The reason so many pets hate having their nails done is not the trim itself but the moment of pressure before the click. A grinder removes that entirely. It takes nail away a little at a time, so there is no sudden crunch and no single instant at which you have either cut correctly or cut too far, which changes the whole tone of the session.

Speed control is the part that matters most. A slower setting means less noise and less vibration travelling through the paw, and vibration is usually what an anxious animal is reacting to, so you can step the speed up only once they have stopped flinching. The digital display shows which setting you are on, the heads are interchangeable so a worn wheel can be swapped rather than the whole tool replaced, and it charges over USB with the cable included.

• USB rechargeable with the charging cable included
• Digital display showing the selected speed
• Variable speed settings
• Interchangeable grinding heads
• Sold with one or two grinding wheels
• Low-vibration and quieter than clippers
• Suits small to medium nails on cats and dogs

Take it slowly for the first few sessions. Let your pet hear it running from across the room before it ever touches a paw, do one nail and stop, and grind in short passes so you can watch the nail as it shortens. Dark nails hide the quick, so take less than you think you can. On an overgrown nail the quick has grown out with it, and several small sessions weeks apart beat one long one.

Who it's for: Owners of cats or smaller dogs who dread clippers and would rather file nails down gradually at home.