ERBE — ERBE manicure and pedicure instruments from Solingen
Founded in Solingen in 1930. Instruments made for daily professional use, in a workshop that has never made anything else.
What they are known for
Erich Becker started the workshop in 1930 and gave it his initials — ER-BE. It has stayed in the family since; his son took over in 1968, and the instruments are still made in Solingen.
ERBE instruments are built around one idea: a tool used every day must survive being used every day. The joints are heavier than on consumer instruments, the springs are set for hundreds of cuts a shift rather than one manicure a week.
This is why they end up in salons more often than in home kits. A nail technician goes through more cutting in a week than most people manage in a decade.
The steel
German stainless, hardened and then ground rather than stamped to shape. The difference shows at the tip: a ground edge closes along its whole length, a stamped one meets in the middle and gaps at the ends.
Stainless does not mean maintenance-free. Dry the joint after use and the instrument outlives you; leave it wet in a drawer and even the best steel spots.
The edge over time
An ERBE edge is ground to be reset rather than binned. When the cut starts to fold the nail instead of severing it, the steel is still sound — the geometry simply needs restoring, and a sharpening workshop can do it.
ERBE in the catalogue
Other workshops we carry
- Niegeloh — A Solingen workshop grinding since 1936, known for nippers and leather cases that outlive…
- Nippes — Founded 1923. The workshop most often behind the clippers other brands put their name…
- Witte — Solingen tweezers and fine instruments, ground to close along the whole tip.
- GöSol — GöSol nail clippers — Solingen steel with the presentation stripped out, and nothing taken…
- Henbor — Italian scissors from Premana — a keener edge, in exchange for more careful drying.
- Omega — Italian shaving brushes — the classic badger and synthetic knots.