# Best HEAVY duty clippers??



## SamieNorman (Aug 9, 2019)

Well... after 2 years my Wahl Bravura clips are toast... they drag through my dogs hair like we cement. Will not cut AT ALL. Sharpened and oiled with new blades and they are toast. 

I am sending them in for maintenance in hopes of fixing them but I just don’t think they are cutting it!! (Pun intended)
Normans fur is SO thick and coarse down his back. Loki’s is just thick.
Need HEAVY duty clippers that cut coarse hair like butter!!!!!! Any suggestions??? 
Not really worried about the price. Anything that’ll fit the Wahl blades I already have ??

wondering if I should just give a new Wahl Bravura a shot???
Thanks so much!!


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## lily cd re (Jul 23, 2012)

Look at some of the Andis corded models.


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## For Want of Poodle (Feb 25, 2019)

I have Wahl KM10s they handle Annie's thick coat very well while the Bravuras just drag through it. Oster A5s worked well too but are heavier.


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## SamieNorman (Aug 9, 2019)

I’m looking at those KM10s!! Think I’m going to go for it. Where do you buy your spare blades??


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## For Want of Poodle (Feb 25, 2019)

I am in Canada. So Ren's Pets. Best prices in Canada but I don't think they ship to the US. They come with a 10 blade. I also have a 30, a set of clipper combs, and 2 7fs. Oh, and a 15.


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## reraven123 (Jul 21, 2017)

You really need a corded clipper, cordless ones will probably not have enough power. I use the Bravura for face and feet, and a KM10 for body.


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## SamieNorman (Aug 9, 2019)

reraven123 said:


> You really need a corded clipper, cordless ones will probably not have enough power. I use the Bravura for face and feet, and a KM10 for body.


Thank you as well!!!! Thank you both!!

just ordered the KM10!! Will repair the Bravura and if it doesn’t work I’ll probably just donate it!

thanks so much!!!


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## PeggyTheParti (Sep 5, 2019)

Does the Bravura still work on his face and feet?

My corded Andis has stood up to years of abuse, and still mows through poodle hair:









Andis AGC Super 2-Speed Clipper with 10 Blade - 22405 | Blain's Farm & Fleet


Get your Andis AGC Super 2-Speed Clipper with 10 Blade - 22405 at Blain's Farm & Fleet. Buy online, choose delivery or in-store pickup. Great prices on Dog Clippers and Grooming Scissors.



www.farmandfleet.com





But it's heavy, it heats up FAST, and (based on Peggy's reaction) is not very pleasant on the face or other sensitive areas.


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## ThePoodlesMoody (Nov 2, 2020)

PeggyTheParti said:


> My corded Andis has stood up to years of abuse, and still mows through poodle hair:


I have the same one and couldn't get it to cut through Benjamin Franklin's hair! I assume it was just because I am incompetent. 😂 I did a test shave spot on my beagley something or other mix and it cut just fine. It did OK on my mother in law's schnauzer mix. But on the poodle? Nope. Is there some kind of trick? It's just got a number 10 blade on it. I mostly wanted to shave face and poodle butts when things get out of hand.


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## PeggyTheParti (Sep 5, 2019)

ThePoodlesMoody said:


> I have the same one and couldn't get it to cut through Benjamin Franklin's hair! I assume it was just because I am incompetent. 😂 I did a test shave spot on my beagley something or other mix and it cut just fine. It did OK on my mother in law's schnauzer mix. But on the poodle? Nope. Is there some kind of trick? It's just got a number 10 blade on it. I mostly wanted to shave face and poodle butts when things get out of hand.


If yours isn't cutting poodle hair, there is probably something wrong with the blade.

I bought a new, longer blade at the start of covid and couldn't get it to work. Turns out it wasn't aligned properly, but I am the least mechanically savvy person _ever_ and just gave up and went back to my trusty old 10 blade.

Did you buy your Andis from a local store? Maybe they could help you out or exchange the blade if it's defective.

Edit: For shaving FFT, I think a cordless should be fine. That's what our professional groomer uses—the Bravura Lithium.


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## Skylar (Jul 29, 2016)

The bravura is a “trimmer” which works beautifully on face, feet, sanitary trimming and can be all some poodle owners need to do the body if the dog doesn’t have a very thick poodle coat. For those of us with dogs with a thick coat, we need “clippers “. I have the Andis PTP mentioned for doing my dogs body and bravura for face and sanitary and a mini Arco for feet.

The difference is ..... *clippers *are heavier, more powerful, corded, heat up the blade quickly, vibrate more, noisier and can handle thick coats. *Trimmers* are lighter, often battery powered so they don’t need a cord, more quiet, less vibration, ideal for less demanding trimming.


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## PeggyTheParti (Sep 5, 2019)

Skylar said:


> The bravura is a “trimmer” which works beautifully on face, feet, sanitary trimming and can be all some poodle owners need to do the body if the dog doesn’t have a very thick poodle coat. For those of us with dogs with a thick coat, we need “clippers “. I have the Andis PTP mentioned for doing my dogs body and bravura for face and sanitary and a mini Arco for feet.
> 
> The difference is ..... *clippers *are heavier, more powerful, corded, heat up the blade quickly, vibrate more, noisier and can handle thick coats. *Trimmers* are lighter, often battery powered so they don’t need a cord, more quiet, less vibration, ideal for less demanding trimming.


Wahl describes the Bravura Lithium as a "lightweight cordless clipper" and the Mini Arco as a "rechargeable trimmer."

Do you find the Arco is necessary for feet or would the Bravura suffice?


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## Skylar (Jul 29, 2016)

I had read the difference between trimmers and clippers on a professional grooming forum and I do think this is a good way to look at them even if manufacturers use the term interchangeably. 

I have a minipoo, those feet are so cute and tiny. The Wahl mini Arco is very similar to the Wahl bravmini. It’s narrower which makes it easier to get in and out of tiny toes. I chose the miniArco simply because it was slightly cheaper. The blade on it is the same as the bravmini. I had a tpoo that I used a regular sized trimmer on her feet and always felt the results were awkward and sloppy.

Do I absolutely need it? No. I also don’t need the Bravura, I could do the whole groom with the Andis, but it’s so much nicer to use them. That Andis AGC is so heavy and I hate the vibration and noise. The Bravura is much more pleasant to use. And the miniArco is sized right for feet. 

The Bravura is similar to the Arco and Bravmini is similar to miniArco.


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## PeggyTheParti (Sep 5, 2019)

Skylar said:


> That Andis AGC is so heavy and I hate the vibration and noise.


I hate it, too. But I didn't know why until I tried the Bravura!

Thankful as always for the wealth of knowledge available on Poodle Forum.


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## Asta's Mom (Aug 20, 2014)

To plow through that hair, I have a Oster A5 , turbo (2 settings) Bought it years and years ago and recently had it sent to Oster to be refurbished. Everyone was so nice, great customer service. Sent in a lot of blade to sharpen, so great to have blades properly sharpened. It is heavy (corded - long cord) and it does get hot. I keep 2 of each blade I have so I can changed the blade when it gets hot. Anyway highly recommend.


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## SamieNorman (Aug 9, 2019)

PeggyTheParti said:


> Does the Bravura still work on his face and feet?
> 
> My corded Andis has stood up to years of abuse, and still mows through poodle hair:
> 
> ...


It won’t cut their feet or face anymore. It’s like going through cement! So I’m going to send it off for repairs this week hoping it’s something to do with the motor?? I assumed my blades went dull so I bought 2 diamond blades and they still didn’t help
I think there’s got to be something internally wrong


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## PeggyTheParti (Sep 5, 2019)

SamieNorman said:


> It won’t cut their feet or face anymore. It’s like going through cement! So I’m going to send it off for repairs this week hoping it’s something to do with the motor?? I assumed my blades went dull so I bought 2 diamond blades and they still didn’t help
> I think there’s got to be something internally wrong


That's really annoying after only two years. I hope you'll let us know how the repair goes. Fingers crossed!


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## Johanna (Jun 21, 2017)

Oster A-5s are the heavy-duty clippers. That said, it is critically important to have sharp, well-lubricated blades. No clipper will perform well unless the blades are sharp and lubricated!


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## Mufar42 (Jan 1, 2017)

5 for 40 years, lol about 10 or so years ago I dropped it and broke it pretty bad. I replaced it with the golden A5 and it still going strong. I also keep 2 of each blade and I am really not competent at clipping but I am getting better. It does get hot quickly, but it has a really long cord which I like as I do most of my grooming outside on my patio and I find it is heavy but pretty balanced so for me it fits well.


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## hrsldy (Oct 8, 2019)

I also have the Andis AGC 2 speed but I bought the 5f and 7f blades for doing the body work (they do not overheat fast). 7f for summer cut and 5f for winter cut. I had been using the 10 blade (which I agree does overheat fast) for face, feet and sanitary but recently invested in a cordless wahl figura for doing those areas AND LOVE IT. My dog is a SPOO.


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## Phaz23 (May 31, 2020)

Professionally I used Andis pulse Zr (Cordless) and Andis Excel 5 Speed. I had Laubes and loved them but they were too unreliable and broke often. The Andis ultraedges were too big and cumbersome for me.

bladewise: the andis black ultredges are my favorite. My most commonly used blades are 5,7,3, 5/8, 10, 30 (for combs) and a toe blade. All ft but maybe a couple of skip tooth if Im finishing with shears on a thick coat


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## SamieNorman (Aug 9, 2019)

Alright yall!! I would give the KM10 for my
Boys tight kinky curls, a solid 8.7/10!! Only thing is that this baby gets hot very fast and it’s SUPERS HOT. and traps it a lot of hair under the blades attachments.
Besides that, cut beautifully. Like butter. But does get caught on tight kinky curls on the boys ankle/lower leg where their curls are TIGHT. 

Need to get 1 or 2 more #10 blades since they get so hot so fast and both my boys do take a while to groom. Especially since Loki is a big wiggle worm. 
Very heavy duty. I don’t mind the cord at all. Not super loud, but not super quiet. Dogs didn’t mind. 

Overall, I’m super happy with it!! I appreciate everyone’s recommendations. Thank you so much!! Worth that money. I’m sure once I get more skilled and have better technique, my rating will go up!!


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