Purchasing shears can be very confusing and
sometimes misleading! After you have
done your research and narrowed down your choices ask these questions. And ask
for the answers in writing, if the company can’t or won’t give you these
answers in writing say no thank you and continue searching
1- What steel is used in the blades Find out exactly what stainless steel the shear
blades are manufactured with. The steel material is one of the most important
factors in shear cost and how well the edge will hold up.
2- How are the blades manufactured, CAST-
(lower quality shears) or Forged (
higher quality shears)
3- What is the hardness of the blades (answer should look something like this ( 59
+-1) the answer should be somewhere between
57+-1 (low quality) up to 61+-1 (highest quality) 59+-1 is pretty
average and a good all-around hardness.
4- Type of edge design, CONVEX EDGE –
higher quality, Razor sharp, Best for razor cutting techniques, but very
delicate and great care needs to be taken when sharpening, Don’t hand these
type of edges over to your local portable grinding/sharpening company! BEVELED
EDGE- Found on lower quality shears, not as sharp as convexed edge but very
strong and durable, found on most German shears and good for bulk cutting/Dry
cutting. Please note: If you are
purchasing or have purchased any kind of plated or colored shear these all come
with a beveled edge, these shears no not have a convexed edge no matter how
expensive they are, Company’s will use the words like “semi Convexed” to
disguise this fact but it is not true, all plated, colored, coated shears have
a beveled edge.
5- Country of manufacture- Today this
really doesn’t matter as much anymore, There are great shears coming from all
these country’s now- Japan, Korea, Taiwan & China. This question will just get the sales person
to commit to the proper answer. Most of the shears being sold today as Japanese
shears are not from Japan, as I stated it really doesn’t matter all that much
but it will keep everybody on the honest side of things, and let you know
exactly what you are purchasing.
Avoid shears from Pakistan, Turkey
etc. These are of the lowest quality and
not for professional use, they do not cut well or last at all. You will find
many of these on the internet, EBay, Amazon and places like that are flooded
with them. They generally run $10.00- $50.00 and will have no markings on them
at all, in an attempt to disguise where they are from. Many of the very inexpensive colored shears
you find at internet shopping sites are from these countries and may be OK for
home use but will not hold up to professional everyday use.
If the company you are thinking of making a
purchase from can’t put this into writing for you this should be a warning sign
and you should not purchase from them. If after making a purchase and you find
any of the written answers to not be true you will have far more power to do
something about it.
In coming months I will try to break down
each of these questions and give you more info about each one. QUESTIONS?
