# What kind of shears for a beginner



## jwsjr (Feb 7, 2009)

I've decided to make the move to home grooming. i have purchased the Anids Ultra Edge 2 speed and am comfortable with that. i'm looking for recommendations on shears....size? straight or curved? favorite and resonably priced models? We have two 1 year old cockapoos....one with the tight curly hair and the other with the long, wooly coat. Any thoughts or direction would be appreciated.


----------



## Graco22 (Jul 16, 2007)

What you need depends on what look you are going for. What blades do you have, or what lengths are you planning on grooming them to? You will need a small pair of straight shears to tidy feet, tail, legs, and faces/ears. A 7-8 inch shear should suit you fine for that. You don't "really" need curves, you can make straights to everything a curve can do, it just takes more practice to scissor a round face, etc. In order to get a nice, even finish when you are grooming them, be sure to bath and blow dry them while brushing, to straighten the coats. Dried curls will leave your cut looking choppy and uneven, regardless of the length you choose. Always clip a freshly washed and dried dog for the best results.


----------



## jwsjr (Feb 7, 2009)

Thanks for the reply. i'm still researching the length cut that we want. i want the longest cut that i can get and still look good. What would you suggest there? i see the 3 3/4 blade and was thinking about that or using the 10 blade with a long comb attachement. Both really look better with a longer cut, for us anyway. Do you have any brand recommendations on the shears?


----------



## Graco22 (Jul 16, 2007)

Well, the length you want is endless really. A 3 3/4 blade isn't what I would consider long, especially on a curly, poodly type coat. Over an inch would be long for me, and that would be an attachment. I only use a 30 blade under attachments, as you get a better finish I think. As far as shears go, any brand in your price range is fine. Prices on shears range from $40 or so all the way up to hundreds of dollars. A $40 or $50 shear would suit your needs fine. Check out petedge.com for reasonable equipment. I would recommend the Wahl Stainless attachments (my favorite length is the yellow tabbed one) but you HAVE to use a Wahl 30 under them, or they will break off the teeth of other blades.


----------



## Love's_Sophie (Sep 23, 2007)

Graco22 said:


> Well, the length you want is endless really. A 3 3/4 blade isn't what I would consider long, especially on a curly, poodly type coat. Over an inch would be long for me, and that would be an attachment. I only use a 30 blade under attachments, as you get a better finish I think. As far as shears go, any brand in your price range is fine. Prices on shears range from $40 or so all the way up to hundreds of dollars. A $40 or $50 shear would suit your needs fine. Check out petedge.com for reasonable equipment. I would recommend the Wahl Stainless attachments (my favorite length is the yellow tabbed one) but you HAVE to use a Wahl 30 under them, or they will break off the teeth of other blades.


Actually, you can use any 10, 15, or 30 on them (Wahl SO), its a 40 that you don't want to use. 

This is from the package that I just got, recently. I use 10's to do an initial clip in, on a combed out dog (prebath) and it works fabulous...


----------



## Graco22 (Jul 16, 2007)

Thanks for correcting me Sophie. I thought it was only 30's. Good to know.


----------



## Love's_Sophie (Sep 23, 2007)

I thought you might want to know...I know on those dirty coats, the 10 sure slides through a bit easier than the 30!!! 

To the OP, I really like Geib shears...I have alot of Gators, as well as a few Buttercuts...I like the durability of this line of shear, although some people don't like the 'heaviness' of them; I don't mind that some of them (mainly the Gators) are a bit heavier, because for a cheaper line of shear, these really withstand alot.


----------



## Graco22 (Jul 16, 2007)

Love's_Sophie said:


> I thought you might want to know...I know on those dirty coats, the 10 sure slides through a bit easier than the 30!!!


That makes sense..I never really thought about that, but I never touch a dog with clippers before the bath, unless its a pelted 7F shavedown.


----------



## jwsjr (Feb 7, 2009)

I appreciate both of your recommendations. While we're on blade size, what is the longest cut you can get and still look nice? And what blade and come attachment do you use to get that longest cut? I took your advice and ordered the Wahl stainless comb attachement set and looking forward to getting those.


----------



## Love's_Sophie (Sep 23, 2007)

Graco22 said:


> That makes sense..I never really thought about that, but I never touch a dog with clippers before the bath, unless its a pelted 7F shavedown.


I don't usually either; sometimes I just like to 'switch' things up a bit. Some of them are easy enough to clip in right away, so I just use a comb longer than the finish, and do a quick clip in after a brushing.



jwsjr said:


> I appreciate both of your recommendations. While we're on blade size, what is the longest cut you can get and still look nice? And what blade and come attachment do you use to get that longest cut? I took your advice and ordered the Wahl stainless comb attachement set and looking forward to getting those.


The "E" attachment comb is going to give you the longest cut snap on wise. It leaves roughly 2 inches (give or take a few cm, depending on coat type). 

For actual Blades, the 3\4 HT is the longest possible length; leaving, you geussed it, roughly 3\4 of an inch! I have alot of clients who like this length, and this blade will give a good clip in, and all you have to do is fluff and scissor the 'rough spots'. 

You may want to invest in a pair of thinning shears too, as these can really aid in blending in 'tough spots', or 'oopses' that you might leave with your shears.


----------



## Pit_Bull_Lady (Feb 4, 2009)

Love's_Sophie said:


> Actually, you can use any 10, 15, or 30 on them (Wahl SO), its a 40 that you don't want to use.


Don't take this the wrong way, because I'm just curious about it.
I've been grooming for about 20 years.

Why don't you use a #40 under your guard combs?

I use a 40 quite frequently under a guard comb, and I have found that it works very well.


----------



## Graco22 (Jul 16, 2007)

Pit_Bull_Lady said:


> Don't take this the wrong way, because I'm just curious about it.
> I've been grooming for about 20 years.
> 
> Why don't you use a #40 under your guard combs?
> ...


We are talking about the Wahl Stainless Steel attachment combs. They are WAY better than the older plastic attachments, but you cannot use a 40 blade because the comb will slide between the teeth and bust the teeth on a 40 blade. You have to use a 30 or longer to keep that from happening. Before these came out, I used the plastic attachments, always over a 40 blade...but the stainless steel ones are WAY better and give a much better finish, and don't snag and pop off, glide thru the coat, and will even go thru some knots and tangles. I will never use the plastic ones again.


----------



## Pit_Bull_Lady (Feb 4, 2009)

Graco22 said:


> We are talking about the Wahl Stainless Steel attachment combs. They are WAY better than the older plastic attachments, but you cannot use a 40 blade because the comb will slide between the teeth and bust the teeth on a 40 blade.


Oh....LOL....I remember now....which reminds me that I NEED to order a set of those ASAP.

You'll have to excuse me, ladies, my memory is not what it used to be.......


----------



## Graco22 (Jul 16, 2007)

Pit_Bull_Lady said:


> Oh....LOL....I remember now....which reminds me that I NEED to order a set of those ASAP.
> 
> You'll have to excuse me, ladies, my memory is not what it used to be.......


LOL, don't worry about it.  I can't remember my name half the time, much less anything else. Yes, you need to order a set! You will toss the old plastic ones. By far better.


----------

