A BUYER’S GUIDE TO OBTAINING
A SUITABLE CLIPPER

Clipping an animal is both an art and a skill! With proper instruction most people can achieve this craft. As with any skill there is a “learning curve.”

This section of “Clipper Advice” is devoted to trying to simplify the confusion, which often arises when selecting one of the many types of animal clippers available with a possible view to purchase.

To those contemplating the “first time” purchase of a clipping machine, it will hopefully give guidance and advice, which will aid the correct selection.

With the exception of a few, PEASRIDGE stock virtually all the clippers and trimmers available. (The “few” are usually - not always - the ones we don’t rate!) We have first hand experience of most. We understand the frustration (from personal experience) which arises when a machine fails to perform correctly - especially when in the middle of clipping a difficult animal.

However, if one blames the machine without questioning why the situation has arisen then one may never find the answer to the problem. Until a positive cause has been established an “open mind” should always prevail!

After all it just might be you and not the clipper which is at fault!

Hopefully these pages of information will help to enlighten and improve your clipping experience! If you have found them useful please tell your “clipping” friends - they may well find them useful also.

There are many types of “clipping” machines, ranging from a few pounds up to several hundred pounds. The object should be to buy once! Always seek a clipper, which will adequately meet your needs. Whilst the cost is an important consideration, don’t let it control your final decision. Far better to purchase the right machine even if it exceeds your planned expenditure, rather than end up with something inferior which at the end of the day you ditch in order to get the better model! A “cheap” clipper is invariably what it is - “cheap and usually ineffective”

To view our full range of CLIPPERS with prices <<Click here>>
To view our full range of BLADES with prices <<Click here>>

What To Look For!

As a simple, but brief guide if you have a herd of cattle (beef or dairy) or own a yard full of horses you need a “heavy duty” machine.

Owners of a few horses or small cattle herds should contemplate a “light duty” machine. For very nervous horses, or those which hate clippers, you can often perform “miracles” using one of several of the machines found in the “professional mains or cordless dog clippers” (Moser KM1 especially good!) section

Commercial cattle being cleaned up for slaughter or husbandry purposes are often best clipped out with a sheep-shearing machine using a cutter and comb. These blades are totally different to traditional horse/cattle blades and will not fit such machines. The Lister “Laser” (heavy-duty machine) is the exception, it can be used for sheep as well as horse/cattle using the same blade. This blade is known as a “wizard” blade.

Those involved in the business of dog grooming need a “professional mains or cordless dog clipper” You need the type of machine which accepts the “detachable” blade range, so that you can cope with every breed.

Pet owners with dog or cat breeds, which require a fair degree of clipping (Terriers/Spaniels/Poodles/Persian cats) should ensure that they buy clippers which are at least “semi-professional” or if you have several dogs/cats go for a “professional machine.” You won’t regret it!

Pet clippers are invariably a poor choice, despite the appearance of an attractive price.

Persian cats are prone to matts (nasty balls of matted fur) which as a rule can only be removed by clipping. The use of a comb or type of de-matt tool can be painful to the cat, which is less than likely to enjoy repeat sessions! To effectively remove matts you will need a size #40 blade - surgical. (Preferably of the detachable type)

If you have a family pet dog or hairy cat, which just requires to be cleaned up then, the “Pet clipper type machine” is a reasonable choice. For those with rabbits and other hair coated pets these machines also work well.

In the case of sheep you need to forget all about cattle/horse machines. You need a proper “sheep shearing machine” These clippers have a different “clipper head” design and use different types of blades, which are also sharpened in a different way to cattle/horse/dog.

Those with show sheep who want to do show facial tidying up and cleaning legs, should look at the “professional mains or cordless dog clippers” You will invariably need a size#40 detachable blade for this type of work. Whilst not recommended, some of the Rare Breeds of Sheep can be successfully clipped or dagged with some of the “professional mains or cordless dog clippers” Choice of blade is very important! Seek advice before you go further!

If you are a Veterinary Surgeon you should consider “professional mains or cordless dog clippers” certainly for mobile or surgery work, which involves large animals, or dog clipping. Vets requiring a clipper for small animal work either surgery or mobile might consider some of the “cordless trimmers” (Wahl Pro Series is a good choice)

Owners of Alpaca, Lamas, or Camels can find excellent machines within the “professional mains or cordless dog clippers” sector at reasonable prices. Alternatively, but at a higher cost, you might consider one of the “sheep shearing machines.” Select either mains or in situations involving clipping in desert conditions, a 12-volt machine especially if you do not have access to a generator. One manufacturer produces special “Camelid” blades for such breeds.

Special blades are also available for breeds of sheep such as Merino, for Mohair clipping, and for the clipping of Angora and other goat breeds. If you want to leave added length of wool for “winter shearing” you can fit a “Comb Lifter” under most comb blades and this has the effect of increasing the distance between the cutting edge of the blade and the animal skin.

Angora Goats can be clipped using machines from within the “professional mains or cordless dog clippers” range with selected blades.

Lastly several of the “Heavy-duty” machines are suitable for light industrial purposes, such as Carpet repairs and renovations, Clothing modifications, and Broom length trimming. Most of the blades used need to be modified to make the operation successful. You will need to consult with us on both the types of blade and the modifications necessary.

VARIOUS TYPES OF CLIPPERS & THEIR USES.

Clippers & Trimmers - mains, 12v or cordless.

In the beginning it helps to appreciate the difference between a “clipper” and a “trimmer”. A clipper clips! A trimmer trims! (See Fig. 1)

There are both heavy duty and light duty clippers. Most are electrically mains powered, but a few can be operated from a 12-volt system.

One used to go some way to determine the difference between heavy and light duty machines by the “wattage” (the amount of electrical current passing through the motor.) Heavy-duty clippers had a wattage rating of usually 150 watts and upwards, where as light duty appliances started from 45watts and progressed to around 120 watts. Today with the appearance of the “new generation” motors wattage is not always such a reliable indicator (for example the Hauptner 2000 if often quoted as 50 watts, yet is clearly a heavy duty clipper.) Most heavy-duty machines boast wattage ratings of 300 and more.

Another way to gauge a clippers performance is to note the number of “cutting” strokes. The cutting stroke is the times the “cutter” (upper) blade passes across the stationary comb (lower blade) Many of the two speed machines operate at the faster speed at up to 4000 cutting strokes per minute Average ratings are from 2400/3600 spm.

Cordless machines are usually more expensive than mains clippers, and whilst often more convenient, they are not always as powerful. Generally one recommends using mains powered machines unless your needs positively dictate going cordless. Cordless machines are available both in large (cattle and horses) and small sizes (dogs cats and domestic pets.)

Many of the traditional sized machines have a “clip time” of around one hour before a re-charge is need. This can be a “bit tight” when doing a full body clip say on a horse! Several of the newer and smaller clippers have improved battery times - up to as much as 3 hours. The smaller dry battery powered trimmers are usually the lightest of trimming tasks on heads, faces and legs.

Heavy Duty - mains powered

Aesculap Econom Plus

German - great quality clipper! Ideal for those who clip horses for a living. A “contractors” machine as well as for the individual end user. Perfect for the dairy/exhibitor. Excellent blade range.

Hauptner 2000

German - an outstanding machine! If ever a clipper was “perfection” then this would be the one! Light, slim handpiece, powerful combined with low noise level - a dream machine! Ideal for lady users - built for the “tiny” hand. Currently the top selling livestock machine as far as Peasridge sales are concerned.

Heiniger Delta

Swiss - the only three speed machine!
An awesome clipper ideal for a wide range of clipping tasks. Excellent blade range.

Liscop 3000

German - good solid commercial machine. Robust and built to last! A touch loud and a bit on the bulky side, but nicely engineered. Could do with upgrading and becoming more user friendly.

Lister Laser

English - well engineered, been around for a few years and stood the test of time. Against more modern machines it is noisy, heavy and bulky. Due for an upgrade and reduction in noise and weight!

Stewart Oster

American - nice clipper and well engineered but rather an awesome size. Good blade range.

Wolseley Falcon

English - well engineered, solid and reliable, and has stood the test of time. Against its more modern peers it comes across as rather noisy and bit bulky. Due for an up grade!

Wolseley Harrier

English - Reliable and well engineered but rather like its stable mate the Falcon - bit long in the tooth!

Heavy-duty clippers are intended for use on large numbers of animals - usually cattle (dairy or beef) herds or large horse yards and stables. (See Fig. 2)

One exception is the Hauptner 2000, which has considerable appeal to all due to the unique design of the hand piece. This machine has captured a large section of the light duty horse market due to it popularity with lady operators.

Blades for the heavy-duty clipper comprise of an upper and lower plate and require to be sharpened as a pair. (See Fig. 3) The upper plate (cutter) is usually “seated” on the head, the lower plate (comb) secured with screws or a tension bolt. Almost all such machines require the blades to be “tensioned” in order to cut correctly. Tensioning blades results in applying the correct degree of pressure to both the upper and lower plates (cutter and comb) this causing the two to cut correctly. With some machines the lower blade (comb) is fixed to the clipper head with two screws and the pressure is applied to the cutter, pushing it down on to the comb.

Tensioning is critical to the cutting performance! Far to often when clippers are said not to cut it is tensioning which is at fault and not the blades

Tensioning the blade is achieved by twisting the “tension nut/knob by a certain number of turns as per your clipper instructions. (See Fig 4.) Frankly, if you listen to the motor of most clippers as you turn the tension nut it will give you a pretty good idea when the blades are under the correct pressure. Like most things it comes with experience, the more you clip the better you get at it! Remember to oil blades - often!

Regular oiling is very important! Failure to do so affects the clipping! Blades are important - after all they do the cutting! One should learn the various types of blades that fit individual machines and the differences between the “cuts” of the various blades.

Most of the heavy-duty machines can be fitted with a sheep head for the purposes of shearing sheep. However to shear sheep you will need special blades. (See Fig. 5) These are different to cattle/horse/dog blades in that they have fewer teeth and as such are more” open” spaced. Sheep heads can also be used for shearing Alpacas and Lamas for which there are specially designed blades, as well as being a popular method of clipping out winter housed cattle.

Blades as used with cattle/horse machines are not suitable for sheep and should therefore not be used!

Light duty - mains powered

Heiniger Handy

Swiss - exceptionally well engineered. A popular machine with many “single” horse owners. Very good selection of blades available.

Liscop Equi-clip 1400

German - well engineered and smooth running. The clipper head looks a bit like a sheep-shearing machine, which can put a lot of folk off. Forget the looks this is a nice clipper!

Lister Neon

English - light weight but noisy! Rather a “plastic” feel about it”

Wahl/Moser KM1

German - lightweight, slim, exceptionally quiet and in many ways outstanding for its size. Great tool for clipping Alpacas. Detachable blades so there are no tensioning problems. Good choice if you have a nervous animal (horses especially!). Good for certain show sheep (faces and legs, use a size #40 blade!) Limitation on wide blade selection however, but the Moser 2.3 wide blade is currently the best available. Wahl/Moser keeps telling us more wide blades are coming, but they have said that for over a year!

Wahl/Moser Max 45

German - Small, lightweight 2 speed and with a powerful 45watt motor. Detachable blades so there are no tensioning problems. Another good choice if you have a nervous horse and want a full body clipper. Limitation on wide blades as above.

Wahl/Laube 503

American - Innovative design, lightweight, 2 speed. Uses detachable blades so there are no tensioning problems. Another good choice if you have a nervous (horse) animal. Currently a limitation on wide blades.

Wahl/Laube 513

American - as 503 model but variable speed, uses detachable blades so there are no tensioning problems. Another good choice for a nervous animal. Currently a limitation on wide blades.

Wolseley Swift

English - well engineered. Off the list now but you may find a few still around. Compact and easy to handle.

Light duty machines (See Fig. 6) are best suited for individual horse owners with say up to 3 animals, small dairy or show cattle herds. Such clippers are intended for lighter work and usually have a lower wattage compared to the heavy duty appliances.

Blades are supplied in the form of an upper and lower plate, they need to be sharpened as a pair. Blades are fitted in the same way as on the heavy-duty clippers. Almost all machines require the blades to be “tensioned” in order to cut correctly. Regular oiling is very important!

Light duty machines are not suitable for the fitting of a sheep shearing head.

Cordless professional clippers- cattle, horses and dogs (See Fig. 7)

Heiniger Cordless

Swiss - very well engineered. One-hour clip time. Fast re-charge in one hour. Very good selection of blades available

Liscop Equip clip 1600

German - a very well engineered and smooth running machine. One-hour clip time. Re-charge time about one hour

Laube 555

Highly innovative slim and compact two-speed clipper with considerable appeal amongst ladies clipping horses. 75 minutes on the fast speed and up to 3 hours run on the standard speed. Fast re-charge of one hour. Detachable blades - no tensioning to worry about! Improve the blade range and this must be the way to clip cordless in the future!

Laube 505

The same as the Laube 555 but with an angled (30 degree) head. Clipping angle can put some folk off, Try it! Has many benefits, (Dog groomers do it all day long! - Good for them!)

Laube 515

The same as the Laube 505 but instead of being two speed this one has the variable speed facility

Lister Showman

Great battery! One of the best for clip duration up to 2.5 hour on a single clip - some we have tested have gone on for almost double that time. Battery worn on your belt clipper attached by telephone type cable. Good for Dairy parlour work. On the down side: Noisy and expensive!

Oster Power Pro

Compact clipper, but the short heavy battery gives the effect of the handpiece feeling badly balanced. Would not want to be clipping all day with one of these! Good tool for Vets. Two batteries supplied, each with a clip time of 30 minutes. Re-charge time 20 minutes per battery. Detachable blades, thus no tensioning problems!

Andis AGR +

Another neat and compact clipper, but this one is very well balanced and a pleasure to operate all day. Has innovative charger with facility to “refresh” your battery every month thereby extending the battery life. Recommended especially for Vets or dog groomers/owners. Not powerful enough for cattle or horse full body clipping in our opinion. Clip time of 60 minutes. Re-charge time on the hour. Detachable blades. No tensioning problems!

Cordless semi- professional clippers- cattle, horses and dogs (See Fig. 8)

Lister Meteor

Compact and supplied in neat carry case. Detachable blades. No tensioning problems! Can be used in both mains and cordless mode. Clip time 45 minutes. Good for head, faces and certain types of legs.

Wahl Pro Series re-chargeable

A highly popular and versatile semi professional clipper with excellent blade range. Can be used in either mains or cordless mode. Ideal companion clipper for horse/cattle folk for use on heads, faces and legs. Suitable also for many dog owners, and great for the mobile vet! Detachable blades. No tensioning problems! Plus… it comes at an economic price!

Moser Arco

A mighty impressive clipper! At first glance you might be forgiven for dismissing as just another “little” trimmer! German made with a very innovative blade, adjustable from 0.3mm to 3mm, and which the manufacturers claim remains sharp for “two years!” Attachment combs provided. Great for heads and faces of horses and cattle, or cattle udders. Excellent on all breeds of dogs as a full body clipper. Ideal for vets. Two batteries supplied, each with a clip time of 60 minutes. Fast re-charge around 45 minutes per battery. Low noise and vibration levels. Detachable blades. No tensioning problems.

Cordless trimmers - cattle, horses and dogs

Wahl Pet trimmer (See Fig. 9)

Neat little pet trimmer powered with two dry AA batteries. Limited uses but useful for tidying up faces or for small pets (rabbits)

Wahl Pocket Pro

Similar to the one above but even smaller and cheaper!

A variety of battery powered cordless machines are available with most offering an average clip time of one hour. Supplied with a charger they usually re-charge within an hour. Most are bulky, rather long in the handpiece, and noisy.

For innovation, slim and lightweight design, plus low noise level the Laube 555 leads the field! Popular with lady operators and way ahead of other clippers its only limitation is in the availability of blades. One of the great advantages of the Laube 555 is that it uses the “detachable” blade, and as a result there is no tensioning of the blades to undertake both before and during clipping.

For horses the Moser “2.3mm wide blade” gives a professional full body clip if it has been correctly sharpened. (Use the Wahl size #9 blade 2mm for head and legs to compliment cutting depth.) Exhibition cattle clip out well with Laube 505 and 515 models when the Oster “Groom Master” blades are used.

12Volt Clippers

Lister Laser 12 volt

Heiniger 12 volt.

These are ideal for those who clip away from “home” or who do not have the facility of mains power. Most will operate satisfactorily from any good quality car or Landrover heavy-duty battery. Generally they are identical to mains powered machines except that instead of a plug at the end of the cable they are fitted with two “crocodile” clips (See Fig 10)

Professional Dog clippers - mains powered (See Fig. 11)

The vast majority of these machines use a “detachable” blade. This type of blade you do not need to unscrew, cleaning can be undertaken with out separating the two blades. Blades are usually fitted with the motor running.

Mains powered clipper are usually either rotary driven (the blade drive lever moves at speed from side to side) or magnetic (the drive shaft rotates round) Several of the mains powered models have a “two speed” (fast - slow) facility, and a few are supplied with a “variable” speed option. (A knob, at the base of the machine is turned to increase the cutting speed to the desired amount.) Two speed machines are useful for precise show work or for use on nervous animals. Most professional dog groomers work in “fast” speed mode.

Dog owners with breeds such as Terriers, Spaniels and Poodles involving a fair degree of clipping, will find they are better advised to select one of the professional mains powered machine, either single or two speed. The reason being that they are then able to use blades best suited to clipping their animal correctly.

Starting with the rotary type products:-

Aesculap Favorita II. German made - top of the “quality tree”. Beautifully engineered, this is a clipper for the professional. Expensive, but like most German products you are getting pure quality! The Favorita only accepts blades from its own range, and these are not cheap either, but they are very good!

The Andis AGC Models (single and two speed) are some of the slimmest machines and very lightweight, and are becoming increasingly popular with many professional groomers.

The Andis MBG AG is worthy of consideration by those looking for a slightly less expensive model but who want the benefits of the “detachable” blades. Good machine for the family dog owner.

The American Laube Models include Mini Micro (v/speed) Laube 503, (2 speed) Laube 513 (v/speed) and the horse model Laube 555 (2 speed) offer a range of mains, two speed and variable speed, as well as cordless. American made, they have proved very popular with dog groomers, horse owners and cattle exhibitors. Past history records a number of problems, suggesting the need for design refinements, many of which have now been duly addressed.

The German Moser Max 45 with its 45 watt motor is the most powerful of the two speed machines. This machine is equally at home clipping horses and is well worth considering when a nervous horse is involved. (For full body horse clips use the Wahl wide 2.3mm blade)

Moser KM1 (German also) is one of the quietest, although most of these clippers are quiet by nature. Another Moser machine equally happy clipping dogs, horse or alpacas.

Oster Golden A5 has a long record of being popular clipper with groomers, but has a history of overheating. Available both as single or two speed.

The Thrive 50 (50 watt motor) is rather too new to evaluate at this stage. Not a comfortable hand piece to hold compared to many others.

Professional Dog clippers - Cordless (See Fig. 12)

Popular machines include the: -

Oster Power Pro

Andis Super AGR+

Laube 505 (2/speed) & Laube 515 (v/speed),

Moser Arco

As these are commented on above - please refer.

Blades for these machines are referred to as “detachable” blades. (See Fig. 13) The “detachable blade is supplied as one piece, the cutter and comb being secured by a factory tensioned spring. Unless you have past experience do not undo the blade screws! Also it is unnecessary to do so. (For information on how to reassemble - if you have taken them apart - and cleaning - please click here)

It is very unwise to attempt to try to sharpen blades yourself- they need special skills and machinery!

Principally the leading clipper firms, Andis, Oster, Moser and Wahl manufacture the popular blades. They vary considerable starting at size #50 (Wahl Competition Series) with a cutting depth of 0.6mm (surgical) to size Ultra Edge 5/8th (Andis) at cutting depth 16mm. The higher the blade size number the closer the cut! Unfortunately few if any of the various manufactured blades share exactly the same cutting measurements, so one does need to be aware of the differences although it may only be a few “points of a mm”

Attachment combs may be fixed either to the under side of the comb blade or by sliding onto the side of the comb blade. Their purpose is to increase the cutting depth. Most attachment combs can only be used on blade sizes #50, #40, #30, #15, #10, #9 and #8.5. From blade size #7 and downwards they will not fit due to the thickness of the comb portion of the blade.

The most popular blade used in dog grooming is the size#10 - a good general-purpose blade used on many breeds. Size #7F blades are also popular as a body blade. Blade size #40 is a recognised “surgical” blade as used by vets or for dense matts in dog coats.

Whilst manufacturers claim that their “detachable” blades are “compatible” with most of the professional detachable blade type machines, experience proves it is not always the case. The advice is “if you buy an Andis clipper stick with Andis blades!” likewise if you buy a Wahl/Moser machine use Wahl/Moser blades.

If you have a “heap” of Oster or Wahl blades and switch to a different make of machine, the blade usually work perfectly for two or three months before adjustment may become necessary. This can usually be put right by a competent service centre.

Domestic Pet clippers (See Fig 14)

Moser Rex

The German made with an impressive history over almost two decades. Popular for years with many horse owners for heads and faces. Good machine for cleaning up the family hound! Adjustable blade lever allows you to select cutting height. Attachment combs supplied. Screw on blades - alignment important! Downside: Rather limited on blade selection for any serious dog clipping.

Wahl Multi Cut Clipper

American made. Popular for years with many pet owners for clipping out the family dog. Adjustable blade lever allows you to select cutting height. Several blades available. Attachment combs supplied. Screw on blades - alignment important! Economy clipper/come trimmer at an economic price, not suitable for serious work.

In the magnetic category you find medium priced and cheaper machines. Often described as “clippers” these are little more than “trimmers” and usually have blades, which require being both screwed on and aligned. (The alignment being critical to the cutting performance!) Moser Rex is a fine example of a quality trimmer with almost clipper potential, and is definitely the best of this group.

Such clippers are often attractive by price, they are not always suitable for clipping some of the hairier dog breeds, due often to motor power and the limitation of blade selection.

Dry battery powered Trimmers.

Small compact trimmers ideal for small cats and dog breeds, pet rabbits or horses faces. They are really for tidying up whisker and odd hairs rather than any form of serious clipping. Not suitable for hairy horse socks. Blades require to be both screwed on and aligned. (The alignment again being critical to the cutting performance!)

After Clippers then there are the Blades - these do the cutting!

Remember the importance of the blades in respect of the finished job! They are the “bits” which actually do the cutting! It is valuable to learn the difference between blades. There are many different types of blades, each cutting to a different “finished” height which will effect your animals coat appearance. In the case of cats and more particularly dogs there is a very considerable range of different blades each with a particular purpose. The coat length can also be increased with the use of “attachment” combs fitted to the blade

The cat or dog groomer will need to appreciate the difference between the “full tooth” and the “skip tooth” blade. The “full tooth” blade will give a more “velvet” effect and due to the smaller gap between blade teeth it is safer to use in more sensitive areas. “Skip tooth” blades can offer easier entry into denser coats and are useful for “ruffing off” before bathing.

Lastly an important note about blades.

Blades have an infuriating habit of going blunt! Now they don’t always perform this trick as you finish clipping you animal. It is far more common for it to happen half way through the task on a Sunday! To avoid the embarrassment of the half-clipped animal, the trick is to always have two sets of either new or freshly sharpened blades before you start! Saves a lot of red faces and embarrassment not least if you are clipping a friend’s animal!

Finally……… a few words of wisdom!

Never lend your clipper to a friend. Least of all your best friend!

Clean your clipper every time after use!

If it is the type that has a tension nut/knob, slacken the nut off when putting it away. Do not leave the blades under tension - in time you may weaken the tension spring!

After using your clipper clean it, oil it and store it in a dry and secure place! Not in damp stables, tack rooms, or show boxes.

Further advice and information on Clippers and blades can be obtained by telephoning 01424 882900 during business hours (Mondays - Fridays 0900hrs to 1700 hrs.) We are always happy to discuss your requirements or give advice.