Dog clipper

[Joel Goodman]

I am looking for a recommendation for a clipper to use on my Jack Russell -- he's partially smooth coat and partially broken coat -- so the fur on his back and neck is coarse. My neighbor usually grooms him cheaply but we are out of town for the summer in a $$$ town - $70 for 14 lb dog! I figure it's worth buying a clipper.

[Tom M King]

My wife has spent untold amounts buying, and wearing out cheap, and lightweight clippers. She finally gave up trying to find light, cheap ones, and goes back to using the Oster A5, which is over twenty years old, and has any blade imaginable made for them.

[Jim Becker]

Andis 2-speed. Uses the same A5 blades as the Oster Tom mentions. (which is also a very nice clipper) I use mine for horses, but wouldn't hesitate to use it on other creatures like dogs and there are a wide variety of blade options available.

(Tom, nice to see you here in addition to CoTH... :) )

[Joel Goodman]

I am inclined to go with the Oster A5 as it's USA made -- they make a 1 speed and a two speed; do I need the two speed? But any specific advantages to the Andis? BTW Thanks for the quick responses!

[Ryan Mooney]

Haven't used the Andis, so its possibly as good/better but another vote for the A5 as being a solid tool.

We have the dual speed which I do think is nice sometimes, I wouldn't say its absolutely necessary though. Mostly I use the low speed for some "detail" work or where the dog is a bit jittery its a bit less noisy/scary.

[Erik Loza]

My wife has spent untold amounts buying, and wearing out cheap, and lightweight clippers. She finally gave up trying to find light, cheap ones, and goes back to using the Oster A5, which is over twenty years old, and has any blade imaginable made for them.

+1 for the A5.

In a former life, I was a manager for Petco. Cannot tell you how many of the battery-operated or "lightweight" clippers (regardless of brand...) we took as returns from customers. They just don't hold up.

See what the actual dog groomers are using. Their clippers have to last. It was all A-5's in my stores. Also, they were religious about cleaning and oiling the heads each day.

Best of luck in your search.

Erik Loza
Minimax USA