I come from a long line of obsessive-compulsive vacuumers.
To this day, my grandfather wakes before sunrise to begin his cleaning regimen. My father kept the tradition going; it was not uncommon to hear the vacuum going as early as eight o’clock in the morning on a Saturday (although I think he did it that early on purpose just to try and get me out of bed).
When we finally got a dog in the house, my dad passed the vacuuming duties on to me and, unfortunately, it’s been a part of my life since.
Although I’m not as OCD about vacuuming as the rest of my family, I’ve done it enough to know I want to do as little vacuuming as possible. Hence, the problem I currently have, which is a whole lot of hair from my pup Cali.
I’ve been pretty decent with her grooming–I use a standard wire brush and usually brush her once a week or so. As anyone who’s been to my house knows though, it’s not quite cutting it. So after being talked out of shaving Cali by my lovely fiance Felicia, I was forced to try another option: The FURminator.
With a name like FURminator, you’d think it was an extensive vacuum or some sort or elaborate hair removal system, but in fact, it’s just a dog brush. However, this thing has gotten some amazing reviews around the Web. The only reason I haven’t tried it sooner is the price…$59 dollars for the large brush…%$%&$*!
Yes, I said $59 for a brush, no typo. Thank goodness it has a 30-day money back guarantee. They do also have a small model for $34.95 and a medium model for $49.95. The brush looks like a traditional brush in the package, but once you get it out, you’ll realize it’s really just one medal edge; basically, it’s the metal part of a normal electric razor with a handle.
l was a little concerned that it might be too sharp, especially after the warnings in the package, but after a few strokes, I realized you don’t have to push to hard to get results, and this thing does get results.
The FURminator lives up to it’s name and then some. In 30 minutes of brushing, I had a grocery bag full of hair–it was amazing. Normally with the traditional brush, I would have gotten about 25 percent of what I was able to get with this thing in the same time. The handle is well-made and comfortable, and it also comes with a blade protector to protect when not in use.
Overall, FURminator makes some great products (the makers of FURminator also make treats and shampoo treatments), but they are simply priced way too high. My recommendation: Buy it if you can afford it, otherwise pitch in with a couple of friends for one, you won’t be sorry.
Pros: Does as advertised. It’s the best brush I’ve ever used. Easy to get hair out of comb and will definitely cut my grooming time in half.
Cons: Price. Even after the amazing results, I can’t believe I spent $60 on a brush. Also, it was really hard to use on and around Cali’s legs, arms and stomach, and I felt like it was more irritating to her skin than a normal brush.
Final Verdict
Price: 2
User-Friendliness: 4
Durability: 5
Doggie Enjoyment: 5
[ratings]