Handle/FORM
- Are you right- or left-handed?
- Are you looking for hair or effiliation scissors?
- What shape should your new scissors have?
CLASSIC/Traditional scissor shape
You can recognise the CLASSIC shape by the handle rings that are attached to the middle of the handle. Here, the handle rings on the corresponding size of scissors usually also have a larger diameter. The fingers of the working hand (ring finger-middle finger-index finger) lie on the stalk at 3 different levels. The little finger is increasingly placed on a finger hook. This way the scissors lie more calmly in the hand than if no finger hook is used. Hair scissors in the CLASSIC shape are also available for left-handers to accommodate requirements for other movements.
CHIRO
These scissors are characterised by longer blades / handles – proportionally approx. 2/3 handle and 1/3 cutting edge – and handle rings running outwards. Due to the longer blades, you need considerably less force when cutting hair. The fingers of the working hand (without thumb) lie in one plane on the stalk. The resulting higher grip and working safety is very advantageous for daily work (after a short familiarisation phase).
ERGO/OFFSET
The ERGO (also called OFFSET) scissor shape has two stalks/handles of different lengths.
The shorter handle for transmitting the force of the thumb is in a more ergonomically favourable position than in other scissor shapes. (This scissor shape requires considerably more effort than, for example, the chiro-form scissors).
The finger rings on the blades are of different sizes and positions on the blades.
Overall, this scissor shape is finding more and more users, not least because of the positive movement sequences for the hand.
SEMI/OFFSET
In the SEMI / OFFSET scissor shape, the blades are not arranged in the ERGO / OFFSET inherent length of the blades. The moving stalk / handle for the thumb is not so positive in its movement posture and often corresponds to the Classic scissor shape.
What size should your scissors be?
Determine the right size of scissors for you as follows:
- Make a flat hand – place the scissors flat on the palm of your hand, with the outer end of the finger rings against the fingertips.
- If the tip is then in the middle of the heel of your hand, you have factually chosen the right size of scissors for you.
You will notice:
- The bigger your hand, the bigger the scissors should be – or vice versa.
- It is also important that the fingers do not slip too far through the finger ring (e.g. the thumb). This not only strains the muscles of the hand, but also results in a very unsteady movement. Another deciding factor is your personal cutting technique:
- Do you need more or less freedom of movement with your scissors in your hand?
- Do you cut more with the comb and hand/finger?
- Or do you cut more in your hand?
- Do you very often use creative cutting techniques at work, e.g. slicing or similar?
WHAT CUTTING EDGE SHOULD YOUR SCISSORS HAVE?
- Different demands on scissors require different solutions.
- Unless you have a well-developed cutting technique or are still in training, for example, scissors with serrated blades are preferable – single or double-sided.
- These blades, especially if both blades have micro-fine serrations, have the advantage that the hairs that come between the blades cannot slip out towards the tip.
- Such scissors usually do not have a pronounced hollow grind and cannot be used for creative techniques.
- A polished / unserrated edge feels much smoother when moving.
- If such scissors do not have a pronounced hollow grind, creative cutting techniques are usually only possible as long as the scissor blades have the sharpness necessary for this.
- After a short time, when the correct sharpness has been worked off the blades, the hair slips out towards the tip.
- The exact machining of the scissor blades, in convex form of the blade side on top and the concave form of the blade side inwards (hollow side), in combination with different materials, only results in a long-lasting, sharp cutting edge.
WHAT CUTTING EDGES SHOULD YOUR EFFILIER SCISSORS HAVE?
- As far as the shape and size of the effilier scissors (one-sided or double-sided) are concerned, the same rules apply as for the hair scissors.
- We counteract different names (e.g. fashion scissors or transition scissors, etc.) with a factual designation as effilier scissors SINGLE SIDED or DOUBLE SIDED.
- The single-sided Effilier scissors are the most commonly used scissors today and are used for different applications and cutting techniques.