A hair clipper has a vacuum system for collecting hair debris created by the cutting blades. Air flow through an adjustable air inlet is divided into multiple paths, including at least one primary flow path and at least one separate secondary flow path. A debris trap intersects both the primary air flow path and the secondary air flow path. The primary flow path allows air flow through a first path to be higher than a secondary air flow through the second path before debris accumulates in the debris trap. The primary air flow decreases as debris accumulates in the primary air flow path and the secondary air flow approaches and perhaps exceeds the primary air flow, whereupon some debris accumulates in the secondary air flow path as air is diverted through the secondary air flow path.