| At first sight the "Avalon" concept bears a resemblance to the now rather dated Lister "Showman". For almost two decades the "Showman" had stood out amongst the cordless models in that it had probably one of the best batteries made at the time, with a clip time well in excess of two hours. Unfortunately clippers of that period were often heavy and noisy, and as far as the latter was concerned the "Showman" was certainly no exception!
Many might be forgiven when first viewing the "Avalon" for questioning the ability of such a small clipper. Whilst looking delightfully small, compact and comfortable to use, with exceptional low noise levels, you might well ask "Is it up to the job?" Over the year since it was first introduced (November 2003) it has continued to amaze the many horse owners who have purchased it. It the words of one satisfied customer with five heavy coated cobs, "It has performed with excellence, the ceramic coated blade made light work of the clipping, and after seven clips including two "first season clips the blade are still as sharp as the day I purchased them"
The Moser "Avalon" was an evolution of the already highly successful Moser Max 45, which in itself had followed what many considered the "jewel" in the Moser crown, the almost famous "Moser KM1" - still to this day the quietest clipper on the market! (Sadly now discontinued.)
The Moser Max 45 has seen several years' service in the professional world of dog grooming, - an often-punishing arena for any clipper! As one of the most powerful within the profession mains powered dog grooming machines (45watts) it was quick to establish itself as one of the top three dog clipping machines, often replacing the "national favourite" but now rather "tired" and often overheating "Oster A5".
With the higher rated and more powerful motor, the Moser Max 45 was destined from the beginning of its life to become a favourite with many horse owners, and especially those who were unfortunate enough to have a nervous animal. The added feature of having two clipping speeds was always a useful feature in such situations.
As a full body horse clipper the "Avalon" introduces a new concept in small, compact, and lightweight appliances with the handpiece weighing total of 600g including both blade and cable. Fitted with an 80watt DC motor with a 4800 cutting stroke per minute output, operated by a single speed switch, which is located to the side rear end. The motor, which affords a pleasant low noise level, has minimal vibration. The motor cooling fan, unlike so many on other machines produces a gentle volume of air, which is hardly noticeable and will not smother you with cut particles of hair.
There is very little routine maintenance to worry about, other than regular cleaning of the air filter which is easily removable and located at the rear of the machine. At the end of a clipping operation the blade assembly should be removed and the clipper head cleaned with all traces of hair removed.
One of the "plagues" of clipping for many horse owners is the perpetual "tensioning of the blades. Nothing causes more frustration than a clipper, which becomes "out of tension". Some of the traditional heavy-duty clippers are simple and easy to set the tensioning up (Premier 3000c is a good example.) other can prove infuriatingly difficult. Therefore a clipper which uses "detachable" blades, and which does away with all the "hassle" of blade tensioning is in itself a monumental advantage!
Blades of this "detachable" type neither required screwing on to the clipper head, nor any tensioning, and they compared favourably in cutting face area at 62mm just slight less than the width of a traditional blades (normally 70/72mm) The blade is attached by simply fitted it on a "tongue" or "blade latch assembly" This is then "snapped" shut against the clipper head, and the whole blade fitting operation is complete, the clipper now ready for use! The technology of the "detachable" blade is by no means new, as it has been a well-established feature in the dog-grooming world for over two decades or more. Removing the blade is a simple task of just pressing the grey button in an upward direction and rotating the blade backward away from the clipper head and lifting it off the "tongue"
Occasionally with the "detachable blade it is possible to accidentally knock the tongue with the result that it snaps shut against the clipper head. It is easy to be unaware this has happened, and there have been a few - not many - cases of frustrated end users not able to get the blade to attach because they are unaware of this. It is a minor problem with all machines which adopt the "detachable" blade concept, and can be remedied in a few seconds easily with the use of a small screwdriver inserted between the blade tongue and the clipper head. A gentle twist will open the tongue to it normal position!
An annoying problem with many of the traditional cordless or battery-powered clippers has been the clip time. Many cordless machines are often limited to 45/60 minutes on a single charge, which for the vast majority of full body clips on a horse is not enough time for even the most professional of operators. Therefore a battery with a clip time of two and a half hours was a major brake through! Whilst this had been already achieved with the Lister Showman, where the Moser scores impressive points is (1) The battery price is far below that of the Lister battery pack, and (2) the Moser battery is delightfully lightweight in comparison. The clipper is connected to the power pack by way of a flexible coiled cable, which is plugged into the power take off point. When extended fully the cable reaches to a maximum of seven feet.
The battery is very compact, and one is immediately impressed with the lightweight of the power pack. (Weight: 750g - power pack only) Comprising of fifteen battery cells it give a reliable 2.5 hours of a single charge which normally takes three hours. The battery also has no memory features, which are so annoying with many other types of battery units. A second battery unit is available as an accessory.
At the time of the introduction of the "Horseline" clipper range, Moser also introduced the new Cera ceramic hardened blade, which is said to have a longer clipping life. Basically this is the Moser 2.3mm steel blade, but coated with a ceramic covering. CeraBlades are four times harder than conventional metal blades, with a surface as smooth as glass. This manufacturing process enables the blade teeth to glide through the hair, thus providing a smooth and comfortable experience for the horse, as well as the operator. Due to the almost frictionless surface texture of the blade, it is very difficult for particles of grease and dirt to accumulate. As a result this type of blade suffers far less wear that convention type blades with the result of a longer service life and staying sharper for a greater period. Unlike blades with a ceramic cutter breakage due to dropping the machine or blade is greatly reduced.
Horse users in particular however will need to rethink the speed at which they clip when using this type of machine or indeed any clipper of the type fitted with "detachable" blades - whether ceramic or steel. You do need a relaxed approach to your clipping speed - if not tramlines will soon appear. Short strokes are better than longer ones, and work across the hair as well as with the "grain".
The main reason for this is the choice of wide blades available. Compared to the number of blades for dog grooming the choice is limited, particularly so when dealing with some of the more "hairy" and heavy coated native horse breeds! The Moser 2.3mm - CeraBlade or the 2.3mm steel wide blades - are often found to be the best currently available.
When using the "detachable" blade style clippers one should be aware no matter how good they are they are not of the same power as a typical traditional type machines. Invariably one is using this type of clipper because the horse objects for whatever reason to a traditional noisy machine. Seen in this role as an alternative to not clipping or heavy sedation they are extremely valuable and with proper use and application perform as well as any traditional clipper, producing some quality clips on a range of horse or cattle breeds.
Practical experience as with most clipping of any animal is invaluable! Knowledge is never complete - no matter how experienced the operator!
When doing full body clipping two blades are a wise precaution, just in case one suddenly goes blunt, which in fairness can happen with any make of clipper! For cattle or horse's heads and intricate parts of the legs (udders in the case of dairy cows) one can select a suitable blade from an extensive range of "narrow" blades.
Moser blades are subjected to a very high standard of manufacture at the Moser factory in Germany, with each and every blade being individually and manually tested on the workbench before packaging and dispatch from the factory. This is a valuable feature, which gives immense confidence in the ability of the blade to both the distributor and end user alike. It confirm beyond doubt that every blade leaving Moser cuts!
Some years earlier Moser had designed and introduced to the market place a steel wide blade, which over the years has become unquestionably in the eyes of many professionals the finest "detachable" blade available for standard horse clipping using this design of clipper. Whilst several other manufacturers offer similar wide blades, none compare with the Moser 2.3mm wide blade, whether in ease of coat penetration or quality of clip as far as horses are concerned.
Those concerned with additional clipping tasks such as hogging or feathers can take comfort from the fact that clippers, which take the "detachable" blades, have a substantially larger range of blades to select from as compared to the usual traditional blade ranges. For hogging tasks considerable success can be achieved using a size#40 fine blade, and some of the toughest feathers have succumbed to a size#7 blade (skip tooth type). For some of the UK native breeds with intensely thick body hair there is still a need for manufacturers to produce a suitable coarse blade.
Whilst it is always better to stick with the blades of the manufacturer of the clipper, you will find that the Moser "Avalon" happily accepts blades from other manufacturers such as Andis, Oster, Wahl, and Laube. The Oster "Groom Master" blades have some merit from trials we have conducted. Whether all these blades will prove to be as good or indeed produce as effective clip on your horse will be largely a case of trial and error! Our opinion remains that the Moser blade is by far the best!
One factor remains unchanged. Whatever blades you use, whether Moser CeraBlade, or any of the others you will continue to need to be diligent on the question of keeping your blades regularly lubricated and periodically during clipping checked for any build up of hairs. This is not a requirement of just the "Avalon" - it applies to all clipper blades! Horse coats inflict a heavy toll on blades whatever the make - especially the first clip of the season!
CONCLUSION:
After some extensive field trials on a number of different breeds of horses, we have witness at first hand the effectiveness of this machine. One can only express delight in its power and professional clipping ability. Armed with the ceramic-coated blade this is a truly "awesome" tool!
A perfect clipper for any nervous horse but as mentioned above those using this machine for horses will need to rethink the speed at which they clip. You do need a slower approach to your clipping speed and short clipping strokes are far better than longer ones, working across the hair as well as with the "grain".
This machine is also a serious consideration for any cattle owners with small dairy herds, and it has a useful role for the mobile dog groomer
At a really attractive "Value for money" price (just over £200.00 including vat) against all its peers, as a battery operated machine, this is unquestionably one of the best buys on the cordless market!" Another "German made" success story!
We are pleased to award the Moser "Avalon" a PEASRIDGE star rating of FIVE STARS with a 98% award and a "HIGHLY RECOMMENDED" recommendation.
A definite "BUY"
© PEASRIDGE 2004
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