Investing in a quality, reliable set of clippers can save you a ton of money in pet care bills in the long run.
Here are three great reasons why:

They Can Help Keep The Skin And Coat Healthy

Clippers allow you to remove mats and clip up hotspots with greater ease, safety, and effectiveness than a pair of scissors.  I can't tell you how many lacerations I've had to sew up secondary to well-intentioned pet owners attempting to remove a mat with scissors. As far as moist hotspots are concerned, getting rid of the hair and exposing them to air (which will help dry them out) before they spread could save you a $200 trip to the veterinarian.

They Can Help Keep The Ears Healthy

Hair build-up in and around the ears can lead to ear infections and expensive trips to the veterinarian. Clippers can help you keep the ear canal region free of hair and improve circulation within the canal itself (before doing so, place cotton balls into the actual ear canal to help muffle the sound of the clippers).

They Can Help Prevent Urinary Tract Disease

Clippers can be used to keep the hair around the anus and genitalia in long-haired dogs trimmed in order to prevent the accumulation of urine or fecal matter, both of which can lead to secondary urinary tract disease.

Getting the right equipment is important. I recommend Oster clippers, along with a number 10 and number 15 blade. The number 10 blade can be used for general clip jobs; the number 15 for close shaves. Be sure to get a can of clipper lube spray as well and use it often to keep your clipper blades in tip-top shape.