Clippers –Clip!
Trimmers – Trim!
You use a clipper to clip the full body of the animal!
You use a trimmer to tidy up faces, legs, and other parts!
(Vets tend to use certain trimmers for a lot of surgical work as well as dog
clipping machines)
NB. There may be exceptions to the rule - this is acknowledged!
Any Clipper or Trimmer - no matter what make, or type - is only as good
as its blades are! It is the blades, that do the work!
Your hand should be a “guiding” instrument holding and directing the machine – not driving it into the hair at excessive speed! In fact you should apply very little forward pressure other than to cover the area cut! Clipping is not about speed – it’s about trimming hair!
Anyone involved in clipping – no matter what type of animal - should always have a second set of sharp blades available before commencing to clip. This will save you from the possible embarrassment of a half-clipped animal! Half clipped animals are not happy! Their owners certainly are not!
Just to labour the point about having two sets of blades still further – quite a few horses have a habit if kicking clippers out of your hand. It’s “sods” law that they naturally fall blade first with the result that you need a new blade set – that is of course if the clipper casing has not smashed as well and that it still works! Horses are on the side of the manufacturer, they help to keep the industry active!
Clippers are sensitive to damp, dust and dirt, The three D’s can wreck a clipper. Damp will destroy an armature – very costly! Dust and dirt will choke the filters - creeping into the casing and find its way into the motor housing eventually causing overheating amongst other problems.
Keep your clippers clean, well oiled, and put away in a dry safe place somewhere in your house and most definitely not in a tack room, stable, tack box, cow barn, dairy parlour or lorry – to name but a few favorite resting places!
Tensioning blades can give some folk considerable difficulty. It really isn’t that difficult, but for some requires a bit of practice. (You will find more advice under each machine heading) Listen to the noise of the motor as it drives the cutter across the comb. The sound tells you if it running “sweet” Practice before you get down to the real stuff!
DO NOT hold your clipper by the cable – unless one day you just want to hold the cable on its own! This is a bad practice it will lead to something being disconnected or worse.
Check your machine cable fairly frequently for cracks or other signs of damage. Try to avoid knots and do not coil the cable up to tightly! Hooves can be the cause of damage! Bearing in mind your are holding an electrical appliance – insulated or not - and maybe touching your animal, damaged cables are not worth the risk!
Clippers require regular maintenance. They are not like some of the power tools one owns. If correctly looked after most will reward their owners with many years of service. Clipper maintenance and especially cleaning should be carried out after every occasion of use!
Read the instructions when you first buy your clippers. Read them again the following season when you reuse your clippers - always read them again after a long break from using your clippers. Reading is free, aggravation and hassle are free! but repairs cost real money!
Lastly! Do not under any circumstances lend your clippers to a friend! Lend your wife, husband or horse – but never the clippers!
Repair & service all makes of clippers and trimmers
and professionally sharpen all types of blades
Tel: 01424 882900 or E-mail info@peasridge.co.uk
Whilst every care has been take to ensure the accuracy of the information given both in the written text and pictures created, neither PEASRIDGE nor any of its staff can accept any responsibly of any type for injury or damage inflicted by or caused to persons or animals by any operator or a third party who has made reference to this web site. Owner/Operators of all such appliance should satisfy themselves as to the accuracy of any statements made, and if they are unsure on any point consult the manufacturer direct.