When I got Charlee she was in a long coat, but trimmed around her eyes, and beard was short. Since I groom my own Mini Schnauzer, I thought I would keep up that habit (esp. since I asked about pricing and was told $65.00
My god, that's like $13.00 per lb!!!) So, I just scissored her long the first year...and if she was moving, you couldn't see how uneven it was
But last year, I decided to be brave, and used my clippers with a number 7 blade ( I use Andis pro clippers), and cut all the "black", leaving her head, tail and legs long. I loved it, and although I've let her grow in for the winter (except for the sanitary), that's what I'm going to do this summer too! Grooming your own dog is much easier than you think! And you do get better with practice.
However; I mean no insult to groomers, who often have to deal with badly behaved and badly matted dogs...they are worth their weight in gold when you get a good one!