You hold a lead for about an hour a day, every day, which makes it one of the few pieces of dog equipment where the feel in the hand is a real consideration rather than a marketing line. Braided rope has body to it. There is enough thickness to grip properly with a cold hand in January, and none of the thin webbing bite that a flat nylon lead delivers across the palm when a dog lunges without warning.

It is hand-woven from polyester fibre, and the braid is what does the work. A braided rope distributes load through the whole structure rather than along a single stitched seam, and it keeps its shape after being looped, stuffed into a coat pocket and pulled out again a thousand times over. Polyester also dries quickly and does not go stiff after a soaking, which matters more than it sounds if your walks happen in British weather.

• Hand-woven from polyester fibre
• Braided construction for grip and durability
• Six colours: lake blue, red, brown, orange, pink and yellow
• Comfortable to hold on longer walks
• Dries out after wet walks without stiffening

Two things worth knowing. The product code says yellow, but yellow is only one of six colours, so choose at checkout and ignore the code. For a large dog who lunges hard, check the clip yourself on arrival.

Who it's for: everyday walkers who want a lead with some grip and some colour to it, rather than another plain black strap.