When purchasing hair shears or grooming shears or scissors, do you know what you’re buying?

Sure, if you’re a professional stylist or groomer you should have a fairly good knowledge of this already, but do you know how to choose the 'higher' quality scissors?

Scissors or shears are the single most important tool that a hair stylist or groomer has, yet all too often, stylists and groomers we have met do not give the appropriate attention to carefully choosing this “money-making” implement and have not yet realised the basic necessity when it comes to shears and scissors.

When it comes to buying the best, its all about the type of steel. You need a steel that is both strong and resilient, since this will determine how often you have to sharpen your scissors. There are two main "industry-standard” types of stainless steel used in blades: 440 and 420. The latter also sometimes known as J2. The differences between the two types is the amount of carbon and chromium in the metals. A higher quality of stainless steel will have a good amount of both carbon and chromium since the carbon makes the steel stronger and allows sharper edging, while the chromium gives it resistance to rusting. So, you may prefer to choose scissors that are made with an optimum combination of both.

How Many Times Can Professional Scissors Be Sharpened?

One common question many stylists and groomers have, is how often a pair of scissors can be sharpened and yet still produce beautiful, effective cuts. A quality pair of professional hairdressing scissors, if sharpened correctly, will last a very long time. Of course, after any sharpening it is important to ensure the scissors are adjusted properly to make sure the tips still meet and after several sharpenings, the blades and tips need to be checked to ensure that they are still coming together as they should.

How Often Should I Get My Scissors Sharpened?

This depends on several factors. Obviously if the shears are folding or pushing the hair or have a nick in the blade, they need to be sharpened. The quality of steel in the shear is also an important factor and has been explained in the above section. Some manufacturers suggest having your shears sharpened every three months; some say every four months and others suggest every six months, or even once a year.

A suggested rule of thumb is to have hairdressing scissors sharpened every 500 – 700 hair cuts or every six months. For dog grooming scissors every three months. This will help prevent unnecessary wear and tension to the shear and as a result, you will prolong the use of the shear and provide your customers with a smooth, even, professional hair style or pet grooming. Also, with less tension, the stylist or groomer will be less susceptible to Carpal Tunnel Syndrome, a common disorder of the wrist and hand, characterised by pain, tingling and muscular weakness, caused by pressure.