Andis Clipper Not Cutting Properly

The most common cause by a wide margin. A dry blade pulls instead of cutting, heats quickly and sounds harsher. Put a few drops of clipper oil across the teeth with the machine running - if dryness was the problem, the change is immediate.

Do this even if you oiled recently. Oil migrates and evaporates, and a clipper stored for months is dry no matter how carefully it was put away.

Debris between cutter and still blade stops them meeting cleanly and feels exactly like dullness. Brush it out, and on a detachable blade take the blade off and clear underneath - that is where it collects and where an outside brush never reaches.

Fine hair and dander build a felt-like layer that is easy to miss. If the blade looks clean and still pulls, take it off and check the underside.

This is behind most "cuts on one side only" and "leaves lines" complaints. The cutter should sit slightly back from the tips of the still blade - not flush, not overhanging - and square across the width.

Overhanging, it can catch skin. Too far back, the clipper cuts longer than its rating and struggles in thick coats. Loosen the screws, set it square and slightly back, retighten while holding position.

Misalignment usually appears suddenly, after a drop, rather than gradually - which is a useful clue that the blade itself is fine.

Tension holds the cutter against the still blade. Too loose and the blade chatters and cuts unevenly; too tight and it drags, overheats and loads the motor. On detachable blades this is set by a spring, and it is the thing most often left wrong after cleaning.

Still pulling after oiling, cleaning, aligning and setting tension? The blade is worn or damaged - chipped or bent teeth are visible under good light. Replacement or professional sharpening is the answer; see clipper blades for fit.

A different symptom points elsewhere: the clipper slows badly the moment it touches hair, or the pitch drops under load, even with a fresh oiled blade. On a corded machine that suggests worn brushes or a tired armature; on a cordless one it is far more often a battery that no longer holds voltage under load.