What do you think about a Wahl Peanut for sanitary trim?

[Donna P.]

I have ordered a Wahl peanut trimmer, but it hasn't arrived yet. I was planning on using it for foot pads, ears and tummy/sanitary on my female 4 month old puppy. I have a groomer that does my bearded collie, and she has done one sanitary on Baylie the goldendoodle. I told her today that I had ordered the peanut and she said that she used one for the toes, but not to use on the privates,that the blade was too close. I think it comes with a 30 blade. Have any of you used the peanut? I'm planning to scissor cut the body. If the peanut isn't suitable for ears and sanitary, what should I be using? I can return the peanut and get something else.

[Sandra Griffith]

I really like the Wahl SE clipper/trimmer. I am a groomer and use it on the face, ears, sanitary trim areas on most of the dogs that I groom. I do use a regular clipper when clipping the body as I do not find that this has the power for the body. It is smaller than a full-size clipper, cordless (it comes with two rechargable batteries), and much quieter than a full-size clipper. The blade that goes with this clipper is adjustable so can trim very close or not so close which would take care of your needs. the only down-side is that it is definitely more expensive than your peanut clipper.

[Donna P.]

Thanks, Sandra,

I did some reading on the SE. I like the fact that the blade is adjustable, saving on having to buy seperate blades. Do you use this clipper for the whole body? Are the included combs sufficient for leaving a 2-3 inch length. Right now, I'm planning to scissor cut the body, but I only want to purchase one clipper, so I want one that is versatile and can do the whole job if I choose to do that. I've never used an electric clipper before. We have 8 llamas, and we have always used scissors on them. The two of us together can shear a llama in about an hour. Luckily we only have to do this once a year.

[Barb @ Gemstone Labradoodles]

I think 30 is a bit too close for most users. It is considered one of the surgical blades and can give a razor burn quite easily. For areas that you want to cut close, a 10 should be adequate. It is still quite easy to cause a burn with a 10 if you aren't careful.

[Sandra Griffith]

I fully agree with Barb and your groomer that a #30 blade is too close for your purposes, particularly with your lack of experience. I used to use a 30 or 40 blade for surgery when I worked for a veterinary surgeon. The higher the number blade the closer the blade will cut.  Barb is correct that you can still give a dog clipper burn with a size 10 blade.  It is crucial that you ensure that the blades are cool when in use.  If they become hot, give them a rest to allow them to cool before using them again.  As to the Wahl Arco SE clipper being able to handle the whole body, it wouldn't hurt to try.  Just remember that this is a light weight clipper and not designed for heavy duty use.  I used to clip horses (many years ago when I was training horses) and we used a much bigger clipper for the job than the ones that I use on dogs.