Three-seven

Three Seven is a South Korean manufacturer of nail clippers and manicure and pedicure sets, identified by its "777" logo. The company traces its heritage to 1975, the year the founding firm was renamed Daesung Metal and launched Three Seven (777) as a sub-brand [5]. It is one of Korea's three largest nail-clipper makers, alongside Bell Metal Industry and Royal Metal Industry, and describes itself as the leading name in the category.

Now a publicly listed company on the KOSDAQ exchange, Three Seven exports its grooming tools to roughly 90 countries and remains active, with new product sets introduced in 2024 and 2025.

The business began with Hyungkyu Kim, who was running a general-merchandise store in Cheonan in the mid-1960s. According to the account preserved on Namuwiki, Kim moved into nail-clipper manufacturing with his second brother after seeing the popularity of the American TRIM clippers made by Bassett, and started production using metal taken from iron products [5].

In 1975 the company was renamed Daesung Metal and introduced the Three Seven (777) brand. This 1975 date is the one the company treats as its founding: every current product carries the line "SINCE 1975," and the corporate self-description gives the same year [4]. The founder's earlier manufacturing activity in the mid-1960s predates the brand but operated under an earlier, unnamed family business, so sources differ on when the enterprise truly began — the mid-1960s if counted from Kim's first workshop, 1975 if counted from the Daesung Metal entity and the 777 name [5].

The company is headquartered in Seoul, in the Seocho-gu district.

Three Seven began exporting "777" clippers to the United States in 1984 [5]. Under the shortened corporate name "37," the parent entity restructured in 2001 and listed on the KOSDAQ market in February 2003, where it trades under the ticker THREE7Z:KS [6]. In 2012 it was designated a "World-Class Products" company by Korea's Ministry of Knowledge Economy, a recognition for export quality [4].

The company reports annual output of 80 to 100 million clippers, of which about 90 percent are exported, and states it has held a leading position in global market share for an extended period. Its own copy claims a 60 percent share of the world nail-clipper market [4].

Three Seven specializes in stainless-steel nail clippers and manicure and pedicure sets, along with related grooming tools. The flagship is the 777 nail clipper, sold internationally with "Made in Korea, Since 1975" and lifetime-warranty positioning [8]. Product lines named in editorial coverage include the TS-960 and DS-10660 manicure sets and the N-221Y and N-621Y clippers. More recent sets, such as the TS-460SC and TS-377VC introduced in 2024, are marketed with "50 Years Heritage" and "50 Years Trusted Brand" copy [9].

The company says its products are made through systematic quality control and fully automated processes, and reports holding ISO 9001 certification, seven patents, 50 trademarks, 63 utility-model patents and 285 design patents [4]. In international retail listings the products are frequently positioned under a K-beauty label.

Beyond the 2012 designation, the company's clippers drew an unusually high-profile endorsement in 1997, when — according to Korean trade accounts summarized by Volza — a Chinese premier reportedly held up a Three Seven clipper during an industrial inspection and remarked, "If foreign products are of such excellent quality, why can't ours be?" [7]

In 1995 the aircraft manufacturer Boeing filed a US trademark-infringement lawsuit against Three Seven over the "777" mark, which Boeing had registered after developing the Boeing 777 aircraft in 1990. Three Seven had been exporting "777" nail clippers to the United States since 1984, predating Boeing's registration. The dispute was settled in 1998, when Boeing proposed a co-existence arrangement letting Three Seven keep using "777" provided its logo was visually distinct from Boeing's mark [5].

Three Seven remains active. It is publicly listed on the KOSDAQ exchange, continues to export to around 90 countries, and introduced new grooming sets in 2024 and 2025 carrying anniversary marketing tied to its 1975 heritage [9]. A Bloomberg profile describes the company as serving both individual consumers and corporate clients in South Korea, and notes an expanded portfolio that includes items such as tumblers, massage guns and towels for bulk and corporate sales [6].