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LEFTIES CORNER

Precision Shears will help you find the correct and appropriate left-handed shear to fit your cutting style and needs. We offer an excellent selection of left-handed styling shears from the top brand names in the industry like Fuji, Kasho, Mizutani, Kouho, Shisato, Tara, and Sensei to give you many choices and options in size and quality.

It is important to begin to cut from the start of your training in Cosmetology School with true left-handed shears. Please know that if this was not the case we can offer solutions and help with the this problem. Thousands of left handed stylists that start cutting with right-handed shears have been told that they cannot switch to a true left-handed shear. This is not accurate and simply false. We have helped many stylists across the country to make the switch to a true left handed shear.

You can not make a shear left-handed by switching the finger rest and turning the shear the opposite way, or by reversing the tension system.

Two time Hair stylist of the year winner and good friend Allan Ruiz once cut with right-handed shears, and he has made the switch. If you have the desire and dedication to make this switch you will be rewarded with a renewed pleasure in cutting and a sense of comfort that you have always sought but always thought was not possible.

In the past when you have attempted to cut with a left-handed scissor, and the hair bends over not cutting at all. This is normal and it can be corrected with the proper training. As a stylist you want to cut and create without fighting with your tools, having them push the hair, cutting sections twice to make the complete cut.

None of this is necessary. Contact us for a personal consultation. We have a near 100% success rate with stylists who have taken our advice and made the commitment to switch.

The time it takes to complete this switch depends on the individual, the length of time they have cut with left-handed shears, and their personal dedication to this process. For most stylists it can be accomplished in two weeks or less, and can take up to a month for some stylists.

We look forward to working with any left-handed stylists who are seeking left-handed shears, and from any stylist looking to make the switch to a true lefty.

View Lefty Shears and Thinners

Precision Shears has, and will continue to make our best effort to ensure that left handed hair designers have the largest selection of hair cutting tools found anywhere in the world by one single company.

Shisato Orion left-handed thinnerIn one convenient place you will find all of our left handed shears, from different manufactures. Please know when new models, and or designs become available we will put them up as soon as we are able to. Some images are not yet available, however you may view the corresponding right handed model at another part of the web site, by going to that manufacturer, and clicking on that model to view the shear and details about it.

The following are our insights into the problems that left hand hair designers are faced with.

1.) It is important that left hand designer begin cutting with a true left hand shear as soon as possible, this will ensure that they do not develop the problems associated with switching to true left handed shears at some point in the future. This is common, and can be easily avoided by purchasing true left handed shears when in school.

2.) Left handed means left handed. Designed for left handed use by a left handed hair designer. This does not mean switching the finger rest to the other drilled hole. This does not mean turning the shear around and using it backwards, with the screw or tension knob facing the clients head. Many customers who have suffered because beauty supply house sales people tell them that there is no difference between left handed, and right handed shears.

Sensei atom has reversible tension control but is not a left handed shear 
Right-handed shear
with reversible tension system

3.) A true left handed shear can be easily identified. On a true left handed shear the blade in which you place your finger is always on top. When viewing the shear looking straight down at it.The blade where you place your thumb is always on the bottom or underneath the finger hole blade These are opposite for right handed shears.

4.) Some companies conveniently offer the flexible option of reversible tension control systems that allow you to set the shear up with the tension control knob facing you as it would on a true left handed shear. This is fine for people who want to continue cutting with right handed shears, and not have the nuisance of a tension knob facing the clients head, but it is still a right handed shear, and certainly not intended for use by a left handed person.

5.) Several problems are encountered by left handed hair designers who have previously cut with right handed shears and then switch to true left handed shears. The stylists will be unable to cut the hair, due to the hair bending. Sometimes this occurs only at the tips, most often the hair cutter will be able to cut partially, but mostly they will become frustrated due the length of time it takes to complete a hair cut, simply put, their work is slowed down because of the bending of the hair.

This problem can be corrected. The left handed hair designer must follow these steps, and have a certain amount of determination, and patience.

A) When you switch over to left handed shears, you must learn to cut by not moving your fingers. You must cut using only your thumb. This is critical for you to succeed. We realize that at first this may be difficult for you, but with some practice you will be able to make the transition.

Incorrect position - closing shear using both fingers and thumb
Incorrect Positioning
Closing shear using both 
fingers and thumb

B) The second problem that occurs, is a hair designer will want to push their thumb all the way through a thumb hole, and with out even realizing it the designer will hook the thumb ring and pull back. (a habit of cutting with right handed shears) Do not pull back on the thumb ring. On a true left handed shear this causes an outward pressure on the tips of the blades, causing the hair to bend. The easy fix for this is to place a plastic or rubber thumb insert in the thumb ring. This will train the designer to cut using only the tip of their thumb, this is the preferred and correct way, and will prevent any outward pressure on the shear blades preventing any bending of the hair.

We would like to add that hair designers who do cut with their thumbs all the way through the thumb ring many times suffer from hand cramps, and have difficulty removing their thumb from the shear.

6.)There are two tips that may assist any left handed designer going through these changes.

A. We suggest placing your hand or fingers under the edge of a solid surface, and practice opening and closing the shears. Please remember there is a certain amount of muscle memory that has to be changed. Remember be patient, and the change will come.

B. The other method that helps is gently squeezing, and we mean gently. Squeezing your fingers together as you hold your shears, and are about to cut. Doing this (Squeezing the fingers together) helps to isolate the thumb, allowing you to operate the shear with only your thumb. This helps, and it is the the initial step in correcting the problem, and will become natural to you over time.

Correct positioning of thumb

We are confident that any left handed hair designer who puts these principles into practice will within a few weeks be able to cut effectively with left hand shears. We at Precision shears are happy, and pleased to be able to share this knowledge with our preset and future customers. Please contact us if you have any questions or problems not covered here.

FAQ's

Which shears are best for me?

Which steel sheer quality is better, those made in Japan, Korea, or Germany?

Japan has the highest standards for workmanship and quality with steels in hair cutting shears.

Many shears made in Korea which can save some costs on labor, and still maintain good quality.

Use steels from Japan. Look for Japanese Steel.

What metals are used in my scissor?

YIron, Carbon, Nickel, and various other alloys like cobalt, and manganese. When using stainless Steel Chromium is added to make steel Stainless, and prevent rust. Handles are welding to the blades and not constructed using the same quality steels. This is not necessary and would add to the cost.

What are the different categories of stainless steel used to produce hair cutting scissors?

Steels are important to a point in a scissor, and when combined with high-quality machining and design you have a beautiful cutting shear ready to provide excellent performance for many years or career depending on the quality of service the shear receives.

You should never purchase a scissor with a stainless steel rating of less than 440C. This is an industry-standard for stainless steel in hair cutting shears. There are a few entry-level shears made using 410, and 420.

Cobalt Alloy Steel is abrasion resistant and will give increased blade retention, and a longer last edge. These shears can also be machined to a finer edge and have the steel hold the edge the result of adding Cobalt Alloy.

They often cost more due to the increased labor costs of finishing and polishing and extra abrasives used in the finishing process.

Cobalt does have some categories and some companies use there own. They include Cobalt Alloy, ATS-314, V-1, V-10 and now they are using a powered Sintered Cobalt Alloy that is expensive but has excellent performance, and with the use of the sintered powered steel process has great quality control when producing it.

Is there a scissor that never needs to be sharpened?

This is fiction, and simply not true. There are high-quality steels that can hold an edge longer than others with the use of Cobalt Alloys but the longest we can see a shear used everyday cutting hair to last is about 18-24 months and most need to be serviced in about 12 months.

This depends some on the use of the shear how many cuts per day.

The wear resistance when cutting strands of hair is the same as cutting equal diameter strands of copper..! Hair is Keratinized Protein, soft and pliable with strong resistance to cutting.

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