News

NS Crafts® heavy duty plier-style finger ring cutter with finger guard
Ring Cutters Explained: How to Choose a Ring Removal Tool (UK)
Plier-style, thumb-action or quick-release? How manual ring cutters work, which metals they can and can't cut, who should keep one and how to look after the cutting wheel. Read more...
NS Crafts® 8-piece dental luxation elevator kit with colour-coded handles
Dental Elevators, Luxators and Periotomes: A Buying Guide for Dental Students and Clinics
Blade widths, straight or curved tips, 8 or 10 piece kits, colour-coded handles and gold-coated tips: what to look for when buying luxators, elevators and periotomes, and what to buy... Read more...
NS Crafts® ENT diagnostic set with LED otoscope and ophthalmoscope in a hard case, for medical students
How to Choose an Otoscope for Medical Students (UK Guide)
Pocket scope or full diagnostic set? LED, halogen or fibre optic? A plain guide to choosing an otoscope for placements, clinical skills and OSCE practice on a student budget. Read more...
NS Crafts jewellery making pliers set with chain, flat, round and bent nose pliers and cutter
Jewellery Making Tools for Beginners: A Simple Starter List
The jewellery making tools a beginner actually needs, in the order to buy them: for beading and wire work first, then metalwork, then melting and casting. Read more...
NS Crafts 5-piece jewellery making pliers set for beginners
Best Jewellery Pliers Set for Beginners: Which Set Should You Buy?
Starting jewellery making? Here is which plier set to buy first, what each plier does, and when it is worth stepping up to a parallel action set. Read more...
Round nose pliers with cushioned comfort-grip handles
How to Make a Simple Wire Loop with Round Nose Pliers
A step-by-step guide to making neat, even simple loops with round nose and chain nose pliers, plus the common mistakes that leave loops wonky and how to fix them. Read more...
NS Crafts® 5-way mitre vice and 3mm tube cutting jig set for jewellers
How to Use a Mitre Vice and Tube Cutting Jig for Jewellery
How to cut tube to identical lengths and file perfect 45°, 60° and 90° corners with a jeweller's mitre vice and tube cutting jig, and which one to buy. Read more...
NS Crafts® round disc cutter set of 3 with punches for cutting jewellery discs
Disc Cutters for Jewellery: How to Use One and Which Set to Choose
How to use a jeweller's disc cutter for clean, identical discs and shapes, plus which round or shape cutter set to choose for your work. Read more...
Set of five aluminium medical tuning forks in a carry case
Aluminium or Stainless Steel Medical Tuning Forks? How to Choose
Aluminium and stainless steel medical tuning forks do the same job, so which should you buy? A plain guide to weight, durability, price and care for students and clinicians. Read more...
Black chrome LED dermatoscope with 10x magnification next to its hard carry case
How to Choose a Dermatoscope: A Guide for Students and Vets
Buying your first dermatoscope for placement, clinic or vet work? Here's what actually matters: magnification, lighting, power, contact plates and the case it lives in. Read more...
Best Tailor Scissors UK: 8", 10" or 12" – Which Size Do You Need?
8", 10" or 12"? A simple guide to choosing tailor scissors for dressmaking, upholstery and leather – plus left-handed shears, scissor sets and how to keep them sharp. Read more...
5 piece farrier hoof trimming kit with nippers, nail puller, clincher, clinch cutter and rasp
What's in a Farrier's Toolkit? The Essential Tools Explained
Clinch cutter, nail puller, nippers, rasp, clincher and hammer: what each farrier tool does, in the order a farrier uses them. Read more...
8 inch tailor's scissors with black handles and stainless steel blades
8" or 10" Tailor's Scissors? How to Choose Fabric Shears
Not sure whether 8 inch or 10 inch tailor's scissors suit your sewing? Here's how to choose, plus the common mistakes that blunt good fabric shears and how to look... Read more...
12 inch full die farrier hoof nippers in vanadium steel
12" or 15" Hoof Nippers? How to Choose the Right Farrier Nippers
Hoof nippers come in different lengths and jaw styles. Here's what the length changes, what full die jaws are, and which nippers suit your horses. Read more...
9 inch hoof trimming shears with stainless steel blades and safety lock
How to Trim Sheep and Goat Hooves: A Practical Guide for Smallholders
When to trim sheep and goat feet, how to do it safely, which hoof shears to use and the mistakes that cause lameness. A plain guide for smallholders. Read more...
Adjustable 3 inch jeweller's piercing saw frame with wooden handle
How to Fit a Jeweller's Saw Blade (and Stop Snapping Them)
Snapping piercing saw blades? Here's how to fit, tension and use a blade in a jeweller's saw frame so it cuts cleanly and lasts longer. Read more...
Set of seven colour-coded weighted chakra tuning forks
Weighted or Unweighted Tuning Forks? Which Do You Need?
Weighted and unweighted tuning forks look alike but behave very differently. Here's how each one works, what they're used for in sound practice, and how to choose the right one. Read more...
Set of eight dental luxating elevators with colour-coded handles
Luxators, Elevators or Forceps? A Guide for Dental Students
A plain-English look at how luxators, elevators, periotome-style instruments and extraction forceps differ, what each one is designed for, and how to look after them so they last. Read more...
Nylon wedge hammer with a domed nylon face and wedge end on a wooden handle
Nylon or Steel? Choosing the Right Jewellery Hammer for the Job
Dented your ring band on the mandrel? Here's when to use a nylon hammer, when you need steel, and the common hammering mistakes to avoid. Read more...
Melting and casting starter kit with a ceramic crucible on a whip handle, long flask tongs and brass pickling tongs
Melting Silver at Home: A Beginner's Kit List
Want to turn your silver scrap into something useful? Here's the kit you actually need to melt and pour small amounts of metal at the bench, and the safety habits... Read more...
Parallel action flat nose pliers with smooth steel jaws and a return spring
Smooth, Nylon or Brass Jaws? Choosing Parallel Action Pliers
Parallel action pliers grip along the whole jaw, not just the tip. Here's how to choose between smooth steel, nylon and brass jaws, and when the specialist shapes earn their... Read more...
Smooth jaw chain nose jewellery pliers with tapered tips
How to Open and Close Jump Rings (and Which Pliers to Use)
Jump rings slipping open? Here's the right way to open and close them, which pliers make it easier, and the small habits that stop rings coming apart. Read more...
Gardiner Brown set of three stainless steel medical tuning forks, 128, 256 and 512 Hz
128 Hz or 512 Hz? Choosing the Right Medical Tuning Fork
Not sure which tuning fork frequency your course or clinic needs? Here is a plain guide to 128 Hz, 512 Hz and Rydel-Seiffer forks, and when a set makes more... Read more...
LED otoscope for ear examination, medical and veterinary use
How to Choose an Otoscope: A Plain-English Guide for Students, GPs and Vets
LED or halogen? Which specula? Do vets need something different? A straightforward guide to picking the right otoscope, without the jargon. Read more...
Healthcare, laboratory and dental instruments
A Glimpse into Healthcare, Lab, and Dental Tools That Transform Lives
In the vast realm of healthcare, lab, and dental practices, the tools wielded by dedicated professionals serve as silent heroes, working behind the scenes to ensure the well-being of individuals... Read more...
Jewellery hammers and texturing hammers
The Power of the Jewellery Hammer
In the world of jewelry crafting, where precision and creativity converge, few tools hold as much significance as the humble jewelry hammer. Beyond its utilitarian purpose, this unassuming instrument is... Read more...