Made in Japan vs. Japanese Steel

You may have heard from several hair shear companies announcing that their shears are made of Japanese steel. Are they as good as real Japanese shears? And, what is the difference?

What Makes A Quality Shears

Let's take a step back first and quickly discuss the idea of "necessary but not sufficient". Many of the best hairdressers (and scissors sharpeners, by the way) have decades of experience, so is it safe to say that what makes a great stylist is decades of experience?

No, not at all.

There are many stylists (and scissors owners, again), who have decades of experience, but are not particularly good at their job.

If in these years they have not actively tried to improve their skills through constant training, passion and hard work, they stagnate and do not progress as designers.

Similarly, the production of shears is a combination of many important factors. What grade of steel did the manufacturer start with?

How was the steel milled and treated when the shears were produced?

Did the person making the shears know what they were doing, or was he simply pressing a button on a machine?

Is the hardware of the shears (the clamping system, finger rest, etc.) of high quality or is it junk?

Has the manufacturer been hand working his shears for generations?

All these inputs are crucial to making a shear, but no one alone can produce a hair shear. In other words, all these inputs are necessary to make a big shear, but none of them alone is enough to make a big shear.

Let's go back to our original question: Is Japanese steel enough to make a great shear? No way!

The steel used is a critical input, and only with a large steel, a shear can be large. But if the manufacturer, for example, passes his quality Japanese steel through a low-quality Chinese producer, the result will be a really medium cut, and probably a bad one too.

When you buy your next pair of hair shears, be sure to demand what kind of materials are used. Kenchii offers the best Japanese stainless steel and we years of experience in this field.