DSPIAE's ST-A 3.0 Review

Now a few days ago I've already went full wax lyrical about DSPIAE and their amazing nippers. And I still stand by it. Their products have been nothing short of amazing and quality all around. The past week, I've had the privilege of receiving one of the first ST-A 3.0s in the world from DSPIAE. Yeah, that's big stuff. So without further ado, let's jump into my review of the DSPIAE 3.0.

The review will be split into two parts. 1. The review itself 2. Is it worth the upgrade from your 2.0 nipper?

On first look, the most obvious difference is the new logo DSPIAE has adopted on all their items, as well as the swanky 3.0 next to their nippers. Other than that, I would admit that the 3.0 takes a lot of design cues from it's 2.0 counterpart. It still features the bright red rubber grip and great smooth metal finishing on its nippers. And that isn't a problem at all, because the 2.0s have already been proven to be a good, reliable pair of nippers.

From a neutral standpoint, the 3.0s clearly outclass a lot of nippers in the same price range. I'm talking tamiya, ustar and many other nippers that live inside the $30 SGD (25~ USD) range, and it's not even close. I confess, I've been alternating between my godhand and DSPIAE ever since the 1.0 and can be a little out of touch with the nipper market, but my general observation is that no other nipper has been compared to the DSPIAE nippers yet, so hopefully that's a good thing (if you have any recommendations do shoot me a message I would love to try them out!).

The greatest strength of the DSPIAE nipper is it's single action mechanism that helps ensure a smoother cut. From the picture above you could probably observe one side of the nipper being "thick" while the other side has a mirror-like thin finishing. The thick side acts as a stopper, while the thin side cuts into the plastic with minimal resistance. As compared to those with two blades on both sides, its like a pincer rather than a sword, and of course you get very ugly nub marks and plastic discoloration on your kits.

Seeing is believing, or maybe you can't really see because of my horrible camera I apologize (I'll change it soon I hope), but basically the cuts on the plastic are incredibly clean and leave no stress marks on the plastic at all. The last photo was the effect of me cutting all the nubs off the piece with the nipper directly. You can see that the stress marks are still incredibly minimal.

Out of the two kits I've tried this nipper on (the RG QanT and the Figure-rise Ultraman), I felt this nipper to be really sturdy, had a great cut and was incredibly satisfied by the end results of my kits. Honestly speaking, I think it no longer pales in any area to the Godhand (maybe the cutting is not as buttery but the difference is so minimal you have to try really hard to feel it). The previous DSPIAE nippers had slightly thicker blades as compared to the Godhand, but this new iteration had an equally thin blade, as far as the naked eye can tell.

Based on the above, my grading for the DSPIAE 3.0 nippers will be as follows

Design 4/5 - Great design, but overall uninspired.

Cut 5/5 - If the Godhand is 5/5, then the 3.0s will undeniably fall into the same category now.

Price 5/5 - You will be hard pressed to find a nipper of similar quality at the same price point

Comfort 5/5 - I don't feel any fatigue on my hands when I use the nippers, despite working on my builds for hours at a go. Definitely not straining on the hands or hard to utilize

Durability 4/5 - Now this is the part I'm still curious about. Previous DSPIAE nippers have served me long and well. I've been using the 2.0s for close to 2 years now and they are still pretty good. However, the new DSPIAE 3.0s have visibly thinner blades and might sport the same durability as the Godhand perhaps? It isn't secret knowledge that the Godhand isn't the most durable nipper out there. Will have to keep in view.

Overall 4.6/5 - BUY IT!

If you are someone budget conscious like me and just really want something value for your money, the DSPIAE has been proving its worth since 2016. If you are looking at splurging a little more than 20 for a great nipper, the DSPIAE 3.0s provide Godhand-like cuts for half of the price. Yeah sure the brand name sounds a little funny sometimes and its NOT Godhand, but still, trust me it is the best thing you can get after it.

Looking to treat yourself something nice for Christmas? Look no further because this is a great pickup.

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2. Is the 3.0 worth the upgrade from the DSPIAE 2.0?

'Hey Dave, I've been using the 2.0s for a while and I love it! But they aren't dying anytime soon so should I spend more money just to upgrade to a new nipper?'

Don't worry mate I got you covered.

A first look at the 2.0 and 3.0 might show you a few very major differences between the two nippers. The 2.0 (left) and 3.0 (right) have distinctly different blades. According to my man at DSPIAE, they have made major upgrades to their manufacturing process and improved the nipper. The most observable difference is that the 3.0s have much thinner blades than the 2.0, and the mid rift section of the 3.0 is supported with an additional chunk of metal while the 2.0 was a two piece molding process. While this all sounds technical, what does it really mean?

The 3.0s had a noticeably cleaner cut than the 2.0. The cuts are sharper, meaning that there are less stress marks and was a much better experience in general. There was more oomph to the cut if you get what I mean. However, the thinner blades got me worried at times if I were to be honest. When using the 2.0s, sometimes I use them with a little more reckless abandon because I'm fully confident of their durability and their ability to slice through the materials. With the noticeably thinner blades, I felt better cuts but also was more scared of the blade breaking because it was just oh so thin!

Another visible difference is that the grip of the 3.0s are much thicket than the 2.0s. Truthfully speaking I didn't feel much difference, and both nippers have given me nothing but comfort during the cuts, so I'm not sure what to feel about this.

Generally, I would say that it would still be nice to upgrade from the 2.0 to the 3.0 just because of how different the two nippers feel. The 3.0 has a better cut and greater feel, and maybe it really is time to retire your 2.0 to the realms of thick gate cutting (if you know what I mean). If your 2.0 isn't holding up well anymore, the 3.0 is the definite successor for your nipper, no doubts at all.