As a practicing professional, you use your medical tools for procedures day in, day out. Whether it’s your podiatry drill, nippers, or files - it’s important that you pick the tool that’s right for you. This post is dedicated to helping you find the appropriate podiatry nippers.
Why Nippers?
Using the right nippers is important to podiatrists and chiropodists for two reasons. First, as any practicing professional is aware, nippers are used extensively and repetitively in the field so it makes sense to dedicate some thought to this instrument. What’s sometimes overlooked is the fact that frequent use of the wrong nippers can cause pain and injury.
Hand Pain in Foot Care Professionals
Our conversations with podiatrists and chiropodists indicate that many suffer from pain in their hands. And, although research in the field is limited, it does suggest that hand pain in podiatrists is prevalent. In a study of the profession in the UK, 66% of 32 subjects had problems with either their hands, wrists, fingers, or thumbs.
Poor Quality or Compatibility in Nippers
Many nippers easily slip out of the hand (and therefore require a more forceful grip), don’t allow for even distribution on the fingers, or require much force to cut thick, hardened toenails. Meanwhile, other nippers are well designed for a professional with big, strong hands, but are an unsuitable instrument for a professional with smaller hands.
Hold Them - Find the Right Nippers For You
There isn’t one set of nippers that is perfect for everyone, much less for every type of operation. As a foot care professional, you need to hold some nippers in your hands to pinpoint the ones that work best for you. When you do that, you will probably find a combination of a few types of nippers that are ideal for different operations.
Buying Online? Clinic Champ Offers a 100% Satisfaction Guarantee
Clearly, it can be difficult to make a decision on the right nippers when ordering online.
We encourage you to order the pairs that you are interested in, hold them in your hands, and keep only the ones that are right for you. We stand behind our 100% satisfaction guarantee - we want you to be completely satisfied with your new instrument and will always accept returns of unused nippers at Clinic Champ.
Points To Consider When Shopping for Podiatry Nippers:
Size
Try to pick nippers that are the right size for your hands.
Sizes typically range from 8 to 15 cm. 8-11 cm is normally the size of tissue nippers which require less force exertion and are therefore more compact, and 11-15 cm is the size of nail nippers of varying strengths.
If, for example, you are looking for strong nail nippers and have smaller hands, it would be wise to consider options on the lower end of the nail nippers spectrum (closer to 11 cm than 15 cm).
Weight and Intensity
Light and strong is the magic combination that you are looking for.
Yes, some operations require very powerful nippers that will cut through hardened, mycotic nails. But, that doesn’t necessarily mean that the weight of the nippers has to be compromised.
Some manufacturers make surprisingly powerful nippers with incredibly light construction. For example, the wide, flattened handles and signature trapezoid shape of the Ruck nippers allow for even pressure distribution and optimal power application.
When looking for superior strength, a prime option that podiatrists and chiropodists opt for is double-action nail nippers. Double action podiatry nippers are meant for cutting thick mycotic toenails effortlessly. They feature a dual spring that provides the foot care professional with more leverage.
Shape and Size of the Cutting Surface
Do you need to cut a small, difficult-to-reach area? A curved area? The nipper shape you pick can be a function of your preference and of the patient’s needs.
Some nippers are straight and some are curved to accommodate the curvature of the nail. Nippers also have varying levels of thickness at the tip to allow you to reach different areas with ease. The length of the cutting edge of nippers usually ranges from a few millimeters up to about 2 cm.
Durability
This one goes without saying. As a professional, you want a top-notch quality tool that will last.
When it comes to nippers, that means sharp blades that stay sharp, and construction that’s resistant to rusting despite repeated disinfection and sterilization.
Our experience tells us that quality nippers stay sharp for at least a few years and rarely require sharpening. They are made of higher grade stainless steel with a higher chromium content and resistance to rusting.
For example, nippers by EKS Solingen are made of stainless steel 1.4021 with excellent resistance to corrosion.
Ergonomic Design
Some nippers are made with ergonomic construction in mind and combine multiple factors mentioned above in their build.
In addition to being light and properly sized and shaped for your hand, ergonomic nippers could have grip points to prevent slippage, for example. They could be shaped differently to allow for convenient work from different angles.
Some manufacturers also boast a matte finish to reduce glare. Whether this is an advantage largely depends on the preference of the user.
The bottom line is that the overall ergonomic construction of the nippers is something to keep in mind.
With the above points in mind, here is our list of best-selling nippers that are loved by podiatrists and chiropodists.
Nippers for the Toughest Nails
For heavy-duty cutting of mycotic toenails, our bestselling item is the 13 cm Tough-Nail Double-Action Nippers (17 mm Straight Cut) by Orthofex (6-425RDG). These nail nippers are much lighter than other nippers on the market, yet afford the user great leverage.
Nippers for Moderate-Thickness Nails
13 cm Moderate-Nail Nippers (17 mm Concave and Straight Cut) by EKS Solingen (7-30RD & 6-30RD). These nippers are light, easy to clean, made of quality stainless steel resistant to rusting, and rarely need to be sharpened.
Nippers for Thin Nails
11.5 cm Thin-Moderate Nail Nippers (15 mm Straight Cut) by EKS Solingen (6-26RD). These nippers have a rounded tapered jaw that allows for deep penetration. They have a relatively short cutting surface ideal for treating smaller areas, and shorter handles that make the nippers easy to operate. They are excellent for cutting thin to moderate thickness nails and skin (not cuticles).
Nippers for Tissue
Nippers for cuticle removal are usually about 9-11 cm in length, with a cutting length between 3-9 millimeters. Our recommended nippers are the 11 cm Tissue Nippers (7 mm Concave Cut) by EKS Solingen (5-64RD). They are sharp, cut skin easily, and have an ideal jaw length of 7 mm.
Conclusion
As a foot care professional, you use nippers countless times a day. It makes sense to spend some time finding quality nippers that will make your work easier and faster, and will minimize pain as much as possible.
To find good quality nippers that are right for you, we advise you to try different options.
Some points to keep in mind when trying different podiatry nippers are the nippers’ size, weight and intensity, jaw shape and size, durability and the construction of the instrument.
To help guide you, we have included a list of some of our best-selling nippers that have been picked by podiatrists and chiropodists over and over again.
At Clinic Champ, we have a 100% satisfaction guarantee and will always accept returns of unused nippers. You can feel free to order, try, and find the right nippers for you.