CK Needle Files are used by engineers, technicians, electricians, craftworkers, jewellers, metalsmiths, and modelmakers, to shape surfaces, clean up edges, and refine details.

This German-made chrome-vanadium set consists of the six basic shapes: flat, tapered, round, half-round, square, and triangular. The files are about 140mm long, so they're comfortable to hold and ideal for delicate work.

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To learn more before buying, you can transfer to a dedicated internet resource: use the link above the menu bar. There's a section about buying and using tools at The Art Clay Club. Alternatively, visit the Cherry Heaven Shop in Corfe Castle village.

You can buy precision jewellery and craft tools, pliers and cutters, rotary tumblers and shot, magnetic polishers and grit, mini-drills and rotary accessories, hammers, mandrels, triblets, UK ring guages, files, scribers, burnishers, abrasives, adhesives, polishes, and safety equipment, at Kitiki. To look at Kitiki, use the link above the menu bar.

Most shops sell rebadged Far East imports. Although many of the files are identical, or look similar, the prices vary a lot and it's hard to assess the quality through a plastic wallet and a sealed retail pack. So, before you buy a set from a hardware store, here are some general comments:

Cheaper files are often made from normal steel, inadequately hardened, so they'll go blunt quickly. Tests on bright metal show that irregular file surfaces with poorly-defined teeth will leave fine scratches that may be hard to remove.

If you look closely at the ends, the files look as though they've just been snapped off a long strip: the handle tip is sharp to hold, so it will scratch your palm, and the file tip is badly finished, making detailed work difficult.

High Street shops rarely stock files for delicate work, especailly all six basic shapes. Also, if one breaks or gets lost, they may not have a replacement.