I had a pair of nail clippers confiscated entering IAD a few years ago. Just inside the security terminal was the convenience store where i had purchased that set of nail clippers, so I purchased a new set and took them on the plane.
This can be taken one more notch up ridiculousness scale, if the confiscated nail clippers were just taken in the back, re-packed and then sold as you exit out of the security area. "Sir, if you wait half an hour you can come back and purchase your old clippers back"
For a while their was a "no tools" restriction. That one really struck me as odd. Some high-school dropout is given broad powers to play mr. security guy at the airport. I didn't fly for about 2 years after someone made me miss my flight because I had to check a jewelers torx security bit screw driver I had accidentally left in my bag (this was some custom, "let's charge you bucketloads for this bit" style screw driver); as if I'm going to disassemble the plane with that thing. so I decided, fuck them; I was not going to give them my money.
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And worse toenail clippers.
"Direct the plane to fly into the building or I'll cut your nails a little too close to the skin"
I had a pair of nail clippers confiscated entering IAD a few years ago. Just inside the security terminal was the convenience store where i had purchased that set of nail clippers, so I purchased a new set and took them on the plane.
This can be taken one more notch up ridiculousness scale, if the confiscated nail clippers were just taken in the back, re-packed and then sold as you exit out of the security area. "Sir, if you wait half an hour you can come back and purchase your old clippers back"
For a while their was a "no tools" restriction. That one really struck me as odd. Some high-school dropout is given broad powers to play mr. security guy at the airport. I didn't fly for about 2 years after someone made me miss my flight because I had to check a jewelers torx security bit screw driver I had accidentally left in my bag (this was some custom, "let's charge you bucketloads for this bit" style screw driver); as if I'm going to disassemble the plane with that thing. so I decided, fuck them; I was not going to give them my money.
I once lost a pair of needle nose pliers I had left in a bag and totally forgotten about. I have no idea why they thought those might be a problem.
The TSA removed the restriction on toenail clippers years ago. I've had a pair in my carryon since, never a problem.
They will apparently still on occasion confiscate fingernail clippers that have an attached file/nailcleaner, for whatever reason.