I have looked at the contents of many EDC/PSK kits and have not seen a small nail clipper. A must for broken nail or hangnail. "Trim" brand seems to dominate the market. Perhaps it could find room in your FAK if no room in your overstuffed Altoids tin.

keep one in every FAK and one on my keyring

KBF,

I?m pretty stingy with my EDC. I keep it lean and mean. No fish hooks, snare wire or water purification tabs in my pockets (ETS blasphemy). My EDC gets me to my other well stocked kits.

Nail clippers would be extravagance and fluff in my EDC. If I get a hang nail or broken nail, I?ll patch it with a band-aid till I can get to my big kits.

That said, I do think clippers are a great addition to FAKs, BOBs, car kits, etc. It is small, light weight and provides a small touch of comfort that can be priceless in a crisis.

Keep ?em coming. <img src="/images/graemlins/wink.gif" alt="" />

Besides, the ETS gear geeks will love the challenge of hunting down titanium nail clippers with integral stainless steel nail file and hand polished pivots.

That?s got me thinking (dangerous)?. Turn the ETS ?collective creative juices? loose on the alternative possible uses for nail clippers.

Uses for the small file? A striker for firestarters? Re-shaping soft materials?

Using the clippers as nibbling tool for appropriate materials? (This can be difficult to do with a knife of scissors depending on the object shape and material).

What materials are better cut with the compression type cut of clippers, vs the slicing of a knife or the mechanical separation of scissors?

Any thoughts?

Cheers, TR

Well, the hangnail issue is close. I've used my nail clippers to trim the excess skin from busted blisters and dead skin from healing wounds. Because of the arc, they're not very precise, but sometimes it's all I've got.

Trimming off hangnails and broken nails is not just a comfort issue in some situations, by the way. Long term discomfort can go well beyond distraction.

I have clippers in my larger bob in my truck, but the scissors on my EDC leatherman will cut nails fine.

Is this an argument for the straight edged clippers vs. curved clipper? That probably depends on what you are trying to cut. Without a lot of thought I would have to give the advantage to a straight edge.

Another question: What are the brand names and models of some high quality nail clippers? My wife will shoot you if you lose her prized clippers (they are not all created equal). Go into a grocery store or drug store and the clipper options will probably be chrome plated, pot metal crap.

The same goes for tweezers with a precision edge. One of the kids lost my wife's life long tweezers. I spent an absurd amount of time trying to purchase a contemporary replacement. Many were made with quality material, but lacked the fine precision at the end and the inside flats.

TR

does this make me a gear geek?

http://www.heimerdingercutlery.com/catalog/moreinfo.cfm?Product_ID=269


I carry these every day, expensive, but quality and very space saving

Take a look at www.eknifeworks.com They have Gerber Deluxe Nail Clipper for $3.99 # G7166 and Gerber Utility Nail Clipper for $2.99 #G7165.
Smokey Mountain Knife Works, great Co. to deal with.

Dave

I was camping last weekend in 32 degree weather. When I came back to Phoenix I had an open sore on a finger where the skin had dried and split.

Hand lotion would be good and clippers to cut the dead skin.

In all honesty, I haven't used nail clippers on anything in 10 years. Why start now? <img src="/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />