What upgrade should I make first?

[thegiant]

I'm making some tool upgrades this year. Mainly, I want to get a set of wide blades and some longer shears. Right now I just have a 7" set of shears. Both upgrades are to help speed up my big dog grooms. I have some longer ones from my PetSmart kit, but the thinners are terrible. So I just have straights and curves. I think they're like 8.5"?

Anyways, should I get wide blades or a full 8.5-9" set of shears first?

 

[mccra76]

@thegiant Wide blades, wide blades!

 

[adajane]

@thegiant I don’t like the weight of the wide blades at all and sold mine a month after investing in them.

I got good shears that I love and can’t live without with some Opal Heiniger clippers to follow. Butter cuts were my next And then I got some good brushes finally! My newest investment will be backup equipment lol!

 

[as77]

@thegiant I too vote for Wide blades and comb attachments for them. So much time saved.

 

[aviso]

@thegiant Wide blades! I don't regret it one bit.

 

[cmotorsportsministries]

@thegiant I say get the wife blades first. I have shears in many sizes and my 7” are honestly my favorite. I do so many doodles though that wide blades and combs are game changers.

 

[torn12]

@thegiant What wide blades are everyone using? I have some ags but was thinking of possibly trying a different brand.

 

[shefa]

@torn12 I have Zolitta which I bought in a kit with the guard combs but I'm definitely upgrading to Buttercut when I can.

 

[torn12]

@shefa OMG I had no idea they even had wides! Definitely buying some.

 

[chryssa1791]

@torn12 I've used AGS, Zolitta, Saxon Edge, Buttercut, and Buchelli. Buttercuts are hands down the best, but they're 100% finishing blades, and will dull out really fast with pre shaving (it's because it's a significantly harder metal than any other blades, sounds backwards but trust me, they hold their edge better than any other blades on clean coats though). AGS, Zolitta, and Buchelli are all made in the same factory with slight variations, but they're pretty much the same blade, really good workhorses but not as nice for finishing. Saxon Edge you'll probably never see, but stay away! They'll go dull after 1-2 dogs and rust super fast.

 

[chryssa1791]

@thegiant Wide blades, they will seriously save you 30-40% of your time on the clipper work. I think you should definitely invest in some shears too, but wide blades will make the biggest difference. Also, wides tend to give a noticably better finish than normal blades.

 

[cinelife]

@thegiant Wide Blades are a game changer for doodles! I prefer Artero, I use them for all my finishing blades whether they're standard size or wide. I also have their standard and wide guard combs, they cut super smooth. If faster grooms for big dogs is your goal, wide blades and guard combs will get you there.

Shears are a personal preference to what feels comfortable to you, for me I didn't find using longer shears would help me groom faster. But I have small hands, and feel more comfortable using shears that are 6"-8". If you're looking for longer shears a good place to start is Foxy Roxy

I would suggest investing in a good pair of thinners if you don't have one, they will make a big difference. To help with thick doodle coats you'll want to look for something with either a higher rockwell hardness rating or micro serrated to help grab hair better. Better quality thinners will hold up longer, so they're worth the investment. Kenchii 5 Star 46 tooth thinners are great as an everyday thinner, but if you're wanting something serrated I've heard good things about their Spider thinners. A general tip is to set the length and shape with straights and curves, shape and blend with chunkers, and use thinners at the end to add finishing touches and soften everything.

 

[thegiant]

@cinelife I have thinners. They're just 7" thinners. My main shears are the Loyalty Pet Products 7" starter set. I was thinking about splurging and trying the Geib Crystal Gold 8.5" thinners. That line is VG10 steel and I read that's way better?? Otherwise I was probably gonna go with Kenchiis of some sort for shears.

As for the wide blades, I was just gonna get either Geib or Artero based on what's in stock lmao.

 

[cinelife]

@thegiant Japanese VG10 is a great metal, I have a pair of Harzly VG10 thinners and they're very smooth and great at softening any lines.

I don't have a ton of experience with Geib shears, I have a pair of katana curves and blue breeze chunkers that I like but don't use very much. I find them to be a bit heavy compared to my other shears, but they are made to be work horse shears for thick coats. They definitely work well for that.

Personally most of my favorite shears have been from Zolitta but Kenchii is also great, specifically the 5 Star and Shinobi lines. I've been hearing great things about the Precision Sharp Lynx shears, they're on sale and the thinners are around the same price as the Geib Crystal Gold thinners.

It can be hard to figure out what shears will work for you until you start using them, but if you're interested Groom Haüs has an amazing webinar all about shears and other tools by Nick Sklar. He goes in depth on all the different types of shears and thinners, and how to know what pair to buy for what you need. They have a monthly membership that's $35, it's a great resource and answered a lot of questions I had regarding shears

 

[mutambo]

@thegiant Wide blades. I don't think long shears help speed up time. In my experience, they're harder to control and you don't use all that length anyway. When I use mine, I noticed I'm really only using part of the scissor most of the time. Unless you're hand scissoring entire bodies on large dogs, I don't think they're worth it. They can be alright for setting toplines if you scissor finish the entire dog. For normal pet grooming, I don't find them very useful.