Help! My Clipper Blades Are Getting Hot

Clipping with hot blades is a big NO-NO! We clip our furry friends for their comfort, so why put them through the discomfort? Here's what to do if your blades get too hot…

Your clipping blades can become hot for several reasons, and it's best to act on it as soon as possible. To test whether your blades are becoming too hot, remember to check regularly during clipping by holding the head of your clipper in the cup of your palm. If you can’t hold them there for a long period because they are too hot, then do not use them to continue clipping your horse.

Your blades need sharpening

A common reason why your blades may be overheating could be caused by using blunt blades, which restrict the movement of the comb (the bigger blade) to the cutter (the smaller blade piece) causing more friction, and heat!

To stop this from occurring, aim to get your blades sharpened with an experienced blade sharpening specialist. If you are unsure about where to take your blades for sharpening, click here.

You’re not using enough oil

Your clipper blades are made up of two parts, the cutter piece (the smaller piece) and the comb (the bigger piece). When the clipper is turned on, the cutter passes over the comb to work to cut the hair.

We can’t stress enough the importance of oiling your clipper regularly. If this is not done, the metal-to-metal friction that your blades create will increase, thus, making your blades hot. As an example, think of a car engine. Without oil, it will simply fail to work after a while. With this, insufficient oil use will make your clipper have to work harder to get through the coat. The lack of oil will also vastly decrease the lifespan of your blades as they grind against each other.

Oil your clippers every 5-10 minutes, and before and after use and you’ll be good to go!

You’re using the wrong blades for the application

We stock a variety of blades suited for different applications because we know all horses are unique, have different hair types, turnout requirements and colours! If your blades are getting too hot, it can often be caused by using the wrong blade which may not be suitable for the coat type.

For instance, you may be clipping a hairy horse with our A2F/AC Fine blade. It would be better to use CA2/AC to clip off the thick hair. If you require a ‘show’ finish, then you can always finish up with an A2F/AC Fine blade afterwards.

Using a Fine blade in this application will mean it’ll have to work harder to get through the coat. The Coarse blade only has 18 teeth, opposed to 35 teeth on the Fine blade, meaning it can cope with the bulk of the hair.