The old adage “you get what you pay for” is true for many things, but hair shears are an exception. What you’re looking for in quality hair cutting shears has far more to do with their construction than their price tag, and you also want to take into account the cost of sharpening. If expensive $200 hair shears last for an extra 100 haircuts, but cannot be easily sharpened and so must be replaced, that’s not a good investment.

So what do you look for in quality shears, and should you have to pay an arm and a leg for them? Not at all.

Good hair shears should last for up to 400-500 hair cuts before they need sharpening or replacing, if you take care of them properly. Since your average hair cut costs anywhere from $10 (for men) to $100 (for women) and beyond, that’s a pretty big return on an investment. There’s no reason to spend extra money on expensive hair shears and cut into those profits.

Quality hair cutting shears are simply ones that last longer. Stainless steel hair shears will last much longer than inferior quality materials, since they do not rust easily and hold their edge for many more hair cuts. There are tons of stainless steel hair cutting shears available for somewhere in the price range of $40; paying more simply isn’t worth the investment.

Another factor to consider is the price of shear sharpening. A good shear sharpener’s will run anywhere from $15-$30 plus about $10 for shipping, with the higher price range reserved for convex edge shears. Bevel edge will save you quite a bit of money if you intend to continue reusing the same hair shears. That said, if you can find a quality pair of stainless steel hair shears you like in the $35-$60 range, it may be a better idea to replace your shears altogether. That’s a cost choice you wouldn’t even consider with $200 shears – but with low-cost, good-quality ones, you can get a new pair without having to wait for shear sharpening.

For both home users and professional hair stylists in beauty salons, hair shears do not magically work on their own. No matter how expensive those hair cutting shears you’ve been eyeing are, they won’t cut hair for you and they will not give you a better quality cut. What you’re trying to find with expensive shears is simply a measure of their quality so that you can cut hair more easily and without needing sharpening for a longer period of time.

Stainless steel, bevel edge shears are your best choice for quality hair shears, as they will last longest and are the least expensive to re-sharpen. If you’d like to see some examples of bevel edge, haircutting shears that will last for up to 500 cuts with proper care without breaking the $60 upper limit for your budget, try our shop at www.theshearsdepot.com.

Julie N Sullivan - August 10, 2009