35 Rare Tools Used by People in Unusual Professions (36 photos)

For every unique problem, there’s a tool out there designed to fix it. Humanity has invented countless gadgets for almost every imaginable task, but while we see and use everyday tools like screwdrivers and hammers all the time, the most specialized equipment can usually only be found in deep corners of the internet.

Take Reddit’s popular r/SpecializedTools community, where users share photos of highly niche gear engineered for situations where ordinary tools just won't cut it. We’ve rounded up 35 of the most fascinating finds to satisfy your curiosity.







A sasumata—a pole weapon from feudal Japan that modern police officers still use to safely subdue suspects





A chair designed specifically for people who love sitting cross-legged



A specialized seatbelt adjuster for pregnant women



An impressive piece of heavy machinery built for relocating full-grown trees



A mechanical cow brush—an essential gadget for livestock health and comfort



A personal lift that helps drivers climb into high-clearance truck cabs



Practice skin used by medical students to practice surgical suturing



The largest and smallest Allen wrenches used to service massive injection molding presses



The same contrast, but with adjustable wrenches



A shoe-drying machine from Norway



Massive water bags used for crane load testing



Baffles inside a water tanker truck to prevent liquid from sloshing back and forth during transport



A titanium-coated butter knife with internal copper heat pipes. It transfers heat from your hand to make cold butter effortless to spread



A curb screed used for smoothing freshly poured concrete curbs



A specialized truck used to wash road signs in Germany



Heavy-duty tires engineered to withstand extreme heat in steel mills



Mid-air refueling of a helicopter



A handy tool for rapidly applying labels



An industrial radius gauge



A snow removal system built for clearing off the tops of semi-trucks and trailers



A railcar mover that allows a single person to shift an entire train manually



A liquid nitrogen dry shipper used to transport cryopreserved biological materials (like stem cells and vaccines) at -150°C



Grooming shears specifically made for cutting through extra-thick dog coats



An anemometer—a device used to measure air velocity when balancing HVAC systems



A cordless drill/driver used by astronauts to service the Hubble Space Telescope and the International Space Station



A stenograph—a specialized chorded keyboard used by court reporters to transcribe spoken word in real time



A specialized machine for picking up spent shotgun shells



A fin comb designed to straighten bent cooling fins on air conditioning units



A 1920s "pedestrian catcher" safety mechanism mounted on cars



Children's training scissors with double finger loops, allowing an adult to guide the child's movements



Cryogenic gloves designed for handling ultra-cold materials like liquid nitrogen



A tool used to dress and level thatched roofs, known in the Netherlands as a "drijfbord"



The single specific tool required to remove the oil filter housing on a Lamborghini Gallardo



A right-handed rifle tailored for shooters who are left-eye dominant



A champagne saber crafted specifically for opening bottles in style