Whether you have a standard, miniature or teacup, you’ll find that your loving poodle does need regular, and sometimes extensive, grooming. Many poodle parents hesitate to groom their fur babies at home because of the showy styles of poodle cuts seem all over the internet. But, don’t let flashy cuts deter you from grooming at home!
Things to Consider a Dog Clipper for Poodles
Besides a little bit of know-how when it comes to styling and shaping, which will come with time, the best place to start when grooming your poodle at home is with a high-quality clipper set.
This smart breed will let you do all the hard work of grooming pretty peacefully. But, consider the noise level, and the clippers ability to handle this sometimes hard to work with hair type!
Choose Power Over Mobility
Unlike other dogs, poodles are typically calm. Of course, a puppy new to grooming will always have a hard time sitting still, taking the time to get them used to the sound and vibration of clippers will ensure that future grooming sessions are a breeze!
When working with poodles, you can take your time and sometimes you must. Poodles have very thick hair that is prone to matting. To handle this hair thickness, you’ll want a good, stable source of power with a motor that delivers 3,000 to 5,500 strokes per minute.
Because you want steady power, you will end up with a corded set of clippers which isn’t a bad thing. There’s a lot of debate on the corded versus cordless front. But, poodles will usually sit still when they’re the center of attention, and grooming is the perfect time to shower your little fluff with attention and treats! Because you can count on them sitting still, a corded set of clippers is no problem!
Beware of Wrist Fatigue
Poodles are falsely displayed as the sissy dog, and nine times out of 10 that’s not true. But, when it comes to hair pulling during grooming sessions, poodles can be babies with good reason, hair pulling is terrible! Because of this, you’ll want to take your time when you’re grooming. All of this boils down to you will want to choose a lighter weight set of clippers, so your wrist doesn’t get tired.
Some people believe that they can get away with heavier clippers when they have a toy or miniature poodle, but these dog’s take so much time to groom too that it’s just best to avoid heavy clippers altogether.
You can also avoid wrist fatigue with an ergonomic design. You’ll want clippers that have a slight curve through the area that you would grip with your thumb and palm or a slight bend at the blade. Either of these designs can help you hold the clippers in a way that will take less of a toll on your wrist!
Adjustable Speed Settings
Because of their thick fur, and the natural tendency to mat you’ll have areas that the clippers will guide through easily, and the areas of extreme difficulty. To handle the difficult areas, you’ll need to slow down, and for styling purposes, you’ll need the strokes per minute of your clippers to slow down too!
If you are moving over the entire poodle at the same speed and slowing down manually at the difficult areas, you’ll get an uneven cut. Not only will it look bad, but your poodle will be able to feel the difference. To combat this, the multiple speed settings will help you maintain a steady cut while being able to work at a pace you’re comfortable with.
Some professional groomers are comfortable with single speed clippers for poodles, but often even the best will slow down through tough areas like underarms, collar region and around their hips. But you can rely on some style guides to help you plan for where you’ll need to slow down!
Poodles clipper | Feature | Price | Our Rated | |
---|---|---|---|---|
1. Oster Power Max 2-Speed | Corded | $$ | Buy from Chewy | |
2. PetTech Professional Dog Grooming Kit | Cordless,Full Kit | $ | View on Amazon | |
3. PERSUPER Pet Rechargeable | Rechargeable, Stainless steel blade | $ | View on Amazon | |
4. HATTEKER Dog Grooming Clippers | LED display, Cordless | $ | View on Amazon | |
5. Andis UltraEdge Super 2-Speed | Corded | $$$ | View on Amazon |
Top 5 Dog Clippers for Poodles
1. Oster Power Max 2-Speed Pet Clippers with CryogenX Antimicrobial Blade
- Long lifespan
- Corded
- Range from 3,000 to 4,200 strokes per minute
Oster is a well-known name and for a good reason. They make outstanding blades and offer powerful motors with low torque or strokes per minute. This combination means that you’ll be able to use these clippers for years to come and you’ll always find high-quality blades available whenever they need changing!
This clipper is versatile! The two-speeds have a good range, with the highest speed clocking in 4,200 strokes per minute. The power from the motor is perfect for thick poodle hair. Additionally, Oster backs up their motors with a warranty!
The only thing to dislike here is that there isn’t a lot of angle with the blade although you do get some influx through the grip of the clippers. The design could be more ergonomic, but the lightweight counters the lack of design.
These clippers are outstanding and deliver a high-quality cut every time. They’re reasonably priced for anyone who’s looking to start grooming at home. But they’re also not lacking quality as many beginner clippers are.
The CryogenX blade is also antimicrobial which is just another reassurance of sanitation and safety when it comes to grooming thick poodle hair.
2. PetTech Professional Dog Grooming Kit
- Cordless
- Low Noise
- Full Kit
PetTech might not sit up on the pedestal with brands such as Oster or Wahl, but the pros regularly use these clippers! These clippers are cordless for mobility but are powerful as well! The blades are adjustable, and the handle has a very general, but ambidextrous ergonomic design. Overall, a great clipper set!
The best thing that PetTech has to offer is its usability for wrist fatigue. Many people don’t realize that wrist fatigue is almost inevitable when grooming, but these clippers have adjustable blades and a solid handle design that fights wrist fatigue!
The downside is that as a cordless clipper you’ll need to ensure its fully charged before starting a grooming session with your poodle. The battery at its best will last for 3 hours with a full charge, but you can see the decline in performance after about an hour and a half of use.
PetTech offers a great clipper set for anyone who’s familiar with grooming. Because it’s cordless and relies on a charged battery, this isn’t a great choice for beginners that aren’t able to move with a lot of speed.
Finally, the clipper set shines with its ergonomic design, especially as it’s equally comfortable for lefties. Typically, ergonomic designs cater to right-handed people, but lefty pet owners can get the same level of comfort because of the unique adjustable blade angle and easy to snap on guide combs.
3. PERSUPER Pet Rechargeable Hair Electric Dog Clippers Grooming Kit
- Rechargeable
- Stainless steel blade with a ceramic coating
PERSUPER delivers the clipper that does it all. The blade turns in 5-degree increments spanning from .8 mm to 2.0 mm for ergonomic ease and to fight off wrist fatigue. Additionally, the kit comes with four different clip guides, and the blade itself adjusts to two different heights.
The customization is great for anyone who does want to try and recreate the popular and traditional poodle cuts. The clip combs, adjustable blade, and angle changes can help you create a very precise and consistent cut.
The downside of this clipper is that although it offers a lot of precision, its ability to adjust in almost every which way is also its downfall. Hair gets caught between the axis that the blade rotates on causing the entire grooming session to go on for much longer than necessary as you’ll regularly be stopping to empty the blade.
If you’re an experienced groomer, then the struggle of emptying the blade of trapped hair will be no problem for you. But, beginner groomers will become frustrated at having to stop so often, and impatient dogs will also experience a bit of irritation.
This is a great clipper is you know your way around grooming technique and can work quickly. But if you need a little time to learn how to handle a clipper and shape your poodle’s thick hair, this isn’t the right clipper for you.
4. HATTEKER Dog Grooming Clippers Professional Kit
- LED display
- Full charge in 90 minutes
HATTEKER provides a clipper that is great for home and attempts to deliver professional level results. The blade itself is outstanding, but there are a few features that professional groomers would opt out of if given the choice of using this clipper.
The angled guide combs are a real wrist-saver with this clipper set. The guide combs curve over at an angle, so your wrist doesn’t have to, meaning that your wrist shouldn’t lock or feel any unnecessary pressure.
The battery life is only good for taking care of one dog per grooming session. While the batter takes 90 minutes to charge, it will work for about 2.5 hours of use. But, after the first hour of use, the batter starts to wane off, and the entire unit loses power.
This is a great at-home clipper set and use for single-dog households. But if your poodle has a live-in buddy or pet sibling, then you will need something with a stronger battery or longer operating life. The precision of the blade and usefulness of the angled guide combs is outstanding.
Again, great for only-poodle-children but not great if you have two or more dogs to groom in a day!
5. Andis UltraEdge Super 2-Speed Detachable Blade Clipper
- Used by professionals
- Easy 2-speed transition
- Great blade
Andis is right up there with Oster and Wahl blades. Their titanium diamond-proof blades are unreal when it comes to giving a clean cut. However, when it comes down to ergonomic design, they’re lacking.
The blades are designed for professionals, and it’s true anywhere that a blade this sharp that runs this cool will have no problem making its way through hair. Thick poodle hair doesn’t stand a chance against this blade, and it runs at a variable speed making it easy to slow down as you head into the more difficult areas.
The design is very flat, and not standardly lightweight. Although the housing is lightweight plastic, the motor inside is verging into the realm of heavy. The handle is perfectly cylindrical which makes it terrible for long stretches of use with an untrained wrist.
The Andis UltraEdge Super 2-Speed Detachable Blade Clipper is a great at-home clipper that will have you shearing through thick poodle hair in no time! But, keep in mind that you’ll need the occasional break to allow your wrist to rest. The cylindrical design can lead to wrist fatigue.
The blade, however, is really what makes this a great buy. As an expensive clipper set you’d expect a blade that will last for years, and with proper oiling and cleaning this blade will rarely need replacing!
Conclusion
The best dog clipper for poodles is the Oster Power Max 2-Speed Pet Clippers with CryogenX Antimicrobial Blade. It doesn’t matter whether you’re grooming your poodle for the first time, or an at-home pro, this set of clippers will last you for years, won’t lead to wrist fatigue, offers multiple grooming speeds and is high-quality.
The grip is slightly lacking an ergonomic design, but the lightweight counters this mild downfall. This corded clipper will maintain a steady power and other speed and torque at your command through even the longest of grooming sessions.
There’s no doubt that you won’t suffer wrist fatigue, and that you’ll have the power capable of buzzing through thick hair easily. Additionally, this clipper comes with an accessories kit to help you keep the blade maintained, and style out your poodle’s new hairdo! These are the best dog clippers for poodles!