Both the powderpuff and the hairless need a wee bit of trimming, regardless of the hairyness of the hairless. It’s a custom to trim the face and neck of the crested, powderpuff or hairless. Also depending on the level of hairyness the hairless might need some other grooming too.
We’ve bought a couple of cheap trimmers for human hair (20-50€, Remington, Babyliss, Philips…) but the dog hair is just too thick for the blades. The trimmers overheat, get clogged and don’t cut well anymore. So instead of spending your euros on trimmers that don’t work, it’s better to spend a bit more on a trimmer that does. Here’s a few affordable dog trimmers that we’ve found to be ok:
Wahl’s Moser Rex 1230
This clipper was the first real clipper I bought… That’s about nine years ago. It is quite large and heavy but I’ve shaved down a powderpuff’s coat many times with it and for that it works well. It might not be the handiest for grooming a face as it is quite large and can feel a bit clumsy. But for a powderpuff owner who wants to keep his/her puff shaved down, this is a good clipper for that! Also I did shave the face with this one for years so if you’re just going to buy one trimmer, this could be it. Blades are affordable and easy to find and seem to last forever (I’ve only changed the blade once or twice!).
Prices range from 60 – 100€.
Wahl’s Moser 1400
A bit cheaper version of the Moser Rex 1230, this is pretty much the same machine but with shorter grooming time. It heats up after 10 minutes of suggested use and you should take a break after it. Heavy and a bit clumsy, but a strong clipper like Rex 1230. This is the trimmer of choice that my parents’ use for powderpuff’s face and grooming their hairless too. However, with a shorter trimming time you can’t spend forever grooming, so not the best choice for keeping those puffs in a clipped down coat. Also these big Mosers are not good choices for the smaller cresteds face as the blades are quite big. However the price is around 20€ less so about 50€. If I remember correctly the blades of 1400 and 1230 (Rex) are interchangeable.
Wahl’s Moser Chromini
The weapon of choice for many crested owners, Wahl’s Moser Chromini is the trimmer that can. It is small, light and handy, cuts smoothly and is perfect for trimming the face. It works for grooming the body of a hairy hairless too as it’s a lot easier and safer to work with in difficult areas (such as armpits etc…). Clipping down a whole powderpuff.. Well, that’s a bit too much for this trimmer. It has only a built in battery that can’t be changed and over the years our mini’s batteries are getting old (we have two). Just after three years of use it seems the batteries last only for 10-15 minutes at a time and then need to be recharged. The blades are small and I’ve bought a new one approx. once a year, however the price of one is only 20-30€. Some users have complained the quality of the blades dropping, but I have been satisfied so far with mine. This is a good clipper that I recommend to puppy owners buying their first clipper. Affordable at around 90€ you can buy this clipper from many pet stores.
Oster Artisan
Oster is a brand often used by professional groomers but their prices are often out of my price range. However this new small clipper has quickly become a new favourite around crested owners. It is similar to the Chromini but has the option of plugging the cord in or using it cordless. It is said that the Moser Chromini feels better to the hand, but that might be just a matter of personal opinion. I ordered this trimmer from Germany a few days ago so I haven’t tried it yet. But I am excited as my Chrominis batteries are getting worse by the year. This trimmer is also meant for grooming the face or finishing the coat, not clipping down a whole powderpuff. Trimming time is said to be 45 minutes. Prices are around 90 euros, I ordered it online for less than 50 (including shipping).
If you’re shopping on a budget, you might want to try out EBAY.de for cheaper prices. If you travel around US might want to get a new trimmer while you’re at it as they are a lot cheaper over there but the shipping to Europe can cost more than the actual clipper. The Moser clippers aswell as the Oster Artisan are sold by most large pet stores as well as many online shops.
