WAHL Pocket Pro Hair Trimmers, Beard Trimmer for Men, Male

I have owned a national pet rescue for fifteen years and I have always bought WAHL clippers in bulk, for use internally but also for resale. It’s been a best-selling item all of that time.

I have used Wahl pocket clippers (sometimes called Pocket Pro) in many colours, sometimes rubberised, sometimes not, some marked for pets, some for people…and therefore you can please take this review as being not just for the black rubberised version shown, but for any of the Wahl pocket clipper range. Having said that, the black rubberised IS my preferred item of the range, simply as they have a warm, soft-touch feel and are easy to grip with cold hands.

I have always been thoroughly thrilled, though, irrespective of the clipper chosen. The price per unit is crazily low in my view, and we managed to resell these at up to 20 a unit if we included detailed pet shaving instructions alongside. I still can’t believe they are available at under 8… I’d take the lot!

I adore these so much that at one stage I was buying in bulk from Wahl, ha. I still have around 100 ‘spare’ and there’s no way I’d ever give them away…they are priceless! I and a lot of people I know, fear the day Wahl cease to manufacture these amazing little things.

I can honestly vouch for the quality and durability of the Wahl pocket clippers, irrespective of the application (pet or person) as long as you treat them with respect. And please, unlike some of the naff reviews I’ve just read, don’t blame the clippers if the battery runs out! Good grief. A battery is an item that has nothing to do with the manufacturing of the clippers!

The battery is a single ‘AA’ and does come supplied, and in 9/10 cases the battery lasts a long time, but of course you can get rogue batteries so just have one to hand as a spare, especially if pet-clipping as it will cause distress if you leave long pieces of fur dangling from a part-clipped animal.

For pet clipping, I find that you can –if you have a nervous pet– allow the battery to run right down, until the clipper is running slowly, and it will be extremely quiet in operation then, and the pet will accept it happily. Long-haired cats, known to be nervous, will also acclimatise if you make a frequent effort to sit with the cat and NOT clip or comb, but just run the clipper in quiet relaxation, perhaps while gently stroking the pet but not drawing any special attention to it or the clipper. This way, the pet comes to see that the noise of the clipper isn’t to be feared at all, and that they can sit with you when the item is in operation.

For matted pets this clipper will remove a whole cat-sized matt if necessary, with a smooth, even finish similar to what is achieved at the veterinary practice. However, do it slowly, always go in the direction of the fur, never against, and NEVER restrain the pet. This will create fear in the pet and what you want is a compliant, happy animal, so instead take the route of quiet relaxation, clipping a tiny bit when the pet is with you, etc, and never restrain or chase after the pet. You can gradually and slowly build up to clipping larger sections. There’s no rush; if you hurry, you will undo your work by scaring the animal.

Always be slow, always have a quiet, calm room and nobody else around, and no other pets. Just you, the peace and calm, a few treats, and you must pretend that you are relaxed and not doing a thing…the pet will accept being clipped as easily as being stroked, if you take time to gain trust. This way, your pet will come to associate the clipper with its trust in you, rather than its fear of you.

Note if you are a stressy, nervous sort of groomer or clipper, or just a highly-strung person who can’t relax, the pet will pick up on this as if its ears were radar, so CHILL OUT and just make this into a relaxing, stress-free pastime.

It can also help to gently play with the pet (especially if a cat), perhaps distracting him or her by a toy on a string or stick, just while seated on the sofa. Don’t get the pet jumping around, just dance the toy around a tiny amount, enough to get the pet interested and engaged. If you “occupy the head end” you can achieve a great deal of clipping surreptitiously. It’s amazing what you can get away with, even with nervous pets, once the focus is taken off the clippers.

The clip-on comb attachment that comes with the device is not needed for pets, but if you find the clipper stops and you think the battery must still be okay, clean the head of the clipper by rubbing it across a slightly damp and rough cloth, and add a drip of clipper oil, and it will run again. The clipper can stop occasionally if you are not a good clipper yourself and if you have clogged up the head… you will learn to get it right.

Also, I have seen people move their clipper around too much in use on a cat. **Let the clipper do the work**; you don’t need to push and pull the fur. This should be so easy to use and cut the fur like butter, so there must be no tugging of fur whatsoever. If you’re hurting the pet, your technique is wrong. There is also no chance to injure a pet if you don’t tug at the fur or restrain the pet; we have never, in 15 years, seen an injury caused by a Wahl clipper.

A very important thing to say, too, is NEVER clip a cat’s tail bare as this will induce self-harming. Always leave a sizeable tail tuft even if it is matted. And again, a reminder to never clip against the coat direction as the amount of itching caused can cause self-harming too.

In all, a phenomenal small clipper with a multiplicity of uses. 5*.