Quality Scissors

Those of us who are obsessed with fabric and making wonderful clothes will understand the pleasure in owning and using a pair of fine quality scissors. Until you have

actually cut with a pair of such scissors the term ‘slice through like butter’ is not fully understood! Quality scissors and shears are a lifetime investment, but how do we know which to invest in?

Today's society has become a 'throw away' society encouraging cheap imports , hence it has become difficult to find the high quality scissors that were once regarded as normal. Today these very same scissors need to be searched out in the few retail outlets left, many of which do not have the understanding or appreciation of what makes a scissor a 'quality' product.

“We are but the
Scissors when we
Are apart but
Together we are something.”
Martin Chuzzlewit.

History of Scissors
The English word ‘scissors’ and the French word ‘Ciseaux’ have the same meaning, with both derived from the Latin ‘caesum’ meaning ‘cut’. The origin of scissors is very ancient. Representations of this first type of scissors, known as spring scissors, have been found on ancient Christian monuments. The scissors with the two blades riveted together, as we know them today, derive from circa 1400 in what is known as the medieval period.

Prior to the 1830s all scissors were made by hand and the finest scissors continued to be handmade well into the 20th century. Steel scissors, introduced in the 18th century were superior iron scissors in terms of strength.

Sheffield in England acquired its fame for high quality scissors due to the quality of the steel and workmanship. Today, many of the cutlery makers in Sheffield have disappeared in the name of progress, with many of the old manufacturing buildings being gobbled up by developers and transformed into residential units.

Several countries throughout the world are now producing scissors, with the USA being one of the larger producers. Many tools from the USA are of very high quality, though recent years have found scissor manufacturers declining in number or being taken over by large consortiums, which has sometimes resulted in scissor construction being down-graded.

The tradesman of Solingen, renowned for the finest cutlery makers, are today regarded as producing the best quality scissors found anywhere in the world. To guarantee this standard of excellence, the German government places stringent requirements on the cutlery manufacturers of the region before they are entitled to use the name ‘Solingen’ as a stamp of approval denoting fine quality. Please note: ‘Solingen is not a brand name.

What makes quality scissors
Beware of copies made to resemble scissors from Solingen. Scissors imported from developing countries are sometimes engraved with German sounding names. Many of these scissors also come with what appears to be a screw but is in fact a rivet. Price is not always indicative as retailers are sometimes inclined to charge a price that they feel the public are prepared to pay.

Scissors today are made of metals such as carbon steel and stainless steel. Germany has a reputation for using a blend of both German and Swedish steel, creating carbon steel far superior to other less developed scissor manufacturing countries. These particular countries do not harden and temper the steel to the same standard as the high quality steels used by the German cutlery makers from Solingen. Unfortunately one cannot recognise quality steel by looking at or feeling it. The only way to feel the quality of steel is to purchase scissors with the name ‘Solingen’ stamped on the scissors.

Hardness of steel is measured in ‘Rockwell C’ an engineering term. Ideally this should be 58-62 for scissor steel, while the hardness of a diamond is 100.

When are scissors not scissors?
Answer: When scissors are over 20cm (8 inches) in length they become shears.

What to look for in quality scissors?
Always look for a proper screw at the pivot of the scissors. Some manufacturers use a rivet, inserting a slot to look like a screw

Look for a solid blade. Some scissors come with an inlay; strip of hardened metal inserted between the blades. Other scissors will have both blades attached at the pivot with rivets, which will in time wear, causing movement to the blade when cutting and not allowing the point to work sufficiently.

The points of scissors should be aligned with the rest of the blade, not acutely turned in toward one another as found in some of the more inexpensively manufactured scissors.

All good scissors will be hollowed ground on the inside of the blades, creating an opening between blades when the scissor blades are in the closed position. Some scissors will have a grater gap between the blades than others. See photo 2

Scissors should run with a smooth ‘gang’ or ‘setting’ of the blades. For a good cut it is important the scissors can be opened and closed easily. The hand should not be doing the cutting; the blade must cut as a result of the scissor construction and not because they are squeezed hard by the fingers. The hand is used only to guide the scissors, opening and closing the blades.

Carbon Steel scissors have a black japanned handle with a screw and can be hardened beyond the strength of stainless steel. For heavy or continuous cutting, choose the carbon steel over stainless steel. (Stainless steel scissors invariably have plastic handles although there is the odd exception to the rule). Some Japanese ‘Kai’ stainless steel scissors are made with vanadium added to the stainless steel which produces higher quality stainless-steel scissors. The scissors made in this way are labelled so on the packaging.

Many scissors today are imported in sealed packets. These are generally not made wit high quality in mind – nor are you able to test cut or hold them!

When Buying Scissors
Always ask questions when purchasing a pair of scissors. If you are not satisfied with the sales person’s knowledge of the product, do not continue with the purchase. Always ask to try the scissor before purchasing. The tension is very important; scissors should hold their own weight in a comfortable manner, that is, not fall open. If the scissors are too tight apart from possible damage done to finer fabrics the pressure of the cut will cause discomfort to the hand. Never purchase scissors unless you are able to try them out on your own fabric.

Check for handle comfort; scissors are like a pair of shoes, one should never purchase them without trying them for a good fit. Remember scissors do not stretch with wear, and can be detrimental to the hand if not fitted correctly. Check the pivot of the scissors to be sure a proper screw is in place. Riveted scissors are poor quality.

If the scissors to be purchased are plated, be sure the inside of the blade is not plated. Plating on the inside of the blade is again a sign of poor quality.

Quality points of interest
Always remember the scissors will do the cutting – your hand is only there to guide the cut. Correctly held scissors will cut without effort on your part. It is interesting that we are rarely taught to hold dressmaking scissors or shears in the correct way. If the eye of the handle is too small, bring the hand forward so the forefinger is placed in front of the handle. Never cut with the small finger placed outside the eye of handle; this practice results in a weakness of cut, often resulting in tiredness of the hand over a long period of use.
See photos 4 and 5.
All scissors should be hollowed ground. If they are not correctly sharpened the result will prove to be very disappointing.
Poor sharpening by a non-professional sharpener can result in the scissors being permanently destroyed.
Always remember to oil your scissors in order to keep quality scissors running smoothly. A single drop of oil should be placed at the screw and in the ‘between’ (at the pivot in the open position)

If quality scissors are not cutting well, check the following points:

The scissors have been dropped.
Have been used to cut other materials other than fabric.
Left to turn rusty, causing pitting to the cutting edge.
Have been poorly sharpened and or set set.
Have not been correctly adjusted.

Seek out professional sharpening service if any of the above points are noticed.

Remember to question the ability of any sharpening service. Your quality scissors can be ruined by anyone who does not have a professional knowledge of the correct sharpening procedure.