# Planning to buy an Oster clipper...



## tortoise (Feb 5, 2012)

I find the Oster A5 clippers to be "wiggly". I have much better control with the Andis 2-speed.

For a show grooming, you'll need a 40 (face and feet) and 15 (set patterns, face and feet between shows) blade. You'll get a 10 blade with the clipper if you find the 15 is too short.

For pet grooming, you will probably want a 3S (skip tooth, for a fluffy but manageable body clip), 15 (face and feet), and 10 (sanitary). If you want a longer cut, I'd get a 3/4HT blade. My absolute favorite blade ever.


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## ArreauStandardPoodle (Sep 1, 2009)

Have to checked Wholesale Pet Supplies, Dog Grooming | PetEdge.com They have the best prices I have found anywhere. Once in awhile the offer two blades for the price of one.

I have seven sets of Osters and while they have always been what I recommend ans they are indeed workhorses, they are very heavy and overheat quickly and drastically. When I am ready for new ones, I am going to do a poll here because I have no idea what others to think about. I have never used anything else.


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## Arcticfox (Dec 12, 2011)

Tortoise: Could you be more specific as to which Andis model you like? There are TONS when I looked it up... AG Super 2 speed, UltraEdge, Plus+, AGC, etc, etc. I'm guessing not all clippers from the same brand are equal. I will only be doing pet grooming for my poodle, no plans to show or for show cuts. I've also never handled clippers before so safe and easy to use are top concerns.

Arreau: Those prices are pretty reasonable, but I saw some sale prices on Amazon that were about $40 less (for the osters, those were the only ones I'd looked at closely), I'm not sure how long the sale is, which is why I wanted to buy soonish if it is a good product. How do you deal with the overheating issue? Do you think it would be a good choice if I only had one dog to groom occasionally? 

I'm also wondering if I need the 2-speed or if one speed will be sufficient? How many strokes per minute should I be looking for?


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## ArreauStandardPoodle (Sep 1, 2009)

Do you have any pet supply outlets near you where you could pick up and feel the different makes of clippers, just to be sure they are not too heavy? For one dog, they would serve you well.


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## star (Feb 20, 2011)

Hi there!
I have owned both sets of clippers (I am a dog groomer) but I would recommend buying a Andis 2 speed. The oster has a little vent and when you are clippering I find it blew all those little hairs in my face. Plus the osters were always breaking. I did buy the km2 wahls to replace the oster and they did work well but I didn't like the vibration in my hand so I bought the newer Andis 2 speed (green square housing bought from rens pet depot) and they are perfect. I have had them for a year now using them regularily and have had no issues. I like the longer cord as well. Anyways that is my two cents.


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## Arborgale (Dec 11, 2011)

I have 2 sets of the Oster Golden A5. I do not have the 2 speed. They work great and have never broken down in the 16 and 7 years that I have owned them. The only reason I have 2 is because my husband took my first one to Afghanistan with him to do his own hair and did not tell me.  I purchased snap on combs, but have not been successful in using them, so they sit in their boxes at the bottom of her grooming bag. I have used a 3 and a 5 on the body. It is up to you on the body length you like. We only used those in the summer and just let her grow out in the winter. You will most likely want the 10 for FFT and work up to the 15 or 30 if you like a closer cut. You may want to purchase a couple blades at the same time because they do heat up. That would be my only complaint with the Oster. It does get hot, but we would rotate the blades. I would be interested to hear from Andis owners to see how quickly they heat up. 

I just purchased the Wahl Mini Arco for quick FFT tidys. And I love it. It is cordless, quiet, and light weight. I wish I would have purchased that years ago, because it is small and gets into those tight toes easily. 

Have you tried looking on Amazon? That is where I just got new blades pretty cheap. 

Good luck with your search and congratulations on trying to do the grooming yourself. It is a good bonding experience. It may be bumpy at first, but stay with it and pretty soon everything will fall into place.


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## tortoise (Feb 5, 2012)

Arcticfox said:


> Tortoise: Could you be more specific as to which Andis model you like? There are TONS when I looked it up... AG Super 2 speed, UltraEdge, Plus+, AGC, etc, etc. I'm guessing not all clippers from the same brand are equal. I will only be doing pet grooming for my poodle, no plans to show or for show cuts. I've also never handled clippers before so safe and easy to use are top concerns.



Andis Plus+ AG 2-Speed Clipper | PetEdge.com This is my clipper. The "plus" refers to it having a blade included.

UltraEdge is one of their lines of detactable blades. 

I really recommend getting a corded model. Cordless models only run for 1 hour. Plus the battery weight causes fatigue for me. My boss was going to give me a new cordless Andis, but after holding it I declined. I've had my clipper for 8 years and it runs great.


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## tortoise (Feb 5, 2012)

Arborgale said:


> I would be interested to hear from Andis owners to see how quickly they heat up.


I have my Andis blades and my boss's Oster blades. The Andis blades are cooler, I notice it most on the 10 blades. I have A LOT of 10 blades because I don't like to wait for them to cool, I just change them out. My Andis UltraEdge run 2 - 3 times longer than an Oster blade before it is hot and I change it out.

The other difference is when the Oster blades cool down, and I use them again, they heat up VERY fast the second time. Like the core takes longer to cool off.

I've also found I'm more likely to nick or razor-burn a dog with Oster blades.


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## mom24doggies (Mar 28, 2011)

I'm with those who recommend Andis; I've used\watched others use Oster and I feel Andis is better. They don't heat up as quickly and aren't nearly as heavy. As far as power, the Andis I use (Andis UltraEdge 2-Speed Dog Clipper | PetEdge.com) has about 3400-4400 spm, while the Oster Golden A5 2 speed gets about 2100-2700 spm. The Oster is also almost 2 lbs, whereas the Andis Ultraedge is 1 lb. 

Blades....you'll definitely want a #10, (for face, feet, tail, and sanitary trim) or maybe even 2 or 3 so you can switch them out as they heat up. If you like faces and feet to be really smooth and short, you'll want a #30 or #40; the #30 will also go under snap on combs. A #15 can also be used under combs. 

I would recommend getting a set of snap on combs; the metal Wahl ones are my favorites. Plastic combs have never worked for me. I use snap on combs more then my #3, (1\2") #4, (3\8") or #5 (1\4") ...I feel that the finish of longer blades isn't as nice as that of combs. You can also leave the coat longer (up to 1") if you desire. 

I've never seen an all-inclusive set. I think you are just going to have to buy everything separately. Amazon does have good deals on clippers, that's where I got mine. I think I payed $150 for it, I can't remember if that included shipping.


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## Arcticfox (Dec 12, 2011)

Ok, it sounds like Andis comes with better recommendations so far. What is the difference between all the Andis models? So far only UltraEdge and Plus+ AG was mentioned specifically. 
I should also get an extra #10 blade for FFT. What about body trims? Should I use a different blade for that or just the #10 with a comb? The Wahl metal combs were suggested, so I'm assuming the blades and combs are interchangable between different brands?


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## tortoise (Feb 5, 2012)

I have never had luck with combs. I've tried dozens of dogs, different coat types, never good results.

UltraEdge is not the clipper, it is the brand name for the blade. AG is the clipper. It comes as "+", the plus isn't the clipper it refers to getting the ultraedge #10 blade with the clipper. I think we are all recommending the same Andis clipper. "Andis AG+ 2-speed"

Does that make sense?

Blades and combs are interchangeable between brand names.


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## mom24doggies (Mar 28, 2011)

tortoise said:


> UltraEdge is not the clipper, it is the brand name for the blade. AG is the clipper. It comes as "+", the plus isn't the clipper it refers to getting the ultraedge #10 blade with the clipper. I think we are all recommending the same Andis clipper. "Andis AG+ 2-speed"
> 
> Does that make sense?
> 
> Blades and combs are interchangeable between brand names.


 Are you sure about that? My clipper says quite clearly "Andis UltraEdge" on the body...and yeah, AG2 is part of the name as well....

Were you using plastic or metal combs? I had the same results as you with plastic combs, but when I switched to metal, everything was great. Also depends on what you use underneath them. Typically I use a #15, or a #10 or #30, depending on the dog's coat type.


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## tortoise (Feb 5, 2012)

mom24doggies said:


> Are you sure about that? My clipper says quite clearly "Andis UltraEdge" on the body...and yeah, AG2 is part of the name as well....
> 
> Were you using plastic or metal combs? I had the same results as you with plastic combs, but when I switched to metal, everything was great. Also depends on what you use underneath them. Typically I use a #15, or a #10 or #30, depending on the dog's coat type.


Y'know, you might be right. I'm pretty sure I bought my clipper before they released the ultraedge blade. I bought new housing for my clipper this past year, I don't remember what is on it.

But I think we're all still talking about the same thing?

I have plastic combs and I have tried 10, 15, and 30 under it. The 30 was the worst. I hate my Oster 30 blades. I have never had a good experience with them. I'd give them away except the technically belong to my boss.


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## mom24doggies (Mar 28, 2011)

tortoise said:


> Y'know, you might be right. I'm pretty sure I bought my clipper before they released the ultraedge blade. I bought new housing for my clipper this past year, I don't remember what is on it.
> 
> But I think we're all still talking about the same thing?
> 
> I have plastic combs and I have tried 10, 15, and 30 under it. The 30 was the worst. I hate my Oster 30 blades. I have never had a good experience with them. I'd give them away except the technically belong to my boss.


 Hmmm...either way, yeah, I think we're talking about the same thing...I linked to the clipper I use if you want to look at it. 

You might want to try metal combs; I'm serious, they are amazing! They cut down on my scissoring time sooo much.


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## Ladyscarletthawk (Dec 6, 2011)

I have the black Andis Ag 2 speed and I love it. I tried the ultraedge and just didnt care for it mainly because it didnt feel comfortable in my hand(I have small hands) and that you have to press a switch to remove your blade.. I believe the black andis is easier to maintain as well. 

As for the Oster they run hot(in your hands) and loud, but it cuts like a dream. Not my cup of tea. NOw when it comes to the blades.. if I can I will purchase the oster blades over the Andis as they give a smoother cut IMO. I love the Laube big combs for longer trims. Never used the wahl combs but they look like they give a very smooth cut on some coats.

Personally I love the shorter blades for FFT and use a 50 on my girls. BUt on clients I use my oster or Geib 10 blade. I find I nick rarely if ever with my 50, but like crazy with a 30.. 40 are ok but not short enough for me lol. You have to make use you have a light touch or you can cause clipper irritation(commonly known as clipper burn) with the short blades 10 and lower. It is caused by the friction of the blade on the skin not unlike us dry shaving. Keeping the blades cool is just more comfortable for the dog. Depending on what combs you go with and what lengths you are going to do on the body will determine what blades you should get. Cheapest route and if you keep him matt free you can stick with a few blades and a comb set. Also if you take care of your equipment properly they will last a long time.. I find my coworkers get their blades sharpened 4x more often than me and only a handful get sharpened at a time if that many.

I would rec that the baby go to a professional until the baby is used to grooming/clippering if they are not already before you attempt to do the grooming yourself. Then you can start with FFT until you are comfortable to start clipping the body yourself. Have to be extra carefull with armpits, tuck ups and toe webbings. I think its great to groom your own dog. After a long day of grooming other's dogs and if I have the energy I find it relaxing to groom my own girls. It really is a bonding experience and you can feel good at a good job done.


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## Arcticfox (Dec 12, 2011)

I think the AG and UltraEdge are different, they have different prices and I think different SPM 
UltraEdge
AG Plus

They both come with a 10 blade. What other blade should I get if any? Do the Wahl metal combs come as a set or individually? If single, what size comb do I need if my range is super short summer cut to around one inch when it's chilly.


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## tortoise (Feb 5, 2012)

I think you'd be very happy with a #3 blade. It is the most popular cut my poodle clients ask for. Here are a couple of photos:

This is a Standard cut with a #3 and a #10

Standard Poodle Modified Puppy Cut by tortoise11, on Flickr

This is a Toy cut with a #3 and a #10

Toy Poodle Modified Lamb Cut by tortoise11, on Flickr

This is a Toy shaved down with #10 (ETA: Actually I think that is a #7 on a thinly coated dog.) 

Toy Poodle Utility Shave by tortoise11, on Flickr

This is a (very old, lumpy, bumpy) Standard in a very short kennel cut. Her body is shaved with #10.

Parfait Short Kennel Cut by tortoise11, on Flickr


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## joshdo7 (Nov 23, 2013)

tortoise said:


> I think you'd be very happy with a #3 blade. It is the most popular cut my poodle clients ask for. Here are a couple of photos:
> 
> This is a Standard cut with a #3 and a #10
> 
> ...


I wish I could see those photos..haha


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