Introduction: Lead aprons in the public hospital setting are heavy, hot, and unhygienic. Additionally, many mini C-arms are cumbersome and offer little mobility improvement over their II predecessor, and offer no practical method of saving or printing images for documentation. Dental surgeons utilise a handheld xray device that limits the scatter of radiation, and may negate the need for both lead and the mini C-arm. This pilot study explores the use of a handheld X-ray device normally used in dental surgery for imaging phalangeal bones of the hand. Method: An AP of an index finger distal phalanx were captured using the handheld xray device. These were compared to an identical view of the same finger using the mini C-arm at our local institution. Images were reviewed by ten plastic and reconstructive surgery doctors at various levels of seniority (three consultants, seven registrars), all of whom were blinded to the source machine. A simple rating system was used to determine which image was favoured by the assessor. Results: All eight (100%) assessing clinicians found the image quality of the portable device to be of better quality than the mini C-arm. Conclusions: the handheld xray device potentially offers a promising alternative to the mini C-arm, and may reduce the need for wearing lead intra-operatively. Further study into clinical application is needed and is to follow.