Scissors – Soul of a Barber Shop

While scissors are a necessary tool for any household, but in a barber shop it is the very soul of the business. No barber can do his or her job with out a good pair of barber scissors. But what are the attributes of a good barber scissor and how does one select the perfect pair? Here are a few simple yet highly effective tips on finding the perfect pair of barber scissors:

Size Matters

Scissors are of many kinds and vary in length and shape, this is because there is a difference between barber scissors and regular hair cutting scissors. Yes, as surprising as it may be, there is a difference between barbering and hair cutting, thus the use of different scissors. Hairdressing barber scissors usually have longer blades due to their “scissors over comb” purpose. The blades also need to be long enough so they align perfectly with the side of a barber comb.

Specifications

Ask any professional barber scissor manufacturer and they will tell you that there is not just a difference in dynamics between scissors used for barbering and hair cutting, but there are variations in size too. Reason behind this variation is because the sizes of the hands using these scissors vary, and a good fit is important for a precise job.

For precision sake, barbers usually cut hair in small increments, and the scissors they use typically extend just a few inches beyond the index finger when the scissors are opened. If professional barber scissors manufacturers made scissors in only one size, they would fail to fit a number of hands.

Support

Another thing that sets standard barber scissors apart from regular hair cutting scissors is the size of the finger holes on the gripping end. These need to be large enough for fingers to be able to slide in and out easily and also let the scissors swing around the fingers without resistance. This helps prevent sore spots and calluses to be formed on fingers due to prolonged use. It is important that holes not be too loose, since that will affect their ability to be controlled and may result in slipping of the fingers and falling on a client.

Precision

Any professional barber knows that this scissors need to be perfectly sharp. The best way to knowing how sharp they need to be is that, the standard barber scissors need to cut through a half-inch thick slice of damp hair without a sound or even any visible movement. If the movement can be felt or the sound can be heard, this means scissors need to be sharpened.

Dynamics

Professional barber scissor manufacturers now use the “off-set blade” design for making scissors, rather than the more traditional, “even-ended” design. This is because the off-set blade design is more comfortable to work with and allows better alignment and positioning of the blades. This dramatically reduces stress on the hands and fingers while barbering all day long.