flexi VARIO Retractable Lead Cord, Medium, 8 m, Red

My wife picked up an extendable lead from a well know large regional pet shop for £16.99.....it's larger and more cumbersome than this flexi lead and also a lot shorter.....a full 5 meters shorter!!We do a lot of walking in the North Yorkshire moors and a lot of places require you to have your dog on the lead at all times due to lambs and sheep....this lead still gives him the freedom to roam around while still being under full control. It feels nice and strong and at no point have I felt it was going to fail....for reference my dog is approximately 10 kilos.The trigger stop mechanism is feather lite as well and so easy to operate, it only requires the lightest of touches and you can stop the lead from running out any more very easily. My dog can't outrun the cord return speed either which is good. It very rare any line is dragging on the floor.At £8.49 this is an absolute bargain for what you get. Plus the fact you can add accessories to it if required is great too, my next purchase is the soft stop lead just to give my dog a little more comfort if he runs out of line.Just a couple of points to consider. 8 meters of cord gives your dog plenty of time to get up to full running speed so I would suggest only using this with a body harness and the soft stop lead.Also if you are planning on using this around a lot of people watch out the cord getting wrapped around peoples legs, as the cord is so thin it's like a cheese wire and can leave a nasty friction burn on bare skin.

Finally replaced an inherited model that must be 15 years old (donated by Mum!) and there is no doubt that the 8 metres length, instead of the previous 5, is well worthwhile. I also ordered the ‘soft stop belt’ attachment and that is, in my oppinion, an essential purchase because of the lack of jolt that it delivers when my dog reaches the end of the line at full speedWell thought out design ... the adjustable hand grip to ensure that your thumb is in the right position to halt or lock the cord ... and an internal spring and guide mechanism that always achieves a rapid re-wind when it is requiredMy dog is quickly learning that she has 8 metres of sniffing before she has to leapfrog me to the next spot .... while I just continue ambling along without constant stopsYou will see that I have added an extra small length of lead to the end of the lead .... this means that, at It’s shortest reach, it does not tangle others with nylon cord

On buying without any of the added extras it is actually better than it first seems.Dog just had op so i couldnt really use it for a while. I played about laughing at a pointless hand adjustment, a stop button that felt weirdly loose and attachment options I somewhat wondered why I didnt get.After actually taking the dog out everything just felt better than old extendable lead and much better than i expected. Thumb naturally just sat on the break button and was so natural to use i never really bothered using the hold catch.It is heavier as its longer than previous lead (8m vs 5m). Id have liked even longer but for cost this made most sense. The extra 3m doesnt feel like much so an extra 2m would feel even less. The optional attachments mean that if thr dog does somehow bite through the front part im hoping its cheaply replacable.I use a harness rather than collar so i havent tried the anti bite rope you get.Update: rope snapped in half and nolonger retracts (now 1yo jack russell) pretty poor

Usual Flexi quality, but not ideal for smaller dogs..We have a small Pomeranian, he is about 3kg. The lead works fine for him and the 8m give a lot of room, however the Vario element of this design, with the changeable lead parts... means that there is quite a heavy part on the lead that is constantly hanging over his face if he walks behind..it's a small issue, but i can imagine it to be quite irritating.Most likely fine for larger dogs, but not the best solution for littluns.

Bought this to use on my cat's harness as the default cord didn't give much leeway.This is a lovely upgrade. very comfortable to hold, particularly due to the rubber grips. (I also bought a size M in black without the rubber grips - this is definitely more comfortable to hold)Only issue I find with these in general is, when the owner isn't holding the lead and the pet walks with the cord attached for e.g to the main door, it drags across the floor making it uncomfortable for the pet and damaging for the lead casing. I guess that would apply to all retractable lead casings compared to loose strings.

Great item, had been looking for a while for a small sized lead that was long. I'd ordered the medium version at Christmas but it is a bit big for me hand wise and for carrying so finding the small 8m lead was ideal.I also purchased the dispenser which attaches into the back of this, which is ideal for making sure you are never caught short for poo bags. Another purchase was the soft lead attachment which gives bounce at the end rather than the ridged end included, if your dog is eager to get going it softens the pang on his neck and the pang on your arm. Would definitely buy another one of these when mine is done but hopefully that wouldn't be for a while.Makes walking the dog more pleasurable as when I need to keep him on the lead I know hes got good length to sniff about.

After reading reviews I was worried about which lead to buy! I had been using a "small" Flexi lead 8m" but the mechanisms were wearing out. My new dog is bigger and so I went for a Flexi VARIO med, 8m but concerned it would be too heavy. All I can say is I love it! It is not heavy to use, the lock is very easy and the length is perfect. The longer the better, so would always go for an 8m lead. I have not bought any add ones, so cannot comment but highly recommend the lead, so smooth to use and stress free!