Go from finger nail CLIPPER to finger nail CUTTER! It is time for all humanity to demand BETTER results from such important tools. How often do you cut your nails? Every week, every month? But how often do you use your fingers?? Why should cutting your nails weaponize them?!? You're here because, like me, you're done with chopped-up hack jobs, and you're ready to spend what it takes to feel awesome about what just happened at your finger tips. Good news: you found it, and everyone is saying that in these reviews for good reason. I'll try not to repeat all the other reviews (solid stainless instead of chrome plated pot-metal, made in Japan, intentionally made to be good rather than 'enough', does improve on the job, etc.) and keep this specific. At first it can be hard to notice just how substantially different these are from lesser clippers - but if you imagine being the manufacturer wanting to save a single penny (or less!) on each clipper, all the details quickly unfold. Pro: -The edge. The reason you buy these or don't. Ergonomics are important, but the quality of the cut and the quality of the steel to hold the edge is everything. This pair cuts like nothing I've used before or hoped for. I bought the Victorinox pocket clippers because I am obsessed with finding the best: they are great, they are SHARP...and they honestly do not cut as well. They cut great, but not like these. (For this review, I'm using a pair of La Cross clippers as the "lesser clippers" comparison. The best pair I've found under $10. Also, I owned a pair of Tweezerman clippers as was not impressed at all.) I used to wash my hands with hot water to prepare my nails for clipping, I used to file underneath, on the flat edge, and on top of the nail to avoid drawing blood when scratching an itch after clipping my nails! Those days are over. This pair s-l-i-p-s through your nail, slices. A real cutting of the nail. Also, if you inspect a lesser pair, you'll find a small overbite where the blades meet, even on the Victorinox - not on these. Now I clip, and do a quick filing of the top of the edge, done - smooth, not scratchy or jagged, and very time efficient. As good or better than all that filing I was doing to correct what my clippers should have been accomplishing themselves. -The steel. It is a gimmick to make a kitchen knife in Solingen Germany and declare it a masterpiece. BUT, they still make some of the best there in Solingen. And Swiss made products are still awesome. This pair is made in Seki Japan - they are so proud of this fact (and its relation to traditional Japanese swords) that it is their brand name. Gimmick? Honestly, I don't think so. From the moderate knowledge and familiarity I have with Japanese culture, I know that when they set out to be the best, it can be a very serious venture. I have not had my pair very long. But those who have say the edge holds up great. It seems likely to me that it's good steel, and I notice the lever is different from the blade, which says to me they used a better steel where it counts. I would love to say it has a great heat treat to temper the steel, but I honestly don't know. However, the best way I know to find out is whether the metal 'rings' or not - and this pair doesn't 'clunk,' it has a very sharp sound quality when on a hard surface. Someone who has worked with blades a lot can tell you when a metal sounds soft and hard, and this sounds hard. That would be a very big deal to me, and honestly what I would expect that for a $20 pair (they're $17 for me on Amazon, March 2015). Try this: hold by lever in 'up' position, run an edge of the body up and down your finger and hear the ring. Do this with lesser clippers, and it sounds like a shiny block of wood. no ring. -Connections and fasteners. Not that lesser clippers fail because they come apart (not usually), but on a simple machine like this, connection points are just under the cutting edge and the steel in importance. On the Seki, the lever is connected to the the axle shaft by a real rivet that is sealed on both ends with a tight fit and NO wobble. Very different, very cool. The connection in the rear is the usual stamp-press to fuse the metals, but the stamp is especially large and you can see plenty of material has been shifted in the process. Yet they take the time to polish out any bumps on the top, opposite of the detent. I don't know what the two long holes in the very back are for...but they could possibly add to connection since they are cut together, the seam line inside is hard to find, and there is indention from the cut on both sides. -Control. I find it easy to cut what I want to cut. My thumb slips down the lever of lesser clippers, and I notice I don't slip at ALL when using these. Also, the blade has a good shape and natural curve, the mouth opens wide, and is big enough to do large fingers and BIG toes just fine. (I have a l.a.r.g.e. big toe with a prodigious nail. All my nails are very thick - so the Seki has been tested.) -Blade geometry. The clippers are made from thinner steel, and this leads to a sharper edge. But if you look at the lesser clippers compared to this, their 'mouth' almost seems to jut outward while the Seki come more straight down and seem to have 'deeper teeth.' More cut, less pinch. -Finish. There is a higher grit used on the final grinding of the blade edges than on any of my clippers. This means a great deal for a clean, sharp edge, and for the manufacturing process. The edge is actually lovely to look at. Since heat treat is likely, that would mean needing to use coarse, medium, and fine grits to remove metal smoothly but without causing too much friction heat. You can't just use 'fine' grit and remove a lot of material without ruining the temper. extra steps = a lot more cost for the manufacturer. Con: -some space between axle shaft and lever at connection points. Harm: none. But there is some play allowed there. Not enough to ever 'come off the rails' like some clippers - it's not hooked on, it's an actual rivet - and the play is very slight. Perhaps this results in greater flexibility - I wouldn't put it past the makers to have thought this through. -Flair. Back of clipper that fits into ball of hand isn't super ergonomic. It doesn't hurt, and it's not pointy like the back of lesser clippers, but the way it flares out at the back and is slightly thin (metal is thinner because of higher quality - it's a good thing) that I notice it. However, There is evident attention to grinding down these edges to make them smooth; they are. -Ergonomics. There is obvious work to make this a good fit in the hand, and I do have large hands, but I'm not blown away. Good enough? Absolutely, I'm very pleased with the purchase. But it doesn't feel like a glove. The thumb pad is indented to hold the thumb better, but isn't wide or shaped like a thumb. The lever sits a little higher than I'm used to, but that might actually contribute to better control. (see above) The whole body curves down, and I think that increases grip, and the flair-out at the back actually improves grip too. S ergos are actually 50/50 for me. -Coolness. For such an awesome pair of cutters, for being the best, for being so expensive, for being (hopefully) the last pair I'll ever need....they aren't that cool looking. The brand sticker is really uninspiring and is just an open sticker. The 9 dots on the back of the lever are just there to look cool...but. The grip is very adequate, and actually has some grooves for traction....but, not cool. -sharp edges. It means good things about the manufacture of the product, but the inside sides of the two blade plates are such a harsh 90 degrees that it feels like it could cut me. No actual danger, and the outside edges are rounded (which indicates good thought). But the sides of the blade edge are so sharp I'm not sure if I have the actual blade or just the tip curve against my skin. there you have it. They are the best, pros and cons, and worth your money if you care enough to even be reading this. I'm so glad I used my Christmas money to buy them! Would do it again. But NO ONE will be borrowing these, so I will not NEED to buy them again.