Clippers

Cordless Clippers

September 2021 I decided to "bite the bullet" and buy some cordless clippers - mostly brought about by the fact that now I've got a "proper" grooming table (see table page) I kept getting myself tangled up in the leads hanging from the top bar - necessary to stop my girls sitting or lying down on the job.

After much research I decided on the Heiniger Opal Cordless Clippers and I LOVE them. They're actually lighter than the Andis corded which was a surprise; they recharge in about an hour, just like it says on the box (surprise number 2!) and after clipping all four of my dogs they were still showing a full charge (major surprise!). With a 19 blade (not standard) they didn't start to warm up until I was halfway through dog number 3 and when they did warm up, they did so in my hand first so I was in no danger of burning my dog. On that subject, blades do heat up as you use them so remember to test them on the back of your hand (I use my cheek) regularly to see if you need to use your cooling spray (see hygiene below).

They warm up more quickly with a 10 blade, but I rarely use that nowadays preferring my 19mm blade in winter and a 13mm in summer. For tummies, inside legs, behind ears to around under chin, and hygiene bits I use a 5FC as it does a great job without causing irritation by getting too close to Indie's sensitive skin the way a 10 blade did.

The only downside to my Opals is they ARE expensive - I paid $545 for mine (DON'T tell my husband!), but last time I checked they were $567 at Clipperland, and I daresay they're even more nowadays. So I would suggest that you start off with a much cheaper corded set to make sure you are going to be happy grooming your own dog on an on-going basis. Then if you decide to go cordless, either sell your old ones (like I did with all but the repaired set - I had four sets in total ... again don't tell hubby!) or keep them to do the hygiene bits only. The cheapest I found my Opals was at Clipperland but do a search because prices are changing all the time.

https://clipperland.com.au/collections/heiniger-clippers/products/heiniger-opal-cordless-battery-clipper
I bought a spare battery "just in case", but as my clippers still show a full charge after clipping
all four (now three) of my dogs it was a waste of money.

DON'T get the Opals confused with the Heiniger Saphir cordless which is the superceded model, and although very good (so I'm told) they are heavier and louder than the Opals (again, so I'm told).

Opals come with a #10 blade as most clippers do, but I use mine with a number 19 blade as recommended by Mel Wly (formerly Tegans) which works much better along the topline especially on Molly's curls - it doesn't take a comb and does take a bit of getting used to, so I'd stick with the 10 blade with combs until you're confident before you buy one as they're about $90 (Australian) and rising; but again do a search as prices vary immensely. I've also started using a 13mm in summer as we go to the beach regularly and that little bit shorter is easier to maintain.

Be aware that I've found Amazon is frequently the most expensive and some of their blades are non-genuine. I've sent two blades back to Amazon for a refund as they started to rust almost immediately; so now I just don't bother with Amazon for blades at all.

I have a quick guide to different size blades that I put together HERE if you're interested; and a more involved one that does into the difference between skip tooth and fine cut HERE.

I also have spare blades for when I send some off for sharpening (but I do have 3 dogs remember and occasionally clip friends' dogs too). Whatever you decide on, please do an internet search before buying as the price for everything varies immensely. The Opal, Andis and Wahl blades are interchangeable for similar models like Andis2 speed and Wahl KM - but if in doubt ask your vendor - always pay with Paypal so if they lie to you, you can get your money back.

I've trialled a (No #10) ceramic blade and it's my favourite if you use that size. Naturally they're more expensive but they do last much longer without having to be sharpened - I'm not actually sure if they can be sharpened or if you just bin them as it hasn't cropped up for me yet. The latest Andis AGC2 Pro brushless (corded) comes with a ceramic blade as standard.

I've tried an Andis 25mm (1 inch) blade at the suggestion of one of my girlfriends who also does her own grooming nowadays. She loves it, and whilst I don't mind it for Indie who has a fine and silky coat; for curly Molly I still prefer the No: 19. Last time I checked the prices of both, the 25mm was between $20 and $40 more expensive than the 19 blade - absolutely not worth it in my opinion - they're also pretty hard to find.

So then I heard about a new cordless clipper on the market called the X3K. They're made in Taiwan, unlike the Heiniger Opals which are Swiss made; but they're also nearly $200 cheaper, so naturally I had to save up and try as set of those as well. Once again the best price I found was with Bob at Clipperland. The X3Ks arrived 2 days after ordering and very well packed, semi-charged, with Diamond Cut No: 10 blade already fitted, a cleaning brush and a 100ml bottle of clipper oil in the box. 

My first impression on firing them up was how noisy they are when compared to the Heiniger Opals. I would say that the X3K clippers are as noisy as the Wahls I sold-on in the past as being too noisy and with too much vibration. I've made a short video of the two running the same 5FC blade so you can hear the difference in sound - click HERE to view.

As well as being significantly louder than the Opals, the X3Ks are 25g heavier, vibrate more in the hand (just like the Wahls), took longer to fully charge and only have one speed rather than the two speeds of the Opals. Single speed isn't a problem for me as I rarely use the slow speed anyway, but if you like two speeds then this is a consideration. I haven't used them for long enough yet to be able to say if the charge lasts as long as the Heiniger (which still shows a full charge after fully clipping four dogs), but I did use them on two of my dogs with no sign of them slowing down, so I'm pretty sure I could do all four with no problem. However they don't have a charge indicator like the Opals so I guess they'll just slow down or stop when they run out. They take all the standard blades, and I have to say that whilst they were noisier, vibrated more, are heavier (yes that 25g does make a difference, especially if you have 4 dogs or more to groom in one go) and don't sit quite as comfortably in the hand as the Opals, they did just as good a job in the clipping department - not surprising really as clip quality is probably more about the blade than the clippers once you get over a certain price point.

To summarise I'd say the X3Ks are more like the Wahl KM2 corded clippers than the Opal cordless  to operate - more expensive than the KM2 but with benefit of being cordless. To be fair I haven't tried the Wahl cordless and I'm not about to as last time I looked they were $500, plus my experiences with Wahl to date have been woeful. If you can't afford the Opals then the X3Ks are a significantly cheaper cordless alternative in my opinion, but if you can afford the Opals then I would recommend that's what you buy.

I tried a set of Shear Magic battery operated mini clippers for hygiene areas as a lot of people were recommending them for the feet/face/bums trim. Verdict: for my dogs they cut far too close to the skin (so set up irritations). They don't come with combs and when I enquired if it was possible to buy one/some I didn't get an answer, so I take that as a "no". They're not rechargeable either, so you need to keep a spare battery handy.

With practice I did get better at holding them away from the skin to avoid cutting too close, but I prefer using my regular clippers with a #5FC blade (or a #10 blade with a number 1, 2 or 3 comb if that's what you have). Whilst I had the X3K clippers the 5FC blade lived on them permanently, with the #19 blade living permanently on my Opals so I didn't have to keep changing blades. I say "whilst" because it didn't take too long before I decided I didn't really like the X3Ks much. Running them side by side with the Opals was probably what turned me off, as I was constantly comparing the two. Then an online store had a clearance sale, so I bought myself another pair of Opals and sold the X3Ks on marketplace (egg and chips for dinner all that week!).

I should also mention that even with running the two sets of clippers (#19 blade on one, #5FC on the other) during a full-on four-dog grooming session, I still haven't needed the spare battery - so a complete waste of money ... ho hum!

Hygiene

To keep Clippers and scissors clean you'll need something like Andis Cool Care or Trimmercide. If you can find it, the Trimmercide is great as it has a long nozzle thingy and blasts really hard so you can get the hair out from between blade teeth. Both say they cool, disinfect and prevent rust - and I have found that to be true in both cases. I used to keep a can of each, Trimmercide for cleaning between blades and the Andis one for scissors and things that don't need such a high powered blast (so the can goes further), but I haven't been able to find Trimmercide for ages.

There's one called Clippercide which comes in an orange spray can - I was just about to try it when I came across quite a few reviews claiming it had rusted peoples' blades, so I didn't bother. I've invested far too much in my equipment to have it rusted out that way thanks!

As with everything, do an internet search for the cooling/disinfectant spray and oil refill as prices vary enormously and a place that was cheapest this week could be the most expensive next week (don't forget to take postage costs into account when comparing as that can vary enormously too).

ALWAYS hold clippers with blade down when spraying during use to cool down so liquid runs AWAY from your motor not into it - or you won't have a motor for very long! When you've finished with your clippers for the day, take off the blade and clean inside clippers with the brush provided. If you bought second-hand and don't have the brush, then a cheap toothbrush (kept ONLY for that purpose) does the job just as well.

Then spray and clean your blades and scissors. Let them dry, then oil them, wipe clean with a soft cloth (I use cheap microfibre ones you get from the Reject Shop in packs of 3 for $2) and put them away in their case(s). Clipper oil should come with your clippers and will last AGES as you only use a teeny weeny bit.

If you need to store your blades for a long time for some reason, then after oiling and wiping off excess, wrap in cling-film before putting away in your blade case. If you don't have a blade case, a "tupperware" type container works just fine - just wrap them in a soft cloth so they don't rattle around in the container and get damaged.

I found this blade case on Temu for less than AU$20 (including GST and delivery) which works really well for storing blades safely. If you click on the link it will take you to the current  listing; but if that's gone then just do a search for "blade case". As with all things "Temu" there are usually several vendors selling the same thing for vastly different prices, so scroll around and check. Also, I've found if you leave stuff in your cart for a day or so, you'll frequently be offered a discount to encourage you to check-out.

Camellia oil is best for your scissors A small bottle will last forever, so don't go mad with a huge size unless you want to use it on your face/body as well (it's supposed to be good for human skin too). Just be REALLY careful when cleaning and oiling your scissors - those buggers are sharp!

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last update 07/11/2024