# Wahl Bravura Clippers - right size for Toy Poodle?



## TerriRa (Oct 9, 2016)

I've been reading through the recent threads on clippers, and based on those I was planning to buy the cordless Wahl Bravura with Lithium battery (#41870-0423) and the SS combs (#3379) and some blade oil (#3310-230).

My toy poodle (Loki) is 15 weeks today, and was 3.75 lbs at his vet visit last week. I would like to do his face, feet and tail area and want to make sure this clipper is small enough to do that.

I saw someone mention the Bravura mini, but that looked like a much less expensive clipper, and I didn't think it would be as generally useful. I would like to eventually learn to do his whole body, but for now I am mostly concerned with FFT. I just want to make sure I don't get something that's too large for what I need to do now.

Also - I am guessing that the SS combs are really only for when I start doing hair on the body/legs/etc - right?

Thanks!


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## Mysticrealm (Jan 31, 2016)

the mini is great for face/feet/tail (though it only has a 30 blade and if you aren't careful or your dog has sensitive skin you can give them some clipper irritation), but it would not be useful for anything else as it doesn't have any attachments to make it longer (at least not the nice steel attachments)
The regular wahl small cordless clippers (like the bravura) are about as small as you will get for doing full body, and face/feet/tail with the same clipper.
Yes the combs will let you do the body cuts.


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## Monte & Me (Oct 17, 2016)

Thanks for asking about clippers for toys. I had read good things about the Andis AGC 2 Speed Clipper but hadn't considered the WAHL BRAVURA. Is the Bravura much smaller in size?


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## Mysticrealm (Jan 31, 2016)

Smaller, but mainly lighter with less vibration.


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## Charmed (Aug 4, 2014)

The other advantage of the Bravura over the Andis AGC is the ease of not dealing with a cord. With a tiny dog, a cord can be really annoying. I love the flexibility that cordless gives me. My dogs (Standards) have learned to stand still for clipping wherever they are placed; a wall, a stair, a table, inside or outdoors. This convenience is a huge factor.


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## sidewinder (Feb 3, 2016)

The main difference between the Bravura and the Andis is the type of blades. The Bravura has a single adjustable blade. You can put combs on it to cut the hair longer than the longest setting on the blade. It's cordless, which is really nice for a beginner and the lithium battery has a long life. You can also put a cord on it if you want. It's fairly lightweight.

The Andis has interchangable blades. If you want to change the length of the hair, you put on a different blade. It has the possibility of a larger range of hair lengths, depending on what blade you use. There are also combs that fit over the blades, but the combs are different than the ones for the Bravura. It is a corded clipper.

The Mini has only one size of blade (a 30, I think) but it's much narrower than the blade on the Bravura or the Andis, so you might like it better for teeny poodle feet. The wider blades can do the job just as well, you just have to learn to manipulate them.


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## Dechi (Aug 22, 2015)

I groom my toy with the Wahl Arco, probably the same size as the Bravura. The Arco has a 5-in-one blade which I really recommend, especially for a beginner, because when you start you won't want to use the 30-40 blades.

I find the Arco a bit too big for the face and feet, but I figure once you learn with it you're even better with a smaller one. I do just fine with it. I plan to buy the Wahl Peanut, which is inexpensive, for the face and feet. You still need the bigger one for the body, so in my opinion you need both.


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## TerriRa (Oct 9, 2016)

If the mini only has a 30 blade, then it's not useful for the face, right? In reading and watching the videos, it seems like groomers do the face with 15 or 10, correct?


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## sidewinder (Feb 3, 2016)

Personally, I use a clipper with changeable blades and I prefer a 40 for face and feet. You have to give the skin a chance to toughen up for this close shave, but it lasts so much longer! I don't like using a 10 on feet or next to the lips because of the danger of catching a fold of skin between the teeth. This isn't possible with a 40.


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## Mysticrealm (Jan 31, 2016)

I use a 40 blade on my show poodle and a 30 blade on my white mini, but I use a 15 for my grooming dogs as they aren't as used to having their faces etc shaved so have a higher likelihood of clipper irritation with shorter blade and I don't want to risk it if a dog may be extra sensitive


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## sidewinder (Feb 3, 2016)

Mysticrealm said:


> I use a 40 blade on my show poodle and a 30 blade on my white mini, but I use a 15 for my grooming dogs as they aren't as used to having their faces etc shaved so have a higher likelihood of clipper irritation with shorter blade and I don't want to risk it if a dog may be extra sensitive



Yes, when I was grooming professionally, I usually used a 15 on poodle face and feet, but on my own spoo I used a 40. Client dogs usually went 4-6 weeks between grooms, my own dogs go 2 weeks at most so their skin is tougher.


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## TerriRa (Oct 9, 2016)

OK - I think I need to search the forums to get a better understanding of what the various blade sizes mean, so that I can understand why the closer shave of a 40 would be less like to catch a fold of skin. So much to learn! I did order the Wahl Bravura, which (as I understand) has multiple blade settings.


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## Mysticrealm (Jan 31, 2016)

Look at the teeth on this 10 blade 









and look at the teeth on this 40 blade









see how tiny and tightly spaced the teeth are. Skin will not fit into the blade, but it puts the cutting blade much closer to the skin with a sharper tip so it's more likely to irritate.


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## TerriRa (Oct 9, 2016)

Those pictures are great. But now I am confused as to how one can change the blade by adjusting something on the clipper itself? Or maybe I misunderstood that? I could see adjusting the length of the teeth dynamically, but how could it adjust how many teeth were on the blade? Sorry if I am asking the wrong questions...


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## Mysticrealm (Jan 31, 2016)

The 5n1 blade is a little different than regular blades. It's a more forgiving blade and it doesn't have wider teeth or moreteeth but moves the cutting blade forward and back. You aren't likely to catch any skin with it in my opinion if you take any care at all.


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## TerriRa (Oct 9, 2016)

Excellent - thanks for clarifying!


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## sidewinder (Feb 3, 2016)

With the Bravura, you still need to be careful in places where the skin is really thin, like between the toes and the edges of the lips. It's also easy to scrape the skin if you hold the clipper wrong. Try to apply the clippers flat to the skin, not edge on. 

It's been 10 years since I groomed a poodle, and I'm having to re-learn things that used to be muscle memory for me. Learning the first time is even harder!


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## Mysticrealm (Jan 31, 2016)

That is true about the toes. I don't find the lips to scary unless maybe it was a small toy but for someone less experienced using a longer blade like a 10 may still need to be really careful


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## outwest (May 1, 2011)

I have the Bravura. I like it, but thought I would mention that I have, more than once, accidentally broken the little plastic clip that holds the multiblade onto the clipper. Once you do that the blade is useless. So, I might not have bought it if I had known how clumbsy I could be and have had to buy blades before they were dull. Other than that, after two years of regular use the battery dies pretty fast now and there is no way to change the battery, so I use it with the cord. Just thought I'd mention those two things. But, it is super easy to use and comfortable to hold. Oh... for my standard poodles I prefer the coarse blade. It cuts through their hair better than the fine blade. For the real overall grooming, though, I use an Oster Volt clipper. That things battery will literally run for a few hours. 

For a toy, I would think a Bravura with the fine blade and guides would work well on the body, but you might want a mini clipper for the face and feet. I would think it is a little big for those on a toy poodle since I find it a little big for my miniature's feet and prefer to use a little mini clipper.


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## snow0160 (Sep 20, 2016)

outwest said:


> I have the Bravura. I like it, but thought I would mention that I have, more than once, accidentally broken the little plastic clip that holds the multiblade onto the clipper. Once you do that the blade is useless. So, I might not have bought it if I had known how clumbsy I could be and have had to buy blades before they were dull. Other than that, after two years of regular use the battery dies pretty fast now and there is no way to change the battery, so I use it with the cord. Just thought I'd mention those two things. But, it is super easy to use and comfortable to hold. Oh... for my standard poodles I prefer the coarse blade. It cuts through their hair better than the fine blade. For the real overall grooming, though, I use an Oster Volt clipper. That things battery will literally run for a few hours.
> 
> For a toy, I would think a Bravura with the fine blade and guides would work well on the body, but you might want a mini clipper for the face and feet. I would think it is a little big for those on a toy poodle since I find it a little big for my miniature's feet and prefer to use a little mini clipper.


This is the reason I don't like the Bravura. I purchased mine from amazon and it broke within 5 min of using it for the first time. Andes corded 2 speed is way more solid. I use it with ceramic blades. Plastic blades are weak. Corded clippers are have substantially more strength.


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## bigpoodleperson (Jul 14, 2009)

I really like the Wahl rechargable clippers. I personally think that the corded clippers are too heavy, and they fatigue my hand way faster. I have one for body work that I like, but only body work. 
I also will personally not use a 30 blade on a corded clipper, but I will on the smaller cordless Wahl Arco that I have. I find that I can't control the clipper as finely as I need to for that sharp of a blade unless its a lighter, smaller cordless clipper.


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## snow0160 (Sep 20, 2016)

bigpoodleperson said:


> I really like the Wahl rechargable clippers. I personally think that the corded clippers are too heavy, and they fatigue my hand way faster. I have one for body work that I like, but only body work.
> 
> I also will personally not use a 30 blade on a corded clipper, but I will on the smaller cordless Wahl Arco that I have. I find that I can't control the clipper as finely as I need to for that sharp of a blade unless its a lighter, smaller cordless clipper.




These are valid points bc the Andes clippers are heavy and may be fatiguing. If I had a toy poodle I would go with high quality cordless wahl. Be sure to test in stores and compare prior to purchase because ordering mine off amazon was a mistake. I went to Petco to compare and had a better perspective.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk Pro


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## Streetcar (Apr 13, 2014)

snow0160 said:


> These are valid points bc the Andes clippers are heavy and may be fatiguing. If I had a toy poodle I would go with high quality cordless wahl. Be sure to test in stores and compare prior to purchase because ordering mine off amazon was a mistake. I went to Petco to compare and had a better perspective.
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk Pro


I love Amazon, but for a professional trimmer like the Bravura, I went with a company that supplies the pros. My Brav has been fantastic. Need to order a new 5 in 1 blade now, and will do so when I order my gallon of shampoo.

Btw, the blades can be refurbished if the tab is broken off. Sharpeners such as the one in Alabama are off the table now of course for those of us who are not pros, but others may still offer such services to the 'layperson' in Poodles.


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