I like the Dremel 7350-PET because it's easy to use and it works. Here are some instructions based on my experience with it and a few tips. The instructions are confusing for a beginner. The Dremel is kind of like an electric drill with a chuck that loosens and tightens so you can put in different sized bits and lock them in place. The Dremel 7350-PET can take a variety of bits for other uses, but you only need the one that comes with it (the shaft-like “collet”) for grinding dog’s nails. The Dremel comes pretty much ready to use, but you will need to insert the collet into the chuck to get started. You will find the collet inside the small plastic bag of accessories that comes with the Dremel, already assembled with one of the sanding belts ready to use. See the photo below for the different parts. From right to left: the blue Dremel tool with the tool shaft sticking out of it, the chuck (metal chunky piece with ridges that goes onto the tool shaft to tighten it), the collet (metal shaft-like piece that has a longer end and a shorter end), a silicone housing (looks sort of like a drum) with metal washers on each side of it, a sanding belt, and a tiny screw at the very end that holds it all together. Press on the obvious shaft lock button on top of the tool, and hold it down. Loosen the metal chuck using your fingers or the little wrench, and slide the long end of the collet (shaft) inside the chuck, then tighten the chuck using your fingers or the wrench, and it’s ready to use. To change the sanding belt, you need to take the sanding belt unit apart in order to get the old sanding band off. This is easy, but be sure to do this on a table with plenty of light to avoid losing the tiny screw and other parts. You can’t just slide the sanding band off; you have to unscrew the unit, remove the sanding belt unit from the collet (shaft), and remove the washers from the silicone housing (drum). After you do that, the silicone is then somewhat squeezable so you can push the old sanding belt off. Put a fresh sanding belt over the silicone housing, and put it all back together. The little screw holds the sanding belt unit in place. Make sure you don’t lose the little screw. A few tips: -- Noise: I used an iPhone app (Decibel) and the Dremel comes out at 61 decibels right next to the iPhone microphone, which is “quiet street” level. Yes, it’s a machine and it makes a noise, but it’s a whole lot quieter than a drill. -- Comfort: Dogs generally do not like their paws fiddled with. Some people train their dogs to tolerate handling, and get them used to the smell and sound of the Dremel tool. My vet takes dogs to a back room and it takes two people to dremel – one to hold onto the dog and the other to do the dremeling. I’ve seen someone tackle their dog and hold them down while dremeling, which is what you might have to do if you’re doing it solo. The alternative is clippers, and the pressure and loud crunch scare the dog, plus there’s greater danger of cutting the quick with clippers. If you can manage the Dremel, you can save hundreds of dollars a year ($30 per dremel currently). So it’s worth giving it a shot. -- Direction: Be aware that it spins in only one direction, so don’t go “back and forth,” just lift it for each swipe and repeat in the same direction. If you’re looking down onto the working end of the tool, the sanding belt turns counter-clockwise. You have to move the sanding belt unit across the dog’s nail in the opposite direction, the opposite way from the direction of turn. -- If you’re holding the dog’s paw in your left hand and the Dremel in your right hand, move the Dremel like you would if you were peeling a potato toward you, one direction only, lift and repeat, but don’t press down and don’t let it touch the dog’s nail for more than about a second. Just do a few light swipes and move to the next nail. A dog’s nails sand down fast, so watch it; you don’t want to get down to the quick. -- With clippers, you could chop off a nail at the quick and that would really hurt; with the Dremel, you can just do a bit at a time; if you touch skin with the sanding belt it doesn’t cut the skin, although it might make a small abrasion (try it on your finger to get an idea); just do a little each week and your dog’s nails will gradually become shorter and the quick also will recede a bit eventually. -- The sanding belt will heat up the dog’s nail if you do it too long, so only pass it over the dog’s nail for a brief moment (count “one chimpanzee” for one second). -- Don’t tighten the chuck too much or it might make an additional annoying noise. -- Do NOT press the lock button while the tool is running; it will make a loud noise and scare the dog. -- Doesn’t really need a light on it; just turn a lamp on and you will see everything fine. -- You can leave the charging cable with the twist tie securing it plugged into the back of the tool so you don’t lose track of it; doesn’t affect performance.
