Nail trimming

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Chap
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Nail trimming

Post by Chap »

I suppose this is the right forum for this, seeing as how one could loosly group nails and hair togather :wink: .

I am in the market for some nail scissors, but have so far been dissapointed in my search. All the scissors I find can not deal with my tough nails, toenails especially. My last pair died a sad death when they got wet and stayed wet, leading to the inevitable rust, the blades are now ruined.

I have been perusing here for ideas, and have found some promising items.

These seem the most promising so far, though I would appreciate the input of anyone who has used these or similar scissors, from thi or other brands.

These veritable bolt cutters look terrifying. My only previous experience with nippers was not good, but they were undoubtably inferior specimens when held in such monsterous company as the set above. Does anyone here prefer nippers over scissors?

Lastly, clippers. I have never found a decent pair, they all seem cheap and flimsy to me, but I am open to suggestions about them.

All help appreciated, thanks in advance, Chap.

P.S. The site also sells open razors, from people I had assumed were out of business. Maybe Dovo are not the only solingen razor makers left after all?
rsp1202
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Post by rsp1202 »

If you're going to spend that kind of money, many would push for Dovo, but I would recommend instead Dreiturm. Hard to find and expensive, but worth it. Lasts forever.
http://www.dreiturm-solingen.de/set%20eng.htm
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JohnnyO_Jr
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Post by JohnnyO_Jr »

For cutting nails, all you need is toe clippers. Use these toe clippers as your fingernail clippers and you're all set. They cut as well as any other nail clippers in my opinion.
Chap
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Post by Chap »

JohnnyO_Jr wrote:For cutting nails, all you need is toe clippers. Use these toe clippers as your fingernail clippers and you're all set. They cut as well as any other nail clippers in my opinion.
That was the plan I was going with, great minds obviously think alike.

That Drietum stuff looks interesting, but as with most of the Solingen made items, I am having trouble locating a UK source for them.
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jww
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Post by jww »

I have one word -- manicure.

I try to get one monthly and trim once between manicures --- pedicures are great as well.
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Chap
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Post by Chap »

I could really never see myself getting a manicure, though thank you for the suggestion, my nails are thankful if they get a filing after their trim, let alone a manicure.

I was really looking to do the job with the most effective and well made tool possible, price withstanding of course, with a minimum of fuss.
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Post by jww »

Chap wrote:I could really never see myself getting a manicure, though thank you for the suggestion, my nails are thankful if they get a filing after their trim, let alone a manicure.

I was really looking to do the job with the most effective and well made tool possible, price withstanding of course, with a minimum of fuss.
You don't know what you are missing --- really. :D
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Post by Chap »

Actually, after doing some research, I was wondering, what do you have done in a manicure? The process of removing cuticles sounds ghastly to me (I had always assumed they were there for a reason), and I would forgo a polish, clear or otherwise. This really does not leave a lot left to be done it seems, save trimming and possibly some form of polish (an in an abrasive buffing type procedure).

What is your personal preference for tasks carried out?
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Post by bernards66 »

Chap, FWIW, for many years now I have used a model very similiar to the Barrel Spring clippers by Niegeloh on the site you connected us to. Mine was made in Italy and sold in the US under the Revlon name but they appear to be very similiar. I've found it to be effective and...a...decisive on my tough toe nails.
Regards,
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Post by Chap »

Long service life was also something I was looking for, good to know.
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Post by 95% »

Chap, I've just come across this old thread of yours. What clippers did you acquire, and how do you like them?

At least ten years ago I bought a pair of heavy-duty nippers very similar to the ones you reference above. They have "Revlon - Pakistan" engraved on them, and they only cost about $10 at a drug store in Washington, DC. Yet they are exceedingly well made. My podiatrist uses something like them when he clips my nails.

The accuracy of JohnnyO_Jr's remark, to the effect that toe clippers will suffice, depends upon the state of one's toenails. Mine are very thick and dense, and they require a serious tool. Scissors or lightweight clippers are simply not up to the task.
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Post by Chap »

For the hands and toenails I got some of these. They are exceptionally well made, and very sharp indeed. Having said this, my toenails are still rather a challenge for them, so I went ahead and purchased some nippers, similar to this pair, which perform the job admirably.

Do not take the purchase of nippers as an indication of failure for the scissors, I think expecting them to deal with my toenails was being somewhat optimistic.
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Post by 95% »

Those Malteser nippers look like they're up to the job, Chap. As for fingernails, I've always preferred clippers to scissors. Yet the $30 - $40 German-made clippers shown on the Zamberg site don't look very different from the satisfactory clippers available in American drug stores for a few dollars. I don't know how I'd justify the expense, even if they are made by elves in the Black Forest. From your research, would there be any point in my buying an expensive import like that?
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Post by bernards66 »

Porter, In my experiance, those look-alike clippers etc, that one now sees in the chain drugstores are invariably made in China and every one I've tried has been sub-par; unacceptable. I had a pair of those Revlon heavy duty clippers that were a dead ringer appearance wise to the old Italian made Revlon pair I used to have, but performance wise there was no comparison, just didn't actually cut worth a damn. Shoot, I finally wound up having to go to Nordstroms just to find a tolerable pair of basic finger nail clippers because everything I bought in the drug store was such junk. Wound up with these Henckel branded, but Japanese made, clippers that at least work reasonably well and have held up. I was on the verge ( very much against my will ) of coughing up serious bucks and ordering Dovo clippers, or similiar online.
Regards,
Gordon
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Post by rsp1202 »

I've seen the Henckels clippers at Nordstroms that Gordon refers to, and they do appear to be well made. I would have bought them if I didn't already have some of these:

http://shavershop.com/index.php?file=ma ... cat_id=139
http://www.knifecenter.com/kc_new/store ... html?s=G98
http://www.russellsformen.com/ag-russel ... 82055-AGR/
(similar to the Dovo linked above)

Checking the prices of the Dreiturms, their prices have skyrocketed, especially since I posted about them in June. (But not because.)
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Post by 95% »

Gordon, Chinese-made or not, those drugstore fingernail clippers have served me well since I began using them more than 50 years ago. I can remember only one pair that didn't cut, and one that came apart. But on the recommendation of the gents here, I think I'll order a higher-quality pair, using the references that you, Chap, and Ron have provided. Maybe the difference will be greater than I expect.
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Post by Chap »

I have never really got on with clippers, but I have only tried the cheap versions, make of that what you will. Some clippers I saw on the site looked nice, large also, which I am sure will help with tough nails. I find with cheap clippers the blades do not meet at the exact edges, and thus do not cut cleanly, this is a matter I am sure German craftsman ship would better address.

One thing that confuses me about that site, is the fact that lots of different companies offer what seem to be the same products, at slightly varying price points. Maybe they all buy in the same unfinished blanks, and then finish in house, to different degrees, or they are different brands of some mother company. This goes for nippers, clippers and scissors. There will be, understandably, some confluence in design choices due to competition and the long history of the trade, but they really seem to be carbon copies of each other when it comes to some products. This makes me wary of buying one of another, risking a potentially expensive mistake.
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Post by 95% »

Anybody familiar with Feather "PaRaDa" clippers?

http://www.classicshaving.com/Hands_and_Feet.html

The price is OK, and I assume the quality is as well, given the popularity of Feather blades at SMF.
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Post by jww »

Chap wrote:Actually, after doing some research, I was wondering, what do you have done in a manicure? The process of removing cuticles sounds ghastly to me (I had always assumed they were there for a reason), and I would forgo a polish, clear or otherwise. This really does not leave a lot left to be done it seems, save trimming and possibly some form of polish (an in an abrasive buffing type procedure).

What is your personal preference for tasks carried out?

I just noticed that I hadn't responded to you last summer on this question.

I get the pedicure first, then the manicure. Not only do you get nails trimmed, but you get a fabulous hand/wrist massage that feels like heaven (yes, really). My hands are first lightly massaged, then some solution is applied to the nail to soften the cuticle, then my hands are placed in heating-pad sleeves. After a few minutes, trim the nails, and cuticles on one hand, then the other. Then shaping, filing, etc. Finally buffing.

The cuticle reduction process during a manicure is neither complex, nor painful, so long as the person performing the work knows what they are doing. The shop I attend with my wife (a great date, with a meal out afterwards), don't even offer polish -- but buffing is a must. If I am lucky, I get the buff done with a special compound and a rotary tool -- it's so cool, another use for your drexel rotary tool -- but get someone else to do it for you -- those things can go a bit awry when using them on yourself. :wink:
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Post by fallingwickets »

My dad the ultimate manly man went for a pedicure out of neccisity. For medical reasons he couldnt get to his toes. Long story short he has now been for some time a huge fan of the mani/pedi routine and like Wendell he and the wifee do the whole date thing :lol: :lol:

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