Types of Barber Scissors & Shears – A Guide to Barber Scissor Types

Having the right pair of barbering scissors can make all the difference between a good cut with ache-free hands, and a blunt cut full of discomfort for the barber. A barber scissor is their main tool and therefore the quality, design, weight and length can have a huge impact on your cut.

There are a range of barber scissors and shears available to achieve different styles, techniques, and level of comfort. Barbers should invest time to learn about the various types of barber scissors and shears to ensure they make the right purchases for their desired result.

In this guide, our expert team at Kanpeki, manufacturers of top-quality hairdressing and barbering scissors and tools used worldwide, discuss the types of barbering scissors and key features.

 

Types of Barber Scissors & Shears

Depending on the look, technique, and quality you wish to achieve, the full range of barbering scissors and shears fulfil all barbering requirements. Below we explain the various types of barbering scissors and the applications they most suit.

Short Bladed Barbering Scissors

Short blade barbering scissors are popular for a wide range of cuts and applications. The short blade is lightweight and easy to control, giving barbers great cutting freedom without hand fatigue.

Short blade barbering scissors usually have a total length from 4.5 to 5.5 inches long and work well for most common hair techniques from slicing to detailing. Try our Barber Classic Cutting Scissors (5”) or Barber Cutting Scissors (5.5”) to achieve precision cutting with ease.

 

Long Bladed Barbering Scissors

The length of long blade barbering scissors, between 6 to 7 inches, allows barbers to cover more surface area with each snip. This makes long blade barbering scissors ideal for scissor over comb cutting.

Any barbering techniques that require a fair amount of hair to be cut suit long blade scissors, especially as the blade length allows for consistency and reduces the chance of crooked lines in the hair. We manufacture and supply a full range of long bladed scissors, ranging from 6 inch cutting scissors, to 6.5 inch scissors, and 7 inch scissors. Check out Skull 7 inch for truly great quality and style.

Thinning Scissors

Thinning scissors are used to add texture and remove excess weight from your cut, creating soft lines, blending between sections, texturising bulky ends. Scissors with wider and fewer teeth take out larger sections of hair, a more aggressive tool for removing bulk with smaller more frequent teeth creating a softer more even finish, giving heavy hair a more airy movement.

View our selection of Barber Thinning Scissors.

Barber Scissor Design

There are other important factors to consider other than type of scissor that can affect the quality of cut and comfort of the barber.

• Blade – Barber scissors either have bevel, convex or semi convex cutting edges. The former is the traditional style with a steep angle, well suited to dry-hair cutting. Convex blades have a fine angle and produce sharp cutting action, ideal for cutting wet hair and the techniques of slide and point cutting and texturising.
• Handle – Scissor handles can be opposing or offset. More recent technology has led to offset handles becoming very popular; opposing finger holes place a strain on the thumb and wrist as the hand is in a closed position, so the open position of offset handles is preferred. As barbers use scissors day in, day out, it is critical they are comfortable, therefore, the ergonomics of offset handles with a reduced thumb extension are the best solution to reduce strain.
• Tensioner – the tensioner on scissors tunes the blades and adjusts how they meet. If the tension is too loose the blades may cause the hair to bend, but if it is too tight then the blades may go blunt quicker. Thus, it is important that barber scissors have an easily adjustable tensioner that properly maintains tension. The best tensioners have a ball bearing centre to reduce friction when cutting.

Barber Scissors & Shears Materials

The materials used to create barbering scissors and shears impact quality of cut, sharpness, and durability. Barbers looking to invest in quality scissors and shears should only use the best stainless steel tools.

The grades of stainless steel are measured using the Rockwell scale of hardness. Professional barbers should get scissors between 55 and 63 HRC on the scale. This level of hardness is optimum; any lower and the steel is malleable and will blunt sooner, but any higher and the scissors are harder and more likely to chip.

Japanese and American steel is used to create top quality hairdressing and barbering scissors. The superior quality ensures durability and industry-leading cut performance. By investing in better quality materials, barbers can guarantee a longer, sharper life for their tools, preventing undesirable dull, blunt cuts.

 

Quality Barber Scissors & Shears from Kanpeki

Here at Kanpeki we are passionate about helping hairdressers and barbers find the perfect tools for quality cuts. Our range of barbering scissors and shears, made from quality Japanese and American stainless steel, offer precision cutting with comfort assured. For long lasting, valuable barber scissors and shears, Kanpeki can deliver.

View our range of barbering scissors here. We offer cutting scissors, thinning scissors, scissor sets, and useful accessories for barbers in the UK and across Europe.

To find out more about our range of products, or get advice on the right barbering scissors for your needs, get in touch with our team today.