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To say that the Oster Fast Feed clipper is great for its price would be an understatement. Its powerful pivot motor, sharp blades and cool operation are a winning combination. We’ve elaborated on this in our Oster Fast Feed review.

Here’s the catch, though: Fast Feed guards can be a pain. And, you might want to experiment with putting a ceramic blade on it as an upgrade.

Let’s start with the guards first (refer to our guard size charts if you’re unfamiliar with clipper sizes.)

You receive 1/4″, 3/8″ and 1/2″ Fast Feed combs for free. You also fetch the blending comb if you want to do some fades. For most people, though, this isn’t enough. Another problem is the fact that stock Oster Fast Feed guards simply feel flimsy.

Harsh, but true. They just don’t live up to the quality of the clipper itself. So what can you do?

Oster have a set of clipper combs fully compatible with the Fast Feed clippers. These guards are made of hard plastic, same as the stock ones.

The package includes Oster combs #0 to #8, with the exception of #5 which is not included.

Speaking in inches, you get Oster Fast clipper guards sizes 1/16″ to 1″ (1/16″, 1/8″, 1/4″, 3/16″, 1/2″, 7/8″ and 1″.) The Oster clipper guards set is rather cheap on Amazon and will provide you with more customizability.

However, there’s a better option.

Option B (recommended): Get Andis Nano magnetic guards

Andis Nano combs from Amazon.com are a set of purple magnetic guards compatible with other brands’ models. Unlike standard plastic guards, they attach to blades via a magnetic mechanism. Some of their benefits include:
  • Tighter, more secure magnetic mechanism

  • Easier cuts due to the guards not moving around/slipping

  • Increased comb durability due to the more robust manufacture

  • Increased overall Fast Feed efficiency

But will these Andis Magnetic guards fit Oster Fast Feed?

Absolutely. You just need to make sure you get the double purple magnetic guards. If you read through some of the Amazon reviews, you’ll see many Fast Feed owners praising them.

Makes sense. As I mentioned, usual Oster Fast Feed guards are simply flimsy. The plastic bends and is a bit of a nuisance to work with. Andis purple combs don’t bend and hold onto the Fast Feed blades with a solid grip. You’ll get easier, more precise cuts.

Andis Magnetic guards fit Oster Fast Feed clippers like a glove.

You have two options here. You either get the smaller purple combs, or the bigger sized ones.

The smaller Andis magnetic guards include sizes 0 to 4. You get a total of 5 combs, measuring 1/16″, 1/8″, 1/4″, 3/8″ and 1/2″. For our European readers – that’s 1.5mm, 3mm, 6mm, 10mm and 13mm.

The bigger Andis purple guards come in sizes 5 to 8. You fetch 4 Andis magnetic combs, measuring 5/8″, 3/4″, 7/8″ and 1″. Again, for European clippers lovers – that’s 16mm, 19mm, 22mm and 25.5mm.

Are they a bit more expensive than the plastic Oster Fast clipper guards? Yes, they absolutely are.

Is it worth it to spend a few more bucks on them anyway? Totally.

With Andis Magnetic guards fitting perfectly, this is the recommended route for supplementing them. Unreliable, subpar guards are one of this model’s few drawbacks. You’re effectively improving its potential as a professional clipper by choosing the right option.

Upgrade: Putting a ceramic blade on the Fast Feed

Sometimes you just want to get a little bit fancier with Fast Feed blades too. And, without any doubt, the best option here would be the Oster Fast Feed ceramic blade upgrade.

Why?

Well, ceramic blades usually stay way cooler than standard stainless steel ones. Whether it’s for your own comfort, or the comfort of your clients, it’s a nice idea.

What do you need?

Just a simple ceramic blade, and that’s nothing else than Andis’ coarse ceramic cutter. A budget-friendly, quite potent blade.

Warning: Before putting a ceramic blade on your Fast Feed

I want to emphasize on this: installing a ceramic blade on your Fast Feeds will require some skill and effort. In addition, there might be some side effects like the clippers being louder.

This is due to the ceramic blade being just a little bit wider than the Fast Feed steel one. This means it won’t  be perfectly centered on the hair clipper.

Here’s the perfect video you should watch before trying anything out. It’s not that hard, but I just don’t want you to mess up your clipper!