I love mine! It was worth the money and works better than anything else I've ever used. I was just using mine today.
Works very well on all three of our dogs (varying short to medium coat types) and our long hair cat. The cat hates it, but gets mats and hairballs without regular 'FURminating'. The only issue I have with the dogs is all three of them wanting brushed at the same time. They all look so much nicer after just a few minutes of using the FURminator on them.
I know what you mean. All my dogs are mutts. Lucy is a massive shedder and her coat type most closely resembles a Shepherd's. I can never get all of her dead fur off, but with the FURminator, I can get a whole lot more off in half the time and she likes it.