I want to go over a few things to help you recognise potential problems with your blades that are performing badly for you. also have a look at possible related troubles with your clippers that may effect the cutting of your blades.
The most asked question! “Why won’t my blades cut? or why are my blades pulling hair?”,
So, how does someone get a blade that is not cutting or is pulling the hair to start cutting again? Just follow T.O.P. C.A.T.S.
T. = Teeth
O. = Oil
P. = Power
C. = Clean
A. = Alignment
T. = Tension
C. = Sharpen
Teeth
Check for any damage or missing to the teeth of the blades? Are all the teeth straight? is there any rust in between the teeth?. If there are missing or bent teeth then you should seriously consider replacing the blade. If you still have all the teeth, then move to the next step.
Oil
Yep, this is the one that gets a lot of people. For some reason oiling the blades is something that people refuse to do when this one step will save you more money than anything else. It keeps your blades functioning properly and keeps them from wearing out as quickly.
Power
Try the blade on your clippers. Is the power of the clipper/trimmer strong enough to move the cutting blade fast enough to cut? Turn the tool on and pinch the cutting blade and the stationary blade together. If you can stop the cutting blade with very little pressure, then you will need to look more at your clipper rather than the blades.
Clean
If all the teeth are present and your power is good, then you will need to clean your blades. Remove the blades from the clipper/trimmer and thoroughly clean the clipper blades.
Alignment
After cleaning your clipper blades, you MUST check the alignment of the top and bottom blades or they will not cut properly. Ensure that the stationary blade and the cutting blade are parallel and gapped appropriately. Follow this quick video guide on how to check and align your cutters.
Tension
Tension is of the utmost importance when it comes to your blades functioning properly. ALL blades have some form of tension forcing the cutting blade against the stationary blade. If this tension is too much, the cutting blade will move poorly and put your motor under too much strain, it will also make your blades generate a lot more heat. If your tension is too little, then the blades will rattle, pull the hair rather than cut, or will clog up with hair stuck between the blades which will stop the cutting blade from cutting (This happens more with fine woolly coats). Either way, your tool will not cut properly.
Sharpen
Finally, if you have properly followed the above steps and your blades still do not cut or are pulling hair, then you need to look at having the blades sharpened by someone who knows what they are doing. We suggest getting your blades sharpened as many times as possible before replacing them with new blades. This saves you money and saves on blades being thrown away (or preferably recycled). Blades that have been sharpened by a professional who knows what they are doing will cut as well as a new blade (sometimes better) and will hold that edge just as long as a new blade.
Now if you hear anyone ask, “Why won’t my blades cut, or why are my blades pulling hair?” you can tell them to follow T.O.P. C.A.T.S. and help them diagnose the problem.
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