poodle3081

Shear Magic are made in China and would be in the "throw away" category. Mars nail clippers made in Germany would be a quality pair.

Can be sharpened but only worth it if the are quality.

Double K are the best value for money quality dryer available in Australia.

I was told yesterday by the guy that sharpens the blades, that singer sewing oil is the best oil you can use of them, and one of the cheapest. I'm about to go get some from woolies. I just rang Ian for you about the sewing machine oil, he said that it has solvents in it as does the sprays. He also said that the reason he now has his own oil is because it has absolutely no solvents at all. Even wahl oil has some solvents but better than others on the market. He also said that atm he's a couple of days behind, due to christmas peaks for groomers was over, and most groomers have a lull around this time. Also, due to the humidity that we've recently had, he's had a lot of blades come in with rust. He really is the sharpening guru. You can choose to listen to the other guy if you wish, but, I doubt that he's as passionate about blades and scissors as Ian is. Ian goes to the states for seminars and sharpening comps in the US every couple of years. And he does quite a bit of winning. I doubt there is any accurate information on the ingredients of commercial clipping oils and with people pushing their own brand it is easy to make unsubstantiated claims.

I know a few groomers that have studied at TAFE and they now run successful businesses. I think anyone without experience who undertakes any form of training is not totally competent at the completion of the course. Training is the basis for a career and it needs to be combined with years of experience to be totally competent.

The best value clipper is the Wahl KM. Either the KM2 or KMSS would be fine. You can pick these up for under $200 and they are a professional quality clipper. Do a Google search for "Wahl Clipper" and you will find them online.

Unit is fairly low powered and suitable for small dogs. Better off with a Dremel.

The Australian Dog Centre (advertised here on DOL) http://www.australiandogcentre.com.au/ they are expensive but the training by all reports is good. Also Doggy Dooz in Seddon. Only negative I have heard about them both is do not buy equipment through them as it is usually over priced.

Double Ks are the most powerful clipper to drive an A5 blade and the groomers that use them will not use anything else. The downside is the knack in handling and getting used to the cable.

The Andis AGC have the best design drive system and super quiet. They have a sealed motor that requires the least amount of maintenance of any clipper today. Downside is the lead is an issue and this is more problematic with some groomers due to the way they hold them and their clipping action. The other major disadvantage is they weight more than the Wahl.

Think about it. If it still does not make sense get someone to explain. What is your problem? You've stated that no professional groomers use Osters and I have stated that I know plenty that do yet you still insist that they don't. I don't understand why you are having such difficulty comprehending it. I think you have a problem comprehending. Check what I stated! I did not state that no professional groomer used Osters. I stated that I cannot recall a professional groomer using Oster. Check with the people in industry such as Ian Parsons from Feather Edge and ask him how many groomers use Oster. Also the Australian Dog Centre grooming school run by Mel and Nicky both Master groomers, they recomend and use Wahl KM. Natalie West from Doggy Doos grooming school uses and recommends Wahl KMs.I could fill the page with top groomers that use Wahl and would not touch an Oster. Because one or two on this forum use them it is misleading for people reading this thread that Osters are used by main stream groomers.

Think about it. If it still does not make sense get someone to explain.

I still use mine. Still going strong after 10+ years. I have Wahls as well. I'm regretting that I parted with mine. I have worked in the clipper repair industry on and off for the last six years and can honestly say that I cannot recall any professional groomer using Oster as their primary clipper. No, but you don't know every groomer Oz wide. I can assure you there are plenty of us out there who still use our Osters. Becks, completely agree! There are still people out there driving vintage cars but they dont use them as taxis

I still use mine. Still going strong after 10+ years. I have Wahls as well. I'm regretting that I parted with mine. I have worked in the clipper repair industry on and off for the last six years and can honestly say that I cannot recall any professional groomer using Oster as their primary clipper. The breeders and showies use them as they were the only brand available in the past. Wahl KM would be used by 80% of professional groomers followed by Andis AGC, and a variety of other brands such as Double K, Laube making up the rest. There never seemed to be a clear fav clipper on the US Groomers forum I used to go on :p This was over 6 years ago though so maybe things have changed. Do not go on US feedback as clippers designed for 110 volts will have totally different operation characteristics when operating on 240 volts. The US made clipper are designed for the US market and the 240 volt design is generally an after thought.

The early Laubes were OK but the latest black and yellow range have problems

I still use mine. Still going strong after 10+ years. I have Wahls as well. I'm regretting that I parted with mine. I have worked in the clipper repair industry on and off for the last six years and can honestly say that I cannot recall any professional groomer using Oster as their primary clipper. The breeders and showies use them as they were the only brand available in the past. Wahl KM would be used by 80% of professional groomers followed by Andis AGC, and a variety of other brands such as Double K, Laube making up the rest.

Unfortunately there is not a lot of choice on the market when it comes to clippers, as they all have their downside. Wahl KMs are good value at under $200, Andis AGC2 are good clippers but sell for around $300 and Oster A5 have an out dated design and not used by professional groomers in Australia. I have 4 pairs and I'm constantly replacing the levers. The crappy replacement levers are expensive and it's time consuming to stop what you are doing and replace them all the time. The Wahls aren't good value. I know of several who have now returned to using their good old Osters, having given up on the Wahls. They may get hot, but at least they are still driving blades and getting the blades through the coat. I wish I could say the same for Wahl It's worth spending the extra money on something other than a Wahl You can obtain the old style lever for the Wahl clipper. What do pay for a lever?

Unfortunately there is not a lot of choice on the market when it comes to clippers, as they all have their downside. Wahl KMs are good value at under $200, Andis AGC2 are good clippers but sell for around $300 and Oster A5 have an out dated design and not used by professional groomers in Australia.

You can get them for $189 http://cgi.ebay.com.au/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?Vi...me=STRK:MESE:IT

Clipper World have the same dryer for $220 I had a look on the Clipper world site & couldn't find the same dryer on there. :p Give them a call as I was in there the other day and they have just received them.

Clipper World have the same dryer for $220

Yes go for the Wahl KM as Cocker Spanial hair is fine and difficult to cut and requires a professional type rotary motor clipper.

No it wouldnt. Franchises are a rort and plenty of people go broke very quickly with them. Someone from here set up her own mobile business from scratch and start up costs were a hell of a lot less, plus she wasnt obligated to pay monthly fees or astronomical grooming products A number of frachises I know are successful and doing well and the people running them are happy with their business. I know Jim's have lifted their game and now use the Australian Dog Centre to do their training. As in any sector of an industry, there will always be the bad operators that give the whole industry a bad name.

The dryer label would state 2800W as this is to market it as powerful. In reality the motor would be no more the 1200W and it probably has an 800W heating element. Because these appliances do not fit into a prescribed category they are not required to get appliance approval, but it is incumbent on the supplier to ensure it meets Australian Standards. In this case the dryers would not comply as the labelling is incorrect.

Thanks for the info poodle, I am trying to find some info online about the maximum wattage but cant seem to find one, I have found one site that states the watts for certain appliances ( its an energy saving site) it states a dryer as being up to 5000 W To be strickly correct the maximum rating of an appliance is the current it draws which is 10 amps. If the load is purely resistive then it is 10A x 240 Volts which equates to 2400W. An appliance may have a rating of 10A and have a lower wattage value. It is a complicated area to explain to people without an electrical background. The design of electrical installations is based on the amount of current flowing as it is this current that heats up the wiring and hence can cause an electrical fire. A device that plugs into a standard power outlet cannot have a power rating of greater than 2400W.