Product Review: Andis ShowEdge Clippers

Welcome to EN’s Product Review series! Who doesn’t love shopping… especially when the object of your search is new gear for yourself or your horse? As an enthusiast of all products equine, I LOVE trying out new gear. Which is why I’m thrilled to have the opportunity to try out products, so that I may share my many adventures with all of you! Please join me as I narrate my personal journey of trying out all of the products featured. While I will make no recommendations, I hope that you simply have fun and find entertainment while reading about my many adventures of trying new products, and that hearing about my personal experiences might help give you factors to consider when you are on your own quest for new gear!

The Andis ShowEdge logo on the replacement blade packaging - Photo by Lorraine Peachey The Andis ShowEdge logo on the replacement blade packaging - Photo by Lorraine Peachey

Since my schedule is busy on most days, and is total insanity on others, it pretty inevitable that things get shuffled down the priority list for me. This can mean rescheduled appointments, or just ones that don’t get scheduled in the first place. Unfortunately for me, getting my hair done falls precisely under the category of ‘appointments most likely to be rescheduled’.

I like to think of myself as having a pretty low maintenance hair style – although, considering my long hair, I guess that it could be low maintenance in a relatively speaking kind of way (relative to what, I have no idea). But when I have to block out about 2 hours for a hair appointment, it really cuts into my schedule. There are seriously a lot of things that I could be doing in those 2 whole hours!

So I tend to drag out the time between appointments a little longer than I probably should. Though if I have an event to attend, or some important meetings in the office, I always make sure to get that appointment scheduled. And, I put it in my phone calendar, so I don’t forget about it. Well, hopefully not.

It is important to look fabulous for special occasions, or just in order to be comfortable during a certain time of the year. The same concept applies to my horses as well – they should be looking their best for shows, or even going to lessons or clinics. I also like to try to manage their coast so that they can be comfortable working in the warm temperatures that come along with summertime.

And while I think my own 2 hour hair appointments take a while, clipping one of my horses can make that seem like a breeze. Because let’s face it – clipping is something that takes time and precision, when you want your end result to be your horse looking fantastico.

Since I haven’t found a magic wand yet that instantaneously leaves me with a perfectly clipped horse when I give it a wave, I’m left with having to get the job done the old-fashioned way. So when I had the chance to try the ShowEdge Clippers from Andis, I was excited to put things mildly (and I might have fist pumped into the air when I heard about some of the features).

The Andis ShowEdge clippers got tucked safely back into their storage case after use - Photo by Lorraine Peachey

The Andis ShowEdge clippers got tucked safely back into their storage case after use – Photo by Lorraine Peachey

When I first opened up the box to pull out the ShowEdge clippers, I stopped to admire the nice case that they arrived in. Upon opening it the case up, I found everything was organized looking and ready to use! The ShowEdge clippers come with a General blade, which trims hair to a length of 1/8″–and this blade was already mounted on the clippers when I pulled them out of their case for the first time.

The first thing that I noticed about the ShowEdge clippers was how wide the blade is – which I was definitely happy to see, considering how many swipes are usually needed to clip a horse! Upon picking the clippers up, I was also very glad to feel just how light they are – even though they weigh in at just 27.5 oz, they still left me with the impression that they are heavy duty enough to handle equine clipping.

Ripley, before he met the ShowEdge clippers - Photo by Lorraine Peachey

Ripley, before he met the ShowEdge clippers – Photo by Lorraine Peachey

I also was very interested to see the angled head of the clippers – which helps to angle the blade. An issue that I can have with regular clippers is the weird angle that I have to hold my wrist at, which leaves it feeling strained during extended periods of use. These are electric clippers, so you will need to plug them in to use.

I decided to give the ShowEdge clippers their debut by giving Ripley a modified trace clip – basically a trace clip, where I also clip his legs. Ripley only has a moderate workload, so I just like to keep him clipped around the chest and belly to keep him cool enough during the warm temperatures. So I set to work with the General blade.

I could tell that the hair was trimmed slightly shorter with a few swipes of the General blade, but with Ripley’s already short summer coat, the difference in the hair length was not super noticeable. What I was able to do was to switch out and try different blades, to find one that worked for what I was looking to do!

There are three blade sizes available for the ShowEdge Clippers, including Medium Coarse, General & Surgical - the Surgical blade worked best for Ripley's summer clip - Photo by Lorraine Peachey

There are three blade sizes available for the ShowEdge Clippers, including Medium Coarse, General & Surgical – the Surgical blade worked best for Ripley’s summer clip – Photo by Lorraine Peachey

The ShowEdge clippers have three different sized blades available, all of which are 3″ wide. The General blade that I mentioned earlier comes with the clippers, and there is also a Medium Coarse blade available (which trims hair to a length of 5/32″), and a Surgical blade (which trims hair to a length of 1/50″). Both the Medium Coarse and Sugical blades arrived in their own packages, and were already pre-oiled and ready for use.

Swapping out the blades on the ShowEdge clippers is an extremely simple task, to be sure. With a simple press of the release button, I popped the blade up and then slid it off the clippers. Replacing it with a different blade was just as easy – just reverse the process. Slide the replacement blade on, and snap it down into place.

I found clipping with the ShowEdge went very smoothly – the Surgical blade gave me a nice and short cut, which is perfect for Ripley’s summer clip. As I started taking swipes along Ripley’s side, I found that the clippers gave a smooth cut without leaving any streaks. I definitely feel like I covered the area faster with the wider blade of the ShowEdge clippers.

The angled head of the ShowEdge Clippers allowed me to clip at a much easier angle for my wrist, and the light weight of them made it possible to work without arm fatigue - Photo by Lorraine Peachey

The angled head of the ShowEdge Clippers allowed me to clip at a much easier angle for my wrist, and the light weight of them made it possible to work without arm fatigue – Photo by Lorraine Peachey

The angled head allowed me to hold the ShowEdge clippers comfortably. The combination of the angle of that the blade sat at, and light weight of the clippers allowed me to work without putting any strain on my wrist.

With the swipes along the sides going smoothly, I moved on to clip Ripley’s legs as well. The angled head really came in handy at this point. I had a nice time working around the curves of Ripley’s legs – there were some small nooks that were more challenging to access, with the wide blade. I ended up going in at some different angles to reach this small areas, and was able to get the job done.

While clipping, I used the high speed setting, of the two speeds that are available. I also kept an eye on the clippers, and paused periodically to check the temperature of the ShowEdge clippers and blade. Every so often, I stopped to give the clippers a break, and add some clipper oil to the blades to keep them going smoothly.

Ripley, aka the 'Summer Warrior', with his new clip job from the ShowEdge clippers - Photo by Lorraine Peachey

Ripley, aka the ‘Summer Warrior’, with his new clip job from the ShowEdge clippers – Photo by Lorraine Peachey

After stepping back to look at my handiwork with the ShowEdge clippers, I was very happy to see the result–a clean, streak-free trace clip for Ripley. And more importantly, my wrist and arm were happy not to be fatigued after clipping.

I actually even took the clippers for a spin trimming Ripley’s whiskers. While the ShowEdge didn’t offer the precision for muzzle trimming that a small, specialized pair can, they certainly did get the job done nicely.

After finishing clipping, clean up went really easily. I detached the blade, and used the soft bristle brush that was included in the case with the ShowEdge clippers. I simply took it, and brushed off the excess hair before storing them away in the case.

Detaching the blade and cleaning the ShowEdge clippers was a breeze when using the soft bristle brush included in the case - Photo by Lorraine Peachey

Detaching the blade and cleaning the ShowEdge clippers was a breeze when using the soft bristle brush included in the case – Photo by Lorraine Peachey

The ShowEdge clippers really did a very nice job for me – I am definitely a fan of the angled head and wide blade of the clippers. The larger sized blade saves me time by helping get the job done with less swipes of the clippers, and the angled blade allows me to clip with my wrist at a comfortable angle. And the clippers are light and easy to maneuver as well.

And I just have to note that the ShowEdge clippers, and their replacement blades are all MADE IN THE USA – you know how much I love that.

The ShowEdge clippers from Andis have a retail price of $412.50. The additional replacement blades in the Medium Coarse and Surgical blades are also available for purchase separately, and they retail for $87.50 each. They do come with a one year warranty from the manufacturer.

Go Easy-to-Handle (and Made in the USA) Clippers.  Go Andis.  Go Eventing.

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