Laube iVac Vacuum Clipper 2-Speed Kit

Best Trimmer I've ever had hands down. The fact that all the cut hair goes right into the shop vac is a super bonus. I've called the 1-800for the company to order new blades for the past 10 years. Great customer service and family run in the U.S.

Very noisy, extremely noisy, also missing attachment to connect to clipper vac (Romani)I’m a professional pet groomer and for over $500 I expect a well done clipper, to me the concept is very smart but the manufacturing is very poor,

I purchased a previous production version of this same kit (after extensive shopping for several years & using less expensive & inferior units) from another retailer (i.e. not Amazon) who was clearing inventory & selling at a unusual discount.While not professional groomers, we trim our own pet, a miniature poodle, and family members, for both cost & hassle reasons. We have used Oster and other brands of "Professional" clippers for years, but also lived with the messy cleanup afterwards, much less power and much hotter housing temperatures (the Laube unit has a much more efficient & powerful 12 V motor using neodynium magnets). With 110 VAC powered units, there is adequate power but also the big problems of hot, hard to hold, clippers when used for more that about 10 minutes at a time.These clippers work far better. The blades move much faster, yet the clippers makes less noise, the housing only gets warm (around the motor area after extended use) and they clip better, especially with the vacuum assist, because the hair is constantly being sucked up and across the tips of the clipper blades. The difference in clipping technique is significant but only takes about 10-15 minutes to get used to.The fact that ~98% plus of all the hair has gone into the vacuum cleaner while clipping is a huge plus & time saver. We use the clipper with the British designed Dyson DC-15 home vacuum cleaner and reduce the air flow with a 110 VAC variable speed control (such as commonly sold for routers, ~$20 on ebay.). The clipper hose is long enough that the vacuum can be positioned in another room. This (and reduced vacuum motor speed) has significantly reduced air noise locally and allows adjusting air flow appropriately for the particular task being done.While the clipper comes with multiple vacuum adapters, none worked well with the British designed Dyson DC-15 we use for nearly all dry high air flow uses (including house vacuuming), however adapting the IVAC hose end to the inlet of the Dyson hose took only minimal ingenuity with a modified 1" PVC pipe coupling fitting.Despite cutting large amounts of long dry hair, vacuum tube clogging has not been an issue, a minor issue mentioned by some professionals on the net. Rapidly filling up the vacuum cleaner to capacity has been a minor issue; however Dyson vacuums are easy and quick to empty, ready for more.The price kept me away for well over two years after first "discovering" these clippers while on a web search for better clippers. I was also leery, preferring the flexibility of no cord, yet we are now using clippers with the large (about 1" diameter) and long tube, plus the noise of a vacuum running (in another room) and have been very pleased with the improvements (advance preparation is a huge improvement over after-the-fact mess and clean-up).Issues which long kept my attention (before purchase) included that the clippers are unusually well made, have ball bearings at all important locations, include a 5 year warranty, are the brand most commonly endorsed by professionals and Kim Laube sells all repairs parts, via the net, to end users, so long term maintenance should not be a problem.One concern, prior to purchase, was the nature of the vacuum tube connection. However, this has been an non-problem. It uses a light weight spring steel ball bearing connection; stays secure, yet allows the clippers to swivel easily on the end of the vacuum hose; an excellent design which appears and has been quite durable.Another concern was the design of the power cord. While not apparent from photos on the net, the design is a 110 VAC to 12 volt DC adapter brick at the wall outlet end with a quality connector at the clipper end & connected by 18 feet of black 2 conductor zip-cord power cord. The power cord was partially fastened the outside of the vacuum tube with a few black cable ties near the clipper end only. This could be improved for better neatness and convenience in use, though different users may have different desires.The included large plastic carrying box to keep everything together is a big plus, though not molded with great precision. I have had to modify it some, both to get the hinges to stay linked and use of a hot air gun to slightly straighten the plastic box so as to get the notches on the front of the plastic box to align well enough to hold the lid reliably closed on both sides at the front.Since we recently found this clipper kit at an unusually low retail price and make the splurge, we are now very happy to have these in our toolkit. They make a recurring task much neater, more pleasant, and less time consuming for all involved.I since purchased the Laube hairpin IVAC clippers. These have been very useful for detail work. These are battery powered, can be used with out without the same vacuum hose and also easily fit well into the Laube plastic case for the larger IVAC clippers. However, the hairpin clippers have their own problems (non-standard 2/3 cell NiMH batteries inside, cannot run connected to both external power and connect the IVAC hose at the same time and the internal air passage has a constriction which creates a lot of added noise/reduced flow; I have largely fixed these issues, complex to do so.)Could this product be improved?Absolutely: e.g.1. Redesign the power cord to run through the vacuum tube wall (or opening), to cut down on cords plus fully eliminate swiveling the clipper over and over in use and tangling the power cord around the vac tube.2. And a current controlled relay to the power brick for an outlet for the vacuum used; so vacuum will turn on and off with the clipper power.3. Add a triac power control circuit within the power brick & a control on the clipper to allow easily controlling, up/down, power to the vacuum. (The clipper does have an air-bleed door. However opening this bleed door, while decreasing airflow over the clipper blade tips, also adds a lot of noise; cheaper/simpler but a poor substitute for speed control of the vacuum motor.) (I have used a router speed control, e.g. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B002MLE01A, as a work around pending something better.)

As a professional groomer of 15 years I can say this clipper is amazing. Not only can you hook it up to any shop vac (so you don't need a specific canister), you can adjust the suction depending on coat type. There is a learning curve, I highly recommend looking up tips for this clipper, but once you get the hang of it, it's great.The only downside is it's a little awkward to hold, and it can get heavy after long use. The blade lock is tricky but once you learn how to use it, it's fine. Overall I highly recommend this clipper.

Cost $500.00 and isvery cheaply made can't believe what a waste of money horrible equipment chalked up to a totallossof $500!!!

We purchased this Laube Clipper about a year ago for our shi-tzu and cavapoo. We absolutely love it. Also purchased an assortment of blades as well as a small Rigid vac to use with these clippers. The only thing I want to change is buying the Laube vac as the small one needs cleaned-out a couple times per dog clipping (and we have small dogs). This quality was an investment we will use for a long time. I would guess it's almost paid for itself with our two dogs in a year (I knew at one point which is how I justified the $).