Lightweight clippers for body clipping?

[McGurk]

I have been body clipping for almost as long as I’ve been involved in horses; and I have always viewed the gold standard in clipping as the big Oster Clipmasters and the Oster A5s for detail work. The Clipmasters are heavy, and somewhat limited for fine work because of size/manuverability. I also prefer to have two sets of the Clipmasters with blades on, plugged in and ready to go, so I can switch off as soon as one set gets hot.

Yesterday I clipped a horse using the owner’s clippers in part to humor her because I was sure they wouldn’t do the job. (I had brought my own; but she had hers out and plugged in, so…)

https://www.smartpakequine.com/pt/andis-agc-super-2-speed-clipper--8077?utm_source=cpc&utm_medium=google&utm_content=shopping&utm_campaign=nb_shopping_catch_all&utm_term=Shopping%20-%20Catch-All&gclid=Cj0KCQiAwMP9BRCzARIsAPWTJ_Fw2mqQ4X8GEcJqErq5hILpD-CkAOif6FQjh76PO6VyLOL-qPCtiBgaAkMiEALw_wcB

These things were amazing. They only weight 17 oz, a little over a pound; as opposed to the Clipmaster’s 3 pounds. Very quiet and stayed very cool. The horse I clipped had a pretty heavy coat, but the owner had prepped him perfectly - immaculately clean, no dander in the coat, and just enough ShowSheen for the clippers to glide through.

Normally I can clip two a day before getting tired; with these lightweight ones, I could probably clip 5 or 6.

So, the $64 question is; has anyone used these as their primary body clippers and how did they hold up? I do some clipping for a very busy hunting barn; they probably do 60 clips/year; would these lovely things hold up to that kind of use?

[SweetMutt]

I have a set of these that were my primary body clipper for a few years on low-volume clipping. (My 2, plus maybe another 3-5 I’d pick up in my barn.) They’re light and quiet, but I find them to be slower than big clippers, especially with a horse who isn’t perfect clean or has one of those really fluffy coats that’s dense with fine hairs. (Those also seem to be the hardest to get totally clean!) I also have Lister Stars, and those handle some gunk and fluff much better. The last round I clipped, I used the Lister for the big body areas and the Andis for legs/face/body touchup.

I don’t clip nearly the volume you do, but from my experience I’d say they’re great to have as a second set but don’t quite cut it as the primary beyond a couple of horses.

[McGurk]

Exactly the kind of feedback I was looking for, SweetMutt1.

What a shame. They sure are easier on my arms and back.

[Small_Change]

I have clipped with the small Andis clippers for years now, and you could not pay me enough to go back to the big Oster beasts. I also tried the Andis large animal clippers, and didn’t find them to be beneficial enough to use them along with the small set, so they were sold.

I started out with the two-speeds, and have upgraded to the five-speeds. I clip on the fastest speed, unless the horse needs it slowed down around the ears or something. I use the T84 blades, which are great for both the tight spots and general body clip. This is wonderful as it means that I don’t have to have multiple blade sizes on hand. I do find that the blade drive needs to be replaced regularly, as the plastic wears out. Most people who complain about the Andis clippers not lasting don’t realize that the blade drive needs to be replaced, and they work like new once this is done. The drive is cheap, and very easy to replace yourself. Some people switch to a new one after every so many clips; I prefer to just wait and do it as needed.

I did have issue with blade wash getting into the motor and shorting them when I was overzealous about how I dipped the clippers into the blade wash. Andis was wonderful - they explained that it was my mistake, but still fixed them under warranty after gently telling me this was my freebie and I should be more careful going forward.

My only complaint? That the plug box is in an awful spot and easy for horses to step on. I did try to kill a pair that way, but my wonderful husband resuscitated them. Andis does sell replacement plugs and cords for this very reason.

[sparkygrace]

Thanks for the posting! While I haven’t used these clippers, I was looking at the Wahl K10 clippers, which are used by the pro who clipped my mare. She swears by them, they really hold up and do a fantastic job. (She does a booming business, too.) They are a little more expensive than the Andis clippers. Will have to look into the Andis to compare.

I gave up on my old Oster A5s. They no longer have the power to get through thick coats.

[Small_Change]

I forgot to mention that another bonus of the Andis clippers is that they can use any blades that go on the Oster A5’s. It makes it easier to quickly source replacement blades or make use of what you already might have. Some of the other makes are a little more difficult to find blades for as not all shops carry the full range of blades, or will need to order them in.

[DiamondJubilee]

I used to use the big, clumsy Osters as well and have since switched to the Wahl K10’s with 2 speeds for body clipping. They do just as good of a job as the big guy but its so much easier and lighter to clip with the Wahls!

I just clip my ponies but maybe body clip a max of 10 x a year and lots of time to clip faces, ears and legs.

I’ve been doing this for the past 4 or 5 years so far, and I’ve been happy with the switch. I still keep the Osters around just in case though

[Renn_aissance]

You’ll find a lot of threads on the Andis Super 2’s! I had them as my primary machine for several years and now use them as secondary. If you clip thoroughbreds and light-coated horses they are a great lightweight, low vibration machine that gets the job done well. But I find that on a pony or a double-coated horse or one who prepared to winter in Russia, they choke. So it depends on the type of critter you see most often!

[PNWjumper]

I agree. I have 3 or 4 pairs of these, and I usually use them on legs/faces (until they die, which seems to happen quickly to mine…full disclosure, I am sure it is my fault somehow!).

But you are missing a very big middle ground between the old school Osters and newer options. I have been using my Double K/Groomer’s Edge clippers for years to get my horses done. The motor is on either a belt mount pair of clippers (of which I have 2 that I’ve used for the last 5 and 10 years - both are still clipping on) or like the pair I bought last year which is a wall mount motor and a super lightweight (and quiet) handheld part. They are better in every way than every other pair of clippers I’ve ever used. I tried to go to the Lister Star clippers a few years ago because so many people here raved about them and HATED THEM SO MUCH!! They got super hot, were super loud, and nowhere near as easy to clip with as my Double Ks.

So that’s my suggestion if you like the lightweight and easy to use, but still want clippers that are powerful enough to get through a wooly mammoth coat.

[Small_Change]

@PNWjumper

But you are missing a very big middle ground between the old school Osters and newer options. I have been using my Double K/Groomer’s Edge clippers for years to get my horses done. The motor is on either a belt mount pair of clippers (of which I have 2 that I’ve used for the last 5 and 10 years - both are still clipping on) or like the pair I bought last year which is a wall mount motor and a super lightweight (and quiet) handheld part. They are better in every way than every other pair of clippers I’ve ever used. I tried to go to the Lister Star clippers a few years ago because so many people here raved about them and HATED THEM SO MUCH!! They got super hot, were super loud, and nowhere near as easy to clip with as my Double Ks.

I think I need to find a friend who owns these and take them for a test drive! I converted to the Andis clippers when I clipped for a friend who owned them, and was stunned at the difference. If you say that there is that much difference again with the Double K’s, I think I need to try them.

[Renn_aissance]

@PNWjumper

I tried to go to the Lister Star clippers a few years ago because so many people here raved about them and HATED THEM SO MUCH!! They got super hot, were super loud, and nowhere near as easy to clip with as my Double Ks.

I never had an opportunity to try Double K’s, but I do use Lister Stars. I own an Irish Sport Horse who has a hair coat like unto a Shetland in Antarctica. Lister Stars were meant for shearing sheep. 'Nuff said.

(Mine run hot because the vent was poorly designed for horse hair and gets clogged easily. I take off the vent cover and brush it out every 10 minutes when oiling the blades. Problem solved.)

[joiedevie99]

I clipped my 3 exclusively with the Andis AGC2’s for years. If the horse is clean and not a yak, they do an excellent job, if slightly slow. The results on a less-than-well prepared coat are not great. Because I loved them so much, I decided to try a pair of their bigger clipper, the Andis Progress. I like them quite a lot, and find the finish on a not totally clean coat to be good - but find the tensioning knob a bit fiddly for my liking. I’m guessing it’s just lack of comfort with the feature that makes me fiddle - so hopefully it will get better over time. I still use the AGC2s for legs and head.

[skipollo]

I have the Andis AGC 2 Speeds. They’re nice clippers, but if you’re clipping a lot of horses they wouldn’t be my go to. I can fully clip my show horse with them, but my Cushings-coat retired gelding, forget about it.

I use them as my secondary clippers when my big ones need to cool off or for doing detailed areas (legs, bridlepath, etc.) I have a pair of Andis XPerience that I really like. They’re more powerful than the Clipmasters, and they’re much easier to hold, not as heavy, not as loud, and they don’t blow hair all over you. They glide through my retired horse’s coat with ease, and he is really hard on blades/clippers. He has dense course Cushings hair that is very hard to get clean, even with deep bathing and regular grooming, but the XPerience fly right through with no issue.

I’ve used the Double K belt mount clippers before and wasn’t impressed. Even when turned up the entire way, they felt so underpowered, and the thick cord coming out of the bottom of the clippers is awkward and heavy. I’m not a fan.

[Small_Change]

I have done plenty of Cushingoid horses with my Andis clippers, and a lot of piggies that were not well groomed by their owners prior to me showing up. I find the small Andis clippers still go right through the coat, but the quality of the clip is obviously not as great as on a horse that has been well prepared.