Let’s cut to the chase first, ok? I’ve tried literally every brand of grooming tool under the sun, from the super expensive pro ones to the cheap $5 garbage that breaks after one use. When Swan started blowing up last year, I was hella skeptical, tbh. All those viral videos of people deshedding their huskies and getting enough fur to make a whole new dog? Seemed too good to be true, so I grabbed all their top sellers to test out on my own pets and my regular grooming clients, to see if they actually live up to the hype.

First up, the product everyone is talking about: the Swan Deshedding Brush for Long & Short Hair Pets. Let’s start with the good stuff first. The handle is ergonomic, like, I could hold it for 45 minutes straight while grooming a Great Dane and my hand didn’t cramp, which is a huge win compared to most cheap brushes that have hard plastic handles that dig into your palm. The bristles are rounded stainless steel, so I didn’t scratch any of my client’s sensitive skin, even the tiny poodles that have super thin skin under their curls. And the self-cleaning button? Oh my god, game changer. You just push it after brushing, and all the fur pops right off the bristles, no more picking clumps of fur out with your fingers for 10 minutes after every groom. I tested this on my golden retriever first, who sheds so bad I can fill a trash bag with fur every time I brush her, and it pulled out way more loose undercoat than my old $60 pro deshedding brush, no lie. The only con I found? It’s a little bit bigger than some of the travel brushes, so if you’re looking for something to throw in your purse for on-the-go touch ups, this might be too bulky. Also, if you have a super tiny pet like a hamster or a teacup chihuahua, the bristle area is a little wide to get into their little armpits and face areas easily.

Second product I tested: the Swan 2-in-1 Pet Hair Dryer & Brush. Ok, if you hate bathing your pet because drying them takes forever, or they get scared of the loud regular hair dryer, you need to buy this, like, yesterday. First off, it’s way quieter than my regular human hair dryer, and the air is warm not scorching hot, so I didn’t have to worry about burning any of the pets. The brush attachment detangles while you dry, so I cut my grooming time almost in half for longhair cats and curly dogs. It has 3 heat and speed settings, so you can turn it down for tiny pets or sensitive areas like their belly and ears, and crank it up for big thick coated dogs. The only tiny issue I had? The cord is only 6 feet long, so if your grooming station is far from an outlet, you might need an extension cord. Also, the brush attachment is a little hard to take apart to clean if you get a lot of fur stuck in it, but if you tap it against the trash can after every use, it’s not that big of a problem. I had one client who bought this for her Persian cat, and she told me she used to spend 2 hours drying and brushing her after baths, now it only takes 45 minutes, and her cat doesn’t hide under the bed for 3 days after bath time anymore. Thats a win in my book.

Third product: the Swan Electric Pet Nail Grinder. I know a lot of pet parents are terrified of cutting their pet’s nails too short and hitting the quick, so nail grinders are super popular right now. This one from Swan is actually really good, way better than the cheap ones I’ve tried before. It has 3 different grinding ports, so you can use the small one for tiny cats and teacup dogs, the medium one for medium sized dogs, and the large one for big breeds like German Shepherds or Great Danes. It’s rechargeable, so you don’t have to keep buying batteries, and a full charge lasts like 2 weeks even if you use it every day for grooming clients. It’s also super low vibration, so most of the dogs and cats I tested it on didn’t even notice what I was doing, unlike other grinders that shake so bad it scares them. The only downside? It’s a little bit slower than the pro grade nail grinders I use in my shop, so if you have a super big dog with very thick nails, it might take a couple extra minutes to grind them down. But for at home use? It’s perfect, especially for people who are new to trimming their pet’s nails. I recommend this to all my clients who are too nervous to use nail clippers, and literally no one has complained about it yet.

Now, not every Swan product is a winner, tbh. I tried their pet grooming glove, and honestly? It’s just ok, not worth the money. The fur doesn’t stick to it as well as other cheaper grooming gloves I’ve used, and the material started peeling after 3 washes. I also didn’t love their small travel slicker brush, the bristles are way too soft, so it doesn’t actually detangle matted fur at all, it just brushes the top layer. So if you’re looking at those two products, save your money, there’s better options out there for cheaper.

Now, how do you pick the right Swan product for your pet? First, figure out what your biggest pain point is. If you’re dealing with nonstop shedding, get the deshedding brush, it’s 100% worth the money. If you hate bath time because drying takes forever, get the 2-in-1 dryer brush. If you’re scared of trimming nails, get the nail grinder. Second, make sure you pick the right size for your pet. The deshedding brush comes in 2 sizes, small for pets under 20 lbs, large for pets over 20 lbs, don’t get the large one for your tiny cat, it’s just going to be awkward to use. Third, always check for authentic Swan products, there’s a lot of knockoffs on Amazon and TikTok that look exactly the same but are made with cheap plastic that breaks easily, and the bristles are sharp and can scratch your pet. Make sure you buy from their official store or a verified seller, ok?

Let me also tell you the most common mistakes I see people make when using these Swan products, so you don’t mess up. First, don’t press too hard with the deshedding brush, you don’t need to push it hard into your pet’s skin, just glide it gently over their coat, it will pick up the loose fur without irritating them. Second, don’t use the highest heat setting on the dryer brush on your pet’s face or belly, those areas are super sensitive, use the lowest setting there. Third, don’t grind your pet’s nails for too long in one spot with the nail grinder, it can get warm and irritate their nail bed, just do 2-3 seconds on each spot, then move on. I’ve had people come to me with irritated skin on their dog because they pressed way too hard with the brush, or burned their cat’s ear because they used the high heat setting too close, so just be careful, common sense goes a long way.

So overall, is Swan worth the hype? For the most part, yes, absolutely. Their core products (deshedding brush, 2-in-1 dryer, nail grinder) are way better than most other products in the same price range, they’re durable, easy to use, and actually work like they say they do. I’ve even replaced some of my pro grooming tools with Swan products now, that’s how good they are. The only products I’d skip are the grooming glove and the tiny travel slicker brush, but everything else I’ve tested is solid. If you’ve been on the fence about buying any of their pet grooming tools, I’d say go for it, especially if you’re a first time pet parent who doesn’t want to spend a ton of money on pro tools that are complicated to use. I’ve recommended these to hundreds of my clients, and 99% of them come back and tell me it’s the best pet product they’ve ever bought. Oh, and one last tip: they run sales pretty often around holidays like Black Friday or Prime Day, so if you can wait to buy then, you can save like 30% off, which is a steal.