The general consensus of most people familiar with hoof knives is that the hoof knife is difficult to sharpen and requires a certain level of skill. One of the advantages to using chain saw technology is the ease in sharpening the four (4) teeth. It requires the use of a diamond coated chain saw file due to the tungsten carbide teeth. The whole sharpening process takes less than 5 minutes and should be done after every two or three trimmings. It only takes three or four passes of the file on the tooth to tune it up. This guarantees you a sharp tool the next time you need it and it helps extend the life of the blade.

You had to learn how to use a hoof knife and develop the feel in gauging the depth of a cut on the hoof while having enough arm strength to pull the hoof knife through the hoof.

It’s almost the same with MERLIN just not as strenuous. The operator will develop the ability to control the depth of the cut through feel. The combination of the grinder size, the unique cutting action of the chain saw blade and how the unit balances in your hand allows the operator to use the MERLIN in a very precise manner. You can remove hoof material as small as micro thin slivers.

The major difference is just how easy it is to trim with the MERLIN. You just let the tool do the cutting as you control the area and amount of hoof material to be removed.