An electric hair clipper (10) includes a housing (12) containing an electrical source and drive-related components. A clipper mechanism (14) having a reciprocating clipper (16) is located beneath the bottom of the housing (12) but is spaced therefrom by a pivotal central hub (1 18) that extends downwardly from the bottom of the housing. The housing (12), central hub (118) and clipper mechanism (14) are arranged such that a person can hold the electric hair clipper by placing his or her fingers in the space between the housing (12) and the clipper mechanism (14) with the central hub (1 18) lying between two fingers and with the back of the person's fingers resting in a pair of elongated spaced apart recesses (26, 28) formed in the bottom of the housing (12) on opposite sides of the hub (118).