I have a 65lb dog with thick, long hair who hates being groomed so unfortunately had some matting. It took a few hours and a lot of peanut butter, but I was able to get her completely cut down to a manageable level.The gaurds are useless for thick, matted fur but I didn't nick her once without them. Once the hair was shorter I was able to use the gaurds to even her out.They held up nice, they went from 80% battery to 50% in about an hour, then we took a break and I charged them back up. They proSee full review