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Scissors are a common, seemingly simple cutting tool that many of us use on day-to-day basis, without paying them much attention. The construction of a pair of scissors is quite simple: just two elongated blades held together in the middle with a nut and to actually cut something we bring together and then separate the blades, often repeatedly.

If we look at the scissors in more detail we see that the blades are positioned one on top of the other, with the sharp edges of the blades facing each other. At the ends of the blades are oval or circular handles through which the cutter threads his or her fingers. In "technical" terms the top blade is called the A blade and it is attached the handle meant for the thumb, the bottom one is called the B blade and depending on construction and purpose either index finger or multiple fingers may be threaded through it, and the handles are called bows.

Materials
Types and Sizes
 

MATERIALS

Scissors are made of metal but the quality and type of the metal used differs, giving the blades various properties and abilities, from hardness to cut large, tough materials, like other metals to tremendous sharpness of extremely thin blades, for work with skin and delicate materials. The best quality scissors are made of various stainless steels. As with other metal instruments, depending on their use or the material from which they are made the blades could come in different finishes, but for most jobs the smooth, polished finish is preferred.

In addition there are also different materials used for the bows or the handles. To make the scissors more comfortable, and sometimes more colorful, there are few different materials and colors in which the handles could be covered, including enamel, rubber and plastics.

TYPES & SIZES

What adds complexity to the relatively simple world of scissors are the various types and sizes in which they are made available. The main differences are due to the purpose for which scissors those particular scissors are used for, with many different sizes available in each type. Here is a small overview of these variations, their usages and main features.

Cuticle

Cuticle scissors are used to cut off excess, dried skin of the cuticles. They are especially thin, sharp and delicate, so that only the dead portion could be easily cut off, without cutting off any live cuticle or ripping the skin around the fingernails while cutting the cuticle. The tips of such scissors are often very fine and curved. To give more precision and control over the cutting action the tips of the blades on cuticle scissors are often made extra pointed and in addition to being curved upward, the tips are curved inward to make them as fine as possible, so that just the tips to get to the dried cuticle without cutting off anything else.

When working with skin and nails the materials used must be of the highest quality, those that do not contain any additives that could cause an allergic reaction and must be rust-proof. Sometimes to improve the results, while keeping the cost of the instrument lower, only the blades on such scissors are covered (or plated) with gold, nickel or chrome, and some instruments are completely plated in precious materials.

Nail

In comparison with cuticle scissors nail scissors are much tougher, after all nails are harder than skin, however nail scissors must be just as sharp. Breaking nails with dull scissors is not the way to trim the nails and could only cause damage. For use on thicker, heavier nails many nails have extended blades and handles, to create more leverage. Since our nails and fingers are not straight, many nail scissors have curved blades to help make the cutting more precise and comfortable.

When working with skin and nails the materials used must be of the highest quality, those that do not contain any additives that could cause an allergic reaction and must be rust-proof. Sometimes to improve the results, while keeping the cost of the instrument lower, only the blades on such scissors are covered (or plated) with gold, nickel or chrome, and some instruments are completely plated in precious materials.

Baby

Baby scissors are even smaller, more thin and delicate than cuticle scissors, made specifically for baby's sensitive skin, hair and very delicate nails. Baby scissors are usually very small with very narrow blades. Scissors that are used to cut hair most often have blades that end with blunt edges, to make the instrument safer for the baby. And those meant for use on the babies finger and toe nails also have short blades to give the most gentle and most comfortable of trims.

Sometimes the handles are made in of soft plastic for comfort in fun, colorful shapes to keep baby's attention and make the experience more fun and sometimes. In lieu of the plastic handles they could be covered in bright, colorful enamel or be stored in a child-friendly, vibrant cases or pouches in a various shapes.

As with any other products, and especially those that are meant for a baby, the materials used must be of the highest quality, and with metals they must not contain any additives that could cause an allergic reaction and must be rust-proof.

Beard & Nose (facial hair)

Scissors made for trimming beard and nose hairs are usually smaller in size, though not as small as embroidery scissors, and have narrow, sharp blades. They are often used in areas that get easily irritate during shaving or when you need to get into spots where a razor just won't fit. Most of them are small enough to accommodate smaller pouches that you may carry around with other personal hygiene tools. In addition, for safety reasons the tips of the blades are blunt and rounded, to protect the skin in case the scissors accidentally touch the skin.

In addition, barbers and beauty professionals have a multitude of other specially made scissors that are perfect to create all those different, gorgeous hair styles.

Left handed

Left handed scissors are a specially made instrument which has loops, and the cutting action that has been reversed, to accommodate the left-handed people. These scissors are usually produced for general, everyday use and come in various sizes.

Sewing & Embroidery

Sewing and embroidery are very detailed jobs and require different tools for various tasks and probably these tasks have the most variety of specialty shapes. Some of the tasks are so specialized and involved that special shapes and sizes of scissors were made to make them more convenient and easier to execute.

Since the dimensions in sewing and embroidery are so different the differences between these specific scissors could be very varied. Scissors used to cut large lengths of fabric are larger, since they require larger blades, while scissors used for detailed embroidery work, stitching or in small and hard-to-get to spaces, for example at the seams of a zipper require smaller, and more narrow blades, often with special shapes of the blades and handles.

However no matter what size or shape these scissors are they must be very sharp and rust-proof. A term used to describe the quality of cutting is "run." Run is the comparative textural quality of or the "sensation" you experience when cutting with a pair of scissors or shears, where a "good run" is one with an even, clean cut for the full length of the blades without any unevenness, faltering or hesitation. A good run is achieved with scissors of the right shape and sharpness.

Straight trimmers are the type of scissors most often used to trim and cut fabrics. It is a pair of shears or scissors whose thumb and elongated bows are positioned in a straight line with the cutting blades. Most often such scissors have longer, strong, sharp blades.

In addition to the shape and size of the overall blades for some tasks only the tips of the blades are specifically modified to fit a particular task. Extra Blunt Points, for example, are an arrangement where the tips of both the top and bottom blades have very rounded shapes as a safety measure to prevent the blades from puncturing the material. A pair of scissors that has the tips of both the top and the bottom blades shaped to create a very sharp point, to allow for very precise cutting of miniature details or in spots lacking space to maneuver, is referred to as having the double sharp points. Last but not least is the clip points configuration, which allows scissors to cut (or clip) the material with just the points (or tips of the blades) where the top blade has a sharp point and the end of the bottom blade is set at an angle.

Household & Food Processing

Following in the steps of the food processing industry, many chefs, and now many households have a separate set of scissors for the kitchen, and sometimes even more than one. Some scissors are just regular straight bladed ones that might be used to open up packaging and help with everyday tasks, yet others, specially made curved bladed scissors are very helpful when working with poultry. As the name suggests curved blades on a pair of shears or scissors that are curved in either to the left or right and are made to get between bones and they are even tough enough to cut bone and cartilage.

Hardware & Gardening

In the garden and even in the garage scissors come in handy just as much as they do in other day to day activities and since the materials that they're supposed to cut are much tougher the demands on these scissors are a bit different. They must be stronger and much more durable and might not need to be as flexible.

In gardening customers needs both blades that can carefully and accurately get into tight spots and snip away a delicate flower and others that will be able to cut thick, tough bushes just as accurately and precisely. These needs dictate production of different scissors and shears, however all of them are very sharp and are made of much tougher steels than those made for nails and cuticles.

Often the scissors meant for gardening and hardware tasks are Through-Hardened - a process of hardening blades, which, unlike case-hardening, reinforces the entire thickness of the blade and not only the surface.

In addition to the different type of steel used these instruments have other supports and innovations that make them so much more useful. Spring-Action uses a spring, built into scissors or shears, to add resistance and increase the power of the cutting action, and to automatically force the blades apart when the cutting action is done. While an inserted nut is a device in a pair of scissors or shears that gets placed on the pivot and allows user to adjust the tension between the blades and the overall quality of the run.