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Comment by vijucat | Hacker News Reader

My first day in Japan, I switched on the TV and was immediately thrust into a program where different designs of nail cutters were being analyzed. The angle of the cutting blades, etc; The cutting of the nail was inspected in slow motion video capture, and an Excel sheet of how far the nail flies, how neat the cut was, etc; was filled and a Winner was arrived at. I've never seen anything like it and I watched all 30 minutes of that program! It was a fascinating demonstration of what I believe is called "kaizen". I really like the attention given to everyday objects in Japanese design.

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> It was a fascinating demonstration of what I believe is called "kaizen"

It's not kaizen, it's the perpetual appetite for novelty rather than anything else. Also Japanese TV programs are anything but legit, everything is scripted ahead of time and there's not such thing as a winner which does not happen to buy ads on the same network.

Japanese tools are insanely good. I bought a specialized plastic cutter from a Japanese company a couple years ago. It was expensive, but I couldn't find another that took less than 4 weeks to ship.

It's built more like a smartphone than a cheap hand tool. Fully machined, no parting lines, very tight tolerances. The plastic is quite strong, maybe nylon. The steel cutter is definitely hardened and non magnetic so possibly stainless.

And in Japanese fashion, as far as I can tell this company only makes plastic cutters

Talking about nail clippers: I always found it weird that nail clippers seem to be the most common device for cutting your finger nails outside of Europe. Over here we have specialized scissors[1] for this which seem to give a lot more control and better results. Anyone seen these elsewhere? I guess they’re a bit harder to use?

[1] https://de.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nagelschere

Nail scissors have a better cutting action but nail clippers are much easier to use, especially with your less-dominant hand.

I'm a huge fan of Stylfile clippers [1], which have a scissor-like cutting action but clipper-like form factor. They were created by one the wonders of the UK version of The Apprentice (but don't let that put you off!).

[1] https://www.amazon.co.uk/Stylfile-AV5P1a-S-Clipper-Nail-Clip...

> Nail scissors have a better cutting action but nail clippers are much easier to use, especially with your less-dominant hand.

The main problem is not hand dominance of the user, it's chirality of the scissors themself. When you cut with scissors in the correct hand with a conventional grip, you force blades closer together which helps with a cut, but put the same scissors in the other hand and your fingers will now drag the blades apart.

Hence there are three solutions: you can have a pair of scissors with opposite chirality, you can try to grip wrong chirality scissors such way that you don't drag their blades apart, or you can have high quality scissors with pivot pin tight and strong enough that you will not experience that effect.

The scissors in swiss army knifes/cards for example are both high quality and allow for alternative grips.

This is my favorite nail cutter that's just like scissors. I can't back to normal nail cutter.

https://www.amazon.co.jp/dp/B000SRVQ26

That would explain why I once spent a week in Amsterdam with excessively long fingernails---I'd forgotten to bring some and I don't like shears (they give worse results and less control).

In spain at least we mostly use nail clippers as well, I've only seen specialized scissors used for babies for some reason.

Same in France. Both exist but clippers are more common.

Both nail scissors and nail clippers exist here in Brazil. I don't know which is more common, but both are easy to find.

I'm living in Hesse and here the clippers are popular (Even sold in REWE). But maybe it's regional?

Maybe specific to your home country.

Most people use clippers, the scissors usually show up in woman's bags

Japanese designed and manufactured tools are always a delight to use. Whenever I go to Japan I always find myself picking up some new beautifully designed and made object. The last time I was in Tokyo it was lighters. I bought probably $300 of various lighters from Tokyo Pipe Co. I don't even smoke!

Unfortunately it's getting harder and harder to find products actually made in Japan, and despite what many people want to believe, Japanese obsession with perfection makes a big difference in the quality of manufactured goods. Makita doesn't manufacture in Japan anymore, and quality has suffered. Fujifilm stopped making several of their lines in Japan, and quality suffered. Very sad.

Some of the higher end Makita stuff still is. If you spend enough on a circular saw, they still make them in Japan. They also make a 6" and 12"(!) handheld power planer (not the stationary "lunchbox" style) that are AIUI made in Japan. That 12" planer goes for a couple grand US. That's the KP312 if you're curious.

Japan, incidentally, has a long timber framing tradition that's still relatively common in modern construction. This is part of the reason you'll see Makita and Hitachi tools in your US timberframer's kit; they still make the tools in Japan for the active local market.

Yes, the AvE youtube channel has two recent video of Makita drills literally going up in smoke. Which is a real shame as I really needed a drill and was all set for splashing out on a Makita.

I think their more expensive drills are still pretty nice - the ones AvE keeps blowing up (what the hell is his business anyway?) were bargain bin ones. It's just sad that makita has any bargain bin lines at all.

I looked at what the best drill-drivers I could reasonably buy were, and there's almost nothing that's not made in China these days. Even Hilti makes its battery powered tools in China.

I have nails which are (evidently) really hard; if I try to use the standard American 89-cent "Gem" cutter, I can squeeze the handles until they touch and it won't go through my nail.

Mentioned this to a co-worker, and he pointed me to Seki Japanese cutters. Extremely sharp, extremely well made, fantastic. They go through my nails like butter.

It's not nail cutters, but perhaps other readers would be interested in NHK World's (English-language) programme which explores a different aspect of Japanese culture each episode, usually through the lens of a specific object (scissors, coffee, stationery, expressways, etc…): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ilPC-uJ8Yuw

My grandfather bought a knife in Japan while on a business trip in the 80s. The owner of the shop used to call him once a year (now they communicate via email) and ask if he needed to ship it back for any repairs. The repairs are free.

At this point, he considers this guy a friend. It’s a really interesting relationship. In my experience, the only similar relationship that most Americans might have is with the person who cuts their hair or with a bartender.

I don’t cook much and I don’t need any fancy cooking knives, but I still enjoy browsing in knife shops in Tokyo and Osaka. (I've lived in Japan since the 1980s.) The breadth and variety is amazing, and the knives are often beautifully displayed.

Two shops I remember particularly fondly are in Osaka: Kunishige [0, Japanese only] in the Tenjinbashisuji shopping street and the Sakai Ichimonji [1] shop in Namba. The latter is in a street full of restaurant suppliers, and several other cutlery shops are nearby. There are similar shops in Kappabashi in Tokyo [2].

[0] http://www.tenjin123.com/shops/國重刃物店/

[1] https://ichimonji.jp/index.php

[2] https://www.kappabashi.or.jp/en/index.html

On YouTube there is a show called Japanology that discussed such things. Very interesting, even the episode about moss.

Could you provide a link? A search on YouTube provides a lot of similar sites and/or videos are using “Japanology” in their titles.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ilPC-uJ8Yuw

"BEGIN Japanology" is the official name.

even mass produced japanese products are beautifully designed. my last acquisition is the beautiful Pilot MYU. Vintage, but new. Gorgeous. I am so worried about the integrated nib that i am not enjoying it as much as I probably should..only one other matches the passions the MYU can evoke. Parker 51. American.

turns out they did a limited release of the pilot myu in 2008. $180 is a bargain. https://www.penaddict.com/blog/2013/1/30/my-fountain-pen-edu...

My personal favourite is Uni's Kurutoga (クルトガ) mechanical pencil that automatically turns the pencil lead a fraction every time you lift it. This means that the tip is always neatly rounded and never slanted.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3PwojzSw7OQ

Sounds silly? It won me over on first sight.

I recently saw a short TV documentary about the Kurutoga and industry competitors' R&D staff were being interviewed, remarking that that innovation truly sent shockwaves through the entire industry.

I love this pencil so much that I have three, with different lead in each. It’s completely brilliant. And a bargain, or it was. I really like the venerable Pentel P200 series but I only use the 0.7 and 0.9 because there’s no Kurutoga.

Same here! I have a Pentel P209 right in front of me. Not sure where my P207 has gone of to.

The 5mm Kurutoga is my main pencil of course. I have a nice aluminium one ever since my first plastic body one cracked (after many years of use).

One really nice benefit of the Kurutoga (5mm) is that your writing is really neat and fine as if written with a 3 or 4mm pencil.

I've never been able to understand the love for the Kurutoga.

Pentel Graphgear 1000 GOAT

In some Hong Kong fountain pen collector circles, the MYU is affectionately known as the “Scalpel”.

Like Parker.. the design is based on the nose of jet planes. I am horrified now as I remember how ..as a child..I used to play with my grandfather’s MYU..lidless and nib tearing the air while nosediving.

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