Whether you're used to going to a spa to get your manicure done, prefer taking care
of your hands at home or simply need to trim your nails once in a while to keep
up hygiene and have a neat, clean look, everyone needs a set of personal manicure
tools of their own. When searching for a manicure set you're faced with literally
thousands of results. Different instruments, manufacturers, quantities; the choice
could get very confusing. To help you make sense of it all we've put together a
few ideas and helpful tips that should guide you through the multitudes of products
and narrow down your choice to that set that is just right for you.
Instruments
Case
INSTRUMENTS
First and foremost in considering a manicure set are the instruments within it.
To begin, outline for yourself where, how and which instruments you're going to
be using.
What to Get
If you're experienced in doing your own manicures and know exactly which instruments
you need, you're well on the way to your perfect choice. However if you're just
beginning, you need to consider which instruments you would like to have. A set that
contains the basic manicure instruments usually holds a pair of nail scissors, cuticle
nippers, cuticle pusher, nail file and a nail cleaner. If you'd like to get the
complete package with more specialized tools, your set would also include
a pair of nail nippers, cuticle scissors, nail knife and a pair of tweezers. To
learn more about the individual instruments and make a more educated choice of instruments
you'll need, please visit our education section to learn about various manicure instruments like nail scissors, cuticle nippers
and other various tools.
Materials & Craftsmanship
The material from which your instruments are made of is of the outmost importance.
The material will largely determine the quality and performance of your chosen tools. Though
looks are important, it is far more important to consider the quality. Even in stainless
steel the quality varies. Higher quality steel requires higher grade raw materials
and more refinement work, though this could result in slightly higher prices the
end result is the highest quality instruments and the higher price is often
more than worth it.
In addition, top notch instruments of this fine size and impeccable sharpness
are not achieved by automated means. This is why the best of the best tools are
assembled, ground, sharpened and finished by hand. Even if you decide that a set
of hand finished tools is too pricy for your budget, at the minimum, consider
instruments of a higher grade steel. When you factor in the fact that these instruments
will require less re-sharpening, work much longer between sharpening and serve
you so many years more, you'll see that these tools pay for themselves.
If you're going to be using your tools a lot, whether taking care of very tough
nails and skin or as professional instruments, you should consider that purchasing
good quality instruments will save you money in the long run. Some beauticians don't
consider the option of more expensive instruments and re-sharpening, they
purchase very cheap instruments, most often produced in Pakistan, which allows them
to discard these tools often and purchase new ones. However, the long run
cost of purchasing new instruments not only adds up in expenses it also damages
the nails and cuticles of their clients. These lower quality instruments are cheaper
not only because they won't last as long, but also because they are made of lower
quality materials that provide rather less than sharp blades and edges. Low quality
materials and craftsmanship often is reflected in the need to exert force or pulling
on nails and cuticles to accomplish tasks that a well made, sharp and precise instruments
take care of in seconds. The long term health of your nails and cuticles should be
more important than the price of your grooming tools.
Your personal instruments are going to be with you for a long time; well made instruments
have been known to outlast their owners. Some would say that their favorite instruments
are with them for life, the better their quality the longer they'll serve you. Because
they are such personal items people get used to their grooming tools.
If a tool is lost, many spend years trying to find another one to fit as perfectly.
That is why it is better to purchase a better quality instrument, even if it is
a bit more expensive, and then let it pay for itself over the years with its loyal,
high quality service year after year.
If you have sensitive skin and are prone to allergies:
Keeping your nails and cuticles healthy should be beneficial to you and it wouldn't
do if the tools that you use to take care of your hygiene become the cause of problems.
Stainless steel is the standard material for personal grooming tools; however it
comes in different variations. By itself, stainless steel should be rust proof and
allergen free. Some people consider tools in precious metals, like gold, to be even
better and purer, like these gorgeous gold plated manicure sets. However,
for the most sensitive skin, like baby's skin, TopInox steel is the best. It is revolutionary
in stainless steel production, rust proof and hypoallergenic. The sets of
TopInox instruments, like these manicure sets, represent the highest grade and quality there is.
Why durability matters or What different types of steel mean to tools
Steel is one of the most durable materials, but differences in the production process
create some distinction. It might seem that metal is and especially steel is strong
enough to withstand working with much softer cuticles and nails, however durability
of the steel used is important not only because your tools get dull with use, and
the more durable the material the longer it'll last you even if it is re-sharpened
a few times but also because more durable materials allow much sharper,
more precise blades and edges to begin with.
Instruments made of stainless steel are rust-proof and considered to be pretty durable,
which sounds good, but innovation never stands still, and that is why there are other
materials from which our tools are often made. To improve the performance of their
products, manufacturers take even more durable types of steel, in our case the highest
grade carbon steel which is many times more durable and structurally strong than
stainless steel, and improve upon it by covering or plating
it with nickel, making nickel plated instruments just as rust-proof as stainless
steel, but that much tougher. As compared to tools made of stainless steel, instruments
made of nickel plated high carbon steel attain a much higher sharpness and precision,
and last so much longer, as illustrated by some of these great manicure sets.
This is worth mentioning again, high carbon steel is of much higher durability
than most other types of steel, however the high carbon steel used by the manufacturers
from Solingen, Germany that Zamberg is working with are using the highest quality
of high carbon steel. In addition to Nickel plating, high carbon steel also gets
plated in Chromium. Chrome plated instruments also get the advantage of corrosion
resistance, and even if you scratch your tools instead of allowing the "exposed"
steel to oxidize and rust, chromium forms a protective film over the break in covering
and prevents any possible corrosion. One more plus of chrome plating is that it
doesn't attract dust, keeping your tools cleaner, longer.
One nuisance of plating is that it is a covering of another material, and with years
of use the materials used for plating could wear off, however if the quality of
the instruments is very high, like those available on Zamberg.com, this practically
doesn't happen.
Last, but not least, in addition to stainless steel and plated steels there is cobalt
steel, also known as French or Blue steel. It is considered even more durable and
should last even longer before needing to be sharpened.
CASE
Though certainly of less significant importance than the instruments, the case serves
both a practical and decorative purpose. It encloses the instruments, makes it easier
to carry all of the tools together, protects the instruments from damage and dirt
and it protects your bag from the tools' sharp edges. In addition, a case could also
be your way of self expression.
Just like with the instruments, the material of which your case is made will determine
not only its appearance, but also how long it'll last. For example a high grade
leather case would last longer and continue to look good even when a bit worn than
the cases made of less expensive materials.
The internal design, construction and craftsmanship of the case also determine the
compactness and ease of use you'll get out of the set. There are many ingenuous
ways to pack a lot of tools to take up as little space as possible, as could be
seen in these compact manicure sets. On the other hand, every snap and closure could keep your tools safe, secure and right at your fingertips, very easy and comfortable to take out in no time at all.
If your carrying case is prone to bumps and other rough treatment, you may want
to consider a frame case, like a few cases in these examples, that
keeps its rigid shape and protects your tools even better.
Though one of our first tips was to consider how your set is going to be used and
that should drive your decision; some of the cases are simply a thing of
beauty, something that a person of high style can't overlook. And when a manufacturer
puts that much effort into their tools, the gorgeous cases that hold them, like
these fabulous Niegeloh manicure sets, are just as amazingly well crafted and chic.
How You'll Use It
After you've outlined which instrument you want, it is a good idea to think about
where and how that set is going to be utilized. That decision makes a big impact
on the type of set you finally decide to purchase. If you're looking for a set to
take along when traveling than space is very important to you, which translates
into as compact a set as possible, like these compact travel manicure sets that
covers all the basics. If you're looking for a set that is not only convenient
and handsome but is also luxurious and has a lot of room, then a larger, more spacious
case would be the way to go, as could be seen in these lovely manicure sets.
Of course these are two of the extremes and there are many choices in between to
fit conditions in which you'll use your set.
Now that you have all the information to go out and make a more educated choice,
what are you waiting for? The perfect set is waiting for you, so start choosing
and start shopping!
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