Tried a new clipper oil and my trimmer sounded like a dying lawnmower

Swapped from some generic Wahl oil to a fancy brand called Blade Ice last week because the guy at the supply shop swore it was better. First use on a fade, the trimmer started making this grinding noise that scared my client so bad he jumped out of the chair. Has anyone else had a lubricant totally backfire on them like that?

3 comments

3 Comments

terry_wood511mo ago

That "sounded like a dying lawnmower" part made me wince, I know exactly that awful feeling. I've had a similar thing happen with a so-called premium lubricant that turned my trimmer into a screeching mess halfway through a lineup. It's such a pain when you trust a shop recommendation and it totally backfires on you. Makes you wonder if they tested that stuff on anything before selling it. Hope your clipper is okay after that noise, sometimes that grinding can do real damage to the motor.

the_xena1mo ago

Honestly I used to think any oil was better than no oil. Thought cheap stuff worked fine. Then I tried that fancy "premium" brand and my clipper sounded like yours. @terry_wood51 you're right about the grinding. It left this weird heat damage on the blade, never ran smooth again after that. Makes you wonder if they even test that stuff on actual tools or just slap a fancy label on it.

oscarb771mo ago

My dad had an old chainsaw he'd tuned up for years with motor oil from the garage, worked like a charm every time. Then he bought a bottle of "professional grade" bar oil from the hardware store and it gummed up the whole works in about twenty minutes. He went back to the cheap stuff and never looked back, sometimes the simple way is the best way.