Equine | 11TH FEBRUARY 2021
Why Do We Tension Our Clippers?
If you’ve ever used a Lister Clipper before, you might have followed our instructions to correctly tension your clipper before you clip. But why do we do this? What will happen if you don’t tension your clipper correctly?
To tension your Lister clipper correctly, screw the tension nut down by hand until it stops. Using the marker on the tension nut as a guide, slacken the tension nut back off by 1 ½ turns to set the tension.
A tension set is made up of 3 parts. The tension nut, bolt and spring which are sold as a set. If you clip professionally, we recommend purchasing a new set every so often. These are usually available at clipper spares agents. This is because they are worn down after a lot of use, and a worn tension set often leads to your blades not cutting correctly. If your spring is distorted, you won't notice by just looking at it, but this will influence how the blade tightens down onto the clipper, and you may feel the blades ‘chewing’ when you take a stroke.
There’s a lot of power packed into our clippers to ensure you can achieve the perfect clip every time, which is why the correct tension is needed to keep your blades and clipper working together smoothly. Insufficient tension may lead to your clipper rattling, so make sure to listen out for this and adjust if necessary. With this, not tensioning your clipper enough will also lead to a poor clipping performance and you’ll run the risk of clogging your blades up.
On the other hand, excessive tension can lead to other problems, like your clipper and blades heating up at a fast pace because there is too much friction. This will be an uncomfortable experience for both you and your animal.
Look out for signs of poor clipping performance as this will be an indicator to check your tension. Check that your clip is even and cutting without lines. It helps to check the tension when you are able halfway through a clip, just to be sure!
Remember to oil your blades every 5-10 minutes using Lister R15 Clipper oil as good lubrication will allow your clipper to glide through hair and remain cool. Unsure what oil to use? Read our blog on the importance of choosing the right oil.
With this, make sure to use sharp blades and if you notice that they are dull, check them into your local blade sharpening specialist.