Equipment-Clippers

I realize that everyone is going to have his or her own preference when it comes to equipment. I am sharing my personal preferences and my experiences with different brands of clippers. I have not been able to try every brand of clipper, but I have used many of them. I'm hoping to get a chance to try out the Ausculap clippers sometime soon though!
My first set of clippers were pink Laube two speeds. I was in love with Laube at the time simply because of the ease of which they could cut down even the most matted coat. The Laube clippers have a different cutting path then typical clippers. Instead of simply pushing the cutting blade back and forth it moves the cutter all the way to the right, then back twenty five percent of the way, then back all the way to the right. Then all the way to the left, then back twenty five percent of the way and so on. When my Laube clippers worked it was a thing of beauty. Unfortunately keeping them running was the problem. The bottom that would snap into the hand piece would start falling out or not connect correctly. The low speed might go, but the high speed would still work or vice-versa. I would have to adjust many of my blades to get them to fit. All following the instructions of how to get your blades to fit their product from the company. When I first started grooming there were a few of us sharing equipment so this made that difficult. Once I would bend the blade socket to get it to snap on my clippers it them wouldn't fit on anyone else's. I have owned four sets of Laube clippers. None of them are working today. None of them worked longer than 6 months. What made me most upset was the poor customer service I received. I had convinced three other groomers to buy Laube after my short love affair with them. They all experienced the same problems. When I called Laube I was told they were shocked to hear a complaint as they never heard anything bad about their product. It was hard for me to believe that in a grooming salon where four groomers used their product and all had problems that we were the first to call. This was many years ago and though I have heard many of the products have changed and they have added new ones I still hear complaints on their poor customer service. The hardest part about the whole ordeal was none of the local repairmen could fix Laube clippers so I had to mail them out to the company and wait a few weeks or more at times to get them back.
I've also had my fair share of Oster clippers. Both were the Golden A-5's and I had the one and two speed. I have to say that they were reliable and all the local sharpeners could work on them and fix them. I didn't have the same problems with the Oster clippers simply conking out like the Laube. They held up to being dropped a bit better than Laube. They were also easy to do minor maintenance on. It was easy to change the carbon brushes and the blade lever. The downside to the Oster clippers unfortunately outweighed their reliability. They got hot. Even the newer models still get hot, just not as hot as the old models. The air vents on the sides blow hair everywhere. They are loud and are not the easiest to use on skittish dogs or cats. My main problem with them was the lack of power. It was harder getting a smooth clip and they just weren't fast enough. I ended up selling all of my Oster clippers or giving them to apprentice groomers. I've also tried the cordless Oster PowerPro. The clipper design has changed since I used it and is supposed to be 15% lighter, but they were very heavy for me and terribly balanced. All the weight was in the battery pack. Hopefully the new design truly is better than the old one.
The Conair clippers have not been around for that long as far as I know. I've only used them a few times, but found them to be a lot like the Oster in power, though I did find they weren't as noisy. I also didn't care for their overall weight and feel in my hand. I have extremely small hands so this might not be a problem for others. My experience with these clippers is extremely limited so if anyone else would like to comment on them please do!
The new switchblade clippers are coming, but I have yet to actually try them. Once I do I will edit this post to include a review.
Of course I am saving my favorite brand for last. I am an Andis girl, but I prefer the older square design. They fit in my small hands better than the round. I have used Andis clippers faithfully for the last seven years and besides basic maintenance or me dropping them, I haven't had any problems. They are all about seven years old and all three sets of my Andis Plus two speed clippers work great. The outer molding never gets hot. They are quiet yet powerful. I can depend that they will work consistently everyday. No hot air blowing dog fur around (unless you count my chattering away) and I don't have any problems finding local people to do maintenance or repair work on them. I have to say I don't care for the cordless Andis nor the Andis with the light attached. The cordless(AGR+)is too heavy for me to use comfortably and even with a full charge doesn't seem to have much power. The Andis with the light only comes in one speed and just isn't powerful enough for me and my needs. The light is nice, but not as useful as I had hoped it would be.
I must admit I have never used the KM2 Wahl clippers, but what I do use is the Chromado clippers. I have also used the Bravura and the Arco. They all use the same blade but with the Arco the battery packs started falling out all the time and then not holding a charge at all. I didn't like the Bravura because of where the button to turn them on and off is. I would hit it mid stroke just about every time I used them. I do love the Chromado clippers for face, feet and sanitary areas. They are also great for shaving close matts and working on cats because of how quiet they are. The down side is the expense of the replacement blades. There are some sharpeners who will sharpen them, but not many that I have found. I was told by Wahl that they will be selling just the cutter to replace in the blade so instead of purchasing an entirely new blade you buy the part and can switch it out yourself.
There are so many choiced out there now for groomers in clippers. Please feel free to add any comments on clippers mentioned here or missed. Especially missed!