After all my confusion about size and type I ordered a Marrs Coat King 12 blade. I got the one with the rosewood handle which almost made the tool affordable for our family

My problem was I just couldn't decide how coarse Sophie's hair was. I've never touched another Cairn. I finally decided she was fairly coarse because people always remark that she is not as "soft" as they imagined her to be, when they pet her.

Well, the tool arrived yesterday, and I was prepared.

THIS THING IS AMAZING....just amazing. It reduced the volume of her hair tremendously. Yet never really altered the length of her coat.

I won't go so far as to say she enjoyed being groomed with it, but you have to understand she is a total wiggly brat when you try to brush her. She did not seem to mind it anymore than she minds being groomed in general. When we were finished she was very frisky.

Her legs, and hindquarters were the worst. The ruff around her face was a close second.

When I finish...I only torture her a few minutes at a time.....I'll post a new picture of her.

Overall I am impressed that the tool works like it is supposed to and can tame Sophie's mop. I'd recomend it.

Tena

Can't wait to see a picture of the new Sophie!

That's all I needed to hear...just ordered one online.

Thanks for the tip!

T.

Count me in too!! I know it doesn't hurt them but I have such a hard time pulling out my pup's hair. A tool that does the work for you??? Sounds good to me!! Thanks for helping make the choice easier for me.

It's a fabulous tool for those Cairns who are pets and not show dogs. My crew would look like Sheepdogs if I didn't have one.

My Mars King is a size 16. What is the difference in using a 16 vs 12? Does one cut shorter or what? Tink seems to look fine, but I don't know what I might be missing with the 12.

LindaB

I love Mars Coat King for my three Cairns. I have the 16 blade and it seems to work great. I still need something for around their faces.

We have the #16 blade, too, and it works really well. I ordered it from the Col. Potter Rescue site and I got their grooming book for free. I also have the thinning shears, which are very helpful for Packy's "ruff" and belly area. Packy doesn't seem to mind the Mars Coat King any more than he does brushing, except for his back end. He hates that part!

http://mall.cairnrescue.com/inv_groom.htm

I only have the 12...because I was so wishy-washy about the whole thing, I stuck with the middle ground. One site I looked at said the longer and finer the hair the higher the blade number. Sophie's hair is not super long, she was clipped completely in Oct...about 2 or 3 inches I guess, and it is not fine..it's pretty dense, wavy and rough. After I ordered I saw another website that recomended an 8 blade for a cairn and I know many people on this site have 16 blades...so who knows

I am pleased with the tool, she had a lot of undercoat and no amount of brushing was working on it, this thing works.