Education
What makes Professional Hair Shears?
Look
Designed and built to be beautiful
This is the simplest of all. Most hairstylists we surveyed ranked the “look” of the hair shears as the first or second most important factor determining their choice to buy.
• Do you like a classic, bright finish or a colored “coating” (usually with titanium)?
• Do you care for clean, simple handles or would you prefer a “fancy” handle with ornate carvings like roses or dragons? Do you like the “gem” look with faux gemstones on the handle or adjustment screw to add individuality, color and beauty?
• Do you prefer the classic beauty of a patterned “Damascus-style” hair shear?
Save time by knowing your preferences before you shop at your beauty supply store or online stores like KamisoriShears.com, JowellShears.com, TopEdgeShears.com, HachiShears.com, HikariShears.com, WashiScissors.com, ShiroShears.com or others.
Feel
You’ll know from the first cut
How do your shears feel in your hand? Does the grip feel natural? Offset grips, which move the thumb forward toward the index finger are better at promoting ease of use and lessen the pressure on your wrist and tendons.
(For those who suffer from hand, wrist or elbow pain…see some easy exercises designed for hair stylists and barbers.)
Next, there’s the weight of the scissor. Normally slight variations in weight are not an issue but if you choose an extremely ornate dragon handle, for instance, the extra weight could be a problem.
If you’re used to basic stainless, or – heaven forbid – cast scissors, you may notice a more substantial feel when you move to hand-forged, high-quality steel shears made of Hitachi 314 or VG-10 Gold steel.
[Note: Most reputable websites offer a 100% Satisfaction 30 Day Money Back Guarantee and a Limited Lifetime Warranty so you’re covered if for some reason the shears “just don’t feel right”]
Steel
We use only VG-10 Gold steel
The steel your shears are made from can make a huge difference in how the shears feel and perform.
VG-10 Gold and Hitachi ATS 314 are perfect steels for forging scissors. They can be honed at the factory to an extremely sharp edge and hold their sharpness longer than 440 or J2 steel. Working with ultra-sharp hair scissors translates into an easier, silkier cut with less pressure on your hand and wrist. VG-10 and ATS 314 infuse the steel with cobalt, vanadium, molybdenum and manganese. Adding these metals forms an alloy that can hold a very sharp edge while maintaining the “soft feel” so desired by professionals.
Second to these top-of-the-line steels is 440C, which is a cobalted carbon steel. It can carry a sharper edge than basic stainless or cast. 440C used to carry the benefit of a lower price, but in recent years, the price difference between Hitachi 314, VG-10 and 440C has narrowed appreciably.
Price
Quality should not have to break the bank
There is a wide range in the price of professional hair cutting shears. Even forgetting about the many “cheap-cheap” scissors offered for sale as “professional”, you will want to do some serious comparative shopping. Often there can be price differences of hundreds of dollars in remarkably similar shears.
Take note of the material (what kind of steel), the manufacturing process (hand forged and honed is the standard) and the grip – or handle (it should be ergonomic and individually welded to the blade).
Below is a chart denoting Type of Steel, Manufacturing Process and Price Ranges.