Clipping Double Coated Breeds

[poodle3081]

I wouldn't bother with the Wahl's. Since the lever style and replacement parts have changed.

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.

[WreckitWhippet]

I wouldn't bother with the Wahl's. Since the lever style and replacement parts have changed.

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

[poodle3081]

I wouldn't bother with the Wahl's. Since the lever style and replacement parts have changed.

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?

[WreckitWhippet]

$10

[Clyde]

Oster A5 have an out dated design and not used by professional groomers in Australia.

I still use mine. Still going strong after 10+ years. I have Wahls as well.

[WreckitWhippet]

Oster A5 have an out dated design and not used by professional groomers in Australia.

I still use mine. Still going strong after 10+ years. I have Wahls as well.

I'm regretting that I parted with mine.

[poodle3081]

Oster A5 have an out dated design and not used by professional groomers in Australia.

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.

[Koemi]

Mmm, Laube... I really want a laube clipper...

Another one saying please don't wreck the coat further. When I had my double coated little girl, people would constantly stop me when I was out with her and ask what I did to keep her coat looking so nice. Many of them could not believe that she had never been clipped. Never clipped her (would scissor her pants because she was incontinent and it was disgusting when they got long), brushed her once every couple of weeks and washed her sparingly.

Clipping does wreck the coat and I would highly recommend you try something like a Coat King, Furmy or Les Pooches brush before chopping the coat off again. Clipping a Samoyed and an OES were the worst grooming tasks I have ever performed and I would NEVER EVER do it again. And I'm a professional!

Actually... I remember a few years ago a lady had shaved half of her large double coated herding breed and asked us to finish it. This dog was patchy, had skin that almost hurt to touch it was so irritated and hot, and had cuts ALL over him. Poor darling We took photos to document and she still tried to tell us we did it afterward :p. He would have had the most horrific sunburn too...

[JulesP]

Oster A5 have an out dated design and not used by professional groomers in Australia.

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.

[poodle3081]

Mmm, Laube... I really want a laube clipper...

Another one saying please don't wreck the coat further. When I had my double coated little girl, people would constantly stop me when I was out with her and ask what I did to keep her coat looking so nice. Many of them could not believe that she had never been clipped. Never clipped her (would scissor her pants because she was incontinent and it was disgusting when they got long), brushed her once every couple of weeks and washed her sparingly.

Clipping does wreck the coat and I would highly recommend you try something like a Coat King, Furmy or Les Pooches brush before chopping the coat off again. Clipping a Samoyed and an OES were the worst grooming tasks I have ever performed and I would NEVER EVER do it again. And I'm a professional!

Actually... I remember a few years ago a lady had shaved half of her large double coated herding breed and asked us to finish it. This dog was patchy, had skin that almost hurt to touch it was so irritated and hot, and had cuts ALL over him. Poor darling We took photos to document and she still tried to tell us we did it afterward :p. He would have had the most horrific sunburn too...

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

[becks]

The only thing my laube was ever good at cutting, was the silence! Total waste of money, used a couple of times and now lives in the cupboard. I have 2 pairs of Osters on the go, so they never get to hot and I don't need to keep changing blades.

There is also no reason why you would need to sharpen the blades after a couple of clips on a Sammy, clean coat and not forcing it through the coat and the blades should last a long time between sharpenings.

[poodle3081]

Oster A5 have an out dated design and not used by professional groomers in Australia.

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.

[nicestman77]

I want to attempt to groom/clip my Samoyeds. Neither of them appear to be blowing much of their coat at this stage.

I would initially like to clip their bellies back to the skin, tidy up the fur behind their legs and also shorten the fur near their backside.

My male Samoyed has a few health issues and sending him to a groomers for the day is no longer an option as it is just too uncomfortable for him. If I cannot brush him out I am considering clipping his coat shorter all over (not too short though, but perhaps half the length it is now) to hopefully reduce the amount of fur over summer. I understand that the outer coat acts as an insulator against the heat, but he had his whole outer coat removed by a vet earlier this year, and it doesn't appear to have grown back properly, so his coat is now mostly the thick dense undercoat.

I have read on here several topics on clippers and sizes of blades and am finding the whole idea of buying clippers a bit confusing. Can anyone recommend a good clipper and also suggest what size blades I would need to achieve this type of clipping? Also what price would I be expecting to pay? My vet nurse can clip/brush out under sedation for $150. I know it would be easier to just pay that, but it is probably a good idea to learn to do it myself. Any suggestions would be most appreciated.

I think the problem was when the vet only clipped the top coat off the dog, the vet left the down(bottom coat) there, and I would say by now unless you managed to brush the down out(bottom coat), it is one mat like a blanket, to check if it is a blanket, get a chrome comb and try to comb it through the undercoat, go down to the skin, if you can't comb through the coat, you really need to clipper the coat off totally, and let everything over the next couple of years grow to it's intended length, and start agian, Samoyed's have 2 coats, the thick dense lower coat is called a down, the down grows for winter, and should be brushed out ready for summer, or it will knot-up even more so, and the other coat is the long whispery(course top coat) coat, that is called the guide fur, it normally stays on the dog all the time, but once you clip the guide coat it takes about 2 years to grow to it's proper length again.

To determine which blade to use, is easy, it will be the blade that goes just under the mat/knot on the coat.

No need for sedation if you don't hurt the dog, if it is pleasurable the dog will lay there while you clip it off.

Clipper blades will NOT go through mats/knots.

If you buy a Wahl KM2 clipper, only use it on low speed, and the blades, and clipper will last twice as long, and won't need anything to cool the blades, only the normal oil(Singer Sewing Machine oil)

Should you like to pick my brain, you are welcome to email me.

You can get clipper hints using this link below, should you wish.

http://clipperbladesharpening.webs.com/bladeclipperhints.htm

[nicestman77]

I wouldn't bother with the Wahl's. Since the lever style and replacement parts have changed.

Hi there 'ReadySetGo'.

The reason the new levers break, is Wahl identified a problem with their clippers, what happens is when blades get hot there is a lot of friction on the blades, this in turn, burns the motors out quickly, much like you driving a car around town with the hand break on, things won't last very long, so they made the new levers so they break rather than burning out the motors or strip the gear wheel in the clipper.

They call it the "sacrificial lamb "

Using the correct oil is very important, sprays only cool the outside of the metal of the blade for a second, the best thing to do is to oil often, and slow the clipper down, if you use your clipper on high speed doesn't mean it is going to clip twice as fast, it means it is going to heat-up twice as fast.

Hot blades distort the metal and don't cut crisp.

Below is a clipper blade that was on a clipper that kept breaking levers, the operator was using a commercial spray, you will see how the blade had burnt it's self to pieces.

And you can see by the rust on the blade they was defiantly, NO oil ever used on the blade.

Sprays are intended to cool the blade quickly, but you have to re-oil before continuing clipping.

For "How to look after Your blades" go to this link, should you wish.

http://clipperbladesharpening.webs.com/bladeclipperhints.htm

[WreckitWhippet]

Mine are oiled with "wahls" very own oil

[nicestman77]

Mine are oiled with "wahls" very own oil

Great you got back.

Next time you break a lever, have a look at the blade you are using to see what the surfaces look like to see if they are binding up at all.

The other thing is the red tip on the lever, see if it is slightly able to move/wobble the red tip, the vibrations will distroy the lever.

Also try to use the clipper on low speed.

You can buy Singer Sewing machine oil at your local Woolies in the haberdashery section for 100mls for $2.10.

Or, if you buy from your favourite supplier, ask them if they sell equivelent recommended oil.

[Nekhbet]

cooling spray ... best ... thing ... ever ... especially doing cats O_o

My male Samoyed has a few health issues and sending him to a groomers for the day is no longer an option as it is just too uncomfortable for him. If I cannot brush him out I am considering clipping his coat shorter all over (not too short though, but perhaps half the length it is now) to hopefully reduce the amount of fur over summer. I understand that the outer coat acts as an insulator against the heat, but he had his whole outer coat removed by a vet earlier this year, and it doesn't appear to have grown back properly, so his coat is now mostly the thick dense undercoat.

I have read on here several topics on clippers and sizes of blades and am finding the whole idea of buying clippers a bit confusing. Can anyone recommend a good clipper and also suggest what size blades I would need to achieve this type of clipping? Also what price would I be expecting to pay? My vet nurse can clip/brush out under sedation for $150. I know it would be easier to just pay that, but it is probably a good idea to learn to do it myself. Any suggestions would be most appreciated.

of course never use a blade hotter then you can lay on the back of your wrist for a second - if they head up you burn the skin and cats especially absolutely go postal on you :p. If you start clipping a double coatd breed for whatever reason you have to keep doing it because just the undercoat grows out like with your dog. I remember a malamute I did that was clipped a few times, then a vet said NO stop clipping ... that was horrific for me to shave. Poor dog was so good, stood there and with breaks it took us all day and 3 blades she was a solid carpet all over. We filled a few shopping bags with all her fur.

I wouldnt be sedating the dog, I would be teaching it to have it done at home. Start little by little, I like Osters and Wahls, if you look after them they last. I just got my neighbour a Wahl horse clipper set, it JUST managed to do the cat (grant it, was only made for doing trims and bridle paths etc) If he's matted again try using a mat splitter first to help tease and break them then try gentle brushing, even if you just buy a cheap plastic human comb with wide teeth. More a token gesture to the dog to get used to being fussed with them move up to proper grooming combs. If you snag a knot DONT PULL! Stop, gently tease it apart with your fingers and try again with the comb. Pulled hairs are the easiest way to get a dog cranky I do cats as well, none ever sedated and I find patience is the best with them, clear the room of all other animals and people and have a nice chill out session together with the grooming stuff. Also done rabbits, also not sedated.

Edited December 28, 2010 by Nekhbet

[nicestman77]

cooling spray ... best ... thing ... ever ... especially doing cats O_o

My male Samoyed has a few health issues and sending him to a groomers for the day is no longer an option as it is just too uncomfortable for him. If I cannot brush him out I am considering clipping his coat shorter all over (not too short though, but perhaps half the length it is now) to hopefully reduce the amount of fur over summer. I understand that the outer coat acts as an insulator against the heat, but he had his whole outer coat removed by a vet earlier this year, and it doesn't appear to have grown back properly, so his coat is now mostly the thick dense undercoat.

I have read on here several topics on clippers and sizes of blades and am finding the whole idea of buying clippers a bit confusing. Can anyone recommend a good clipper and also suggest what size blades I would need to achieve this type of clipping? Also what price would I be expecting to pay? My vet nurse can clip/brush out under sedation for $150. I know it would be easier to just pay that, but it is probably a good idea to learn to do it myself. Any suggestions would be most appreciated.

of course never use a blade hotter then you can lay on the back of your wrist for a second - if they head up you burn the skin and cats especially absolutely go postal on you . If you start clipping a double coatd breed for whatever reason you have to keep doing it because just the undercoat grows out like with your dog. I remember a malamute I did that was clipped a few times, then a vet said NO stop clipping ... that was horrific for me to shave. Poor dog was so good, stood there and with breaks it took us all day and 3 blades she was a solid carpet all over. We filled a few shopping bags with all her fur.

I wouldnt be sedating the dog, I would be teaching it to have it done at home. Start little by little, I like Osters and Wahls, if you look after them they last. I just got my neighbour a Wahl horse clipper set, it JUST managed to do the cat (grant it, was only made for doing trims and bridle paths etc) If he's matted again try using a mat splitter first to help tease and break them then try gentle brushing, even if you just buy a cheap plastic human comb with wide teeth. More a token gesture to the dog to get used to being fussed with them move up to proper grooming combs. If you snag a knot DONT PULL! Stop, gently tease it apart with your fingers and try again with the comb. Pulled hairs are the easiest way to get a dog cranky I do cats as well, none ever sedated and I find patience is the best with them, clear the room of all other animals and people and have a nice chill out session together with the grooming stuff. Also done rabbits, also not sedated.

A little bit of interesting reading,about Kool Lube sprays.

The flash point is only 9">10", using it around a clipper with sparks inside the clipper could cause a massive explosion.

MATERIAL SAFETY DATA SHEET

Oster Kool-Lube 3

http://www.botanybayimports.com.au/userfil...808-English.pdf

Edited December 28, 2010 by nicestman77

[JulesP]

I sold my good clippers with my mobile van and since then have only had my cordless horse trimmers - Sheer Magic cordless clippers. Got to say that for the money they have done a super job. They trim the ponies, trim the borders, clip mats out of the Birmans and I even clipped off my old border when her coat stopped dropping out. 6 years and I have never had them sharpened. Good value I reckon.

[Clyde]

Oster A5 have an out dated design and not used by professional groomers in Australia.

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.

There is also no reason why you would need to sharpen the blades after a couple of clips on a Sammy, clean coat and not forcing it through the coat and the blades should last a long time between sharpenings.

Becks, completely agree!