I am looking to get new clippers, and just wondering what the good ones were out there.
Also, what are you getting charged for clipping? Full, trace, etc, my guy is going up.
Also, what do you pay for braiding in your area?
Thanks!
I have andis AGR cordless/corded option with the T84 blades as well as Lister Stars (and I used to own clipmasters), and what the hell, an old Oster A5 and a small laube cordless clippers (speed feed).
Clippers. I has 'em.
Best thing you can do is pick them up and hold them and see what works for you.
For me, after the last time the clipmaster tension bars broke, it was after I had major surgery done on my dominant hand, and in addition to paying $$ to fix them (again), I wanted something easier on that hand.
Enter Lister Stars. They are SO easy on my hand and arm, they don’t blow hair in my face like the clipmasters. The cons are the blades are harder to find than clipmaster or snap on blades and they are pricey, the “fine” blade that comes with it is almost surgical length and most everyone forks over extra $ for the medium blade. That’s a one time thing, but to add another $50 to your $250+ purchase price is salt on the wound. My only other con is that they absolutely do not clip “wet”. Clipmasters? All day long, loved it. Tried it ONCE with the stars. It doesn’t work. It just doesn’t. But overall, they are still my favorites.
Andis (not oster liked I originally typed) AGR with a T84? Meh… The clippers are fine, I just don’t have that much time I want to dedicate to clipping. The listers are faster. But if I only had $$ for one set, this is the one clipper that does it all. It’s got decent weight and balance and is really light if you have the battery eliminator. Cons - if you are body clipping, you need the battery bypass, even with two chargers. You need the power (or I did). Also charger #2 bit the dust in 18 months. Real con - can’t clip a dense haired equine like a fjord, skip this section of the aisle and return to listers! But they were fine for the TBs, even the yak imposters.
Oster A5s. The motor couldn’t stand up to full clipping, I just used them for trimming. I know the motor is better now (this set is about 15 years old), but I don’t think it is in the class of andis clippers. When I was shipping for cordless clippers I held the oster cordless clipper and it was a BRICK).
Laube speed feeds - I love these things. Super small and light, it is an adjustable blade so you can do everything from 10 to 40. I picked them up as an impulse buy and they totally replaced the osters A5s for every day trimming. Also super easy to throw in my show box for trimming touch ups at the horse show (I was famous for braiding my horse and looking at his bridle path and going, “oops”).
So there you go, a full blown clipper review!
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I have an Andis AGC-2 (corded), came with a #10. I’ve got a second #10 and 2 T-84s. I’m the worst with remembering to get blades sharpened so I just end up buying more blades lol.
I just clip my own, but theres a girl at my barn who clips around our area. She charges $160 for a full clip, trace clips etc are less.
I’m a braider and charge $30 for a mane ($40 if I show up and the mane hasn’t been pulled), $25 for a tail. I’m relatively cheap for my area (Alberta), but I charge the same for schooling and rateds. People at schooling shows are much more appreciative, polite, and take lots of pictures.
The Liseter Stars are not made to last. We had to have the gear replaced. It is plastic! I loved them when they were new. But with very limited use, they started running hot even though I followed the directions perfectly and only used sharp blades. The repairman told me they are known for running hot after limited use. I would not buy them again.
I have the Lister Stars and love them, and I body clip anywhere between 3-12 horses a season, and clip legs all the time. I did spring for the medium blades, they clip much more evenly. Granted, I did get them for $100 at a Dover tent sale, so way cheaper than retail.
I clip about 100-150 horses per year. I have two pairs of the older Andis AG 2-Speeds (more angular body style). I prefer them to the AGC 2-Speeds (more curved body style). I use T-10 blades on most of my clients, but also offer the T-84.
A full clip for a horse is $120. A full clip for a pony is $100.
If I don’t have to touch the head or legs on the horse/pony (so hunt clip, trace, etc), it’s $85.
- $10/location for any clip art
I love my Groomers Edge clippers. They are the only thing that will clip the winter coats.
I have Lister Legends and the Andis AGC-2. The Legend came with a medium blade, which clips the same as a #10. I clip wet with both and they are great. Legend for the body, Andis for the detail work.
ETA: Around here, body clips go for $140-180 Canadian. I haven’t priced out a trace clip in a while, but I would bet they’re around $100 now.
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Double K with a pair of A5s for backup/small areas. Quieter near the head. Oster TDQ or Power Pro coarse or medium blades.
I use the Lister Stars with the medium blade for the body along with the Andis AGC with a #10 blade for the face and legs.
The Lister clippers will stay cool if you oil them every 10 minutes and make sure to distribute the oil by turning the clippers upside down and rotating them. I think that many don’t truly believe how often these clippers need to be oiled!
I charge $150 for a horse and a sliding scale ($100 - $125) for a pony. They must be clean, though!
I love my Lister Stars- and ditto on the amount of oiling needed! I have a pair of the Andis but the blades lately have stunk- I used to be able to get away with one T-84 and one #10 for two horses over an entire season but last time I got halfway through one horse and the blade was getting dull. The Listers are fabulous.
The last time I paid for a full body clip was about five or six years ago and it was $120.
yeah, my lister stars are about 9 years old and going strong, but you need to oil regularly and adjust the tension knob frequently while you are clipping. In return they don’t get hot like clipmasters, nor do I ever see the need to let them rest (when I used clipmasters I would do one side of the horse, then let the motor rest and do legs/head with my A5s, then finish the other side). I also dip the blade head in blade wash a few times as I’m clipping.
avesane - you’ve clipped wet with the legends? I tried it years ago with a thin coated TB and a thick coated pony. I wasn’t thrilled. Did you clip damp or sopping wet?
If you are just trimming, I love the Wahl Chromado that has a 5 in 1 blade that goes from size #9 to #40 I believe. It’s cordless and quiet. Great for ears or even clipping legs. THe down side is only one type of clipper blade fits. I killed mine by dropping in a bucket of water once and leaving in the cold barn unused all winter. So now i have to replace it, because I have about 5 sets of blades!
I clip about 200 horses a year… I think… something like that, its a lot.
I currently own 3 Sets of Heiniger Progress Clippers love them. My first set is 8 years old and never left me hanging, although they are in serious need of servicing right now, but thats me not them.
I originally bought a set of Oster A5s to do heads and legs since the Progress are large and a lot of horses won’t let you use them close to the eyes, in the ears ect… I HATED the Oster A5s with a passion. They broke constantly, left me hanging on multiple occasions, weren’t large enough to go through winter leg hair. Although they are marketed as a medium size clipper I would consider them more of a trimming clipper. To me “Medium” means you should be able to do the legs up to the knee/hock with them and this just isn’t the case if your horse’s hair is even moderately thick.
I have now moved onto the Heiniger Saphir clipper. They are light weight, cordless and the motor has power to it! I use these only on the head and legs but I know a few people who bought a wide 10 blade and use them on the entire body. I don’t know if I would do this if I was doing it commercially but for my own horse I would definitely get these with a wide blade. Also BONUS the Oster A5 blades can be used on these clippers so if you already have spent a fortune on blades for an A5 you can still use them. Battery charge time is 1 hour and it comes with 2 so I just charge one while I use the other. I cannot say enough good things about these clippers. They are worth the price.
I have also found that since Heiniger released a line of smaller clippers they are now making smaller blades and I am getting way more out of the Heiniger 10 blade then I ever did out of the Oster 10 blade.
Honestly, I buy the cheapy Wahl’s from WallyWorld (for basic clipping needs…muzzle, chin, bridle path, fetlocks, etc).
In previous years I have had horses that were an absolute train wreck just to clean up their muzzles and I got sick of spending $$$ on clippers that would get broken or stepped on. They cheapy ones do a pretty good job. And I don’t feel bad when they quit on me. I’ve had the same pair for probably 5 years now and they’re holding up just fine. I use them on my springer spaniel in the summer months too.
When it comes to body clipping I’ve only ever used Andis AGC 2 Speed and an ancient, gigantic clipper that I have no idea the brand. I do know that they were seriously heavy and I’m glad I was only clipping my medium pony with them at the time!
I’ve never paid for a body clip because I’m of the “why pay for it when I can learn to do it” mentality. So here are a couple tips if you choose to do it yourself:
- Start with a REALLY clean horse. I mean super clean and covered in as much show sheen as humanly possible.
- Keep your clipper blades clean and cool. (diesel usually does the job).
- If you’ve never body clipped the horse before, have some ace on hand. You’ll become very frustrated if your guy dances in the isle way while you’re trying to remove his excess fuzz.
I just discovered the Heiniger Saphir while in Rio and I am BUYING a set soon! They are the best cordless clippers I have ever used. Strong, light, battery holds a charge for a long time. They take a snap on T-10 or T-84 blade. Cannot wait to have these to use for fall clipping!
yeah, I learned about heinigers (and auscolep) a few years ago and want a pair … just not enough to fork over the $$$ But if I had more than one or two to clip a year, I for sure would get them
Andis cordless Super AGCs or similar, and the old standby Oster Clipmasters. The Clipmasters won’t die, even though I selfishly wish they would… :lol: :lol: :lol:
I clipped the mini donkeys from nose to fetlock with the Andis tho, which was surprising. Did need a charge to finish the last bit on one because he was hairier, so I know they won’t do a full horse, but I was impressed with the job they did. Tempted to clip hunter clips on horses with them. Neater than the damn zombii Osters that never die… Heavy bastards, throw hair everywhere, very needy in the oil department.
[QUOTE=lauriep;8820527]
I just discovered the Heiniger Saphir while in Rio and I am BUYING a set soon! They are the best cordless clippers I have ever used. Strong, light, battery holds a charge for a long time. They take a snap on T-10 or T-84 blade. Cannot wait to have these to use for fall clipping![/QUOTE]
If it’s good enough for you, it’s good enough for me…going to check out these babies!
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I have the Andis AGC 2 speed. I love them… They stand up very well to doing a full body clip and I use them for small jobs as well. They are MUCH quieter than Osters… Which is kind of a big deal. If I were to upgrade, I would get the cordless version of what I have now. So slick.
