25 years old Wahl clipper revival

snowwolf

snowwolf

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Nov 11, 2013
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Sorry guys no pictures on this one although it could have been easy to do.

Just a little context intro. Over 25 years ago, the girlfriend of that era noticed I was starting to get bald early and decided to give me a clipper because she thought shaving my head would look better.
She basically took the first thing on sale on the shelf. A Wahl with a big disclamer on it: For domestic use only. Back then I told my self it meant not for professional use. Now I think they meant, for people, not for buffalos.
Anyway I whined and told her it was probably going to break any time soon.

Well, that supposedly "cheap" clipper gave me 25 years of reliable service. I never went to barbershop since. The secret to keep them energizer bunny going is to oil them before every use.

Last week it started to hiccup then died. The wires in the power cable finally got cut near the clipper. I took the 3 screws holding the cover out and that cable was simply held by two screws. Like it was made to be repaired/replaced.
I called Wahl and asked if they were still making that cable. The answer was yes... Then 2 days and 6$ later I got the replacement power cord. Installed it in less than 5 minutes.

The clipper is back up and running like it was 25 years ago. WOOT.

So I told myself: Jeez, that gift was really a good one. I looked up the girl's name on Linkedin and found her. Haven't speak to her in more than 20 years. I left a note there to tell the story above and to thank her. I also admit that once again I didn't have any reason to whine about her gift. Haven't got a response yet.

:D
 
I have an Oster Turbo A5 heavy duty 2-speed animal clipper. I got it for my border collie mix Billy, and used it on him for several years during the summer. After Billy passed away it seemed a waste to throw away a good clipper, so it has been giving me haircuts for the last decade. Still going strong, and is more comfortable than the clippers designed for humans.
 
That's funny I also have a A5... Those are beasts. Quiet but a bit windy. Here's a pic of the revived Wahl side by side with the Oster A5.
I also used the A5 during the little Wahl break.

7Watt is plenty enough for my head... 45 Watt, good for cats, dogs and probably horses :-)

Wahl_vs_Oster-vi.jpg



Howard Wallace said:
I have an Oster Turbo A5 heavy duty 2-speed animal clipper. I got it for my border collie mix Billy, and used it on him for several years during the summer. After Billy passed away it seemed a waste to throw away a good clipper, so it has been giving me haircuts for the last decade. Still going strong, and is more comfortable than the clippers designed for humans.
Click to expand...
 
Nice tools man! I need to get me a good old one. I oil mine with mineral oil but its a piece of crap new Wahl. Its 0.6A and 4.2v so that means its 2.5 Watts. It barely cuts my peach fuzz. Funny thing a few days ago I told my wife I needed a haircut but she's always busy ya know so I tried to cut it myself. I started in the back with the reverse Mohawk look and it took twenty minutes prolly to get up to the crown of my head. I then gave up and was going to wait for my wife to see it and insist I sit down and get it finished. Well two days later she finally saw what I did:D I had already been to the grocery store , auto parts, who knows where else. Glad I aint runnin for mayor or sumpin! Time for a new one.
I used to have an old Wahl I clipped poodles with. It was the boss! Yep! I clipped poodles when I was a teenager. Yall better not tell a sole ya hear!!! Hey I got $5 to $15 for cutting a yard and I had to throw the mower in the truck service it clean the plugs and sharpen the blade... etc. Was hard work! I could clip a fancy poodle for $75 in an hour and they brought it to me so that was a no brainer. I had a pillow case with four leg holes in it and hung it from the ceiling so it couldnt run off or bite me:D Anyway... that old clipper never died! It never got me out of cutting grass but sure was good money for a teen in the early seventies.
 
Ndog, reading your story while sitting alone eating lunch at a fancy company (partner went to keep working). I just burst out laughing when I got to the part about the pillowcase and pictured a poodle dangling from a ceiling, and I must say, I got a couple strange looks :D thanks for sharing!
 
I noticed you can get all kinds of parts for that Oster. Im seeing motor coils, housings, cords, switches, blades and all kinds of stuff. Isnt it great to be able to rebuild the old stuff. Old power tools are the same way. Most young people today dont even know about them good old days. Everything nowadays is trash for the most part. Hmmm? 10 poodles a day X $75 =$750/day? Hmmm? Starting to sound pretty good! Maybe $100 for the big standard poodles. Id need a bigger pillow case and an electric winch:D
 
Forget the winch, just grab a few pullies and a cleat to tie the rope off! Maybe invest in the winch after a few weeks of poodle trimming. It sounds pretty lucrative. Plus, if you were charging $75 as a teenager, imagine what you could get now?? Also 10 poodles/day X 1 hour/poodle = one long arse day, especially considering cleanup time and the few min between customers and perhaps food, if you're into the whole lunch-break thing. Now, 6 poodles/day times say.. $120/poodle, is $720/day, and probably under 8 hours, which sounds much better to me!

Now I'm putting too much thought into it...or just enough?? Lemme know if you want a business partner
 
I've been using the same trimmer for years, I don't remember the brand but it was about $7 at TJ Maxx. The only way to go if all you want is a simple buzz cut. That thing has paid for itself so many times over. I do the beard and front and top of the head then call my wife in to do the back.
 
Haven't heard Nair since the High School locker room, probably better not revisit that.

Most are probably shocked I went to high school but I got the paper and everything, wore the judge robe and flat hat, whole ball of wax.
 
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