The Best Dog Grooming Clippers, From a Full Clip to the Paw Pads
I earn a commission when you buy through my links, at no extra cost to you. How that worksAmazon prices as of Nov 3, 4:18 AM ET, subject to change. Details
A doodle's coat keeps growing until someone cuts it, and after a few groomer bills a lot of owners start looking at clippers. For a full body clip, get the Andis UltraEdge AGC Super 2-Speed, the corded clipper Andis builds for grooming tables. Its blades snap off, so the same clipper can do a short summer cut or a longer one, and it's about $147.
It isn't the easy one to start with, though. It weighs a little over a pound, it trails a 14-foot cord, and there's not a single guide comb in the box, so you'll need to buy those as well.
You want to clip the whole dog yourself, every six weeks or so, and you'd like the clipper to last for years.
Skip it if
You only tidy the face and feet. A full-body clipper is a lot of machine for that.
The AGC2 runs on a rotary motor at two speeds, 3,400 and 4,400 strokes a minute, according to Andis. Use the slower one on the face and the faster one on the body. Andis left the vents off the housing, so there's nowhere for hair to pack in, and it sells the clipper as cool-running.
The reason it's first over the Bravura is the blade system. A detachable blade comes off with a click, and you swap it for a longer one, a shorter one, or a fresh one while the dull one goes off to be sharpened. The included #10 leaves a coat very short, and snap-on combs fit over it when you want more length. The Bravura can't do this, and Wahl sells the Bravura for finishing work rather than a full clip on a big dog.
What else to buy
Order a set of snap-on guide combs with it, plus a can of clipper coolant. A #10 by itself leaves a doodle almost bald.
Where it falls short
At 17.6 ounces it's the heaviest clipper on this list, about twice the Bravura.
The cord gets in the way on a dog who spins on the table.
2Best cordless
2. Wahl Bravura Lithium
Light and cordless, with one blade that adjusts through five lengths, so you can follow a dog who won't hold still.
Your dog is small, or you mostly clean up the face, feet and rear between full grooms.
Skip it if
You plan to clip a Labradoodle or a Bernedoodle down from head to tail.
It runs on a battery, so you can follow a dog who won't stand still, and at about 9 ounces it weighs half as much as the Andis. Wahl sells it for feet, face and finishing work on any breed, plus light body clipping on small and medium dogs and on cats. It costs more than the AGC2, and the money goes to the battery and the adjustable blade, not to more power.
Where it falls short
One adjustable blade means you can't send it off to be sharpened and keep working.
On a thick, long coat it's slow going, and Wahl only promises light body clipping.
Read more about the BravuraShow less
The blade has a lever that sets it to five lengths, from #9 to #40, so it goes from a light trim to very close around the pads. The battery runs 90 minutes. A cord comes in the box, so when it gets low you plug in and keep going while it charges, which takes about an hour.
3Best starter kit
3. Andis EasyClip Detachable Blade Kit
A detachable ceramic blade plus four guide combs and a hard case, which is most of what a first clip needs.
This is your first clipper, you want a blade that comes off, and you'd rather the combs came in the box.
Skip it if
You need a cordless clipper to go wherever the dog goes.
This one comes with the parts the AGC2 leaves out: four guide combs from 1/8 to 1/2 inch, blade oil and a hard case. The blade is ceramic and it detaches, so you can swap or replace it later. Andis sells this kit for heavy coats, on a single quiet speed and a 12-foot cord.
Where it falls short
Andis sells it for heavy coats, but with one speed you can't turn up the power on a dense patch.
The combs go up to 1/2 inch, so a fluffy teddy-bear cut needs a longer comb, bought separately.
Read more about the EasyClipShow less
What you give up next to the AGC2 is the second speed, which helps on a thick coat or a dense undercoat. For the first few clips, though, slow and quiet is probably the right speed anyway.
4Best cheap cordless
4. oneisall Cordless Dog Clipper
A cordless clipper with a removable steel blade and a long stack of guide combs, and you rinse the whole thing under the tap.
You want to tidy up between groomer appointments, and a cord would annoy you.
Skip it if
You're planning full clips on a big curly dog every month. Spend more for that.
For about $50 you get a cordless clipper with a steel blade that comes off for cleaning, plus guide combs from 3 millimeters (about 1/8 inch) up to an inch. The body is sealed against water, so you can rinse the whole thing under the tap after a muddy dog.
Where it falls short
oneisall is a small brand, so blades and parts are harder to find in a store than Andis or Wahl ones.
The motor is small, so on a curly coat, take several slow passes rather than pushing.
Read more about the oneisallShow less
The maker says a charge lasts 240 minutes and that it runs under 55 decibels. Those figures come from oneisall, not from an independent measurement, so treat them as the most you'll get.
5Best cheap corded
5. Wahl Pet-Pro Clipper Kit
A plain plug-in clipper with color-coded combs and a five-year warranty, for a coat that isn't thick or curly.
Your dog has a short or medium coat, like a terrier mix or a spaniel, and you want a plain clipper that plugs in.
Skip it if
Your dog is a doodle, a poodle or a husky. Wahl sells this one for fine and medium coats.
At about $45 it's the cheapest full-size clipper on the list, and Wahl backs it with a five-year warranty. Colored guide combs make it easy to grab the same length you used last time.
Where it falls short
It isn't built for a thick double coat or tight curls, by Wahl's own description.
Read more about the Pet-ProShow less
Wahl calls the high-carbon blades self-sharpening and wants them oiled before every use. Skip the oil and a cheap clipper starts to snag.
6Best paw trimmer
6. Wahl Super Pocket Pro Trimmer
A trimmer that hides in your palm and runs on one AA battery, for the hair between the pads and around the eyes.
The hair between your dog's pads keeps growing past them, or the fur around his eyes keeps getting into them.
Skip it if
You hoped it could do the body. It's a finishing tool.
The USDA's guide to matted coats says the hair between the pads and around the ear flap should come off, since it mats easily and traps moisture. This little trimmer is made for those spots. It runs on one AA battery, it's small enough to hide in your palm with a nervous dog, and the #40 blade is narrow enough to fit between the pads.
Where it falls short
A #40 blade cuts close enough to scrape skin, so keep it flat against the pad.
It runs on an AA battery, not a charger. Keep a spare in the drawer.
Read more about the Pocket ProShow less
It costs about $22, so it's worth having even next to a big clipper, for the touch-ups between full clips.
A clipper does the body. It has the bigger motor, a wider blade, and guide combs that set the length across the back and sides. A trimmer is a small tool for detail work around the pads, eyes, ears and sanitary area, where a wide blade won't fit. Most homes that clip a doodle end up with one of each: the Andis or the EasyClip for the body, and the Pocket Pro for the paws. If you only ever trim the feet and face, the Bravura covers both jobs with one tool.
Best dog clippers for doodles and poodles
A curly coat grows without stopping and mats where it rubs, so it needs a clipper with a detachable blade and a good set of guide combs. On a goldendoodle or a standard poodle, that's the AGC2. A toy poodle or a mini doodle is small enough for the Bravura to do the whole dog.
Bathe and dry the coat, then brush it out completely before you start, because curls packed with dirt dull a blade quickly. The CHI two-in-one leaves curls easier to brush, and that's the part that takes the longest.
Best dog clippers for matted hair
No clipper glides through a thick mat, whatever the box says. Mats irritate the skin underneath, and the ASPCA's advice is plain: never cut one out with scissors, because the dog can jerk and you can cut him. The USDA's coat-care guide adds that mats can be shaved off with clippers.
That's a job for the AGC2 and its short #10 blade, on a small mat behind an ear or under the collar: slide the blade under it, flat against the skin, and go slowly. A coat matted all over goes to the groomer or the vet, as the ASPCA says, and you keep it short at home from then on. Brushing between clips is what stops mats from coming back, and a bath with a shampoo that conditions makes the brushing easier.
What to look for in dog clippers
A motor for the coat you have
A curly or double coat needs a full-size motor. A small trimmer only clogs and pulls.
A blade that comes off
A detachable blade gets cleaned, swapped and sharpened. A fixed blade is replaced along with the clipper.
Weight against cord
A cordless clipper is lighter and easier to move around the dog. A corded one never runs flat halfway down a leg.
Heat
Every blade warms up as you go. Check it against your wrist every few minutes, and keep coolant spray nearby.
A small tool for the feet
Pads, eyes and ears need a narrow trimmer, whatever you buy for the body.
A brushless clipper built for a groomer working all day, and Wahl rates the motor for over 10,000 hours. Someone clipping one dog at home won't use that much, and it costs more than the AGC2.
It's a cordless professional clipper with detachable blades and five speeds, at about $325. For one dog at home, the Bravura gets you most of the freedom for less money.
Yabife Dog Clippers
It's cheap and quiet, but in TechGearLab's trial the blade got stuck right away in long, thick hair, so I wouldn't put it on a doodle.
Also compared: Oster A5 Turbo 2-Speed, Andis Excel 5-Speed, Andis Emerge, Wahl Motiva2, Andis Easy Clip Cordless II, oneisall dual-battery A5 clipper and Wahl Bravura 2.
How I picked
Enough motor for a full clip, or sold honestly for trimsA blade that detaches or adjusts through several lengthsCorded or a battery that lasts the clipThe coat the maker sells it forOne narrow trimmer for paws and face
Save it for laterPin this guide and find it again when you are ready to buy.Save to Pinterest
Common questions
What brand of clippers do most dog groomers use?+−
Andis and Wahl, by a wide margin. At PetEdge, a big grooming supply store, 50 of the 80 clippers listed are from one of the two, with Oster and Joyzze after them.
Is Andis or Wahl better for dogs?+−
It depends on the job. For a full clip on a big or curly dog I'd buy the Andis AGC2. For cordless finishing work on the face and feet I'd buy the Wahl Bravura, and for paws the Wahl Pocket Pro. Both brands sell detachable blades that are easy to find.
What are the best dog clippers for home use?+−
For a dog who needs full clips every few weeks, the Andis AGC2. If it's your first clipper and you want the guide combs in the box, the Andis EasyClip kit. If you only tidy up between groomer visits, go with the oneisall.
How do you keep dog clippers from burning the skin?+−
The USDA warns that clippers get hot and can burn, and it suggests a clipper cooling product or switching between two clippers. Touch the blade to the inside of your wrist every few minutes. Oil it as the maker says, and keep it flat against the skin instead of tipped on its edge.
The verdict
Before the first clip
Whichever you buy, oil the blade and run the clipper near your dog for a minute or two before you clip anything, with a treat in your other hand. A dog who already knows the buzz stands still a lot better on the first clip.
