Hair Cutting Scissor Blades and Edges Guide

The out-curved blade is sharp and suitable for softer cutting, while the flat or single bevel blade is best for lightweight toughness due to the design of the whole blade which is flat. Speaking generally, there are basically 3 main types of scissor edge; the convex, bevelled and the serrated. There are other uncommon types like K-blade, sword blade, etc. 

Here is a quick summary of the main hairdressing scissor blade edge types:

1. The Bevel Edge: most popular all-rounder, easy to sharpen and most common for hair cutting scissors
2. Semi-Convex Edge: a popular hybrid of the ultra-sharp Japanese convex edge blade. Easier to sharpen and perfect for slice and slide haircutting techniques.
3. Convex Edge: the most popular edge for professionals is the Convex edge from Japan due to its extreme sharpness.

Flat Single Bevel Scissor Blade (The Standard Blade)

The flat bevel scissor blade is the most common, the easiest to use and the considered as the world’s standard original blade. The blade is flat, the body is light and to achieve a smooth cut is very possible.

Another feature of this blade is that it has a flat face that fits both hair and comb face. The bevelled edge blade design remains one of the obsolete and most commonly used in hair shear production today.

This blade is very efficient in cutting but needs the application of more force and pressure than the convex blades that you will find in today’s market.

Although the bevel blade type isn’t expensive, one basic setback of this blade for hair shears is that it cannot be used for complex cutting styles like slide cutting.

Convex Type Of Scissor Blades

There are two type of convex blades; the convex pro blade and the convex shape blade.

Convex Pro Blade has the sharpest blade angle and setting. So if your aim is to get a sharp and smooth cut, this is the blade for you.

The final finishing is done manually by a craftsman to get an artistic cut, this is because the cross section of the blade is not only large but powerful as well. And seeing that the point of the blade is smaller than a hair, hairs will not fly about.

This hair shear blade design is immensely powerful and simplifies smooth and sharp cutting. Slide cutting and other advanced cutting techniques can be done using this blade because the outer face of the blade is curved.

Also, the sharper angle of the cutting edge on a convex hair shear allows for smoother cuts and long lasting sharp looks. All of the fore-mentioned features of this blade type is what makes it harder to produce than others and very expensive.

Convex Shape Scissor Blade

The convex was produced by applying recent technologies to the already existing advantageous convex blade. It still remains soft, sharp and is suitable for anybody. Convex scissors can be used for any type of cutting technique, but are the best for slide cutting, texturizing and point cutting.

The sharpness of the edges causes them to rub themselves on the hollow side of the edge, so in order to prevent this from happening, a hone line is ground in the hollow along the edge. The hone line is a thin flat line than can be seen on the hollow side of the edge that moves from the tip of the scissor all the way to the back.

Sword Shape Scissor Blade

The sword shape as the name implies, this blade is shaped like a sword, the power is delivered at the point of the blade with this design. It has one sword blade and one clam shell or convex edge.

The sword blade provides more power to the blade for quality and precise cutting. A sword shear has a ridge that runs the length of the blade, this way powerful cuts can be achieved irrespective of the length. Unlike the other blades where the length of the shear affect the power of the blade. Using the sword blade for cutting comes exactly as advertised.

Concave Scissor Blade

The concave type of blade gives you an optimal sharp cutting experience. The concave cobalt scissors will cut hair very well with ease because the cutting load is lower than the existing scissors.

Serrated and Micro-Serrated Blade: These blades are normally used together with bevelled edge blade. As a learner, the best blades to use are micro-serrated blades, because they stop hair from sliding down the blade.

They are good for slow detail cutting and to cut dry hair as well, but should never be used for slice cutting because the hair will get stock on the blade. Another great use of this type of blade is that it is preferred for scissor rather than comb cutting.

The edge of this blade catches the hair and hinders pushing, thus making it really nice for wigs, scissor over comb and dry cutting. It is normal for an apprentice to learn with serrated edge scissor, but serrated holds the hair like a comb and when it cuts through the hair, it can sometimes damage the cuticles.

What Are Convex Edge Shear Blades?

Convex edge scissor blades create ultra thin and sharp edges that allow for clean and precise haircutting. 

A convex edge is the most honed edge you can jump on some scissors. They are likewise known by as a clam shell blade and most ordinarily, Japanese style blade.

All convex-edged are hollow ground within the blade which gives an exceptionally smooth cutting activity. They are, nonetheless, incredibly delicate and can lose their edge.

Applying a lot forward or in reverse thumb pressure, or in any event, putting away your scissors free in a cabinet or dropping them will bring some relief the scissors.

Convex scissors are ideal for any hair cutting technique, however, they dominate at slide cutting, point cutting and texturising for hairdressers and barbers. Since the edges are ultra sharp, they would rub themselves dull on the hollow side of the edge.

To shield this from occurring, a hone line is ground in the hollow along the edge. The hone line is a small level line that can be sen on the hollow side of the edge that runs from the tip of the scissor to the back. 

Japanese hairdressing scissor companies introduced the complex sharp convex edge blade designs to the world under fifty years ago.

The Japanese were able to create these superior blades due to their high-quality Japan steel that had supreme hardness. 

The harder a blade's material, the longer it will hold its sharp form, so you will rarely see cheap scissors using convex edge blades.

Most hairdressers and barbers prefer convex edge scissor blades due to their ultra thing and sharp blades and their ability to stay sharp for longer.

What Type Of Hairdressing Is Convex Edge Scissors Used For?

Hairdressing professionals use the sharp convex edge scissors for sharp and precise haircutting. 

Some hairdressing scissor types are suited to certain techniques, but the convex edge shears are able to perform all haircutting techniques. 

The convex edge blade is so sharp that the opening and closing motion while cutting hair feels completely effortless. 

Convex edge scissors perform well with slice cutting, wisping, layer cuts and scissors over comb.

How Much Does Convex Edge Scissors Cost?

Convex edge hairdressing scissors are generally made from high-quality steel due to the ultra thin nature of the blade.

You can expect to pay anywhere between $250 and $800 for a professional convex edge hairdressing scissor.

Overall, you will save money in the long run as the blade stays requires less maintenance and sharpening. 

The Width Of Scissor Blades

What determines how a scissor cuts and the type of cutting it is for is the hardness of the metal, the shape of the blade radius (specifically the size of the blade line radius because the edge line is always curved) and what the cutting edge is.

Long slim scissors that have narrow blades are suitable for blunt work and heavy point cutting. A long slim blade scissor edge’s angle is about 50 to 55 degrees and has a blade line radius of 900mm to 1000mm.

There are various blade widths available. The wider the blade, the more powerful it is for cutting hair. The cut is very light and those with a thin blade point need this for a more detailed job.

The lines on scissor blades

There are different types of blade lines, ranging from straight to curved ones. Broadly speaking, the straighter blade is called is simply called a straight blade, the ordinary blade is called a willow blade and the curved blade is called the bamboo leaf blade. When Tokosha is designing blades, he considers the characteristics of each item in his design. The straighter the blade, the easier it is to hold hair for cutting without the hair sliding. The bigger the curve, the greater the amount of hair that will slide when going for a smooth and soft cut. The bamboo leaf type of blade has the biggest curve and is best used for slide cuts and slicing.

Comments

• When I see scissors, I usually think about making crafts with them when I was a kid. Now I know that hair cutting scissors are a different animal, but I was unaware that there are so many assorted scissor blades and that the shapes and edges can help your hair stylist do an even better job.

• I’m going to get my hair cut this week so I’m going to pay close attention to the hair-cutting scissors my stylist uses on me. I want to see what the scissor blade shapes are like and what the blade edges are like. I probably won’t ask why she uses certain blades or shapes over another, just because I don’t want her to think I’m trying to tell her how to do her job.

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