Best blade to use with an Andis 2 speed clipper

[Ginny Nightingale]

I just got the Andis 2 speed (heavy duty) today and I am having some problems. My dog has a soft fleecy coat that tents to mat easily and she has been away for a week (being bred) so she is a bit tangled now.I have been brushing her and when I got out all the mats in an area, I tried the Andis with the #10 bade and a plastic comb that was supposed to result in 3/4" of hair. Her hair is about 1 1/2 " long now. I was having a lot of trouble getting it to cut the hair. The comb would go through, but the blade didn't seem to be doing anything. I looked at the Andis site and they recommended the blade #7 for a matted coat on a poodle and #10 for a closer cut. The #7 blade had longer teeth on it.  Does anyone who has the Andis use this blade? 

[Ginny Nightingale]

Yup--they'd be scared, that's for sure. I know my groomer has a look on her face of sheer terror when we walk in!

[Joanne ~ Spud*]

:) Hee Hee
They do make good money but I have a feeling they truly earn it!

[Stella]

I agree with the other comments. You should try a #40 blade. I found that the 10 blade would cut through the thicker parts of his coat ok, but was just gliding through the areas where he is less wiry. I got the #40 and it works great, I use it with the shortest comb (??1/2inch I can't remember) and he end up longer than the comb says - perfect!!

[Lucy & AnnaBelle's Mom]

I was having trouble with my clippers cutting, and I put them on Low vs. High setting and they work great. I'm going to get a #40 blade though and give that a try and see if it works any better!

[Carol Brand]

I wish that breeders would better prepare Doodle owners for the grooming tasks that lay ahead!

Steps to grooming a dog with a Poodle type coat (and yes, some Poodles do have those soft coats that you guys call spiral fleece).

1. Dog must be thoroughly brushed out. Washing a matted dog just makes the mats worse. You have to be able to take a greyhound comb and pass it through all parts of the coat.

2. Dog must be washed and completely dried. Ideally the dog would be blown dry not air dried. A straighter coat is easier for the comb attachments to pass through. Also a straight coat is easier to trim evenly. You can spritz the coat at the end and air dry to get back a non-fluffy look. NOTE.... Using clippers on a dirty coat will ruin your blades.

3. Most people use combs over #7 or #10 blade. For some reason using a comb over a #40 ruins the blade. I know this first hand. Ultimately, plastic combs are useless. If you are going to be grooming your own dogs for the rest of their lives, spend the money and get metal comb attachments. They pass through the coat much better.

[Nancie & Gracie Doodle]

Hi Carol...thanks for all the good info. I am one of the owners who has the soft fleecy coat. I use the Oster A5 clippers and do use the plastic combs. I have looked on line at the metal combs but have never been able to tell if they are universal or specficially for the Andis clippers. Do you have a suggestion as to where to get on line the metal attachments? I am into grooming for life so I should definitely upgrade. Thanks

[Carol Brand]

Check out Cherrybrook:
http://www.cherrybrook.com/index.cfm/a/catalog.prodshow/vid/425894/...

Note that is says for use with #10, #15, or #30 but NOT WITH #40

Individual comb attachments from Petedge
http://www.petedge.com/product/Grooming/Clippers-Blades/Clipper-Bla...

I think most Doodle people would want an E comb.

[Nancie & Gracie Doodle]

Wow, thanks for the links. I just ordered a set!!! Yippeeee!

[Vicky & Cassidy]

I just went to order a single clipper comb from PetEdge to try one out (I didnt' want to order a full set if I was going to be unable to get the comb through Jamaica's coat) and the cost of the comb was to be $4.95. I thought that was quite reasonable, but when I went to "check out", with the 3 different surcharges the cost was going to be $20.02. Does that make sense to anyone? I don't think that is a company I care to support.....

[Carol Brand]

I have this problem with Petedge too. They are really set up to sell to pro and show groomers who put in large orders. I hate that they have a surcharge for small orders. I usually wait until I need a number of things before I order with them.

[Ginny Nightingale]

Awesome--will try them! I just worked on my dog for about 2 hours and had to remove the comb (plastic) now and then to avoid getting too frustrated. I found that if I held the hair straight out from her body with my fingers, I could take the clipper along the hair about 1/4 inch from my finger and cut it that way. Unfortunately, being inexperienced, I managed to cut my knuckle once and put 3 or 4 holes in Lyric's coat (Not cuts--but places where the hair got too short) It will grow back, though and she looks fine. It was quicker than scissors and I used the scissors to neaten the places where I had uneven hairs. Next time, I will get her all bathed first--she is not as clean as she should be. And using another comb should help, too. Thanks for the great advice everyone!!

[Vicky & Cassidy]

Hahaha! Sorry to laugh, but you make grooming sound like a life sentence.