Some pets never make peace with clippers. It is not really the trim they object to but the sound and the sensation, a sudden hard snap that travels up the whole toe with no warning before it happens. A grinder removes the snap entirely, because the nail comes down a fraction at a time, so nothing about the process is abrupt and there is nothing for a nervous animal to brace against.

The motor here is a low-noise one, and that specification is doing more work than it appears to, because with an anxious animal the whine is usually the objection rather than the vibration. It runs cordless off a rechargeable battery, so there is no lead to manage while you are also holding a paw and talking a nervous dog down, and a digital display shows the charge so you are not stopped halfway round with two paws done and two to go.

• Cordless and rechargeable, with no trailing lead
• Low-noise motor to help keep anxious pets calmer
• Files claws down rather than cutting them
• Digital battery display
• Suits both dogs and cats
• Leaves a filed edge rather than a sharp cut one

On going slowly. A grinder generates heat if you hold it in one spot, so work in short passes and let the nail cool between them. It is also slower than clippers on a large dog with thick claws, and it throws off fine nail dust, so do it somewhere you can wipe down afterwards. Introduce it switched off first, then running but not touching, over several days rather than in one session.

Who it's for: Owners of pets who panic at clippers, and anyone dealing with dark nails where the quick cannot be seen.