Merlin Electric Hoof Knife

Merlin Electric Hoof Knife
by Bethany Caskey
Put horse hoof, knife and electric together and you will
get a skeptical look. Add chain saw and the look will
go from skeptical to complete disbelief. That was the
common reaction I got when I told people about the
Merlin Electric Hoof Knife.
The Merlin is electric and it is used on hooves, but the
word knife might be misleading, as the Merlin is not so
much a knife as a replacement for hoof nippers and a rasp.
Weighing in at 1.2 pounds and 11 inches long, the
Merlin is the first electric tool to be offered specifically
as a hoof trimming set. The patented set consists of an
electric, miniature, longneck angle grinder that uses a
two-inch diameter, four tooth tungsten carbide chain saw
mounted between two discs. It was the diary industry
that first dubbed the tool “the Electric Hoof Knife”.
King Arthur Tools originally developed the tool for use
in woodcarving. A diary farmer contacted the company
to purchase the woodcarving chain saw to trim his cows’
hooves and the idea was sparked. Hoof trimmers from
Florida to Wisconsin were supplied with prototypes and
asked to test the tool in real life situations.
Those tests created the Bors, a tool with a chain saw disc
attached to a four and a half inch angle grinder for cow hoof
trimming. A smaller version of the Bors was developed
in 2005 that would be easier to use when treating hoof
ailments. This smaller version was the birth of the Merlin.
It wasn’t long until hoof care professionals and
veterinarians were trying it out and singing its praises.
The tool is used on diary cows, horses, cattle, goats, sheep
and hogs as well as an occasional zoo elephant and giraffe.
The Department of Animal Science at the University of
Florida has “found the tool to be invaluable for doing
hoof resections.”
Allen DeWolfe of King Arthur Tools was kind enough
to send a demo unit so I could test and try the Merlin.
The tool is lightweight and quiet when operating.
Its noise level was comparative to a good pair of hair
clippers. Acclimating a horse to the noise was simple
using the usual approach and retreat. I started with the
horse I knew would stand, even if he hated what I was
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Although the instructions recommended a 45 to 85
degree angle, I had the best results nearer 85 degrees.
doing, and then tried it with some younger horses that
also readily accepted the noise and sensation.
The Merlin uses 100 watts of electricity and pulls one
amp of power so it can be powered with a vehicle AC/DC
power converter as well a household current. You have
to be mindful of working around the horse with a power
cord and your work area set up is important. The Merlin
has a variable speed setting and it takes some trial and
error to find the best rpms. It is advised to practice on a
piece of wood to get the feel of the tool before jumping
right under your horse with it. Cedar or redwood was
recommended, but not having that handy, a scrap of 2 x 4
fir served nicely as a test hoof.
I found the angle of the blade to be very important and
my first attempts were rather sad until I held the blade
nearly 90 degrees on its side from the cutting surface. Aha!
The Merlin balances best if it is held close to the cutting
disc. Although there is a safety guard, gloves should always
be worn and safety glasses are recommended. One hand
can hold the tool while the other holds the hoof. The tool
does the cutting so your main job is to guide it. It is not
aggressive and did not pull away or grab as I expected
from a chain saw. Thin slivers flew through the air with a
soft, petting motion on the hoof wall.
Like most things, including using traditional nippers,
rasps and knives, there is a learning curve and things
got easier the more I experimented. It would take more
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practice time before using the
Merlin would be faster than my
nippers.
I might change my mind as I
work more with the Merlin, but I
felt there were a couple drawbacks.
One was the location of the on-off
and speed switches at the back of
the unit instead of closer to the
operating hand. It was also easy
to accidently press the lockdown
button on the shaft. I also
would have liked more detailed
information than the operating
manual provided for which
accessory to use where, at what
speed and angle. There are a few
videos on the web, but I could have
benefited by seeing more demos
with the various discs provided.
Before using a power tool on my
animals, I wanted as every bit of
information possible. These things
are certainly not a “deal killer” for The Merlin Electric
the effectiveness of the tool.
accessories.
The Merlin comes in a nicely
designed,
custom
molded,
toolbox style kit and includes a 110 volt variable speed
longneck angle grinder, a four tooth miniature tungsten
carbide saw, a green orthogonal tungsten carbide
V disc, a 100 grit flap disc sander for finishing and
working on the shoe, a two-inch (50mm) aluminum
oxide metal cutting wheel and
a 60 grit grinding wheel. The V
disc is used for different tasks
such as cleaning out a sand crack,
removing excessive hoof growth,
roughing up a hoof prior to using
glue on shoes and other general
maintenance needs. The discs are
easy to change with the provided
Allen wrench. King Arthur claims
they have never had a chain
break, a disc crack or a blade fly
off the grinder.
Admittedly not for everyone,
the Merlin is designed for the
farrier or horse owner who needs
a hardworking tool for basic
trimming and hoof maintenance.
Individuals with back problems
or troubles squeezing a pair of
nippers closed and who still
want to trim their own animals
should also take a good look at the
Merlin. You can use the Merlin
Hoof Knife and to remove excess hoof material,
clean pith from the sole area and
dress flares from the hoof wall on
any standard, draft and/or miniature horse hoof.
For more information or to purchase you can view the
Merlin and King Arthur’s other cutting tools at http://
www.hooftrimmingtools.net.
Bethany Caskey shapes her horse's hooves in Albia, Iowa
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