| |
ANSWERS TO SHARP QUESTIONS When I launched my Kai Scissors site several years ago, I was privileged to meet David Wolff, a gentleman who owns a wonderful scissors manufacturing and importing business here in the U.S. He taught me SEW much, and I've compiled it into this 'tutorial' that I hope you will find informative as well. Is it a Scissors or a Shear?
 A Scissors can only take one finger in each finger ring.
A shears will allow more than one finger into the finger ring. A beauty or grooming shears is called a shears because it has a finger rest or 'tang'
extending out that allows one to use 2 fingers in cutting.
Personally, I think the word 'scissors' is used collectively for this
type of cutting instrument, but I will try to be 'correct' on this website...
Scissors are normally used to refer to cutting implements not more than 6 inches in length and the two finger loops are equal in size. Designed for lighter cutting tasks, they usually have one sharp point and one blunt point to prevent snagging fabrics. Needlepoint scissors have two extra-sharp pointed blades.
Shears are normally 6" or longer and the rings are sized differently - usually one round and one oval. Offered bent or straight with the bent format making it easier to cut material on a tabletop - hence the term "dressmaker" scissors. The straight format are more general purpose, and known as "household" scissors.
 Â
Who makes What Brand?
 Gingher used to be made in Brazil & Germany.
Gingers are now made in Mexico and the quality is not the same. Gingher is now owned by Fiskars - purchased early in 2005.
Mundial scissors and shears are now made in the same Brazil plant that used to make the Gingers and Marks. KAI makes the rotary blades for Clover. A company called Silky makes clover's scissors. They are more expensive than the Kai, though they do 'feel good'.Â
 Â
Serrated Scissors Facts
 At the American Sewing Guild Conference in Nashville July 2005, an instructor must have told her class that serrated scissors were best on sheers and that Kai® had a great serrated scissors. When they came in droves to my booth asking for these, I told them that I really didn't know of a Kai® Serrated Shears - and now I've checked with the President of the company that imports them and this is what I've learned....
"Kai doesn't make a corregated (serrated) scissors. Corrregate' is a US term, 'Serrate' is European. The only reason to corregate is to prevent the material from sliding. (I know this to be the case, as I've used the Gingher G-8Z, a serrated scissors on sheers in the past - it being recommended to me by one of our sewing 'celebrities'). This (sliding) is not a problem when the shears are sharpened correctly for the material being cut. An educated sharpening craftsman will sharpen both blades, and only hone the finger blade (top blade), when the material to be cut is slippery like silk, rayon, etc. If the customer is going to slide cut (NOT open/close motion, but as if two knives are running through the fabric), then both blades should be honed (polished). Corregations are only necessary for hard to cut materials that are used in bullet proof vests like Kevlar or fiberglass. Because these are so abrasive and in the case of Kevlar they must be kept spread out to cut. The only place we sell corregated scissors is in industry cutting these materials. These materials dull scissors exrtremely quickly and have to be re-sharpened often. Lower price barber and grooming shears have corregations to hold the hair in place. When a scissors is sharpened corrrectly, it will last much longer without these corregations. Corregations on the blade actually chew into the other blade and reduce its life. (How true - I'm now on my 3rd pair of G-8Z Ginghers). Corregations only help a poorly sharpened scissors except for reasons stated above."
 Silky (see above under Who Makes What Brand? section above) is laser cutting the blades (like the KAI 7000 series), then they forge the outside shape in these blades. They are not as high a quality of steel s the KAI scissors.Â
 Â
What is the difference between Stamped and Forged blades?
 Forged scissors and shears are made using a hot dropped forged
method (also knives). A bar of steel is heated red hot, then placed in the
forging hammer (a press with 50 - 200 tons weights on it). The press is
dropped onto the heated steeel that is in a die and formed into the shape. A
forged scissors amost always has a metal handle.
Stamped scissors and shears are less expensive to produce - but
not necessarily lower quality. The steel comes to the factory on a coil. The
blades are stamped out. Handles molded out of a plastic are joined to the
blades. The best scissors and shears from both Kai® and Wolff®USA are made in
this manner. The issue is the quality and thickness of the steel used. Only
the Kai® 7000 series of shears has full metal handles on a stamped scissors. This is extraordinary quality - well worth the investment.
 Â
How is the blade hardness measured?
 The Rockwell C scale (HRC) is what is used to measure the strength of steel.
The higher the number, the stronger the metal.
Cheap Chinese and Pakistani scissors are approximately 48HRC.
Fiskars USA, Gingher, Mundial and Taiwanese scissors are approximatley 50-54 HRC.
Kai® and Wolff®USA are approximately 56-60 HRC.
I state Approximately because eac production run chagnes a little, Paki shears vary greatly, and have been seen by my expert source as low as the 40's to middle 50's. They are not consistent.
Above 60 HRC, blades become too brittle and could shatter if dropped to the floor.
 Â
What does "Ice" mean?
 Ice is not a brand, but rather part of the heat treating process to make scissors hard. After heating the stianless steel in a 1950 - 1975 degree furnace, scisors are put in -100 (that's minus 100 degrees very, very cold!). This process is called ice tempering and changes the molecular structure of the steel making it more durable. All high quality scissors and shears are ice tempered - even if they are not marked as such on the blades.
 Does a KAI need to be sharpened? All cutting tools dull with time, just some dull faster because of poor materials (steel and heat treating). We usually find that KAI will stay sharper 2-6 times longer than the competition because of the quality of the steel. The exception is a nick, like cutting a pin. That will damage any scissors. Â
What about handles???
 A painted handle (most always black) is called "Japaning" because the Japanese
were the first to paint the handles of scissors and shears.
Plastic handles are NOT all created equal!
Kai® and Wolff®USA shears all have a chemical bonder between the handle and
metal to prevent bacterial contamination. Good plastics include the
Santoprene (Kai®) and Sarlink (Wolff®USA)- which are chemically the same), and ABS plastic. ABS plastic is the name for the plastic on most scissors like Fiskars. These handles can break with heavy usage.
Both the Kai® and Wolff®USA products are made of FDA approved pigments so that these shears can be used in the kitchen. These shears also have an ergonomically designed handle to fit the hand and the thumb in the correct alignment for cutting. Ambidextrous shears are designed to fit either hand, but do not put the hand in the correct alignment for proper cutting.
 Â
'Leftie' Scissors Facts
 Some basic understanding:
On a right-handed scissors, the upper blade is the one on the right hand side as you are looking down on the scissors as you hold them in your hand. You can see where you are cutting, as the upper blade is to the back - or right hand side as you are working.
So - for a genuine Left-handed scissors, it is the opposite - when holding the scissors and looking down on the blades, the upper cutting one is on the left. You would be able to see where you are cutting because the upper blade is the back - or left hand side as you are working.
The placement of the blades (as above) is one factor. The handles are another factor. Handles are either right-handled or left-handled - obviously for the comfort of which 'handedness' you are.
Understanding that ...
The k-5210-L is a genuine left handed scissors with left handed blades - and will not work if a left-handed person is used to working with right handled scissors, as they will actually be pulling the blades away from each other - preventing the cutting action from taking place properly. Look for the term "True or Genuine Left Handed Scissors/Shears" on this website to identify other models that are left bladed and left handled.
The k-5220-L then is a left handled shears (the handles themselves fit in the left hand) with right handed blades. These scissors have been designed to work for a left handed person who has learned to cut with right handed scissors - (and actually sell faster than the true left handed scissors the k-5210-L). HOWEVER: this style - with right handed blades, will continue to block the eye path.
If a 'Leftie' can retrain their hand to cut properly with a genuine left handed and handled shears (k-5210-L), they will be better off as they will be able to see where they are cutting.
 Â
English lesson...
 Scissors is one of those unusual nouns that is both singular and plural in the
same form: scissors. Another example is deer. You have one deer or
several deer. You can have one scissors or a bunch of scissors.
Scissor (without an s) is a verb. Like you 'scissor' your legs across
each other as an exercise.
 Â
|
|
Your Cart
