Chris Christensen Big G Slicker Brush vs a Dematting Rake: Which Suits an Aussiedoodle?

When June's puppy coat started matting behind her ears in early 2024, I did what a lot of Aussiedoodle owners do. I gave up on the cheap pin brush I had and asked my groomer what she actually used on dogs like June. Her answer surprised me. It was a large slicker brush with long, flexible pins and a cushioned pad, the Chris Christensen Big G, and it did not look like anything I had tried before. Almost two and a half years later, it is still the brush I reach for three or four evenings a week. It is the tool I would buy again tomorrow, and it is the one I compare everything else against.

So where does a dematting rake fit in? I have handled one at a friend's house and watched her use it, so I can tell you what it is built to do and where it falls short. The honest short answer is that these are two different tools for two different jobs. The Big G is the everyday brush that keeps mats from forming in the first place. A dematting rake is the occasional rescue tool that lifts out a knot that slipped through. Most Aussiedoodle owners need the slicker first. The rake is a nice second tool, not a replacement.

	Chris Christensen Big G Slicker	Poodlie Dematting Rake
Price	A premium grooming tool, worth it for use several evenings a week	A budget-friendly tool, easy to try without much commitment
Best for	Daily line brushing on a wavy-curly coat	Spot-treating small tangles before they become mats
All-over brushing	Built for it; brushes in sections down to the skin	Not designed for full-coat brushing
Existing tangles	Loosens them with detangler and patience; cannot remove a solid mat alone	Grabs a small knot and lifts it out quickly
Coat safety	Long flexible pins on a cushioned pad, gentle with a light hand	Teeth can snag if you rush; needs a steady hand
Learning curve	Line brushing takes practice, but the payoff is big	Simple to pick up, though easy to overdo on a knot
Build and feel	Metal pins on a cushioned pad, still straight after years of use	Simple metal teeth on a basic handle
Who it suits	Owners who brush several times a week	Owners who want a quick fix for a knot

How I Compared Them

I want to be upfront about my credentials, because they are modest. I am a dental hygienist in Knoxville, Tennessee, not a groomer, and I own one very fluffy standard Aussiedoodle named June. She came home at ten weeks old in October 2023, and her coat started matting around six months, right when the puppy fluff gave way to that wavy-curly adult coat. The Big G arrived in February 2024, and I have used it three or four evenings a week since then. Most sessions run fifteen to twenty minutes on the living room floor, with June lying on an old towel. I mist a section with detangler, brush in small sections all the way down to the skin, and finish with a plain steel comb to check for anything I missed.

The Poodlie dematting rake is a different story, and I do not want to overstate my experience with it. I have never owned one. I have picked one up at a friend's house and watched her work it on her own dog, and I have watched a groomer use a similar rake on a tight spot. That gives me a short-term impression, not a long-term verdict. So read everything I say about the rake as a first impression, and everything I say about the Big G as the opinion of someone who has used it for two and a half years. I think that difference in confidence is worth naming, because it changes how much weight to give each tool.

What Each Tool Does Best

Before you compare them, it helps to know what each one is actually for. The Big G is a slicker brush. Its job is the daily work of brushing a curly coat: separating the curls, lifting out loose hair, and keeping tangles from ever getting a start. It does that job beautifully when you use it the way groomers do, in small sections, with the pins reaching the skin through a light hand. It does not remove a solid mat by itself. If a tangle has already felted into a tight clump, no slicker is going to fix it, and I would rather have the groomer handle that than pull at June's skin.

A dematting rake has a narrower job. The teeth are designed to grab a knot and break it apart from the inside, which makes it genuinely useful on a tangle that has already formed. My friend keeps hers handy for exactly that. But a rake is not built to brush a whole coat. Run it all over an Aussiedoodle the way you would run a slicker, and you are asking for snags and irritated skin. These tools are not rivals. They are a daily brush and an occasional fix, and they work best when you understand which one you are reaching for.

Where the Big G Wins

The Big G wins the job that matters most for an Aussiedoodle, which is the brushing that keeps mats from forming in the first place. June's coat tangles behind the ears, in the armpits, and along the collar line if I skip even a few days. The long, flexible pins on the Big G reach through that coat down to the skin without scraping, as long as I keep my hand light. That is the difference between brushing a section clean and just smoothing the top of a tangle. Line brushing with this brush is the single most useful grooming skill I have learned as a dog owner, and it is the reason June has never needed to be shaved down.

It also wins on comfort and endurance, for both of us. The cushioned pad and the lightweight handle mean my hand does not cramp during a fifteen minute session, and June stays relaxed because the pins do not dig in. After two and a half years, the pins are still straight and the handle still feels solid. I would give the Chris Christensen Big G a 9.2 out of 10, and I would replace it with the same brush without hesitation. I also want to be honest about its limit. It will not dissolve a felted mat, and it will not fix a coat that has been neglected for weeks. For that, the groomer is the answer, not another brush.

Where the Dematting Rake Wins

The dematting rake wins the one job the Big G does not do well, which is removing a small tangle that has already formed. The teeth grip the knot and pull it apart from the inside, and that is why my friend keeps hers in the basket by the back door. When I watched her work on her own dog, it lifted a small knot out quickly. I have never used one on June, so I cannot tell you how it would handle her coat over months. If you catch a tangle early, a rake is a fast, satisfying fix, and I understand why so many owners keep one around.

It also wins on price and on how easy it is to try. A rake is a much smaller purchase than a premium slicker, which makes it an easy thing to test without feeling committed, and you do not need to learn line brushing to get value out of it. But I would add two cautions. The first is that the teeth can snag if you rush, especially on a wavy coat, so a steady hand matters. The second is that a rake is not a brush. It will not fluff June's coat, spread the natural oils, or leave that fresh groomed look that the Big G gives. It is a rescue tool, not a routine one, and I would not want to rely on it as my only grooming tool.

The Groomer Rule I Follow

One rule has saved me from a lot of frustration: anything that is already tight and felted goes to the groomer. June sees a professional groomer about every eight weeks for a bath and a trim, and I do the brushing in between. When I find a mat that the slicker and detangler cannot loosen, I do not keep pulling at it. I leave it for someone with more experience and better scissors. That rule keeps June comfortable and keeps me from making a small tangle worse. A rake can handle a loose tangle, and the Big G can prevent most of them, but neither one replaces a groomer when a mat has gone too far.

After two and a half years, the pins are still straight, and June has never needed to be shaved down.

Who Should Buy Which

Buy the Chris Christensen Big G if you own an Aussiedoodle, a goldendoodle, a labradoodle, or any dog with a wavy-curly coat that needs brushing more than once a week. It is the tool for the everyday job. It stops mats from forming, it makes fifteen minutes on the living room floor feel productive, and it is kind to both the dog and your hand. It does ask something of you. You have to learn to brush in sections, check with a comb, and keep a light hand. But that is true of any good grooming routine, and the Big G makes the learning worthwhile.

Buy the dematting rake if you already brush regularly and still find the occasional tangle behind an ear, or if your dog is wary of the slicker and you need a quick way to handle knots. It is also a reasonable second tool for a puppy owner who is still building a routine. What I would not do is buy the rake first and skip the slicker. A rake is not built for all-over brushing, and using it that way risks pulling and irritating the skin. If you can only afford one tool, make it the slicker. Ask your groomer to show you how to use it on your dog's specific coat, and keep the rake in mind for later if you find you need it.

And if you are standing in the aisle trying to decide, here is the test I would use. Picture your week. If brushing feels like a chore you keep putting off, the Big G is the purchase that will actually change your routine, because it makes the job faster and more comfortable for both of you. If you already brush most days and a few small tangles still slip through, the rake is a cheap, useful addition. The mistake is buying the rake because it sounds like the faster fix and then discovering it cannot do the daily job.

The Bottom Line

After two and a half years, my answer has not changed. The Chris Christensen Big G is the brush an Aussiedoodle owner should buy first, and the dematting rake is the tool to add later if your dog's coat actually needs it. Neither one is magic, and neither one replaces a groomer for a mat that has gone too far. But for the everyday job of keeping a wavy-curly coat healthy, the Big G is the tool I trust, and the one I would tell a friend to start with.