Nails
A quickie on nail care
Hello! I’ve decided to not stick to an exact schedule with this newsletter, but I’m gonna try to send something at least once a month. I have several incomplete drafts, but I wanted to send something out, so I wrote this really quickly based on products I was recently researching.
This one is all about nail care.
Takumi No Waza 9-Piece Grooming Kit
My dad wanted a manicure set for father’s day. When I was a kid, I remember him buying a beautiful nail kit made by the german manufacturer DOVO (who seems to have discontinued making them) from a now defunct cutlery store called Stoddard’s in the Chestnut Hill Mall. He later bought me a smaller DOVO kit. Unfortunately, although beautiful, they were not as durable as you’d hope for something so premium. The leather case mine came in eventually started to disintegrate and the tools dulled. I imagine his kit had reached a similar state, which is why he asked for a new one. This, along with the greater success of their Merkur safety razors, may have been a factor in DOVO’s discontinuation of the product line.
The city of Solingen in Germany is known for producing blades, and is home to top manufactures such as Wüsthof, Zwilling J. A. Henckels, and DOVO. So, I was initially searching for other nail kits made in Solingen. I was gifted a kit by Niegeloh which is really lovely, but it lacks a cuticle nipper. I couldn’t quite find the right combination of tools for a reasonable price. So I ended up looking to the Solingen of Japan, a city called Seki in the Gifu prefecture. There’s a company called Green Bell that makes excellent blades and grooming products. The Wirecutter’s top pick for nail clippers is made by them and their runner up pick is made by Seki Edge, which is owned by Green Bell as well.
Anyway, I found this kit from Takumi No Wasa, yet another sub-brand of Green Bell, and I’m extremely impressed with the quality. The tools feel much sharper than any of the German ones I’ve used before and it’s an incredible value. Comparable German kits cost much more, and honestly you’re often paying for the leather cases more than the tools.
3 Swords Germany Cuticle Knife
Despite just shitting on Solingen grooming tools a bit, they are still very high quality. A cuticle knife is a great way to clean up your nails, and I’ve found that it often does a better job than a cuticle nipper, which can occasionally grab too much skin and leave a bad appearance. I’ve bought a few of them over the years, you can get them at your local drug store for a few bucks, but they feel cheap and quickly get dull. I decided to try out this fancy German one and it did not disappoint. It’s still very cheap, but the blade is really shape, it’s got a substantial handle and comes with a protective cap.
Cyanoacrylate Glue
For years I had really messed up looking thumb nails. I was never a nail biter, but I would unconsciously pick at my cuticles. This is relatively common amongst people who suffer from anxiety and OCD. It’s called habit-tic deformity and results in yellowed horizontal lines down the center of the nail. For the longest time I ignored it because I didn’t know what to do about it, but I was really self-conscious about it. I would go out of my way to hide them in photos. Eventually I get fed up with it and decided to do something. I came across this article from the Archives of Dermatology, a peer-reviewed medical journal now known as JAMA Dermatology. It described using cyanoacrylate glue, better known as Super Glue or CA glue, as a barrier to prevent further trauma to the cuticle.
I gave it a shot and it totally worked. My nails look completely normal now. I tested a bunch of different super glue brands because I found some worked better than others. I remember ZAP and Bob Smith Industries being my preferred brands. I highly recommend you get an accelerant as well, so you don’t have to wait around for the glue to set or have it spread around too much.
Victorinox Nail Clip 580
I used to collect Swiss Army Knives. I was actually a member of the Swiss Army Knife Collectors Society. That was a relatively brief phase, but I’m still a fan of Swiss Army Knives and I’m always interested when they release an unusual model. This nail clipper knife caught my eye and I bought it on impulse. It’s actually an excellent nail clipper and a nice knife to carry around if you do have the habit of messing with your nails when stressed or anxious.
BTW, while we’re on the subject of Swiss Army Knives (SAK), I wanted to share one of my favorite models, which I was never able to add to my collection. The SwissFlame was a SAK with a built in butane lighter. It was only sold between 2002 and 2005, and was never released in the US. Apparently this was due to a lack of child safety features… but I guess it’s ok if a child plays with a blade or wood saw?
Focus L36 Concave Nail File
I must admit that this is the first item I’ve shared in a newsletter that I haven’t actually used, but I’m very tempted to buy it. It’s an extremely unique nail file from Italy. I’ve never seen anything like it before, but it looks like it would be extremely satisfying to use.