. but overheard he had some health issues recently so maybe avoid if possible plus he has a loyal clientele = long wait
the other twin is next.. got a cut from him once... was done in like 5 minutes... sloppy and crude.. had to fade with scissors at home.. never again...
next I think is the guy who kinda reminds me of Sammo Hung... ok.. got a great haircut the first time but the second time wasn't as pretty..
next dude is mine.. stay away.. he sucks.. rude.. and will try to overcharge you.. avoid at all cost...
twin's sister is the last one on the left.. never got a cut from her.. she seems pretty friendly though.. so could be good for kids.. and she can cut black hair.. which is impressive to me
starting again from the entrance from the door.. first on the right is the pony tail dude.. he seems pretty good with kids...
next up is a younger viet guy.. used him once.. didn't really care for it.. had to scissor fade again at home..
after that is the young white dude IHO mentioned.. he seemed a little sketchy to me at first.. but I got a cut from him once.. he was kinda crazy out of control during the cut.. but when he was done.. it was actually pretty good..
last is the young viet girl.. never got a cut from her.. but she seems kinda ditzy and didn't look like JLo from the neck down so forget her...
One of the twins is to your immediate left when you enter... never had a cut by him so can't comment but he is fast..
Viet dude next to him sucks.. I got a cut from his once.. I told him high fade.. and he said medium fade look better.. the nerve! to tell me what I want!
Biker dude (santa) is next.. never got a cut from him.. but overheard he had some health issues recently so maybe avoid if possible plus he has a loyal clientele = long wait
the other twin is next.. got a cut from him once... was done in like 5 minutes... sloppy and crude.. had to fade with scissors at home.. never again...
next I think is the guy who kinda reminds me of Sammo Hung... ok.. got a great haircut the first time but the second time wasn't as pretty..
next dude is mine.. stay away.. he sucks.. rude.. and will try to overcharge you.. avoid at all cost...
twin's sister is the last one on the left.. never got a cut from her.. she seems pretty friendly though.. so could be good for kids.. and she can cut black hair.. which is impressive to me
starting again from the entrance from the door.. first on the right is the pony tail dude.. he seems pretty good with kids...
next up is a younger viet guy.. used him once.. didn't really care for it.. had to scissor fade again at home..
after that is the young white dude IHO mentioned.. he seemed a little sketchy to me at first.. but I got a cut from him once.. he was kinda crazy out of control during the cut.. but when he was done.. it was actually pretty good..
last is the young viet girl.. never got a cut from her.. but she seems kinda ditzy and didn't look like JLo from the neck down so forget her...
homer_simpson
Well-known member
The usual salon in westminster recently did my hair terribly. Gonna give Bell a try. I'm gonna go ask for the PS9 special and come out looking like Kim Jong Un
jamboreedude
New member
The Sand Canyon Barbershop is ok. It's run by a Vietnamese family.
socal78
Well-known member
Wow, so much info, thanks. I hope I can remember all this! I might have to print this out and take it with me, whip it out, size-up each barber and match them with their note so I know which one to pick. I can't wait to see Santa.
How weird that they don't have a sign-in sheet. So, they don't know who you're waiting for. I assume you can still wait for your requested barber even though you're taking a number...?
How weird that they don't have a sign-in sheet. So, they don't know who you're waiting for. I assume you can still wait for your requested barber even though you're taking a number...?
irvinehomeowner
Well-known member
Yeah... it's basically an honor system, you know who was waiting before you and after you. That's why you should always pull a number because if yours is before theirs, you have dibs.
A few times, I've seen guys try to cut in not knowing that someone else was already waiting for that barber.
A few times, I've seen guys try to cut in not knowing that someone else was already waiting for that barber.
irvinehomeowner
Well-known member
I know who yours is... gone to him a few times. He's pretty good. He usually doesn't have a line so I think you're safe... he's always one of those guys saying "Do you need a haircut sir?" and then gets turned down because they are waiting for someone else.ps9 said:next dude is mine.. stay away.. he sucks.. rude.. and will try to overcharge you.. avoid at all cost...
@jamboreedude:
I Yelped Sand Canyon Barbers, they are expensive... $15+ for a haircut. That's why you have to go out of Irvine to get a cheap cut.
nosuchreality
Well-known member
irvinehomeowner
Well-known member
I'm afraid my hair will get mad at me and not grow back.nosuchreality said:
I may be big bacteria'd and ugly... but I'm not balding (yet).
irvinehomeowner
Well-known member
I believe I have at some point in time.Tyler Durden said:
Still have no idea what possessed my mother to give me a perm (my dad got one too).
At Bell Tower, my haircuts are $8, I give them a $10. I usually go 2-3x/month. I don't have a regular barber there. I must say, while they're quick and cheap, they don't do fades properly, or at least the way I like. I like my hair on the sides shaved (electric shaver is fine).
I happened to be back near my old hood today, and got my fade just the way I like it at La Sierra Barbershop in Riverside. It's a bit more expensive ($12, and I usually just give them $15), but they do a great fade. That's about the most I'm willing to pay for a haircut. (Although, I did make the mistake of getting a $30 cut in SF once, without actually knowing the price beforehand, and not at all happy with the end result, regardless of the price.)
I happened to be back near my old hood today, and got my fade just the way I like it at La Sierra Barbershop in Riverside. It's a bit more expensive ($12, and I usually just give them $15), but they do a great fade. That's about the most I'm willing to pay for a haircut. (Although, I did make the mistake of getting a $30 cut in SF once, without actually knowing the price beforehand, and not at all happy with the end result, regardless of the price.)
SoCal said:Resuscitating an old thread.
How much do you guys tip on such a cheap cut?? At places with higher prices, I tip 20% if I'm satisfied, but that would be ridiculously low at this rate and at this price, the tips I normally leave would be more than the cut.
In about 3 weeks, I'll be hitting up either Bell Tower or Twin Peaks a stone's throw away. Probably Bell Tower, though. I want to be prepared.
My search for a good barber continues. :'( I got a great recommendation by my bag boy for a guy at Twin Peaks II in RSM but apparently everybody else in OC loves this barber, too, because the line was out the door. Long, long wait, then I have to sit through 2 cuts!
homer_simpson
Well-known member
Yep.
socal78
Well-known member
I visited Bell Tower Barber yesterday.
I tested every guy there to see if he is Iho. "Wie geht's?" I asked slyly. I knew if someone accidentally responded in a knee-jerk fashion with Austrian / German, that I finally caught up to my beloved Iho. Alas, no luck. They just stared at me as if I had two heads.
Anyway, wow, this place is just like a factory!! A people-hair-cutting factory / assembly line. Those crazy "air hoses" make it seem like one. First time I've seen that. Rum (no typo, that's his name) did two cuts for me. He was the guy wearing a plaid fedora, stationed next to the woman.
I tested every guy there to see if he is Iho. "Wie geht's?" I asked slyly. I knew if someone accidentally responded in a knee-jerk fashion with Austrian / German, that I finally caught up to my beloved Iho. Alas, no luck. They just stared at me as if I had two heads.
Anyway, wow, this place is just like a factory!! A people-hair-cutting factory / assembly line. Those crazy "air hoses" make it seem like one. First time I've seen that. Rum (no typo, that's his name) did two cuts for me. He was the guy wearing a plaid fedora, stationed next to the woman.