At some point in this hobby, you will feel the need to upgrade your tools and the first tool I would suggest you upgrade is your nippers.
The essay, Scroll down for the TLDR version
WHY would you need these?
You have spent months even years using your entry-level nippers, they have become an extension of yourself, you can strip a runner filled with parts in mere minutes.
But alas old faithful is starting to show its limitations, it's not as sharp as it used to be, or perhaps it is starting to feel too clumsy for those super tiny Real grade parts.
It may be time for you to consider the Sharp Pointed Side Cutter from Tamiya. These things cut like a hot beam sabre through a GM's armour.
Tamiya has always been good to me, the last pair I bought lasted me about 15 years they are still pretty sharp and they are still in great condition but I needed something to make my life a bit easier.
WHAT is so great about these nippers? Arent all nippers the same?
These are super sharp allowing for clean flush cuts, removing the need in most cases to shave off excess sprue with a knife. The smaller nose makes it much easier to clip smaller parts this is especially helpful for kits that have lots of tiny parts like a Real grade or a highly detailed sci-fi kit that has fragile parts.
Great nippers make the building process a lot smoother and way more fun. If you intend to invest in this hobby then I really do suggest Investing in a pair of these amazing nippers.
I know they are about the same price as most of the kits here, they will however save you something even more precious in the long run...time and frustration.
PROS
Super Sharp
Blades are levelled for a flush cut.
The pointed slim sharp nose design allows for easy removal of the tiniest nub marks.
Especially great for Real Grade and Small scale kits with small fiddly parts (MaK, Macross kits from Hasegawa)
Great for plastics and resin miniatures.
Tamiya is a trusted Brand
Cons
Fragile (DO NOT DROP THESE)
The price point compels you to make sure these are well taken care of. Some lubricant every now and then should keep these bad boys in tip-top condition for years.
They are very much for the second or third cut, or for small part removal making them pretty specialised. (as in you should use another pair of nippers to remove parts from the sprue)