How to choose professional styling scissors - for Stylists and Barbers

Read about how you, a new or seasoned stylist or barber should choose the right scissors for you here.

To find exactly the right Joewell performance scissors for you, answer questions and we'll guide you using A.I.

1. How to Choose Professional Cutting Scissors:

- Know Your Goal: Consider the specific tasks you need the scissors for, such as dry cutting, blending, or intricate detail work.

- Choose Comfort: Ergonomics is the key!  Prioritize comfort and control in your hand, regardless of hand size.

- Look for an Ergonomic Handle: Opt for handles that reduce strain on your hand, wrist, and shoulder during prolonged use.

- Invest in Quality: High-quality scissors offer superior design, longer edge retention, and better results. And REAL Japanese steel is the best of the best.

Check that Japanese scissors are actually made in Japan because a lot of brands promoting their "Japanese steel" are made in China or Pakistan using machines that are mass production and not hand crafted Japanese steel in the highest quality or alloys.

- Build a Kit: Start with basic cutting shears and expand your toolkit to include specialized scissors like thinning or texturizing shears, and scissors for specific techniques like dry cutting or slide cutting or precision blunt cuts.

 

2. Types of Hair Cutting Shears:

- Blending or Thinning Shears: Remove weight and bulk, create natural results with seamless and texturizing blenders.

- Swivel Shears: Prevent aches and pains, maintain wrist alignment, available in wet and dry cutting designs.

- Wet Cutting Shears: Essential for various techniques on wet, damp, or dry hair, focus on convex blades and ergonomic handles.

- Dry Cutting Shears: Excel in cutting dry hair, suitable for point cutting, texturizing, and thick hair, maintain smooth cuts.

- Slide Cutting Shears: Ultra-sharp convex blades for smooth slide cutting techniques, avoid cuticle damage.

- Point Cutting Shears: Create texture and separation with curved teeth, maintain consistent, natural-looking results.

- True Left-Handed Shears: Essential for left-handed stylists, look for true left-handed shears to ensure comfort and safety.

 

3. Shear Blade Types:

- Convex Blades: Provide a superior, smooth cut with a curved outer edge, suitable for slide cutting and precision techniques.

- Semi-Convex Blades: A balance between convex and beveled blades, offer durability and affordability.

- Beveled Blades: Classic design, requires more force to cut, not recommended for advanced dry cutting.

3a. Thinning / Texturizing Shear Blade types:

Thinning and texturizing shears come in a variety of teeth styles () and teeth volume and serve different purposes. No "one-size-fits-all", be careful to choose your thinning shears based on what type of hair you're cutting most.

- Volume Control

The top of the teeth on these features grooves which effectively catch and cut the hair against the opposing blade. This process allows for a precise reduction in hair volume. The degree of thinning this type of volume control shears achieves varies based on factors such as the number of teeth and the specific shape of the grooves.

- Texture Control

The teeth on texture control thinning shears don't have grooves on their upper edges. Instead, they smoothly slide through the hair, preventing any potential tangles. This method creates a more natural hair texture optimal for blending. Cutting volume of these texturizing shears varies based on the number of teeth in the blade.

- Cut & Thinning 

Thinning shears with a 40% to 80% cut ratio are called Cut & Thinning Scissors. You can cut and blend at the same time, great for men's or short cuts that need natural blending.

 

4. Shear Blade Lengths:

- Shorter Shears: 4 - 4.5 inches Ideal for detailed work and precision cutting, work close to the head shape.

- Midsize Shears: 5 - 6 inches Versatile for various cutting tasks, workhorse in your toolkit for palm-to-palm cutting.

- Longer Shears: 6.5 inches and over Essential for deep point cutting, slide cutting, shear over comb work, especially for thick or coarse hair.

Our hopefully comprehensive guide to styling shear blades is here.

5. Shear Handles & Grips:

- Opposing Grip Handles (Classic): Finger and thumb holes opposite, standard, but they may strain wrist and thumb.

- Offset Handles: Shorter thumb blade reduces strain, but still may require elbow lifting.

- Crane Handles / Semi Offset: Extreme offset thumb, reduces wrist and shoulder strain, maintains neutral hand position.

- Thumb Grips: Different thumb grips affect comfort, choose ergonomic options like offset or swivel thumb grips.

Read more about why choosing the right scissors handle is so important for you here.

 

6. Shear Tension:

- Importance of Proper Tension: Maintaining correct tension crucial for precision cutting, even pressure from pivot to tip.

- Steps to Maintain Tension: Regularly adjust tension, use screwdriver or adjuster key, maintain optimal tightness for consistent performance.

 

7. Shear Steel Quality:

- Superiority of Japanese Steel: Known for sharpness, durability, and craftsmanship, Japanese steel delivers fine, precise edges.

- Cobalt Base Alloy CBA-1: Cobalt alloy offers hardness, wear resistance, rust resistance, reduces need for heat treatment.

- Supreme Stainless Alloy: Top quality special alloy with exceptional edge sharpness and durability - but remember, even if they say "Japanese steel" not all alloys are equal. Cheap products use cheap alloys and that affects cut, sharpness, weight, and performance.

 

8. Shear Maintenance:

- Daily Care: Handle with care, avoid using on non-hair materials, clean with rubbing alcohol and cotton ball.

- Everyday Maintenance: Deep clean, oil the blades, check and adjust tension daily to ensure optimal performance.

- Yearly Servicing: Professional servicing every 6-12 months by manufacturer's service provider, avoid excessive sharpening. 

HairArt offers professional authorized sharpening of Joewell shears

 

Joewell Shears:

- Origin and Reputation of Japanese Steel: Japanese steel's legacy in crafting sharp and precise blades started with the famous "katana" steel swords used by samurai. This handcrafted highest quality steel production is a technique handed down over generations coupled with modern Japanese R & D which is why if you're choosing high end performance scissors, you'll want to choose Japanese shears like Joewell.

- Resistance to Damage and Corrosion: Japanese steel's durability and corrosion resistance, reducing maintenance needs.

- Precision Cutting: Razor-sharp edges for smooth and precise cuts, lightweight for control and reduced strain.

- What to Consider When Choosing where to buy: Choose established partners for quality and support, and verify material authenticity. Expensive Japanese shears can't be bought cheaply so if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is. Buy from authorized resellers, check the brand's site

 

10. Know Your Blade Materials:

- Powder Metal Alloy: 

This is the optimal blade material because it boasts exceptional durability, strength, impressive wear resistance, and the ability to resist corrosion effectively. Typically, during the conventional steel manufacturing procedure, the metal's structure tends to become uneven due to the presence of rough carbides resulting from the high-temperature melting of ingredients. To address this issue, Joewell uses a manufacturing technique known as "Powder Metallurgy Processing." In this innovative process, steel materials are baked while in a powdered state, resulting in a refined and smooth metal structure as opposed to the regular rough texture.

- Cobalt Base Alloy CBA-1: Cobalt alloy with chrome, tungsten, and carbon, offers hardness, chemical resistance, and rust resistance.

Cobalt is a buzzword cheap manufacturers have latched on to in recent years because of its popularity due to its resistance to wear and ability to hold a sharpening. (Don't drop them though because unlike Powder Metal Alloy, they will break more easily if dropped from a height)

Why Joewell Cobalt? Many scissors manufacturers claim their scissors are "Cobalt" but only have about 2% in their regular cheap steel mix.

Joewell's cobalt scissors have over 50% cobalt making them the highest quality available.

- Supreme Stainless Alloy: Top-quality alloy with ultra-fine composition, best edge sharpness and durability.

 

Joewell's Handle Material:

- Use of Nickel-Less Stainless Steel: Nickel allergy resistant, and their hard material prevents them from becoming misshapen or getting scratches.

To find exactly the right Joewell performance scissors for you, answer questions to help you select the best scissors for what you're trying to do here.