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So my GodHand nippers arrived today and had my first uses with them.

I bought a set of two different nippers, one cheaper set (PN-125 Plastic Cutting Nipper) and one of the most expensive ones (GH-SPN-120 Ultimate nipper 5.0). I had seen videos about these for a while now, and people always seem to rave about them, so when my go-to Tamiyas got lost, I thought I'd buy them just to see what the fuss was about.

While the cheaper GH nippers aren't anything too special, they immediately surprised me with how little force I had to use for cutting through a sprue with them. Certainly felt like I had to use less force than with electrical wire cutters et al. These are meant for removing the parts with their gates still intact from the sprue, and they do an adequate job of that (assuming you are mindful of gravity pulling your pieces apart when they detach from the sprue!).

I tried the ultimate 5.0:s next, which are meant to be used for removing the actual gates from the detached pieces. These came with a white leather cover, which was very welcome given their fragility. The cutting action on a U.N. 5.0 feels surreal! It doesnt feel like you're cutting anything at all, the piece just falls off without any resistance to the cut. This precise cutting action has to be experienced first hand before its elegance truly sinks in.

Unfortunately, I felt like the gate cuts still required sanding for a perfect finish. So even with these ultimate Nippers, you can't get around not needing to sand for an absolutely faultless, pro finish. What you do gain however, is a very consistent cut. Which means you can develop something like a standard sanding method to reach a faultless finish consistently with no real effort or need to concentrate. I found quickly that a sanding time between 15 - 20 seconds, with my 240 Grit sanding block, produced a consistently faultless finish every time. This kind of consistency should save me a bunch of time on more complex builds.

Do you have any personal experiences with GodHand branded nippers? Not making justifications on their high price, that is for everyone to decide for themselves whether they are worth the investment. But the cutting action and superb consistency in cut make these worthwhile for me personally..

I bought my GodHands from ubuy.com, which is some sort of newish retailed/distributor for stuff. Wasn't sure if the site was legit at first but since they had Klarna, figured my buyer protections would be solid if things went pearshaped for any reason. Shipping was fast and without fuss, all expenses inc. import charges were paid upfront.

I'm not sure I want to risk buying something like that at the moment. I'd probably not even have them for a week before my chaotic-neutral 13 year old would use them to randomly chop up a paperclip or something to see how sharp they are...

Honestly I thought they were overpriced for ages (though not like GW clipper overpriced); however I did recently get a set myself of the PN 120.

I reasoned that I spend enough time actually making models that its worth having a "luxury" tool.

I also got them because I started building LI tiny tank models and finding that I was spending ages cleaning up the gate connection points. On chunkier models its not too bad to get a rough edge, but on tiny models its a pain.


Personally I in a tiny bit torn. I think they ARE good tools and they do work great. They aren't the perfect "cuts so clean you don't need to clean up after"; but they do cut down on cleaning and the cut is typically very smooth. So you don't get that bunching and tearing which can sometimes cut into the model surface on a thicker gate. I have found they make the process of cleaning up after a cut considerably faster and easier.

On that score I think they are worth it for the serious hobbyist who is building a lot of models.

Would I recommend them to a beginner - heck no I'd say get a set of cheap yellow handled clippers from a hobby store or ebay.

But for someone who is very keen and building lots of models - yeah I'd say its worth considering this line of clippers.

For a beginner, I'd recommend the Tamiya side cutters I used to use before splurging on these ones. They cost me around 25€ new, and were a significant step up from typical wire cutter nonbranded ones. If you angled them just right, they did a very respectable job. Still left a nub, but pretty good.

The ultimate nippers leave no nub, its basically like using a JWL razor saw but less error prone. Very smooth, straight cut. But getting the cut so flush as to 100% eliminate further cleanup, sadly doesnt seem to exist at the moment.. so these seem like the best we can hope for at the mo

I have one with local brand "stuff pro" which when closed Have very little angle. But cut clear with right positioning. So there's no need in cleanup

I always used the cheap cutters, like the ones that came included in some GW box sets, or the ones in the $10 Gunpla toolkits off Amazon.
Also, I don't do 2 step cutting.
I take the pieces off the sprue flush as flush as I can with nippers, then use a knife blade to shave it smoother. Rarely do I sand.

I tried the Ruitool 1.0, the purple ones, and love them. They cut easy and so close.
They have improved my experience well enough I do not want to spend on the godhands.

Thanks for the review. Maybe I put them on my christmas list.

If you dont do 2 step cutting, you're better off with other tools. AFAIK the Ultimate nippers can break easily, and I've seen recommendations that you should cut the piece off the sprue in order to minimize the physical forces resulting from the sprue itself, as these unwanted forces might end up causing excessive wear to the thin blade. YMMV

Thank you for sharing and your analysis!
If I can afford it, I would definitely get a pair.

For now use this one from Ali.

I have the $15 PN-125s in the left picture and generally agree with OP's assessment.

Compared to the other nippers in that "halfway decent" price tier, I would put the Godhands way out in front. But I couldn't justify paying 400% more for the buttery smoothness of the $60 guy. Godhand makes a number of products under $20 that seem to use the same steel as their more expensive ones. I'm sure that brand name is sensible in Japanese, but it's hilarious in English.

I compared my cheap entry level GodHands to Army Painter nippers of a comparable price bracket. The GodHand ones had a much slimmer blade profile, and the blades were much sharper and more "angled" if that makes sense.

I'm now thinking that there probably exists some sort of "sweet spot" in the GodHand range which gives a superb cut, almost comparable to the ultimate nips, but without the high price tag. I'd look into all of their single blade nippers and go with the cheapest one, in hindsight. Still, love the action of the ultimate nippers (and the lil white leather sheath), I get "artisan" LARP vibes just from unsheathing them hehehe!

Also, started wondering if GodHand does mold line removers.. if they do, I want to check em out. Now that my nipper issues are completely solved, the next step is finding the "best" mold line remover tool on the market.. I'm completely happy on the "scalpel" dept, utilizing chisel -style blades with my bare hands (ie without a handle), one blunt blade and one sharp blade is all I need.