# Groomers...has this happened to you?



## Newf-mama (Jan 27, 2013)

Soooo i Just need to expell my frustration...
I am a full time groomer and boarding supervisor at my clinic and well for about the last week or so my clipper blades have been making funny noises. So i'd changed the blade and so on thinking maybe they need to be tightened or cleaned out or what not. So id switch the blade and itd continue to make weird sounds so i figured id just deal with it...
Since about last thursday it seemed like EVERY SINGLE blade i put on my clippers was DULL! I just kept thinking "how in the world can brand new blades, and even ones that just got sharpened be DULL" it was crazy, didnt make any sense!
Ive had blades strung out between two tables going through them like crazy.
My 7, 10, 30 and 4 just DONT seem to be working...but oddly enough my 5F works JUUUUUST fine! My 15..ehhh sometimes-hit or miss!
So needless to say my carpal tunnel is really acting up because im having to switch out blades, push harder, pull here pull there...ugh
Today it took me 4 hours to finish 4 dogs....it was just ridiculous! even on a bad day id get 4 dogs done in 3.5 hours (all shih tzu's)... By 3:30 this afternoon i'd had enough I was sore, worn out...i had 3 dogs left to get done by 5pm and PLUS one boarding dog which was a wheaton that i hadnt even started on!!!
By some stroke of genius I just thought "I dont have anything to loose, grab a different pair of clippers" 
and guess what??? THEY WORKED PERFECT!!!!! Ugh i was so mad, my Andi's 2 speed clippers, are officially KA-PUT! damn!!! I spent like $300 bucks on those babies like 3 years ago and theyve been my best friend ever since!
They fit my hand awesome, they are light weight and easy to manuver!
Im still going to send them in for maitenance and have them fix whatever needs fixing and see if that'll do the trick but DANG!
I dont know whether to be more mad at myself or mad just to be mad. I have been litterally struggling for a week...been pushing dogs off to another day because I thought I was the problem, like for some weird reason I was slowing down and couldnt hack it doing 8-10 dogs a day anymore...
Im also relieved because now i can get back at it! I feel kinda stupid at the same time, but heck, at least there was an extra pair of old clippers in the cupboard that i can use! phew!


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## Graco22 (Jul 16, 2007)

Have you changed your blade drive? Those should be changed every month or so. I would bet money thats the problem. The drives are around $5 and they are simple to change out yourself. I always keep a stash of drives on hand. I also love my Andis Super 2s.


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## Must_love_dogs24 (Feb 13, 2013)

hi there sounds like u need a new latch are u using a oster clipper? I would send them in to be serviced if so. Make sure to oil your blades regularly and they should be fine. A broken latch will cause your blades to vibrate and pop off easy.


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## Candydb (Jul 16, 2011)

WOw, I bought the Andis 2 on advice from my first (and only) groomer as I wanted to do my Giant Schnauzer myself--- she is almost 4 now so the clippers are about 3.5 years old, but used only on one dog...Was wondering what the life on the clippers was, I LOVE them as well... where does one go to have "them serviced"? Just used them today actually and they are fine but they cant go on forever...


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## WestieLove (Jan 29, 2012)

Before you send them in and spend $$$ .... when you remove the blade, if there are any visible screws, get a screw driver and tighten them! 

If this doesn't work, certainly send them in for maintenance. 

This seems to happen often at the clinic with our Osters. Clipping for catheters or surgery with a 40 blade and its NOT clipping? or its making an awful noise? That seems to be what our problem is. So I'd give that a try before spending any big bucks on sending them away for repair.


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