I too made a pigs ear of my boys mane - but got a bit zealous as his mane is thick- I didnt realise how much I had really taken off till it all stood on end and looked like a well used bog brush!!!
On his tail it looked fine!!!
Be careful if using one, another tip is to brush the mane to the wrong side before raking! I didnt, which made matters much worse!!!
Brilliant for giving the 'Pulled Tail' look - take the majority of the hair from the sides and underneath.
Brilliant for taming/thinning manes which are left 'au naturel'.
Not so good if you want to plait the mane - leaves spikey bits between the plaits.
I love them - When using them, keep stopping and stand back and have a look to see how you are getting on. As others have said, it's very easy to get carried away!
Great on tails though haven't quite mastered manes yet. Have managed to thin out the thick mane on my TB a bit but needs a bit more work. Definitely worth buying though
great on tails but not keen on using them on manes . dont try and do it in one go a try doing it over a few days that way you dont go mad with the rake