Clipping experts...what am I doing wrong?

[spacytracy]

I just purchased the Andis AGC2 super speeds. I was able to get through like 3/4 of my pony with 2 new blades before I needed to have the blades sharpened. I was sort of prepared for this, as I am spring-clipping a wooly mammouth half-haflinger who didn’t wear a blanket all winter.
Anyway I get them back from being sharpened,and they are barely lasting like 5 min before they aren’t cutting anymore. So I shut them off, brush the hair off, oil, and try again. I took them apart probably 4 times to get them truly clean, reassembled and tried again. I’d get like 2 min in and again, clogged up.

I figured these were done, needed sharpening again, so I set them aside. I put on a random A5 blade, which actually cut pretty well for a little bit. THose got gross so I called it quits for now and brought them inside to take apart and really get clean.

So, I have a few questions…

1. Maybe the AGCs just aren’t cut out (pun intended) for body clipping a mammouth?
2. Is this just the life of clipping a pony? Going through blades like crazy?
3. How many sharpenings do you get out of a set of blades?
4. When reassembling, how do you make sure the comb is level/even with the main blade? I noticed after I put my T84s back together they were crooked (obvioiusly contributed to the terrible cutting, but I fixed it and still not great)
5. How do you avoid getting the blades totally clogged up? OR do you just accept this as a thing and have numerous blades to switch out?

I made a mistake in that I didn’t just do a trace clip in fall, but this is a horse that gets the winter off, so I let him grow a full coat. Next year Im not going to do a full clip in spring, I think I’ll be more proactive and do a trace clip in fall, and then just maintain it over the winter so I’m not doing a giant full clip in spring.

[Woodsperson]

I have found that regular clippers are fine for the show horses that need to be clipped. They have been kept clipped and blanketed all winter. They simply do not work for my wooly mammoth. It doesn’t matter how new the blades are. For the wooly mammoth (Woodrow) I have to use either the big Oster Clipmasters or my Groomer’s Edge clippers made by Double K. Actually I end up using both. Both are more expensive than regular clippers but they can cut through hair on the furry guys. Note that you can’t do legs with the Clipmasters.

[Garythesquirrel]

I can clip my Icelandic and my Haflinger with one set of T-84 blades and they are hairy beasts. I clip the body and leave legs and head alone.

I always bathe them the day before and then the day of clipping apply Showsheen liberally, wait for it to dry and then clip. I use a can of air to clean the blades every few minutes and follow up with a burst of Cool Care. I give the clippers and the horse (and myself) a break if the clippers are running hot.

The horses need to be squeaky-clean before clipping!! I shampoo, rinse and repeat and use those HandsOn grooming gloves to get down to the skin.

I have Wahl KM2 clippers. Not heavy-duty by any means but they do the job and I’m on my third year with them. When they bite the dust I’ll buy bigger clippers but for now they get the job done.

[Rae89]

Bathing will make the difference. I had the same problem with blades getting clogged up even with a blanketed horse. As I live in a cold climate without hot water I never had the option to bath before clipping.
Last year I was at a schooling show and was able to bath before clipping and made all the difference in the world.

[soloudinhere]

AGC2s are not going to do it on a dirty wooly mammoth. I have to use lister stars on horses that have full winter coats who haven’t been bathed. This year I have double Ks to use so I’ll see how that goes.

[Ladylexie]

You have to bath them or forget about it!

[PNWjumper]

I have had the same experience as you many times over!

So what has worked? My Lister Star clippers will clip several horses (wooly mammoth or otherwise) before I need to replace blades. I hate them because they get hot super fast and are a pain to use, but they are effective!

My Groomer’s Edge/Double K clippers. I seem to go through a lot more clipper blades with these, but usually can manage two horses per two pairs of blades (switching back and forth between the two blades during both horses).

What doesn’t work? I’ve never been able to do anything but touch up work with my Super AGR+ clippers (or any others in that size range - which I think is where the AGCs sit). Mine are rechargeable battery operated, and I seem to have mastered the art of killing batteries, so I finally ordered myself the plug in conversion and was SO excited to have them working again. But nope, they’re still not good enough to do any real clipping. I seem to remember when I bought my first pair I was able to get part of a body clip done, but they quickly became too weak to do so. I bought a new pair and was never able to do as much with those. I don’t know if I have a power issue, a blade issue, or just a bad luck issue, but I’m definitely underwhelmed with all of my smaller clippers. I’ve finally just given in to the fact that I have to have “legit” clippers on hand to get through all of my body clip jobs each year.

[Sport]

Make sure you are using a cooling spray regularly because if they get hot they don’t cut.

[meaty_ogre]

Agree with the others that a squeaky-clean horse is necessary, especially if they are of the wooly variety. I could always clip my TB dirty, but learned the importance of a very thorough bath the first time I tried to clip my pony. I have tried both wet and dry clipping and could never do the wet on my yak/haflinger cross pony for what that’s worth.

I have also found that the blade quality of the andis blades varies wildly. Some 84’s I’ve been able to get several clippings out of, others “die” halfway through the pony. Always try taking them apart and cleaning (I scrub with an old toothbrush). Sometimes they quit because they’re gummed up and you’re able to get a little more out of them. I’ve switched to the compatible Oster Cryogen-X blades that cost a little more but I have had better luck with them from a quality standpoint.

For the really super thick, long hair, I still have to make several passes, and I find that the pink hair sheen for people hair (I think the brand is Luster or Lustre, but you’ll find it in the ethnic hair section) helps keep the blades gliding a little better. Spray on the horse, not the clippers.

[spacytracy]

Thanks all! This is great info and advice. I did bathe for the second round as I felt that the first round he was dirty and definitely contributed to the wearing of the blades. But even then, bathing a wooly horse just isnt as good as one who is short-coated, so I am sure it wasn’t perfect.

[merrygoround]

And Tracy, check blade prices on Amazon, you may find them cheaper than sharpening.

[Long_amp_Short_Ears]

@Ladylexie

You have to bath them or forget about it!

What she said !!! Exactly!!! Makes a huge gigantic difference and dry them !

[Simkie]

That sounds almost like it could be a tension issue. Is there a tension screw (or multiples?) on those blades?

If not, yeah…just dull.

I’ve clipped a LOT of not washed horses, too. Bathing sure makes it easier, but I’ve never found it necessary!

[mkevent]

I second the recommendation for the blade drive assembly. I was having issues with my Andis before I learned about replacing them!

[x-halt-salute]

@Köttbulle

I have the Andis 2 speeds, and i usually just never bother to sharpen, just buy new blades. Just haven’t seen anyone have luck with them coming back worth anything after sharpening.

@spacytracy 's experience is so familiar to me – this year’s body clipping went similarly for my horse.

Can the drive assembly wear out in just 6 or 7 clip jobs (on a horse with an average winter coat that is always bathed first)?

I’m running into the issue with blades coming back from the sharpener and going from fine to terrible with just a few minutes of clipping. Last set clipped one horse when brand new, got sharpened, and then couldn’t make it through one side of the neck when they were freshly returned from the sharpening service.

I’ve done 1-2 body clips with my AGC 2-speeds for 4 years and this is the first time I’ve had issues getting through a whole horse due to blade issues – I’ve gotten at least 2 body clips per set out of blades in the past, and don’t remember having such sharpening disappointments before.

If I’m going to spend $25-$50 on new blades every year it might make more sense to upgrade to a heavier duty clipper set with blades that will actually hold an edge when sharpened… the worst part is that I was so happy with how the AGC’s did the first couple years I had them that I got rid of the trusty, heavy, old Clipmasters I had!

[Quickstar]

@Köttbulle

While everyone is right about a super clean horse to start that isn’t always possible to bath a wooly pony or horse if you aren’t set up to help them dry and stay warm.

I have the Andis 2 speeds, and i usually just never bother to sharpen, just buy new blades. Just haven’t seen anyone have luck with them coming back worth anything after sharpening.

Also it may not be the blades. The Andis clippers are designed with a piece that replaces to keep the motor from burning out. It is designed to wear out so the motor does not. At least thats what I think its for… its like $6-8 to replace and you can easily do it yourself. It is suppose to last 200 hrs… but i’m wondering if your wooly mammoth clipping sessions just made it wear out faster. Its amazing how much better even dull blades will clip after you replace the part…

Agree. It seems that I have to replace this little part every time I clip. I now have a couple of these parts in supply, and if I’m going to clip, I have to remember to take a small screw driver with me to the barn to replace the part. If the clippers seem to be working, but just aren’t cutting, then I replace this part & all is good.

[Displaced_Yankee]

I have actually had very good success with the AGC 2’s and T84 blades. I can do 2 full clips (or say 2 hunt clips and a trace) before I change out blades on some pretty wooly equines. I do about 10-15 clips a year from Sept to spring and change the blade drive assembly once a year (generally right before my first clip in the fall). I have no issues getting through a February coat that hadn’t been clipped yet.

I am in a climate where bathes are feasible (with warm water) most days in winter. Horses are super clean and show sheened up. I blast with canned air, blast with Kool Lube about every 5 minutes?

[Kottbulle]

@x-halt-salute the drive could most definitely go afternoon 6-7 clips. I usually replace it after 2-3 clips. It really depends on the type of coats your clipping. My guys usually aren’t wooly mammoths but I swear gray coats are denser it’s like there are more hairs per square inch! Usually I notice that the blades just aren’t cutti like any amount of hair is just too much to get thru. I think it’s the blades and switch to a new one and still same thing. Then I remember I need to replace the drive assembly. And I’m like duh?!

[x-halt-salute]

@Köttbulle

@x-halt-salute the drive could most definitely go afternoon 6-7 clips. I usually replace it after 2-3 clips. It really depends on the type of coats your clipping. My guys usually aren’t wooly mammoths but I swear gray coats are denser it’s like there are more hairs per square inch! Usually I notice that the blades just aren’t cutti like any amount of hair is just too much to get thru. I think it’s the blades and switch to a new one and still same thing. Then I remember I need to replace the drive assembly. And I’m like duh?!

Brilliant! I am tempted to swap out the drive assembly and see if it fixes my issue now (vs. waiting for body clip season to roll back around). Maybe a little touch up for the parts I left hairy is in order…

Thanks for the tip!

[Kottbulle]

@MuddyHalter I’m glad I’m not the only one that feels that way about the difference in the ceramic vs non. I really wish the T-84s came in ceramic too! The ceramic almost are too sharp! Do not use the old ceramics to to fake pull a mane! I about sliced my finger off once when I had a miscalculation on a downstroke!

@x-halt-salute Its is pretty easy to do and will be much easier to do before you are covered in hair, half way thru a clip job. its quite interesting to see how loose the plastic is on the old drive assembly compared to the new one, when you change them out.