Hand-stripping is a grip problem before it is anything else. The hairs you want come away easily once you can actually hold them, and the ones that slide through your fingers are the reason a session runs to two hours and leaves your thumb raw at the end of it. A textured cot on the finger and thumb fixes the slipping, and very little else needs to change.

These are stretchy finger cots with an anti-slip texture at the tip, supplied pre-unrolled so you can pull a fresh one on mid-session without fighting the rim. They are waterproof, which matters when the coat is damp or you have chalk on your hands, and they come twenty-five to a pack. That is about right for a full grooming day, since a cot that has lost its texture is worth swapping rather than persevering with.

• Textured anti-slip tips for gripping individual hairs
• Stretchy and waterproof
• Supplied pre-unrolled and ready to use
• Pack of 25
• Small: approximately 23mm diameter
• Large: approximately 28mm diameter

Worth knowing. Only small and large are stocked, and we would rather tell you now than take the order and disappoint you. If you fall between the two, size down: a cot that is slightly tight still grips, while a loose one rolls off the moment you pull against a coat.

Who it's for: Groomers and owners hand-stripping wiry coats, from Schnauzers and working Cockers to Wire Fox Terriers, Lakeland Terriers and Irish Wolfhounds.