How to Choose Oster Clipper Blades

Author:
Mark N
Updated date:
Mar 15, 2016

Oster Clipper Blades

Everything you wanted to know about metal Oster blades for hair clippers: sizes, lengths, and finding blades for both human and pet hair trimming at a great price.

Extremely affordable -- a solid construction Oster AgION or CryogenX blade is all you'll need trim your own hair or your pet's hair at home without ever having to pay someone else, ever again!

About Oster Hair Clipper Blades

About the Blades

Metallic Oster clipper blades are built to last for years without sharpening. All Oster hair clipper blades listed here will easily snap on to your hair clipper, and are fitted with their own built-in blade.

Hair Clipper Blade Sizes

For newbies, it can be difficult at first to understand the numbering system for hair clipper blades. Oster has their own numbering system, which begins at the absolute shortest (#000000 for human hair, #50 for pet hair) to longer lengths (#3 and above).

Each blade cuts down to their exact stated length -- no more, no less. All blades listed here are sorted by size, and contain information indicating how short they will trim down to. The chart on your right displays the length that several common blades trim to, with the actual hair length indicated by red markings.

Exclusive Features

Oster clipper blades have two separate makes within their own product line. AgION clipper blades are specially manufactured to provide built-in antimicrobial protection, which protects the blade itself from growing mold, mildew and other bacteria that naturally form over time. They're developed to stay sharper, longer. CryogenX blades are high carbon steel, and are meant for pet grooming.

An Oster blade, front, followed by the moving blade that's fastened on the rear.

How Oster Blades Work

Attaching Blades to Oster Clippers

If you own an Oster, you're part of the "detachable blade attachment" world. All Oster hair clippers feature blades that simply snap on and off the clipper, regardless of which Oster hair clipper model you own. All blades feature a metallic latch that fits over the metal prong of the clipper, sliding and snapping into place.

Oster blades work by having a rectangular bar of teeth (Fig. B) behind the blade, that vibrates at a top speed against the teeth located at the top of the blade. This rectangular part slides along a plastic rail. Thanks to all Oster clippers' ample amount of torque, you can be assured that the blade, regardless of how tightly fastened it may be, will work perfectly each time.

Metal clipper blades need to be greased on a regular basis. It's a simple process: a tiny dot of grease along the back railing and top area where the blade parts meet will do the trick.

Blade Construction

All Oster blades go through the most rigorous standards in the industry, manufactured in a 26-step process. The front of the blade (Fig. A) is designed with signature groove patterns for heat dispersion, allowing them to run cool even after extended usage. In fact, you'll never burn your scalp with an Oster blade. It is literally impossible to ever cut your scalp with an Oster blade, which is a concern with other clipper brands.

While these blades are durable, the only fragile aspect about them is the plastic "rail" that the underside blade slides against. This plastic piece will be the only part in risk of breaking if the blade is ever dropped from a tall height.

Special Blade Treatments

Oster has two unique features to their blades: AgION and CyrogenX. AgION is a coating that makes their blades become bacteria, mold and mildew-proof; these are common elements that typically attack clipper blades. You'll know if an Oster blade was treated with AgION if you can simply see that word printed on the face of the blade.

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CyrogenX is a process that Oster has applied only to its line of pet hair clipper blades. In this process, Oster cryogenically treated their blades to temper them to stay 20 degrees cooler than normal, for pet safety.

Price

Oster metal clipper blades retail for around $25-30 a piece. Due to the quality alloy they're made of, they can go for years without needing any sharpening at all.

Oster AgION blades stay sharp for years. They only fit Oster Classic 76, Star-Teq, Power-Teq & Powerline Hair Clippers, designed to cut human hair. Blades range in sizes from #00000 (trims down to the skin) to #3.75 (for a 1/2" buzz cut). Below, they're sorted from closest-cutting to longest-cutting.

#00000 (1/125" cut) Clipper Blade

Item #76918-006

Leaves hair 1/125" (0.2 mm) micro close
The closest cutting Oster blade: used for complete shaving of head & face, practically down to the skin

#0000 (1/100" cut) Clipper Blade

Item #76918-016

Leaves hair 1/100" (0.25 mm)
Used for very close fades. Cuts hair very close - used for bald fading cuts; leaves stubble

#000 (1/50" cut) Clipper Blade

Item #76918-026

Leaves hair 1/50" (0.5 mm)
Used for close fades, leaves "5 o'clock shadow" effect. Removes lines from a size #0A blade trim

#0A (3/64" cut) Clipper Blade

Item #76918-056

Leaves hair 3/64" (1.2 mm)
Used for clipper over comb cutting, close fades, tops of flattops, removing bulk (all hair types), removing lines from/blending to a size #1 blade

#1 (3/32" cut) Clipper Blade

Item #76918-086

Leaves hair 3/32" (2.4 mm)
Used for clipper over comb cuts, medium fades, removing bulk (all hair types), removing lines from/blending to size #1A & #1.5 blades

#1A (1/8" cut) Clipper Blade

Item #76918-076

Leaves hair 1/8" (3.2 mm)
Used for clipper over comb cuts, medium fades, removing bulk (textured hair), and removing lines from/blending to a size #1.5 blade

#1 1/2 (5/32" cut) Clipper Blade

Item #76918-116

Leaves hair 5/32" (4.0 mm)
Used for clipper over comb cutting (a soft cutting blade), tapering sides and nape, and removing lines from/blending to a size #2 blade

#2 (1/4" cut) Clipper Blade

Item #76918-126

Leaves hair 1/4" (6.3 mm) - cuts hair long
Used free hand, for blending sides and nape, and removing lines from/blending to a size #3 1/2 blade

#3 1/2 (3/8" cut) Clipper Blade

Item #76918-146

Leaves hair 3/8" (9.5 mm)
Used free hand, establishing length on sides and on the nape of the neck

#3 3/4 (1/2" cut) Clipper Blade

Item #76918-206

Leaves hair 1/2" (12.7 mm)
Used free hand, establishing length on sides and on the nape of the neck

CryogenX blades are especially made for Oster A5 series hair clippers; both are designed strictly for animal grooming. They include Oster's own cryogenic treatment that allows the blade to stay 20 degrees cooler than standard A-5 clipper model blades. Below, they're sorted from closest-cutting to longest-cutting.

#50 Skip Tooth (1/125" cut) Clipper Blade

Item #78919-006

Leaves hair/fur 1/125" (0.2 mm)
A micro close size, trims down to the skin

#40 Skip Tooth (1/100" cut) Clipper Blade

Item #78919-016

Leaves hair/fur 1/100" (0.25 mm)
A very close trim, used to clip ears and foot pads

#30 (1/50" cut) Clipper Blade

Item #78919-026

Leaves hair/fur 3/64" (0.5 mm)
A very close trim, used to clip ears and foot pads

#15 (3/64" cut) Clipper Blade

Item #78919-036

Leaves hair/fur 3/64" (1.19 mm)
Great for trimming matte, face, tail, ears & feet

#10 (1/16" cut) Clipper Blade

Item #78919-046

Leaves hair/fur 1/16" (1.58 mm)
Great for trimming matte, face, tail, ears & feet

#9 (5/64" cut) Clipper Blade

Item #78919-196

Leaves hair/fur 5/64" (1.98 mm)
Trims pets' face, stomach & mattes

#8 1/2 (7/64" cut) Clipper Blade

Item #78919-146

Leaves hair/fur 7/64" (2.77 mm)
Trims pets' face, stomach & mattes

#7F (1/8" cut) Clipper Blade

Item #78919-166

Leaves hair/fur 1/8" (3.2 mm)
The flat version of blade #7, for less coarse hair

#7 Skip Tooth (1/8" cut) Clipper Blade

Item #78919-056

Leaves hair/fur 1/8" (3.2 mm)
Meant for main body area of pets, especially useful for trimming through thick, matted hair

#5F (1/4" cut) Clipper Blade

Item #78919-176A

Leaves hair/fur 1/4" (6.3 mm)
The flat version of the #5 blade

#5 Skip Tooth (1/4" cut) Clipper Blade

Item #78919-066

Leaves hair/fur 1/4" (6.3 mm)
A 'skip-tooth' blade designed to trim very coarse hair

#4F (3.8" cut) Clipper Blade

Item #78919-586

Leaves hair/fur 3.8" (9.5 mm)
The flat version of the #4 skip tooth blade
Works best on drop coats & soft fur/hair breeds

#4 Skip Tooth (3/8" cut) Clipper Blade

Item #78919-136

Leaves hair/fur 3/8" (9.5 mm)
Works great on thick coats for summer styling

#3F (1/2" cut) Clipper Blade

Item #78919-206

Leaves hair/fur 1/2" (12.7 mm)
The flat version of the #3 blade

#3 Skip Tooth (1/2" cut) Clipper Blade

Item #78919-226

Leaves hair/fur 1/2" (12.7 mm)
A 'skip-tooth' blade designed to trim very coarse hair

The following blades below are close-cutting special sized blades used for the detailing of smaller areas, to give a finishing touch.

#5/8 (1/32" cut) Clipper Blade

Item #78919-106

Leaves hair/fur 1/32" (0.79 mm)
Has a more narrow head than the 7/8" blade
For straight, drop, wiry, fluffy, curly & heavy double coats: ears & dog foot pads