It does soundd like your son would be better off with the triangular comb becuase the tines are nice and long and will reach all the way through the hair – the tines have a slightly closer spacing than the afro comb. The afro combs measure roughly 3 inches by 3 inches and the triangular combs are 3 x 5 inches. i hope that helps. The hair does tend to tanglee more at the nape and maybe some seaweed hair conditioner might help with that. But hey, let’s not push it too far!