Grooming Tool Review: Klhip “The Ultimate Clipper”

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Do you really need to spend $70 on a nail clipper? ($95 if you want the attractive leather case specially designed for it.) Of course not! But, as my lovely wife often reminds me, you get what you pay for. In the case of the Klhip nail clipper, while you can get something that does the same basic grooming function for under $10, you really aren’t comparing apples to apples.

Here is take a look at what this high-end nail clipper is all about.

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From the Company:

BUILDING A BETTER NAIL CLIPPER:

Why re-design something so mundane? Average nail clippers just don’t get the job done. They’re ugly. And tear the nail instead of cutting it. So you’re left with jagged nails and clippings that fly across the room. Even worse, standard clippers are controlled from the wrong end. Your fingers slide downhill or off to the side and clipping your nails becomes difficult.

Enter the patent-pending Klhip®. The most advanced, precise clipper available. It brings creativity, ingenuity and quality to everyday life. And lets you actually enjoy the experience of clipping your nails.

SPECIAL FEATURES:

Superior cutting action: A falling rate cam makes cutting thick nails easy and normal nails effortless.

Better ergonomics: With our “reverse engineering”, you apply pressure directly over the nail you’re cutting. This creates a more comfortable grip and makes clipping easy.
Smooth, single blade cutting: Double blades either dull each other or tear the nail. Klhip’s single blade cuts so cleanly and precisely that filing isn’t necessary. And this smooth action tends to keep clippings on-board instead of falling to the floor.

Sleek design, quality materials: Clean lines make Klhip easy on the eyes. And 17-4PH surgical stainless steel holds up to a lifetime of use.

Klhip has earned a Design Distinction Award in the Consumer Products category of I.D. Magazine’s 2010 Annual Design Review and a 2010 GOOD DESIGN Award from The Chicago Athenaeum Museum for its debut product, The Ultimate Clipper®. Klhip now has an equally impressive Dopp kit. Handcrafted in lush Spanish leather, our Dopp Kit is the perfect accessory for your grooming essentials.

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I was sent the “less expensive” $70 version of the Klhip. The only difference between it and the higher end version is that this one came in a metal tin while the high-end one comes in a leather case. While it doesn’t matter which version you get since the actual device is the same, you WILL want to keep the Klhip in whichever case you get to avoid damaging the blades.

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The Klhip is made from high-quality metal and feels remarkably sturdy.

This is the “stored position”. To actually use the Klhip you flip the arm around.

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Doing so yields this. Like the drugstore clippers with this we are all so familiar the Klhip is spring-loaded. But the mechanism it uses is entirely different.

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The difference is that the drugstore versions get their “spring” from the two blades being angled apart at the back. The arm is pressed down from the back and the blades are forced them together. It works but it is a bit of an awkward design. (Just think about how many times a clipper like this left you with exceptionally jagged nails!)

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The Klhip, on the other hand, has a strong internal spring between the upper and lower halves. The arm flips around and exerts pressure from the rear of the tool. This uses leverage and an even force to make a clean cut that, as the company suggests, often leaves you not needing to file your nails at all after clipping.

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It is actually rather comfortable to hold and use. (And that’s coming from someone with hand and wrist issues!)

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Along the lines of “you get what you pay for” this image shows just how different the drugstore clipper is from the Klhip. One is functional and does the job. The other has good industrial design, heady-duty construction and does the job exceptionally well.

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The only thing missing is the drugstore clippers nail file. You know the thing on the back that you NEVER used!?!?

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In all, the Klhip is pricey when, after all, you are talking about a nail clipper. Then again, the right tool for the job is often more expensive than the adequate one and that is really the story here. You can get adequate or you can get refined. Spend the money on refined and you won’t be going back to adequate any time soon.

You can order the Klhip directly from the company’s web store.

MSRP: $70 with the metal tin, $95 with a leather case

What I Like: Nice industrial design; well-conceived and executed so it does its job the “right way”

What Needs Improvement: Pricey; no built-in file… then again who uses it???

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About the Author

Dan Cohen
Having a father who was heavily involved in early laser and fiber-optical research, Dan grew up surrounded by technology and gadgets. Dan’s father brought home one of the very first video games when he was young and Dan remembers seeing a “pre-release” touchtone phone. (When he asked his father what the “#” and “*” buttons were his dad said, “Some day, far in the future, we’ll have some use for them.”) Technology seemed to be in Dan’s blood but at some point he took a different path and ended up in the clergy. His passion for technology and gadgets never left him. Dan is married to Raina Goldberg who is also an avid user of Apple products. They live in New Jersey with their golden doodle Nava.