Mini trimmer review: Wahl Pocket Pro Vs Shear Magic Rocket 4500
I absolutely love mini trimmers. They’re a groomers best friend. I use them to shave the hard to reach places on the dogs I groom.
What are mini trimmers?
Mini trimmers are different to clippers. Clippers are used for full-body clipping, whereas mini trimmers are used to tidy up smaller, delicate, sensitive areas of the body, like faces, paw pads and sanitary areas – armpits, groin area.
Some groomers prefer to use clippers to shave these delicate areas. And other groomers like myself like to use mini trimmers. Mini trimmers are a lot smaller than clippers, which makes them easier to maneuver small areas. They also shave the fur a lot closer to the skin, which means the fur will take longer to grow back.
Which mini trimmer is the best?
I’ve tried both brands of mini trimmers and here are the pros and cons of each.
Shear Magic Rocket 4500 mini trimmer
Pros:
The Shear Magic Rocket 4500 mini trimmer is lightweight and ergonomic with an easy-to-grip handle.
These trimmers aren’t too noisy, which means when you turn them on they don’t scare the dog you’re grooming. They shave the fur close to the skin without grazing the skin and causing it to bleed.
Cons:
The Shear Magic Rocket 4500 mini trimmer seems to drain the two AA batteries quite quickly, I always seem to be replacing them.
If you don’t oil the blade regularly, the blade teeth can get a bit stuck and not trim the fur properly. You can often fix this by tapping the trimmer on a hard surface.
Wahl Pocket Pro mini trimmer
Pros:
The Wahl Pocket Pro mini trimmer is a small compact trimmer that has been designed to be hidden in the palm of your hand so your dog doesn’t see it while you trim their face.
This trimmer has a narrower blade compared to the Shear Magic Rocket 4500 mini trimmer which means you can get into the hard to reach areas like armpits a little easier.
Unlike the Shear Magic Rocket 4500 mini trimmer which requires you to purchase two AA batteries, the Wahl Pocket Pro mini trimmer only needs one AA battery and it’s included with the trimmer.
Cons:
The Wahl Pocket Pro mini trimmer is a lot nosier than the Shear Magic Rocket 4500 mini trimmer, which means dogs that get anxious by loud noises can get distressed as soon as you turn them on, which makes it difficult and dangerous to use them.
Even though the trimmer has been designed to be hidden in your hand, as soon as a dog hears the loud noise, it doesn’t matter whether they can see the trimmer or not, they can become distressed by the sound of them.
I’ve only used the Wahl Pocket Pro mini trimmer a handful of times and that’s because on a couple of occasions the blade has grazed a dog’s skin causing it to bleed slightly. This has never happened when I’ve used the Shear Magic Rocket 4500 mini trimmer.
Mini trimmer comparison
|
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Shear Magic Rocket 4500 mini trimmer |
Wahl Pocket Pro mini trimmer |
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Batteries required |
2x AA batteries (not included) |
1x AA battery (included) |
|
Warranty |
12 Months |
12 Months |
|
Comes with |
Cleaning brush and oil |
2 blade guards, 1x AA battery, cleaning brush and oil |
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Price |
$39 |
$30 |
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Noise |
Little bit noisy |
Loud |
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Weight |
136gm |
92gm |
|
Length |
135mm |
100mm |
|
Blade size |
30mm |
28mm |
What’s the verdict?
I love my Shear Magic Rocket 4500 mini trimmer. I love it so much I’ve bought two pairs, just encase one pair stops working I have a back up. I love how quiet they are and don’t scare the dogs I groom, and best of all I love how gentle the blade is on dog’s delicate skin. I’ve never once grazed or accidentally cut a dog using the Shear Magic Rocket 4500 mini trimmer. Which is something I can’t say about the Wahl Pocket Pro mini trimmer. I accidentally grazed a couple of dogs using the Wahl mini trimmer and I felt absolutely awful. For that reason, I will not use the Wahl Pocket Pro mini trimmer again.
When I completed my Certificate III in Pet Grooming, I was trained by a groomer who has over 30 years experience grooming dogs and she swore by the Shear Magic Rocket 4500 mini trimmer. Now that I’ve tried both mini trimmers I completely agree.
If you’re interested in learning how to remove the fur from in-between your dog’s paw pads, read my step-by-step instructions using the Shear Magic Rocket 4500 mini trimmer.
High quality mini trimmers
If you’d like to invest in higher quality trimmers that are quiet, don’t require batteries and will last longer, you might like to invest in one of these mini trimmers:
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