SleekEZ Update

So yesterday I wrote a review on the SleekEZ. It was mostly just my first impressions, but now I'm back after testing it on my two horses to give my final feelings on it.

The first impression I and many others get when they see the SleekEZ is that it's just a hack saw in a wooden handle, and for all I know, it very well could be. (I don't know anything about saws). But as the person who runs the SleekEZ Facebook Page pointed out, different teeth designs do different things. The blade actually isn't sharp, you'd have to press really hard to do any harm, but it's also best to follow the instructions and not use it in a sawing motion.

After testing it on my Alaskan Malamute, I was initially skeptical. It really didn't seem to do anything and I couldn't be sure that the few hairs that did come out weren't shaved by the blade (which is one way I thought the blade might actually work when viewing other people's videos of it). So the jury was out and still is out on the dog front. Dog coats vary so much more than horse coats, I wouldn't be surprised if the SleekEZ doesn't work on some of them. I will be testing it on her again when she blows her winter coat for her summer one.

OK, on to the horses.

So when I arrived at the farm today, I showed the SleekEZ to my mom, who was also surprised by the saw like blade design. Other than that though, she didn't have much to say on it. She had attempted to get me to buy two though so that she could groom our new filly, whom she has taken a liking to.

Today was cold and windy, and the real reason we were out at the farm was to put up some property line fencing. The farm was split 3 ways upon my step-dad's mother's death between him and his two sisters. Both sisters have allowed my horses on their properties but they're both trying to sell their small plots. One is actively showing theirs, and has officially requested we keep the horses off her land. So a fence is going up. And so, I did not do a full grooming session on the horses but only a spot check.

I tested the blade on Elsa first who is already shedding lots of hair. It did scrape a whole bunch off and it didn't clog like your typical grooming brushes, so that was a nice plus. Since I wasn't having to stop every stroke or two, this meant the grooming was faster. As the name implies, the area I brushed did become Sleek. If it wasn't so cold out, I'd have taken the time to see if once the loose hair was out, if it would be any better at getting out her deep set in dust on her top line.

However this still left the possibility that the blade was just shaving the hair away. With the tooth design, the teeth could be like the size protector on hair clippers. So I turned to Eclipse, who is much fluffier than Elsa.

Now, let's take a moment to give some overview on Eclipse. She is the filly I bought about 3 or 4 weeks ago to be Elsa's pasture buddy. She isn't a draft, but she is very fluffy. This is because she was actually a tad underweight when I got her. Don't worry, we have more than enough pasture to fatten her up, but thin or sickly horses tend to grow a denser and longer winter coat than a fat healthy horse (sometimes they tend to hold onto longer too).

Eclipse is not shedding yet. Not really, and I don't expect she'll start for another couple of weeks. So she would be a great tell as to how the SleekEZ works. If it shaves or not. She had longer thicker hair, and isn't shedding. I am happy to report that the SleekEZ took practically NO hair from her coat. This means the SleekEZ does work as advertised, and does not remove healthy hair, and it does NOT shave the coat.

Little, slightly weary, Eclipse stood there and let me run it along her shoulder, side, and butt, and from no part of her did much hair come out at all. Certainly not like the globs of hair that were falling off of Elsa. So the SleekEZ cleared it's name and proved that it does not shave a horse to make them Sleek. So as far as this product goes for me, it gets an overall passing grade. Let's say a B+

When I went back inside, my mother asked me how I liked it. I explained it worked just fine. She asked (or more stated) if it shaved the horses. I was happy to reply that it did no such thing. I am happy to put that to rest, as it is one of the first things people will think of. (And with so many scams out there, who can blame us for being a critic? (certainly a keyboard warrior or two do get uppity for me not blindly loving the item))

In Closing

I did get a chance to speak to someone on the Facebook SleekEZ page. From what I gathered, they appeared to be the creator, although I could be wrong. It does appear to be mostly a 1 man show for the SleekEZ, with the exception of manufacturing. I don't think they particularly liked my initial review for the SleekEZ, but they did accept it and explained some things. The person was a joy to talk to and very personable.

They are going to be fixing the grammar error I noticed on the paperwork, and they are working towards a new, more professional, packaging. So here are my final impressions of the product.

-I still love that it's made 100% in the USA

-I am not sure that it would work on all dogs (for the dog sized one) but it may be worth a shot.

-I do hope they find a nice way to package the item. This not only just seems more professional and would make people feel better for spending $20+ on it, but it would also make the product available to be sold in stores. Honestly, packaging is probably something that I would have nailed down before selling the product, possibly before even finalizing the design, but that is just perfectionist me.

-I do wish that it was made with different or better materials, as this appears to be something I am going to have to take extra care of with oil since I live in an extremely humid area. I am the type of person who would much rather have something that requires lower maintenance.

-The SleekEZ does NOT shave the animal's hair/fur. It does appear to only remove loose hair.

-The jury is still out for me on its effectiveness at removing the dust from the horses from the dirt roads that boarder the property on 3 sides. I will likely test that later this week when it's warmer.

-I am not sure how unique the blade is, and if a simple tiny toothed hack saw would yield the same results, but I'm not going to take a hack saw to my horse to find out.

-Since the teeth don't clog with hair like typical brushes (which would then redeposit the hair back onto the pelt) grooming goes a bit faster. Time savers are always nice.

-I actually really like the product and think it has earned itself a place in my grooming box.

In the coming weeks, as things heat up and the outside is a nicer place to be, I will put the SleekEZ to use. I am actually looking forward to when Eclipse starts shedding. Since she's so fluffy, I'm going to do a comparison grooming and photo of her, where I'll use the SleekEZ on one half of her body and not the other. Then I'll take a photo from behind to show the difference between pre-SleekEZ and post-SleekEZ. Then I might even take it a step further and groom her with the usual tools and see how that yields next to the SleekEZ side.

I am also looking forward to finally figuring out if the SleekEZ is capable of removing that hard to remove dust off of Elsa (it's so light, that on her black pelt, it sticks out like a sore thumb). So both girls are in for a deep grooming session in the coming weeks.

Overall, the SleekEZ gets my approval. If the creators of SleekEZ get their packaging together, and if it were made of materials that could handle getting wet or being in humid areas without special care, it would get an A+ from me. The item though appears to be a quality item, and so long as it doesn't fall apart in the next 5 years, I won't feel bad spending the $20 on it that I did.

Until Next Time Guys!

#SleekEz #Grooming #HorseGrooming #Shire #Shirehorse #drafthorse