6 Best Oster Clippers For Small Farms That Old Farmers Swear By

There’s a moment on every farm when you realize a good pair of clippers isn’t a luxury, it’s a necessity. Whether you’re shearing your first sheep, tidying up a goat for kidding season, or body clipping a horse shedding its winter coat, the right tool makes the difference between a frustrating mess and a job well done. For generations, old-timers have reached for one brand more than any other: Oster.

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Choosing the Right Oster for Your Livestock

The animal always dictates the tool. You wouldn’t use a sledgehammer to hang a picture frame, and you shouldn’t use a dog grooming clipper to shear a flock of sheep. The first step is matching the clipper’s power, size, and blade system to the specific coat and task at hand.

The biggest decision point is the motor. Heavy-duty clippers like the Clipmaster use powerful universal motors designed to plow through thick, matted coats on cattle and horses. Lighter-duty models like the A5 series use rotary motors, which are quieter and cooler—perfect for more sensitive animals or detailed work around faces and udders.

There’s always a tradeoff between power and ergonomics. A beast of a clipper will get the job done fast, but its weight and heat can wear you out. A smaller, lighter model is a joy to handle for precision tasks but will bog down if you try to body clip a llama. The key is to be honest about what 90% of your clipping jobs will look like and choose the tool that fits that reality.

Oster Clipmaster: Heavy-Duty Body Clipping

When you’re facing a full-body clip on a horse, cow, or llama, the Clipmaster is the tool you pull from the chest. This is not a finesse instrument. It is a powerhouse designed for one thing: removing a lot of hair, fast.

Its variable-speed universal motor doesn’t quit. It powers through dense, dirty winter coats that would stall a lesser clipper in seconds. This raw power is what makes it the standard in barns everywhere for large animal body clipping. It saves you immense time and effort.

But that power comes at a cost. The Clipmaster is heavy, it’s loud, and it gets hot with prolonged use. You need to take breaks and use coolant to manage the blade temperature. This is a specialized tool for a demanding job, not your everyday trimmer for small tasks.

Oster ShearMaster: For Efficient Sheep Shearing

Shearing wool is fundamentally different from clipping hair. Wool is dense, greasy with lanolin, and grows in a thick fleece that needs to be removed in one piece if possible. The ShearMaster is Oster’s purpose-built solution for the small flock owner.

While it shares a powerful motor with its Clipmaster cousin, its business end is entirely different. It uses a specialized shearing head with a comb and cutter, designed to glide along the skin under the fleece, lifting and cutting the wool cleanly at the base. This is crucial for preventing painful nicks and preserving the quality of the fleece.

Could you shear a sheep with a standard clipper? Maybe one or two, but it would be a slow, frustrating, and stressful experience for you and the animal. The ShearMaster is an investment in efficiency and animal welfare. For anyone with more than a couple of fiber animals, it’s the only sensible choice.

Oster A5 Turbo: The Versatile Farm Workhorse

If you could only have one clipper on the farm, the A5 Turbo would be it. This is the ultimate utility player, capable of handling an incredible range of tasks on nearly any animal you own. From trimming a goat’s beard to clipping a horse’s bridle path to giving the farm dog a summer haircut, the A5 can do it.

Its superpower is the detachable A5 blade system. With dozens of blade sizes available, you can snap on a #40 blade for ultra-close surgical prep and switch to a #7F for a smooth body clip in under ten seconds. This versatility is unmatched and means you can adapt the tool to the job instantly.

The "Turbo" model features a two-speed motor. The lower speed is quieter and runs cooler, perfect for sensitive areas or nervous animals. Kick it into high gear, and you have the extra power needed to get through tough mats or thicker parts of a coat. It strikes the perfect balance between power and versatility, making it the most useful clipper for the diversified small farm.

Oster Volt Cordless: Power and Portability

The first time you clip an animal out in the pasture without fighting a tangled cord, you’ll understand the magic of the Oster Volt. This clipper takes the power and versatility of the legendary A5 system and cuts the cord, offering unparalleled freedom and safety.

The key is its lithium-ion battery, which delivers steady power without the gradual fade of older cordless models. It runs strong until it’s done. Crucially, the Volt uses the same A5 detachable blades as its corded siblings, so all your existing blades will fit, making it a seamless addition to your toolkit.

The obvious tradeoff is battery life. For a single horse or a few goats, one battery is plenty. But for a full day of clipping, you’ll need a second battery charged and ready to swap in. It’s the perfect tool for field use, show prep, or any job where power outlets are scarce and maneuverability is paramount.

Oster Golden A5: Simple, Unbeatable Reliability

Before there was a Turbo, there was the Golden A5. This clipper is a legend for a reason: it’s built like a brick and runs forever. It may lack the multiple speeds of its modern counterparts, but it more than makes up for it in pure, unadulterated durability.

The nearly indestructible housing can withstand being dropped, kicked, and generally abused in a way that would shatter lesser tools. Its simple, single-speed or two-speed motor is a testament to reliable engineering. This is the clipper you buy once and expect to be using twenty years from now.

For the farmer who doesn’t need fancy features, the Golden A5 is perfect. It handles all the essential tasks—trimming udders, cleaning up legs, clipping faces—with tireless consistency. It embodies the "buy it for life" philosophy and remains a trusted tool in barns that value reliability above all else.

Oster A6 Slim: Ergonomic for Precision Work

If you spend hours at a time with a clipper in your hand, you know that weight and vibration lead to fatigue. The Oster A6 Slim was designed to solve that exact problem. It’s the most ergonomic and comfortable clipper in their lineup, making it a godsend for high-volume or detailed work.

Its lightweight, slim profile fits the hand better than traditional bulky clippers, and internal vibration isolators significantly reduce the strain on your wrist and arm. Paired with a three-speed motor, it gives you exceptional control for precision jobs like show clips on dairy goats or intricate patterns on horses.

The A6 isn’t meant to replace a Clipmaster for heavy-duty body clipping. Its strength lies in its comfort and control during long sessions. For breeders, groomers, or anyone doing detailed work on multiple animals, the ergonomic design can be a game-changer, allowing you to work longer and with greater accuracy. It still uses the versatile A5 blade system, so it integrates perfectly with your existing blades.

Maintaining Your Oster for a Lifetime of Use

An Oster clipper isn’t a disposable tool; it’s a long-term investment that will last decades with proper care. Neglect is the only thing that can truly kill one. A few simple habits will ensure your clippers run as well on their thousandth job as they did on their first.

Consistent cleaning and oiling are non-negotiable. Hair and dirt grind away at moving parts, and friction from dry blades creates heat. That heat dulls your blades prematurely and puts immense strain on the motor, leading to burnout. Get in the habit of cleaning and oiling your blades before, during, and after every single use.

Here are the essentials for a long clipper life:

• Clean and Oil Blades: Brush hair off and apply a few drops of blade oil every 10-15 minutes of use. This is the single most important thing you can do.
• Use Blade Wash and Coolant: After a job, run the blades in blade wash to flush out gunk. During a long job, a coolant spray keeps the blade temperature down for the animal’s comfort and the blade’s longevity.
• Check Wearable Parts: The blade drive, which makes the cutter move back and forth, is a small plastic piece designed to wear out over time. If your clippers get loud or stop cutting well, this is the first thing to check. It’s a cheap and easy part to replace.

Proper maintenance isn’t a chore; it’s a discipline that pays you back with reliable performance year after year. A well-cared-for Oster is a true partner on the farm.

Ultimately, the best Oster for your farm is the one that matches the animals you raise and the jobs you do most often. Whether you choose a heavy-duty powerhouse or a versatile workhorse, proper maintenance is what turns a good tool into a lifetime investment. Choose wisely, care for it properly, and it will be one of the most reliable pieces of equipment in your barn.