When it comes to hairdressing scissors and barber scissors there is no tool more important to your career than your cutting scissors for hair.
They are the essential link between talent and execution, they impact and dictate everything from comfort and control to performance whilst having the ability to protect you from (or cause) career threatening injuries.
Buying new professional hair cutting scissors for cutting hair can be very overwhelming, whether you’re deciding on what are the best different types of scissors for cutting hair, what blade designs suit your style the most or what sizes and handles feel most comfortable - the options can feel endless.
With that in mind we have it broken down into three main factors to help you find the best scissors for cutting hair for your cutting needs, these are Size, Handles and Series.
Deciding upon the size of your hair cutting scissors can be very challenging - we find that most hairdressers and barbers have a tendency to gravitate towards the size of scissors they received in their student kits when they were trainee hairdressers or barbers.
However, in most cases upon trialling and testing other sizes they find that the size they were accustomed to using was no longer the most comfortable.
When it comes to professional haircutting shears size is extremely important to choose correctly as if they are too big or too small it can lead to feeling a lack of control over their scissors causing discomfort, overworking and adjusting which can eventually lead to repetitive strain related injuries.
There are various different types of hair cutting scissors can be complicated due to the number of different sizes there are, whether you are looking for 5 inch scissors or 7 inch scissors are available in a variety of sizes, whether you're looking for.
We believe that size is a personal preference as no one size suits all, with some stylists opting for longer whilst others opt for shorter depending on their style of cutting or in some cases how they were trained.
However, aside from personal preference some sizes do suit certain cutting styles or perform hair cutting techniques better than others and we have categorised them by what they are best used for into Precision, All-round and Power.
Small scissors for cutting hair are characterised by featuring shorter, slimmer and pointier blade dimensions.
They allow you to cut closer to the clients head whilst having full control.
This type of cutting scissors has gained a lot of prominence over the past few years as they are perfect for specialists as they are made for advanced hair cutting techniques.
They are very popular among the world'smost talented and celebrated artists.
All round professional hair shears for hair cutting feature mid-lenght blades making them support the widest range of hair cutting.
This type of hair cutting scissors are made to be your everyday go-to pair.
Their dimensions and weight make them perfect for all types of techniques whilst supporting the widest variety of cutting styles of any hair cutting scissors.
They are the most popular sizes among both hairdressers and barbers and a must for any tool kit.
These professional hair cutting shears feature long-lenght blades with heavier weight that are built for power.
Power is one of the hair cutting scissors types most loved by barber due to their size, weight and due to them being ideal for dry hair cutting and heavy-duty cutting techniques such as slide cutting, scissor over comb and point cutting.
Although very popular among barbers these type of shears are also very prominent among hairdressers and a must for any tool kit.
If you are looking for your everyday go-to professional hair cutting scissors we recommend you choose an all round pair of shears
In either 5.5 inch scissors or 6 inch scissors as these are considered mid-length sizes, lending themselves to the widest range of air cutting techniques and providing you with the most versatile performance
However, we do believe that every hairdresser and barber would benefit hugely from having at least one of each types of these professional hair cutting shears in their arsenal.
The handles of your professional hair shears will largely impact the experience and pleasure you feel when cutting.
We believe that handle ergonomics are the most important part of any hair shears, they dictate the comfort and control you feel when cutting whilst either protecting you from ( or causing ) career threatening injuries such as Carpal tunnel syndrome, RSI or wrist, back and shoulder strain.
They also play a major part in your performance and creativity, with more premium and better designed handles supporting more advanced cutting, a wider variety of angles and providing more fluid transitions between hair cutting techniques.
There are three main types hair cutting scissors handles: Straight (Opposing), Offset and Swivel - all of which we will cover below and explain which we recommend, which we don’t and why.
The swivel handle is arguably the most ergonomic design to date, providing you with perfect support and full freedom of movement making the swivel thumb shears (link to hawk) ideal for both hairdressing and barbering cutting techniques.
The swivel scissors thumb feature full 360º movement providing a full natural position as if you were shaking someone’s hand.
This supports a horizontal cutting action that allows for full control of your styling techniques with no stress or fatigue on your hand.
The swivel shears are perfect for hair stylists that suffer from Carpal tunnel syndrome, RSI, Tendonitis etc. whilst it is also medically recommended.
This particular design has gained prominence and become very popular over the past decade due to it being specifically designed for the human hand and body - unlike Straight (Opposing) handle.
The Offset handle’s thumb ring is positioned further forward promoting a more open and unrestricted hand position. This helps reduce tension build up when cutting therefore considerably reducing the risk of developing Carpal Tunnel syndrome.
The offset design also supports more versatile and natural body positions allowing your elbow and arm to be considerably lower therefore considerably reducing strain on the body and minimising the chances of developing RSI, Tendonitis and shoulder, arm and back pain that have plagued hairdressers and barbers for decades.
The oldest hair shears handle design, this design is where the finger and thumb rings are directly parallel to one and other. Although they can be popular due to their familiarity they are both outdated and poorly designed when compared to Offset or Swivel handles.
They are the cause of many of the injuries previously mentioned such as Carpal tunnel syndrome, RSI, Tendonitis, etc. due to their restrictive design they reduce mobility forcing you to adjust your body when cutting which over time causes serious issues.
We have separated our professional shears into three different ranges to make it as easy as possible for you to decide upon what scissors for hair cutting professional you should choose depending on the stage you are at in your career, your requirements and how much you are looking to spend.
The difference between each of these series predominantly comes down to the materials used to make them, the craftsmen that hand make each one, the handle / blade designs and the time each haircut scissors professional takes to make.
The Master Series are some of the best professional hair cutting scissors in the world today, they are the pinnacle of performance and that all hairdressers and barbers aspire to use.
They are designed for complete and versatile performance which is why they feature the most advanced precision engineered designs of any professional shears whilst also being crafted from VG10 Japanese steel by the worlds best craftsmen.
The Pro Series are the perfect professional scissors for cutting hair for both hairdressers and barbers that are fully established in their careers and want a professional hair cutting scissor that will support the widest range of hair cutting techniques.
These hair cutting scissors professional Series are all made from high grade materials and feature advance designs to provide you with the performance levels required of a true industry pro.
The Akito 440 Series are the perfect choice for both hairdressers and barbers looking for their first best hair cutting shears for beginners.
Those that have recently qualified or are in the first couple of years of their career and are looking for the perfect best hair cutting shears for beginners with which to hone their talents, develop their skills and grow their clients list.
If you are still not sure what the perfect shears are for you why not check out our hairdressing scissors? These are designs that are specifically desgined to support hairdressing techniques, with mid-length blades and all round perfromance.
If you are an international customer ordering from countries outside of the United Kingdom click the button below and one of our team will help you.
Your hair cutting scissors are covered for life against manufacturer defects and parts replacement.
Free express worldwide shipping available to all countries worldwide.
Buy without risk with 14 day money back guarantee on all Akito Scissors.
Try before you buy or pay in instalments.