Clipper drama

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beffyb

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So I borrowed the clippers that belong the the livery yard I keep my horse at on Saturday evening but the blades were quite blunt so I stopped and waited until today when I could borrow sharper blades. Today, I carried on clipping him and I must have only been using them for about 20 minutes (I cleaned and oiled them in this time) and they just stopped working and turned off. I thought it must have been the fuse in the plug so I checked and it's not that so I don't know what it could be.
The only thing I can think of that I did wrong is that I didn't use the circuit breaker as I wasn't told to before I used them and I didn't really know what they are for (oops). Could that have been why they stopped?
The owner had asked me to pay for them if I broke them before I used them but I wasn't expecting them to just pop and switch off like this after 20 minutes?
I am going to speak to the owner tomorrow but does it sound like this was my fault? What should I do?
 
beffyb said:
The only thing I can think of that I did wrong is that I didn't use the circuit breaker as I wasn't told to before I used them and I didn't really know what they are for (oops). Could that have been why they stopped?
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No, AFAIK the circuit breaker is for the safety of you and your horse. Not using it won't have harmed the clippers.

You may have just been unlucky and they were going to stop whoever was using them, but I think you'll have to pay to get them repaired. Hopefully it won't be too much.
 
I would tell the owner about the issue. Maybe they will say that there is a button to reset or something.

But, if not, you borrowed them on the understanding that you would mend them if they broke, so you will need to get them mended. No matter if you think you did something wrong or not.
 
A friend took the fuse out and tried a couple of different ones and they still didn't work. Think there might another fuse inside the clippers that I can't get to.
 
Over heating is quite common. Did you leave them to cool down a few hours and check?

Your going to have to get the fixed, it was either bad luck or something you did to cause them to over heat/short/ etc. Hopefully won’t be expensive.
 
Agree you'll have to replace or fix. If somebody had borrowed your clippers in working order (as they did work, even if for 20 mins) I'm sure you would expect them returned working. Unfortunately its one of those things. If you send them for repair and they come back as wear and tear you could probably come to a deal, but I think one way or another you are going to have to have some expenditure to rectify the situation.
 
beffyb said:
A friend took the fuse out and tried a couple of different ones and they still didn't work. Think there might another fuse inside the clippers that I can't get to.
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Checking the fuse and the reset button is about as far as it is reasonable for you to go. Any further dismantling/attempts at a diy repair may wreck the clippers more than they already are.

On the flip side, this is why I don't lend my stuff out anymore. It ALWAYS came back in less good order than when I lent it out (clippers, trailer, saddles, the horse..).
 
It's really unfortunate this has happened to you. I always borrowed clippers before I got my own and was fortunate enough that they never broke, I am sure if you tensioned the bladed correctly and they were kept well oiled that it may just be one of those things. That being said, if I lent my clippers to someone and they broke, I would expect them to be replaced/ repaired at their expense, regardless if they were at fault. If they were cheap, everyone would have their own!
 
Personally I would never use clippers without a circuit breaker. They are only about £8 or £9 on ebay and they will save your horse (and you) should your horse step on a cord during clipping. They also protect electrical equipment from a power surge or short circuit. But whether you used a circuit breaker or not this wouldn't have harmed the clippers.

Speak to the YO and see what she can come up with. She might know there is a problem with the clippers and might be able to advise you.
 
hopscotch bandit said:
Personally I would never use clippers without a circuit breaker. They are only about £8 or £9 on ebay and they will save your horse (and you) should your horse step on a cord during clipping. They also protect electrical equipment from a power surge or short circuit. But whether you used a circuit breaker or not this wouldn't have harmed the clippers.

Speak to the YO and see what she can come up with. She might know there is a problem with the clippers and might be able to advise you.
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I am going to speak to her today about it. I thought that the fuse in the plug and a circuit breaker would do the same thing? I have looked it up online and it said that this wouldn't have harmed them but she seems to think it has. Don't really know what to say to her as I couldn't have done anything but they still broke and I don't want her to be mad at me.
I suppose we will see what happens.
Thank you!
 
This is why I don't lend my clippers out to anyone anymore! I had a similar situation a few years back with a friend who was more than happy to borrow my newly serviced clippers and then went strangely quiet when they broke mid-clip. In my case she didn't even mention they had stopped working, it was only when I came to use them a few weeks later that I was told "oh yeah they stopped working whilst I was using them, I don't know what happened". They were eventually fine after a check up, but it was frustrating given they were working fine before I leant them out.
 
FestiveFuzz said:
This is why I don't lend my clippers out to anyone anymore! I had a similar situation a few years back with a friend who was more than happy to borrow my newly serviced clippers and then went strangely quiet when they broke mid-clip. In my case she didn't even mention they had stopped working, it was only when I came to use them a few weeks later that I was told "oh yeah they stopped working whilst I was using them, I don't know what happened". They were eventually fine after a check up, but it was frustrating given they were working fine before I leant them out.
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Crikey FF..... I bet you were livid that she didn't tell you when it happened . :(

Fiona
 
I've a couple of friends for whom clippers would be the last thing they would loan out, as they have always been screwed up by people over tensioning/lack of oil etc. and I'm afraid that the fact that you didn't use a circuit breaker would concern me that you didn't know how to use them properly.
I've never loaned out my own either even though they were only £50 second hand, their replacement value would be much more.

The right thing to do is apologise and get them sent away asap to a reputable repairer to get them checked and repaired as required.
 
I too will never lend my clippers out for this very reason. I've had them for 18 years now and I get the blades sharpened regularly and get it serviced so if they stop working I know who's responsibility it is to get them fixed - mine. I also always without fail use a circuit breaker.

Agree with everyone else OP, send them off to be repaired. Bad luck. As someone said earlier, if they were cheap then everyone would have them. You're best off buying your own set and never ever lending them out.
 
ester said:
and I'm afraid that the fact that you didn't use a circuit breaker would concern me that you didn't know how to use them properly.
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equally... i wouldn't ever lend mine to anyone without checking with them personally that they knew what they were doing :wink3:

i very, very rarely lend mine, having also been on the receiving end of poor treatment of expensive kit... usually when people ask to borrow them I offer to clip the horse myself :rolleyes: and I hate clipping!

Sorry OP, it might well just be bad luck that they conked out on you but I have to agree with the others, this is the downside of borrowing equipment. Hopefully it's a simple fix.
 
milliepops said:
equally... i wouldn't ever lend mine to anyone without checking with them personally that they knew what they were doing :wink3:.
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Ah, but IME folk always assure you that they do know what they're doing. 'Oh yes I know about tensioning them, oiling them, cleaning them, blah blah blah'. Though re the circuit breaker thing, our stable yard electrics are all protected by a circuit breaker, so no need for one on the clippers as well.
 
They've never loaned them to me either and I'm sure we did clipper training in work (selling them more so but got a how to too)! They've come and clipped with them if I'm desperate. They might now I've one a bit more but it's just one of those things I've found otherwise very generous people are very precious about!
 
Fiona said:
Crikey FF..... I bet you were livid that she didn't tell you when it happened . :(

Fiona
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I wasn't best pleased, but I'm also rubbish at confrontation so just got on with getting them fixed and made a mental note never to lend them anything again. Funnily enough that same person was the first person to get in touch when I bought my box (asking for a favour before I'd even gone and collected the blooming thing!). I think some people are just incredibly cheeky!
 
Sometimes they can cut out when the air vents get full of hair, but they usually go bang at the same time.

You need to talk to the person that lent you them. It might not take much to fix. But either way they were doing you a lovely favour that lots of other people wouldn't. Do you pay anything towards servicing or sharpening?
 
Honey08 said:
Sometimes they can cut out when the air vents get full of hair, but they usually go bang at the same time.

You need to talk to the person that lent you them. It might not take much to fix. But either way they were doing you a lovely favour that lots of other people wouldn't. Do you pay anything towards servicing or sharpening?
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I made sure I kept cleaning the clippers of hair but who knows.
Thank you everyone for your helpful replies, I have since gone and bought my own set off clippers, apologised and told the YO what happened and offered to pay for the repair. Hopefully it won't be anything serious and may just be down to wear and tear, we will see.
Just bad luck I suppose! ;)
 
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