I try to keep my cats' claws trimmed to reduce wear and tear on the furniture (and me :-) ). They also have scratching posts and "pads" that they use regularly, but that's not enough.
My problem is that my vision isn't so great, particularly for close work. Since I need to look longer and more closely at the claw to make sure I'm nowhere near the quick, I can usually only clip three or four nails before the cat squirms away (try again tomorrow). I'd like to improve my efficiency without harming the cats.
I can think of two areas of variability: different ways to hold the cat, and different tools. I currently hold the cat in my lap, with the cat-holding hand over the cat's back and then around to hold the paw (I'm talking about for a front paw here), to try to force the cat between my body and my arm. As for tools, I'm currently using clippers kind of like these, which I can slide over the nail and (once positioned) just squeeze to clip. I've tried small scissors and they seem to be harder to use, but maybe there are better and worse types.
How can I improve on this, so that I can more quickly and reliably clip nails of reluctant cats?