[CLaPorte432]

Yesterday, my clippers died. Ive had them for about 4 years.

What do you do, to prolong the life of your clippers? My blades dull fairly quickly. I have an Oster A5, 1 speed. i typically just do facial clippings and bridle paths. They arent being overused, i just dont know how to properly care for them.

Tips and hints are appreciated.

Im also in the market for a new clipper if anyone has any suggestions. No cheapos.
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[Allison Finch]

I stop clipping every five minutes and take a brush and brush the hair out of the blades. Then, while the blades are moving, I spray some lubricant between the blades. Then I resume clipping.

I also NEVER clip hair with dried mud in it. NOTHING compromises clipper health and blade sharpness more than that.

I have had my clippers a LONG time and they are still going strong.

 

[CLaPorte432]

Thank you. What brand do you have? Do they ever get hot? Mine would get hot after a little bit so id have to stop.
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[Allison Finch]

I mostly use my Oster A5 two speeds for everyday clipping. I have huge Osters for body clipping.

 

[CLaPorte432]

I've used the Oster Golden A5 for the past 6 years. (Have gone through 2 pairs because of my "care"...or lack-there-of)

I'm in the market for a new pair and care across the Turbo A5, 2 speed. Amazon.com: Oster A5 Turbo 2-Speed Professional Animal Clipper: Pet Supplies Amazon.com seems to have a really good price on them as well! Dr. Foster and Smith is asking twice that much! Plus Amazon has free shipping.

Seem like a good deal to you?

 

[minihorse927]

I own several sets of clippers, actually 4 sets right now. Two of them are brand new and I just haven't decided whether to keep or sell them yet.
Anyhow, my favorites are my Double K Groomers Edge. These thing are awesome, but also $320 plus. They are the quietest and coolest running clippers ever. The motor is a whole separate body from the clipper head itself. I clip 7 minis every 2 to 3 weeks all summer for show. I am doing a full head to toe body clip on them and I love these things. I just move from horse to horse and never have to let them cool. Plus they are the strongest clippers ever. I have sheared sheep with these things and they are far from a sheep shear. I clip my horses on setting 3 typically and have never even used setting 10. They leave no clipper trails on the horse if you don't rush.
Double K 401 Large Animal Clipper
Mine have the 12ft cable.

As far as care goes for blades, I stop every 5 to 10 minutes and dip the blade head while running into a shallow bowl of blade wash. Then I wipe the blade wash off and spray them with lube, typically WD-40. Wipe off any excess so it is not all over the horse. I have found this stuff works the best and it does not gum up the blades. I have used so many brands of blade oils and they cause the blades to gum up for some reason. I also make sure the horses are bathed and clean and I spray them with healthy haircare hair moisturizer before I clip. It seems to make the hair cut easier, but then again that might just be me going crazy too.

Yearly, with these clippers I replace any worn internal parts and also grease the drive cable that goes from the motor to the clipper head with lithium grease. The only worn part on them I have ever had to replace was a grease seal in the hand held clipper. It was easy. My Oster A5 turbo on the other hand require a new set of bearings and flange every year. Every other year they also require a new hold down clip for the blade mount.

 

[Foxhunter]

I am not familiar with Oster A5 clippers but having looked them up I see that there are two screws on either side of the body. These on other makes of clippers contain what are known as the brushes which are an intregal part of the engine but they do wear down after a while.
If you unscrew them, there will be a spring holding the brush (which is a hard stone like material) and you will see if they are worn out. Easy to replace and cheap but, you might have worn into the engine in which case it is more expensive repairing them.

I use WD40 on the blades when I am clipping. Turn the clipper sideways and spray so the oil goes between the blades and, after spraying, use a cloth to wipe off the excess.

One of my favourite clipper is the LAUBE, basically a dog clipper either mains or battery. They are capable of doing a full clip on a big horse and the width of blade is inter changeable. (Ostler blades fit them too)
I like them because they are light, quiet and as I do a lot of difficult horses there is no wire to worry about.

They are also made in the US.

 

[wild_spot]

I love my Oster golden A5 two speed clippers. We do our dogs, roach manes, do legs/fetlocks and also the girth area on one horse.

As someone mentioned above, anytime they start running hot I run the blades in a dish of blade wash and let them sit off for a minute. I wash and oil them before every clip job and wash and oil after every clip job. Blades get swapped out and sharpened whenever they start to dull, clipping with dull blades makes the engine work harder.