The dead coat actually comes out: the close-packed row of teeth reaches under the top layer and brings the loose undercoat up with it.
Knots come apart instead of getting cut out: the wide side carries hooked blades that open a mat a few strands at a time.
Two tools on one handle: turn it over and you go from splitting a mat to clearing loose hair without putting anything down.
Made for a coat with something to give: it works through anything with length or an undercoat underneath, so a short smooth coat has less for it to reach.
Your dog stands there for it: the blade tips are rounded, so they run along the skin rather than dig into it.
Two sides, two different jobs
One side has fewer blades, set wide apart, each with a hook on the end. Those are for mats. The hook catches the knot and cuts up through it, so the mat opens rather than being sheared off the dog.
The other side is packed tight. Nothing there is trying to cut, it is there to comb, and the gaps are narrow enough to hold onto the fine dead hair sitting under the coat you can see.
You find out how much was in there
The first proper session ends with a pile on the floor next to you, and it is always more than you expected. Grey and soft, nothing like the coat on top.
All of that was going to come out anyway. This is just the difference between it coming out here, on a Sunday, and coming out on the stairs all week.
The coat is why you chose them
Nobody picks a Husky or a Golden Retriever by accident. You wanted the thick coat, the ruff, the tail that fills a doorway.
What comes with it is not a fault in the dog. It is a job, twice a year harder than the rest of the time, and it wants a tool built for it rather than the one that came free with something else.
Questions
Which coats does it work on?
Anything with a double coat or real length. A Husky, a German Shepherd, a Golden Retriever, a Border Collie, a Pomeranian, a Maltese, a Caucasian Shepherd all give up a serious amount of undercoat.
On a short smooth coat like a Whippet or a Frenchie there is simply less under there for the teeth to find. A rubber mitt does more on those.
Which size should I choose?
Both are the same length in the hand at 17cm. The difference is how wide the head is: the small one is 7cm across, the large one 9cm.
The wider head covers a Labrador or a Newfoundland flank in fewer passes. The narrower one is easier to steer around a Yorkie, and easier to get behind ears and down legs on any dog.
Is it gentle on the skin?
The tips of the blades are rounded rather than pointed, so they travel along the skin instead of catching on it. Work in the direction the coat lies and use short strokes.
There is no need to press. The teeth do the work on the way through, and pushing harder only pulls on the hair that is still attached.
How do I get a mat out?
Use the side with the wide-set hooked blades and start at the outside edge of the mat, not the middle. Short strokes, working inwards, taking a little off each time.
Hold the coat above the mat with your other hand so the pulling stops at your fingers instead of at the skin. Once it opens up, turn the tool over and comb the loose hair out.
Seeing these retail at over £20 i had to try it. and the results are worth the wait for delivery! make sure to follow instructions online on how to use these because you can get bald spots if you don’t know what you’re doing. my cat is happier now!
