Instruments for hands: cuticle and nail scissors, nippers, clippers and files. Forged in Solingen, hand-sharpened, and built so the two edges meet along their whole length — that is the difference between a nail that is cut and one that is folded and torn.
Which instrument to buy first
If you own nothing, buy something for the nail plate before anything for the skin. A pair of nail scissors or a clipper covers the job everyone does weekly; cuticle work is the step after that, and it is optional in a way that trimming is not.
Between scissors and a clipper: scissors give more control over the shape and are what professionals use on hands, a clipper is faster and travels better. Neither is more "professional" than the other — the difference that matters is whether the two edges meet along their whole length. How to check that in five seconds.
Cuticle nippers or cuticle scissors
The same job, a different grip. Nippers are quicker and forgive an unsteady hand; scissors let you see past the blade and give finer control on a small area. Professionals own both, at home one is enough — choose by which sits better in your hand, not by price. The full comparison is in nippers, scissors or clippers.
For beginners
Two mistakes cost people their first instrument. The first is buying cuticle scissors and using them on nails: the points are ground under a millimetre wide for skin, and a nail plate chips them immediately. The second is buying the largest set on offer — a seven-piece case is a fine gift and a poor way to learn what you actually use.
What makes one worth three times another
Not the brand and not the finish. A forged blade is shaped from hot steel and tapers from joint to tip, so under spring tension the edges close along their full length. A stamped blade is punched from cold sheet, keeps one thickness, and touches only in the middle — which is why a cheap instrument folds the nail near the tips instead of cutting it. The rest, including how long the edge lasts, follows from that.