The products we used:
Green Bell Takuminowaza All Stainless Steel Prime Quality Nail Clipper
Click here for the product page
Green Bell Takuminowaza Stainless Steel Straight Blade Nail Clipper with Nail Catcher
Click here for the product page
Daydreaming
Nearly every day, as I'm at the kitchen counter chopping onions and slicing tomatoes with a kitchen knife made in Seki, Japan--home of world-class Japanese cutlery--I think to myself, "Man, I wish I could trim my fingernails with this knife."
I'm sure you've had the same thought from time to time.
Straight Blade vs. Curved Blade
But, that would be a mistake. A knife is a straight blade and totally unsuitable for clipping your fingernails. For clipping your fingernails, you want a nail clipper with a curved blade. The curve of the blade allows you to cut along the natural curve of your fingernails, resulting in a cleaner cut.
Straight blades are perfect for clipping your toenails, however. Toenails are larger and tend to be more square-shaped, making straight blade clippers more appropriate. Additionally, if you use curved clippers on your toenails, you risk developing a habit of clipping the corners of your toes too aggressively, resulting in ingrown toenails. Ouch.
If your toenails tend to curl inward, we strongly advise using a straight blade toenail clipper.
Temptation
Now that you know that your razor-sharp Japanese cutlery is the correct shape for cutting your toenails, I'm sure that you're tempted to give it a try. I know I am.
But we must resist the temptation, friend.
Advantages and Disadvantages of Large Clippers and Nippers
Large clippers have a few advantages:
- They provide greater leverage for cutting through stubborn nails.
- They can cut through more nail at once.
- They are more comfortable to hold for people with big hands.
These are all especially true of nail nippers because of their longer handle.
However, the larger your clippers, the less precise they are. If you have smaller nails, that kitchen knife, just like a large set of nail nippers or tree pruners, isn't the right tool for the job.
Advantages and Disadvantages of Small Clippers
For small nails, you need small clippers. Not only are small clippers more precise, they are also more comfortable to use if you have smaller hands. Precision and comfort means you're less likely to hurt yourself or others.
The downside is that you trade some power for precision.
What to choose?
Here at Globalkitchen Japan, we have a selection of high-quality nail clippers manufactured in Seki, Japan, the same place as that set of knives you bought from us.
But which one should you choose?
In the end, we all have special fingers, so choosing the right set of clippers is a personal choice.
If you have small hands, you probably want smaller clippers.
But, you might need bigger clippers for toenails. That's especially true if you've got some real Edward Scissorfeet on you. In that case, consider getting nippers instead.
Generally, get curved blade clippers for your fingernails and straight blade clippers for your toenails.
And whatever clippers or nippers you need for your special fingers and toes, you can find them here at Globalkitchen Japan.
The products we used:
Green Bell Takuminowaza All Stainless Steel Prime Quality Nail Clipper
Click here for the product page
Green Bell Takuminowaza Stainless Steel Straight Blade Nail Clipper with Nail Catcher
Click here for the product page
