Considerations When Choosing Hair Cutting Shears
No matter how well you care for your hair cutting shears, there will eventually come a time when you need to purchase new ones. For the hair-cutting professional, these tools are the lifeblood of what they do and are a direct extension of their hand when it comes to meeting a client’s expectations. As such, you don’t want to be stuck using an older, outdated set of shears when you should be using shears that are not only ergonomic but also created with the latest technology. There’s more to picking out a new set of shears than the shape of the blade and the look you’re trying to achieve. So, if you’re looking to obtain only the best new tools for your work and needs, make sure you remember these considerations for choosing hair cutting shears.
The Type of Handle You Want
The first thing that you should always have in mind when looking for a new set of shears is the handle you want it to have. Handle style is crucial for a series of different reasons—but the most important of which include your posture and overall comfort level. Opposing grip, offset grip, and crane handles are the three different models you have to potentially choose from, and some of them are better at promoting healthy cutting practices than others. As such, you’ll want to prioritize the comfort of the hand position and the ease of using your thumb when making your final choice.
For starters, the opposing grip is a model that’s symmetrical to the eye but the least comfortable for the hand and wrist. This is because it forces the stylist to raise their elbow and push back their thumb when performing many common techniques. The offset handle, unfortunately, isn’t much better. Though the thumb positioning on this model is shorter, and, therefore, closer to its natural state, the elbow is still being forced upwards by the grip. Due to this, we recommend the latest in shear handle technology for your current cutting needs—the crane and rotating crane.
SENSEI’s crane handle revolutionized the industry by correcting the raised elbow cutting posture and making professional shears healthier to use long-term. This was done by slightly curving the offset handle model downward so that the shears could be held with less force on the arm. The new angle allows stylists to cut with their elbow much lower and moves the hand away from their body when cutting on the skin. SENSEI also developed the rotating crane handle that further shortened the length of the thumb grip and allows you to obtain a more comfortable, open-handed, neutral positioning.
The Best Blade for Your Needs
Next, you need to decide which blade is best suited for your cutting needs. Though several types of blades exist, the two core kinds to be concerned with are the beveled and convex models. Beveled edge blades are the most traditional and, therefore, the most commonly used. However, they do come with a major disadvantage in that they make it more difficult to perform more advanced cutting techniques like slide cutting. The convex blade, on the other hand, is designed with a curved outer face that creates a sharper angle for the edge for smoother, longer-lasting cuts. For this reason, convex blades are more often the preferred type by professional hairstylists.
Shear Length
Another important consideration when choosing hair cutting shears is the length you need them to be based on the techniques you use. Fortunately, this is a simple matter of knowing your own personal practices and what cutting styles you find yourself using the most. So, take a bit of time to examine these habits and take note of the styling methods you tend to favor. As a general rule, short shears (five to five and a half inches) are better for details and precision cuts. While longer models (six or seven inches) are great for generating power—something that’s essential when cutting consistent, large sections of hair.
For additional reference, one technique better suited for shorter shears is cutting between the fingers of your other hand. But longer shears are typically preferred for everything else such as shear over comb, cutting on skin, and face-framing techniques.
Whether You’ll Need Specialty Models
From here, you can then look into specialty shears that provide you with a more efficient means to perform certain tasks. In knowing the basic specs of the shears you want ahead of time, you’re more likely to choose a shear that will be useful to you regardless of its specialized design. Some models you might look at are the seamless blender for removing weight lines, PointCut™ texture shears for adding texture and movement, and the slide cut shear for finishing a dry style. Each of these shears would make a welcome addition to any professional’s toolkit, as they allow you to more freedom when shaping and styling.
Overall Shear Quality
Most importantly, make sure that you’re inspecting the quality of your new shears before you commit to purchasing them. Like with all products, there are different levels of shear quality, and though it might not seem like it at first, it can greatly affect your experience using them. Purchasing higher quality shears can not only make for a better feel and more fluid cut, but it can also extend the length the time between sharpening and improve their longevity. So, if you want to get more out of each pair you acquire, you’ll want to know what material it’s made from, how it was tempered, and how long they’re expected to last. This is the best way to ensure you’re purchasing everything you need and more.
At Sensei Shear Systems, it’s our mission to provide hairdressers across the globe with quality industry tools that they can’t find anywhere else. Having spent decades studying the effects that standard cutting shears have on professional hands, we can say without a doubt that we know what makes a great pair of shears. Our ergonomic hair cutting shears are made to promote proper cutting posture, reducing the inflammation of the tissues within the carpal tunnel. In addition, our flexible price ranges and diverse stock help individuals find the perfect tools to fit within their budget. This way, we can assist you in maintaining your physical health while you further your hair cutting career.
