[am @ Mar 1st 2007 1:57PM]

1080i or p?

Ok, so this seems like the perfect time to ask: What kinds of implements do Engadget readers use for ear wax picking?

My tools of the trade:

- End of eyeglasses (always handy!)
- ballpoint pen cap (contoured edge)
- Less frequently: scissors (don't try at home); screwdrivers (flathead); paperclips

Need something more gadgety? Ok, my Sony in-ear headphone pick up a bunch of stuff sometimes. It's gross, but an interesting window into the dynamics of your ear canal.

If I had one of these cameras, I could put together a pretty nice Flickr stream of the relative merits of each implement.

[D @ Mar 1st 2007 2:32PM]

Wow... I use the same things!

I try mostly to stick to Q-tips, but I've occasionally had to resort to toothpicks. Once I had to use a small stick I'd stripped the bark from when a bug flew in my ear while I was out hiking.

[amy @ Mar 1st 2007 2:36PM]

am: what about the end of the plastic spoon that you get with delivered Chinese food? That extra little membrane-piercing nub of plastic acts as a professional-grade wax excavator.

[Paul @ Mar 1st 2007 2:33PM]

Dude, you left off my standby. Pencaps. They are awesome, but in a pinch a long fingernail works great.

Paper clips if I am desperate.

[Andy @ Mar 1st 2007 5:17PM]

Just go to any Japanese grocery or convenience store near you and buy an inexpensive ear pick. They sell them especially.

And don't use Q-tips, the doctor told my friend (before he professionally flushed his ears with pressured hot water) that q-tips push most of the stuff, instead of pulling it.

[Nick @ Mar 3rd 2007 1:28PM]

I use an old CPU-removing tool that I used to use to, well, pull out CPUs from mobos while working.
It's basically a long thin metal prong with an angled bit on the end that's brilliant for scooping and excavating that troublesome wax!