If you have a dog that sheds, you have probably heard of the FURminator. It has been the go-to deshedding tool for years and has a reputation built on real results. But a newer, cheaper option has been quietly racking up more than 57,000 Amazon reviews with a 4.6-star average: the Maxpower Planet Double-Sided Grooming Rake. So I did what any frustrated dog owner standing over a pile of Golden Retriever fur would do. I bought both and ran them head to head for a month.
My test dogs were Biscuit, a 65-lb Golden Retriever with the kind of undercoat that clogs a Dyson in under ten minutes, and Sage, a 45-lb Husky mix who sheds year-round like it is her full-time job. I groomed each dog with both tools on alternating days over four weeks, kept notes, and weighed the fur pulled per session. Here is exactly what I found.
| Maxpower Rake | FURminator | |
|---|---|---|
| Price (current) | ~$17 | ~$35-$65 depending on size |
| Design | Double-sided: 9-tooth dematting side + 17-tooth deshedding side | Single-sided stainless steel edge with a fur ejector button |
| Best coat type | Long, double-coated, thick-undercoat breeds | Short to medium coats and single-layer coats |
| Fur removal per session (our test avg) | 38g removed (Golden, 15-min session) | 26g removed (Golden, 15-min session) |
| Skin safety | Rounded teeth, gentle on skin with firm pressure | Sharp metal edge; can irritate skin if overused |
| Handle ergonomics | Rubberized grip, comfortable for long sessions | Plastic handle with ergonomic shape; comfortable for shorter sessions |
| Matting removal | Yes, 9-tooth side specifically designed for mats | No, blade not suited for matted fur |
| Cleaning the tool | Push collected fur off teeth by hand; no ejector mechanism | Fur ejector button clears blade quickly |
| Warranty | Not specified by manufacturer | Lifetime guarantee from Spectrum Brands |
Where the Maxpower Rake Wins
On Biscuit the Golden, the Maxpower rake was not even close to being matched. The 17-tooth side cut through the thick undercoat and hauled out loose fur in long, satisfying pulls. In a 15-minute session I consistently pulled between 35 and 42 grams of fur, compared to 22 to 30 grams with the FURminator over the same time. Part of that difference comes down to design: the wider row of teeth covers more ground per stroke, so you clear a larger section of coat before needing to pause and clear the tool.
The double-sided design is also a real advantage that I did not appreciate until I actually used it. The 9-tooth dematting side saved me a separate purchase. Biscuit tends to get loose mats behind her ears and around her collar in winter, and the dematting side worked through those without pulling or causing her to flinch. The FURminator has no equivalent. You would need a separate mat splitter, which adds both cost and steps to your routine.
Price is the other obvious win. The Maxpower rake lands around $17. A comparable-size FURminator for a large dog runs $50 to $65. That is three to four times the price for a tool that, at least on double-coated, heavy-shedding dogs, simply removed less fur in our testing. The Maxpower also feels surprisingly solid in hand. The rubberized grip did not cramp up during longer sessions the way cheaper plastic handles do.
Where the FURminator Wins
The FURminator is genuinely the better tool for short-coated or single-layer dogs. On Sage the Husky mix, the difference between the two tools narrowed considerably compared to what I saw on Biscuit. But when I borrowed my neighbor's Labrador mix for a session, the FURminator's stainless edge pulled a noticeably cleaner result on that shorter, denser coat. The Maxpower teeth have more space between them than the FURminator blade, which means they glide through long coats efficiently but miss some fine undercoat on shorter fur.
The fur ejector button on the FURminator is also a quality-of-life feature worth acknowledging. With the Maxpower, you stop and manually push collected fur off the teeth every few strokes. It is not a big deal, but if you are grooming multiple dogs or doing a long session, the FURminator's one-click clearing is meaningfully faster. For short-coated dog owners who need a quick maintenance tool, that convenience matters. The FURminator's lifetime guarantee from Spectrum Brands is also a concrete advantage if longevity is a concern.
Your Golden or Husky deserves the tool that actually empties the coat, not just skims it.
The Maxpower Planet Double-Sided Rake has 57,000 reviews and outpulled the FURminator in our test on heavy-shedding double-coated dogs. At roughly $17 it is one of the lowest-risk tool upgrades in your grooming kit.
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Performance Over Time: Does Either Tool Hold Up?
After four weeks of daily use, the Maxpower rake's teeth showed no bending or splaying. The rubber grip stayed tacky and did not develop that slick, worn feeling that cheaper tools get after a few weeks. The FURminator blade stayed sharp as well, which is what you expect from a stainless steel tool with a good reputation. Neither tool required sharpening or adjustment during the test period.
Where I noticed a difference was in the actual grooming experience over time. Because the Maxpower is gentler on skin from the start, I never had to hold back on pressure the way you do with the FURminator's blade. With the FURminator you develop a feel for how much pressure is too much, especially on the flanks and thinner-skin areas around the hips. New users who press too hard with the FURminator can cause irritation that looks like brush burn. The Maxpower's rounded teeth have more margin for error, which matters if someone else in your household is doing the grooming.
Four weeks in, the Maxpower pulled 38 grams per session on Biscuit the Golden. The FURminator pulled 26. Same dog, same session length, same operator. The difference is the design.
One thing that surprised me: after consistent grooming with the Maxpower for two weeks, the amount of fur coming off Biscuit noticeably decreased. Not because the tool stopped working, but because regular sessions were actually keeping up with her shed cycle. That is the real goal with any deshedding tool. You want something gentle enough to use frequently, because once-a-week sessions on a heavy-shedding breed only manage the problem, they do not get ahead of it.
Who Should Buy Which
Buy the Maxpower Planet rake if your dog has a thick double coat, a long or medium-length coat, or if your dog has a tendency to mat. It is also the right call if you want to stop buying two separate tools (a deshedder and a mat breaker) and you do not want to spend $50-plus on a grooming rake. It covers both jobs well, removed more fur per session in our testing, and costs a fraction of the FURminator.
The FURminator earns its spot for short-coated breeds like Labs, Boxers, Pugs, Beagles, and smooth-coated Chihuahuas. If your dog has a single-layer coat and you want fast, efficient maintenance grooming a few times a month, the FURminator's sharp edge and ejector mechanism make sense. You are paying more, but for the right coat type it is a refined tool.
If you are reading this because your house is covered in fur from a Golden, Husky, Malamute, Border Collie, Australian Shepherd, or Bernese Mountain Dog, the Maxpower rake is the one to get. Those breeds are exactly what it was built for, and the test results reflected that clearly. You can also find my longer write-up on using this rake daily for eight months at the Maxpower grooming rake long-term review. For a full game plan on bringing shed under control beyond just the tool, the guide to reducing dog shedding at home walks through a complete weekly routine.
If your dog sheds more than it should, this is the rake most double-coat owners are glad they switched to.
The Maxpower Planet Double-Sided Grooming Rake removes more undercoat per session, handles mats without a separate tool, and costs less than half the FURminator. It earns its place in any heavy-shedding household.
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