By Michael Kuhlmann

bamboo furbuster

Several dog posts ago, Dave reviewed the phallic-looking FURminator, which introduced me to the wonderful world of branded de-shedding tools. Seriously, how do you come up with the FURminator? To be honest, I was always skeptical of them, having seen looped video footage in a few pet stores of all these other de-shedding brushes, combs, mittens, etc. It’s kind of like watching QVC. No wait, it’s worse. It’s kind of like watching that obnoxious guy with the colored beard bragging about KaBoom, OxyClean or whatever the latest cleaning solution trend is on the horizon. Like one simple spray and wipe is going to remove that oil spill that’s been sitting in your grout for days, ha! Right.

I do trust Dave’s review though, but it’s always better to try products out for yourself. Enter: Bamboo’s FurBuster. Now, marketing-wise you could actually make something cool of this, like a FurBuster commercial with the Ghost Busters theme song or something, but I digress. FurBuster is yet another de-shedding tool that I thought wouldn’t quite work with Beary. He’s a small dog and has very thin, long puppy hair that gets tangled and matted real easily.

The instructions say to brush your dog’s hair prior to using the FurBuster, which is probably the best advice you’ll ever want to remember lest you want to ruin your dog’s fancy shag. Interestingly enough, the FurBuster actually does work flawlessly like it advertises on the packaging and on Bamboo’s site. The kit comes with three detachable blades, depending on your dog’s size. And unlike previous versions, this de-shedder also has a nice ergonomic handle, which makes de-shedding a breeze. However, I will say this: it works a lot better on bigger dogs of the spaniel variety. I actually did wind up testing the FurBuster on Shannon’s parents’ springer spaniel, Spanky, and it made his coat feel a lot cleaner and softer several minutes afterward. The best part was that neither Spanky nor Beary minded the de-shedding process.

And now for the really cool part: we will be giving a free Bamboo Deluxe Grooming Set away in an upcoming contest, so check back for that and your dog, too, could be strutting around your neighborhood with a clean, soft coat =)

Pros: Comes with different blades depending on your dog’s size. Easy to use. Nice handle. You can even use it on your cat.

Cons: It’s not a miracle tool that will substitute grooming. You won’t see the results as much as you’ll feel them.

1 Star2 Stars3 Stars4 Stars5 Stars (5 votes, average: 4.4 out of 5)

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Sweeet... there are 6 comment(s) so far ;)

#1

The graphic with the floor completely covered in removed hair is no joke, hopefully you’ll do this outside or put the hair in a trashcan though.

Spyder wrote on July 31, 2008 - 7:48 pm
#2

I actually was skeptical of this too, as I keep on buying dog razors that wont even cut their hair!
This is the first comb that truly de sheds fur, but it also gets fleas! Just keep wiping the hair into a paper towel as you go and wad the fleas up.
ALL 5 of my dogs love it, and three of them hate everything else I’ve tried, this one they love =0) Even the 3 cats love it! What’s that say about it’s blade? Awesome!

karly wrote on August 29, 2008 - 11:33 pm
#3

my question - can you use this too often on your dog??? we have a flat coated retriever - and it’s great on getting all of that hair off of her - my house looks so much less hairy!! but can i do harm to her coat by brushing her with this too often?
thank you

sarita wrote on September 10, 2008 - 6:43 pm
#4

@sarita
hey there - we’re trying to figure that out right now from an authoritative source, but i don’t think it would cause any immediate health risks. will definitely keep you posted so keep checking back!

mike wrote on September 11, 2008 - 7:27 pm
#5

Update #2: Bamboo’s Customer Service rep said there’s no harm in using the Furbuster “too often.” She said to check with your vet to see if your dog has any pre-existing health conditions that may be affected by brushing him/her too much. Hope this helps!

mike wrote on September 12, 2008 - 4:07 pm
#6

I asked my groomer today, and she recommended only using the Furminator, DeShedder, or FurBuster, et al. about once a week. Apparently brushes of this sort are so good at taking out “bad” hair that it will also take out some “good” hair with it…using it too often (like everyday!) will give you a bald doggie or kitty cat!

Cindy Vissering wrote on September 12, 2008 - 10:10 pm
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