First off, let’s get the basics out of the way for anyone who hasn’t heard of this thing yet. The Bishop self-cleaning slicker brush is a pet grooming tool with fine, bent stainless steel pins fitted with tiny rounded plastic tips, designed to gently dig into your pet’s undercoat to catch loose fur, tangles, and dander without scratching their skin. The big selling point is the one-push retraction button on the back: when you’re done brushing, you push the button, the pins retract into the brush base, and all the collected fur falls right off in one clump. No more picking clumps of fur out between the pins with your fingers for 10 minutes after every grooming session, no more getting stray pins stuck in your couch when you set the brush down. I’ll be real, I was super skeptical at first, cause I’ve bought so many viral pet products that turned out to be total garbage, right? I picked up the standard medium size first for my 50lb golden mix, then grabbed the small size for my cats a week later when I saw how well it worked on the dog.
I tested this brush on three very different fur types first to cover as many use cases as possible. First up, my golden retriever mix has a super thick double coat, sheds enough fur every week to make a whole new cat, and gets little mats on his hind legs if I skip brushing for more than 3 days. Before the Bishop brush, I was using a cheap $12 slicker brush from the pet store that I had to clean every 2 minutes while brushing, and half the time he’d flinch if I pressed too hard cause the pins didn’t have proper rounded tips. With the Bishop brush? The rounded tips are actually soft enough that even when I’m working through thick mats on his hind legs, he doesn’t flinch at all. I brushed him for 10 minutes straight the first time, pushed the clean button, and a whole clump of fur the size of a softball fell right off. No picking, no fuss, that alone sold me for the dog use case, no lie.
Then I tested it on my two long-haired ragdoll cats, who hate being brushed more than they hate getting their nails trimmed. The small size Bishop brush is way lighter than the clunky cat brushes I was using before, so it doesn’t pull on their fine fur when I’m brushing their belly or their fluffy tails. One of my cats has super sensitive skin, and he usually runs away after 2 minutes of brushing tops, but he sat on my lap for 8 minutes straight while I used the Bishop brush on him, no complaints at all, even purred a little halfway through. The only tiny downside here is that if your cat has super tight mats right up against their skin, you still want to use a dematting comb first. The Bishop brush isn’t strong enough to cut through those, which is actually a good thing if you ask me, cause it means it won’t accidentally cut your pet’s skin even if you’re clumsy like I am sometimes.
Now let’s talk about the common complaints I see online about the Bishop brush, to keep this review 100% honest no sponsored bias or anything. First, a lot of people say the pins break after a few months of use. I found out that’s almost always because people are buying the cheap fake knockoff versions on Amazon or Temu, not the official Bishop brand ones. My official one has been used 3-4 times a week for 3 months now, and none of the pins are bent or broken at all, they’re still as sturdy as the day I bought it. Second, some people say it doesn’t work on short haired dogs? I tested it on my neighbor’s French bulldog to check, and yeah, it doesn’t catch the short loose fur as well as a rubber curry brush does, so don’t waste your money on this if you only have a short haired single coat pet, it’s just not made for that. Third, some people say the clean button breaks easily? Again, that’s the knockoffs, my official one’s button is super sturdy, I’ve pushed it at least 100 times by now and it still works perfectly, no sticking or jamming at all.
Moving on to the buying guide part, what do you need to look for when you’re buying a Bishop brush so you get the real deal and the right model for your pet? First, make sure you’re buying from the official Bishop website or their verified Amazon store, not random third party sellers. The knockoffs are usually $5-$10 cheaper, but they have sharp, unrounded pins that can scratch your pet, the buttons break in a week, and the pins bend after a few uses, total waste of money. Second, pick the right size for your pet. The small size is perfect for cats, small dogs like yorkies or maltese, or for grooming the face and paws of larger dogs. The medium size is for medium to large dogs 20-70lbs, like golden retrievers, poodles, border collies, australian shepherds. The large size is for extra large dogs over 70lbs like great danes, saint bernards, mastiffs, or for people with multiple large double coated dogs that they groom often. Third, pick the right pin length. If your pet has fur longer than 2 inches, get the long pin version, if it’s shorter than 2 inches, get the standard pin version, that makes a huge difference in how well it catches undercoat fur without irritating the skin.
Now the big question: is the Bishop brush worth the money? The official medium size is $29.99, which is a bit more expensive than regular slicker brushes that cost $10-$15, but honestly, it’s 100% worth it if you have a long or double coated pet. I used to go through a cheap slicker brush every 2 months because the pins would bend or the handle would break, so over a year, I was spending more on cheap brushes than I would on one Bishop brush that’s built to last at least 2 years. Plus, it cuts my grooming time in half, because I don’t have to stop every 2 minutes to clean the brush mid-session. The only people I wouldn’t recommend this to are people who only have short haired single coat pets, like French bulldogs, boxers, pit bulls, or short haired domestic cats. For those, a $10 rubber curry brush works way better and is way cheaper, so save your money.
Quick pro tips for using your Bishop brush once you get it, to make it last longer and make grooming more pleasant for your pet. First, always brush in the direction of your pet’s fur growth, don’t brush against it, that can pull and irritate their skin even with the soft tips. Second, don’t press too hard! The pins are long enough to reach the undercoat even with light pressure, pressing too hard can still scratch even with the rounded tips, and it’ll make your pet hate being brushed. Third, clean the brush after every use, just push the button, wipe the fur off with a paper towel, and store it in a dry place, that will stop the pins from rusting and make the brush last way longer. Fourth, if you have a pet that hates being brushed, start with 2 minute sessions every day, give them their favorite treat after each session, and they’ll get used to it super fast. I’ve had so many clients tell me their pets actually look forward to brushing once they start using the Bishop brush, it’s wild.