Old school barber told me clippers don't need daily oiling and now I'm split on it

So I've been at this shop for about 4 years now, always did the whole routine. Oil my clippers every night before I leave. Thought it was just what you had to do to keep them running smooth. But last week this guy in his 60s who's been cutting since the 80s came in to use our chair for a day, and he watched me oil up and just laughed. He said I'm basically washing out the grease that's already in the bearings by doing it that often, and all you really need is to oil when the blades start sounding dry or after a deep clean. Now I'm torn. Half of me thinks he's right and I've been wasting oil and maybe even wearing down my clippers faster. The other half thinks that's old school thinking and regular oiling prevents rust and heat buildup. Anyone got a strong opinion on this? How often do you guys actually oil your Andis or Osters?

3 comments

3 Comments

max2231mo ago

Read an article from a barber supply blog a while back that backed up what that old timer said. They tested two sets of the same clippers, one oiled every day and one only when it started getting noisy. The daily oiled ones actually seized up sooner because all that extra oil collected dust and grit and turned into basically a grinding paste in the bearings. Plus modern clippers have better seals than they did in the 80s so the grease stays put longer. I still do a quick oil every week or so just for the sound of it, but definitely backed off from the daily thing once I saw that.

caseythompson1mo ago

Kinda wild how the old school advice that was gospel for so long might've actually been making things worse lol. @max223 that test sounds pretty eye opening, never would've guessed over oiling could cause problems like that. I had a buddy who used to drench his clippers every morning before opening his shop and he went through blades like crazy. Switched to a once a week oiling and his stuff started lasting way longer. Makes sense when you think about how much hair dust floats around in a barbershop all day.

dixon.james1mo ago

Honestly that old timer probably saved you from drowning your clippers in oil for no reason. Ngl I used to do the same thing every night thinking I was being a hero to my Andis, but then I noticed the blade drive was getting all goopy and slow. Tbh I bet half the "maintenance" we think we need is just barber lore passed down like a secret handshake. Now I just hit them with a drop when they start sounding like a dying weed whacker and they last twice as long.

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