Dog Clipper Blades Buying Guide & Tips

Last Updated: May 17, 2020

As a responsible dog parent or dog groomer you should be familiar with the importance of dog grooming. Even if your beloved dog doesn’t look particularly dirty, grooming provides many health benefits for him that may not be immediately apparent.

Clipper blades create or break a dog grooming session. All grooming clipper brands, including Wahl, Andis and Oster do sell a variety of dog clipper blades. The right blade will improve your cut and make the cutting fly! The wrong blade will ruin your attempts with a clean cut. In the worst case, using the inappropriate cutting blade may injure your dog.

There is a lot to consider before buying a new clipper blade. If you know your options then it will help you to make an informed decision about which clipper blades is best for you and your dog.

In this article, we will discuss, what you need to consider before purchasing your clipper blades and how to sharpen and clean the clipper blades.

Contents

1 Things to consider while purchasing a clipper blade
2 Clipper Blade Space
3 Clipper Blade Material
4 Clipper Blade Edgings
- 4.1 Clipper Brands
5 Sharpening of Clipper Blades
6 How to sharpen the clipper blade?
7 Cleaning of Clipper Blades
8 Final words

Things to consider while purchasing a clipper blade

In combination with buying dog clipper, you’ll need to think about the length of blades and combs that should be purchased as well.

Related post: Best Dog Hair Clippers

Again, the blades are generally manufactured by the same companies that manufacture clippers. The blades come in several lengths, shapes and material, each with a different number so that different coating lengths and patterns can be created.

So it is also necessary to check that the blade you are buying is compatible with the clipper brand you intend to purchase!

Choosing a blade is difficult because clipper blades come in different varieties depending on the:

Clipper Blade Space
Clipper Blade Material
Clipper Blade Edgings
Clipper blade Brand

Clipper Blade Space

Clipper blades come in two types depending on the space between two teeth.

Fine Tooth Blades
Skip Tooth Blades

It is extremely important to make the right choice because Fine tooth blades can be used on fine and soft coat especially for small fluffy breeds but skip tooth blades are useful for layered or rough look.

Clipper Blade Material

Dog clippers blades are usually made of either ceramic or stainless material, some other element are included such as titanium, silver, copper or carbon into a mix or coating. Ceramic blades are cooler but easy to break but the stainless steel blades are sharper and stay longer.

Other addition of element will give specific property to the blade for example carbon increase the hardness, copper provide protection from rust, silver for antimicrobial activity and titanium for hardness and sharpness.

Clipper Blade Edgings

Dog grooming clipper blades also come in a variety depending on the edgings for different purposes.

Ultra Edge Blades

They are made of steel with carbon. This combination will provide harder cutting surfaces and help extend the life of the blade.

Ceramic Edge Blades

They are made from a good quality ceramic. These blades will stay sharper and resist the heat.

Show Edge Blades

They will create a smoother finish on the dog’s coat.

Clipper Brands

Clipper blades are generally manufactured by a variety of companies. They come in a variety of shapes and sizes. Many brands, however, are compatible with different types of clippers. As with the clippers, the most popular and recommended brands of blade are:

Andis clipper blades
Wahl clipper blades
Oster clipper blades

Sharpening of Clipper Blades

Dog clippers must be sharp in order to function properly. Blades need to be sharpened when you begin to pull hair or cut it. It may sound strange, but sharp clippers also help you avoid cutting or tearing the dog’s skin when you groom your dog. Before starting the procedure, you should ensure that the cord is not plugged in or in wireless mode.

The blades are held in place in one of two different ways:

By screws
By snap-on latch

Pushing on the tab which holds the blades to the clippers will cause the snap-on blade to “pop” open. It can then be pulled to remove it from the clipper.

Usually blades are attached to clippers body with two screws. You will need to remove it before slipping the blade off the clipper.

How to sharpen the clipper blade?

You will need a coarse 4000 grit surface whetstone along with an 8000 grit stone. They are also called sharpening or honing stones. These can be purchased from hardware stores.

Before using these stones spray water on the stone if the water absorbs immediately, then your stone needs to be soaked for 10 minutes.

If you spray water on the stone and it absorbs some of the water but a thin gloss remains on the surface, then it is ready to use.

Here are some of points you kept in mind while sharpening the blades:

Always hold the blade at a 35-45 degree angle.
The blade should be held between your thumb and your ring finger.
Move the blade side to side across the coarser stone five to ten times.
Wipe it with the soft cloth to remove away the fine powder.
Repeat the process with the other side of the blade.
Again repeat the movement across the fine 8000 grit whetstone.
Keep the same angle and repeat the movement five to ten times.
The blade should look shiny when finished.
Wipe the blades off when procedure is finished.

Now that you’ve sharpened your blades, it’s time to put them back on your clipper. Screw it back to its place.

Apply a few drops of clippers (light oil) to the blades to grease them. Then turn on the clippers and turn on the blades to distribute the oil and make sure everything is working fine.

Cleaning of Clipper Blades

It’s important to keep your clipper blade clean since a dirty pair of clippers can cause many problems for your dog.

Proper maintenance and cleaning of your clipper will also ensure that they last for a longer period of time, which means no money on new ones.

Remove the Clipper Blades

Loosen the two screws on top of the clippers that hold the head plate down. Next, use your fingers to remove the head or blades from the clippers and detach them.

Cleaning of Hair

Start the cleaning process by brushing off all the visible hair on the head plate and inside the top of the clipper. There should be a small square hole where most of the remaining hair has bunched together. Clean all of it out.

After that, put the blades and clipper head in warm water for a few minutes; this will loosen smaller hair that are very difficult to remove. Last but not least put blade-cleaning solution on a toothbrush and brush the head and blade until they are completely clean. Dry the head and blade with a towel and let it dry for a few minutes.

Oil the Blade

Thoroughly dry the blades then reassemble them with clipper. Before turning on clippers, place a few drops of machine oil on top of the blades, and be sure not to add too much.

Once you’ve finished lubricating your blade, you’ll have a clean, perfectly maintained set of clippers. Ideally, this should be done after each use of clippers.

Final words

There is no right or wrong clipper blade here; it depends on your dog’s coat and what is your use? You have to choose the blade that suits you and your adorable fluffy dog.