Customer Reviews

Oster 78129-600 Gentle Paws Cordless Nail Trimmer

5 star:		(27)
4 star:		(14)
3 star:		(12)
2 star:		(9)
1 star:		(13)

 

 

Fabulous little tool! Very easy to use on my dog without scaring him. The motor is quiet on the low speed, and a bit louder on fast speed. I start out slow, then switch to high speed when he relaxes a bit, back to slow if he gets antsy. Mind you, restlessness is a pretty good sign you have gone as far down on the nail as is reasonable to go. My dog's nails are black, so it is very easy to trim too far, even with this tool. So trim a bit, check the tip of the nail, trim a bit more if necessary. Just don't get crazy and start grinding away without checking your progress, because, like traditional clippers, it is indeed possible to "quick" your pet (make him bleed) by nicking the tip of the nail blood vessel - I haven't done it yet, but I did come close once, so I know it is possible. This is true even with use of the nail guard. So, if you just go slow and use care, this tool is ingenious. I emphasize, use care -- if you over-trim (quick) your dog or cat, you may as well throw this tool away, because once they start to fear any tool, it is next to impossible to get them to let you use it on them. On the other hand, if you really want proper short nails, remember that the vein naturally recedes with a shortened nail, and grows longer with an untrimmed nail. So just trim a bit each week, and that quick will start to recede, and you will then be able to get the nail shorter. Whatever you do, do not expect to be able to transform 1-inch nails back to Westminster show length with a single trim, with this or any tool. Like anything, just use some common sense.

I became familiar with the Oster brand when I had a Persian cat and used their grooming tools on him for years. (Actually, even before that, my grandparents used their grooming tools on their Miniature Schnauzer... so we're talking more than 17 years ago.)

Recently we adopted a small older dog - our first. I bought a regular nail trimmer, and even despite my experiences with cutting animal nails for 20+ years, I still managed to cut the quick of her nails and make her bleed. So, to help both of us, I looked into electric/grinding pet nail trimmers. Of course, I had seen the more "commercialized" pet nail trimmer advertised on TV and in my local pet store, but wavered a bit about how reliable it might be. Based on my past experiences with Oster, I rationalized that I'd rather spend my $20+ on their product than with the more "commercialized" manufacturer.

Needless to say, I'm REALLY glad I made this investment. Even at first look, the nail trimmer is durable and is absent of flimsy parts. Aside from the main coarse grinder, there are two separate grinder (for lack of a better term) "add-ons" that you can attach for a medium and fine grind. Additionally, it comes with a 1-year warranty.

My mom, who has 3 mastiffs, uses a regular $60+ dremel for her dog's nails. Essentially this Oster nail trimmer is a dremmel with a nail guard that has holes to accommodate 4 nail sizes (very small, small, medium, large). You can choose to use the nail guard or not, since it twists on and off. I feel confident using it - I can position my dog in my lap, pull back the fur on her paws, AND grind her nails all at the same time. And, unlike my mom, I can use it when she's awake (not sleepy), since now I'm not worried about her moving her paw too much.

I would recommend this product to all of my dog-owning friends.

Nail trimming is tough. My large breed dog seems to need her nails trimmed more than 1/month. I was going to the Vet Tech & it was time consuming. This allows me to trim whenever & it is safe for me & my pet.
Product Review:
Unit is sturdy
Motor is fast so it takes less time to grind
Bands are durable
Safety Guard is nice in case you get too close to the Quick

This Oster Trimmer is great. Buy one and give your dog a break from over cutting their nails. At first, they need to get used to the buzzing sound but our dog is doing better and better with that. Buzzes off just the right amount of nail with no painful problems for the dog. Do it often and cut off just the easy amount. Quite clever--and we will do anything for our pups. I think VETS should get them for their offices because they tend to over cut and cause bleeding.

Great nail trimmer for dogs/cats. I have a German Shepherd/Lab mix. My dog fears going to the vet's office and getting his nails clipped! They have trimmed his nails too low three times now so they started bleeding! It has taken four people pinning him down plus a muzzle to be able to clip his nails. I read the reviews on Amazon for this product and decided to give this nail trimmer a try. Completely satisfied customer! Decent price for nice product. Would recommend this model. My dog barely squirmed and it didn't seem to bother him at all. He got used to the noise quick.

After reading the very positive reviews on this product, I had high hopes that it would perform well when clipping the nails on my large breed dog and puppy. The grinder is not as quiet as I had imagined from previous reviews however I used the documented acclimation process and after 7 days of familiarization, my dogs did not fight me too hard when I went to work on them. I found that the grinder made little progress on their nails unless I pushed a little harder. When I pushed harder, the unit would slow down and stop. Either way, I couldn't make progress.

For smaller breeds, this might work great, but for larger breeds, be prepared to spend a LONG time grinding! Mine is going back to Amazon!

We have four female dogs and all of them profoundly dislike having their nails filed or cut. One of them had been refusing to have her nails trimmed or cut for too long and her nails were getting really nasty. We were getting to the point that we were beginning to lose all hope that she would ever let us do something to her nails. When the Gentle Paws arrived, I started showing it to all four of them and trying to convince them that they would also love it. One of the dogs is a pure-bred Samoyed-- the kick-back girl-- and she was the first one to approach and look at the tool. She allowed me to work on one of her nails and she was immediately rewarded with a slice of ham. The other three obviously followed, and all but one allowed me to work on their nails for a little while, only one hour after the Gentle Paws had arrived. (Every time they allowed me to work on the nails, they would be rewarded with a little ham.) This tool is phenomenal. It is safe for the dogs and, this is what I most love about it, it is very fast. Our dogs are large dogs and two of them have very thick nails. However, with the Gentle Paws the job is done easily, painlessly, safely and very fast. Being an OSTER, I knew this tool would be a high quality tool, but I did not imagine it was going to be that good and that fast. Love it! [In the past we used to have a Dremel, but it did not work for us and it was too slow.] [I am also surprised at how fast the slices of ham convinced 3 out of 4 dogs to show a little cooperation so soon. Good proof that the tool is not as bothersome as our dogs want to make us think.] I highly recommend this tool!

I got my cat used to the sound by giving the command, "Nails," before turning it on, then treating her, then turning it off. Do this at odd intervals. When they get used to the sound, lower the product toward their nails slowly before treating. Do not use it yet. Do this a couple of times and they are pretty good about letting you file. :D

My cats do not mind having their claws trimmed with this - I mean, they try to squirm away, they are cats after all, but I almost never end up bleeding. In fact, because I give them a special treat (freeze-dried shrimp) after I trim their nails, I only have to turn it on and they come running.

I use the trimmer without the protective cover because I find it allows me to sort of round the tip of the nail in a way that I couldn't with the cover on. My cats are short-haired, though, I think this could be problematic if your animals have furry paws.

I dropped the trimmer from about four feet onto a hard floor - the batteries popped out, but the trimmer worked fine!

We ran the nail trimmer near our dog a few times a day for a couple of days before actually using it on his way too long nails. By the time we used it he sat calmy and allowed us to remove some of the nail on each foot. We used it every other day, a little at a time, and now his nails are under control. The machine is also very quiet which I believe helped him accept the trimmer. Overall excellent product.