Manicure Buying Guide
A good manicure set lasts a lifetime.
But with so many different manicure sets, it's hard to make a choice. This buying guide will help you find the right model!
Buying a manicure set: what should I look for?
1. Which materials to choose?
When it comes to manicure products, you first have the choice of stainless steel or nickel-plated. The advantage of stainless steel products is that they do not rust. This is very nice for nail scissors and tweezers, because they can be kept in the bathroom. Nickel plated scissors will have a chrome layer that protects the steel, but there is a higher chance of rusting in a humid environment. Nickel plated steel is softer and will not stay sharp as long.
| Stainless steel | Nickel plated |
| Harder steel, stays sharp longer | Cheaper to buy |
| Stays nicer, does not rust | Softer steel |
| More expensive to buy | Sensitive to rust in humid environments |
2. Which brand?
Our range of manicure cases consists mainly of Kai, Alpen and Zwilling. Alpen and Zwilling are the largest knife factories in Italy & Germany. Kai is the largest knife factory in Japan. Besides knives, they also make many other products of high-quality steel including manicure products. All the knowledge and quality they put into their knives can also be found in their manicure tools. With these brands you will always buy quality.
Zwilling
Zwilling is known for years as the top of manicure tools. They have a huge range of tools and cases. The quality is always very high, and they look stylish. The scissors, pliers and tweezers are sharp and precisely ground. In addition, they are very well-adjusted so that they 'run' very smoothly. Each cutting movement feels smooth. The manicure products from Zwilling are slightly more expensive, but in our experience worth the extra price.
Alpen
Alpen has a nice collection of manicure products that are attractively priced. Good quality for a competitive price. They are not cheap but a lot more affordable than the ones from Zwilling and Kai. Highly recommended if you do not want to spend too much but still want quality.
KAi
KAI is a Japanese knife company that nowadays also makes high-quality manicure products. We are very impressed with the sharpness and precision with which the products are made. They look stylish with a no-nonsense design. Absolutely a must.
| Zwilling | Alpen | Kai |
| Excellent steel quality | Good steel quality | Excellent steel quality |
| Very nice and sharp cut | Well sharpened | Precisely and sharply ground |
| Scissors and pliers 'run' wonderfully smoothly | Slightly cheaper than Zwilling | Beautiful design and flexible in use |
| Extensive product range | Extensive range | Extensive range |
| Slightly more expensive than Alpen | Lower quality | Slightly more expensive than Alpen |
3. What types of scissors?
Every manicure set consists at least of a nail file and angled tweezers. In addition, it almost always contains a pair of scissors. There are three types of manicure scissors, namely nail scissors, skin scissors and combination scissors. As the name suggests, nail scissors are specifically for cutting nails, while skin scissors are for cutting the skin around the nails. The combination scissors combines these two scissors. The spire tip makes it suitable for cutting both nails and skin.
4. Other attributes?
For all of you who are used to working with nail or skin scissors, Kai, Zwilling and Alpen have put together sets which include these scissors. These are usually the more extensive sets, with which you can take care of your nails and skin to perfection.
The more elaborate sets often also contain a number of nail cleaning tools, such as a cuticle pusher, bucking tool, nail cleaner and cuticle knife.
If you have any questions or are missing a product in our range, please call or email!
