Wahl Clipper > Reviews (5)

Anyone that has read my previous reviews will definitely know by now that I have two gorgeous dogs, a Jack Russellterrier (a big dog in a small dogs body and a Shepard x Labrador. For this review it is Teddy, our Shepard that counts. He certainly isn't traditionally a dog that would be clipped however he has an incredibly dense coat that you cannot really get to the bottom of and also goes swimming four or five times a week, it is probably this that makes his coat seem even thicker - the reasons for which I clipped him will quickly become clear…

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INITIALLY
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It may initially sound slightly strange, I am certainly not a professional clipper (I can only just about use the clippers and presently can't really manage a very straight line)! I have a Shepard that traditionally isn't really clipped and here I am reviewing dog clippers

? Well, I'll explain; two years ago our darling Teddy rolled in a dead fox…you can only imagine the smell and there was no way that he was coming inside the house. So we bathed him, several times, brushed him and absolutely nothing would remove the smell. We decided then quite drastically that his coat would have to come off! It was I suppose kind of lucky as we'd been planning on having him clipped as he has an extremely thick coat and gets uncomfortably hot during the summer, however having no idea as to how he would react or for myself how to use a set of clippers off we went to the grooming parlour, (what people must have thought as we walked by with this 'fox dog' I don't know) we certainly got a fair few looks I can tell you.

Anyway we explained our problem to the groomer and I must say that at first she was hesitant to clip a dog such as ours, mainly as Shepard's would traditionally keep their coats, however we insisted that it would be best for him and us to have him clipped, so off it came. He looked like a lion dog, his leg head and tail hair was left on and the body came off! The legs were angled diagonally so that it all blended but overall he looked good and had a completely new lease of life, I think that the weight of the coat coming off whilst it was so hot made it a lot more pleasant. At the end of the session it cost me £25 and I found this rather expensive, however I was pleased with the job that she'd done and also was determined that there must be cheaper ways than this…

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WHY WAHL??
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Now comes on to the relevant section - that is that the groomer used Wahl clippers, I asked for the sake of interest and she said that she'd found them very reliable in her time and never had a problem. So like a bright spark I went off and decided to get some of my own clippers, again probably slightly drastic but never mind. Teddy's coat was growing back rapidly so I thought that after about three months I'd try clipping him for myself, he'd been a good lad for the groomer (although that may well have been because she knew what she was doing) and it had after all cost £25.

I thought that an investment in some clippers would be worth the money. As Teddy love to swim he especially loved diving into the water, and this made me think that it would be worth clipping him regularly.

I obviously bought the Wahl clippers as it seemed the most sensible thing to do and I was never going to use them as much as the lady who clipped him the first time. They cost me around £120.00 at the time however I bought them on the internet so obviously p+p cost and also this included two sets of new blades and a warranty for one year. The next time that I actually clipped Teddy was about thirteen weeks later when his coat got fairly thick again. I would also say here that his coat grew back fresh without the fox smell! He seemed happier for having it done and so I thought I'd continue. I asked my sister to hold him on a collar and lead whilst I tested how easy clipping was… the instruction manual was thankfully easy to read and understand which definitely made life much simpler. The clippers also have a long cable so that saves having to use an extension. Anyway Teddy was reasonably calm whilst I fumbled around trying to figure these things out. The thing that probably surprised me the most was the noise such a small set of clippers made, the vibrations in your hand are also another aspect that you must get used to in order to be able to use the clippers most effectively. However overall speaking initially they seemed manageable and reasonably simple to use. Something that worried me at first was screwing in the blade; it seemed more complicated than it actually was though. Again the instruction manual was incredibly useful for this part and made the whole process easy. Teddy was extremely well behaved; I would just say here that if you have a dog that may not react well it is probably best not to practice on him!

Overall the clippers seemed straightforward - I carried on clipping and I now come on to the downside; the clippers heat up very quickly, for this reason I found that I had to keep stopping and allowing them to cool down sufficiently. The negative of this is that it makes it more time consuming, both for you and the animal. I repeatedly oiled the blade and it seemed to improve the situation, however later after having spoken to people I can say that I am sure there are clippers on the market that will run for longer - whether this comes at a cost I don't know.

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OUTCOME
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It took me about forty five minutes to finish clipping Teddy the first time which I didn't think was too bad, I had to stop a couple of times however they seemed to me, as an amateur to do the job they were supposed to. As Teddy behaved so well I then decided that it would be worth continuing keeping his coat down in hot weather and I have since clipped him two or three times. The blade is now on the edge of needing replacing however I have also found a service that will sharpen your blades if you post them, as I do not live near to a saddlers shop this has made life easier and realistically the blades only need sharpening once a year (four clips).

Last year when I first clipped Teddy I also clipped him later in September; I found that the cooler weather seriously helped the clippers to run for longer. I did however find that clipping such a dog this late into the year prevented him from keeping warm enough so this is something that I would certainly not recommend.

The clippers are very lightweight and this makes them easy for any member of the family help. For their size though they make a lot of noise and the vibrations from them are surprisingly big. After each clip I have found washing the clipper parts down with warm soapy water helps to make them work most efficiently. Obviously the clippers themselves are wiped down with a towel and the air vent is constantly kept clean. This is easy to do and causes no problems.

Since owning these clippers I have also clipped three other dogs for friends, one of these was actually a Belgian Shepard last month that was struggling with the heat and so needed his coat removing. The dog has an extremely thick, long coat that is very dense all over. I had been unsure as to whether the clippers would manage the job or not however they were find removed the tangled sections without any fuss. Again, they seemed to heat too quickly and the time taken waiting for the to cool delays the process. I then also clipped two standard short coated German Shepard's These had substantially lighter coats and so they came off without any problems, the blade after all of this now needs replacing however I am satisfied with the amount that it has done or generally does do.

When I bought the clippers they came with one years guarantee, this time is now up and I never once used them, as the set are so reliable and safe to use. They also came in a storage box that I find very appealing and smart however this was an optional extra out for a limited amount of time and so do not know whether or not this still exists. In my opinion the clippers are smart and do what they are supposed to well. They come with a bottle of oil and one clipper blade, purchasing another may be a good idea. Also, I have found that the blades are reasonably strong, I have on several occasions been in a rush and allowed the clippers to bang however the blade does seem o.k. Although you generally must be as careful as possible with the clippers as with anything inevitably from time to time they do get knocked around and I have been impressed with how sturdy/durable these clippers are - this is probably contradictory to their appearance as in comparison to some heavier models they look feeble and quite delicate.

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ALL IMPORTANT…CONCLUSION!
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Teddy has definitely had a new lease of life as a result in the loss of a coat! He just seems generally happier, for example whenever we take him swimming after he has just been clipped he'll be much more playful and loves to dive into the river! As far as we're concerned as the owners he smells better as anyone who has a Labrador will know that at a certain age their coats get discoloured.

Teddy's coat has now grown back completely fresh and revitalised! Obviously it is easier to keep him clean and must ultimately feel better. These clippers clearly suit a range of people, from the first time clipper to the professional. They are certainly not the quickest most powerful set in the world however do their job and do it well.

Overall I can happily say that I have been satisfied with my product. It has been reliable and easy apart from the odd few grudges however this is something that either will or won't affect your personal decision. I would strongly recommend that anybody has their dog clipped by a professional the first time and only attempts to do it themselves if they are absolutely sure that the dog is completely happy. Also if you are actually clipping a small dog it is I think possible to purchase a smaller model, which may make clipping easier - I am not definite however and this may need some research.

If you are now interested in buying this model of clippers they can be purchased for definite from 'Robinsons' equestrian site. These can be ordered via the Internet, phone line or post. There are also as ever many sites on the Internet that stock these clippers however p+p varies and can be costly.

Thank you for taking the time to read this review and I hope that it has been of at least some help. :-)