When to Sharpen Clipper Blades

When to sharpen your horse’s clipper blades!

This seemingly easy question to answer is actually a bit more complicated.

Typically, you will need to sharpen your clipper blades when they start to tug or pull at your horse.

Now- this can be a sign that your clipper blades are due for a sharpening. It can also be a sign that you did not properly prep your horse for clipping, and the blades are catching on dirt and dust. Or, it’s a combination of both.

There’s also the possibility that your blades were brand spanking new and used for 5 seconds or longer and you put them away without cleaning and oiling. Bad! Or they were ever so damp when you put them away and then rust happened…

Here’s the problem with dull clippers blades.

They are irritating to your horse. They pull and tug instead of gliding through the coat.

They make the clipper motor work harder to do the job, so the clipper motor works overtime. This will shorten the life of the motor.

You should also know that clipper blades can only be shortened so many times before they are have run out of blade to sharpen. The higher quality of workmanship when sharpening is one factor. Another factor is the amount of steel in the blade. Blades like the 40, 30, and 15 cut very close, so there is not as much steel to sharpen. You might only be able to sharpen these blades twice. For blades like the 10 and 10W, you can likely get two or three sharpenings.

Some clipper blades, like the 5 in 1 style, can’t be sharpened well, if at all. Time to just replace and make sure they stay clean and only used on a clean horse!

If you have a blade that has gone beyond its useful life, don’t toss it! It makes a handy tool for mane shortening without pulling.

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TRIMMERS