Scissors and/or shears are a necessary tool if you plan to sew. In fact, even if you aren’t doing any sewing, every household needs some scissors! It's important to have at least one pair because they're a very useful tool.

Scissors vs. Shears

To start off, though people often use the names interchangeably, scissors and shears aren’t really the same thing and are meant to perform different tasks. Shears are best for heavier cutting jobs, while scissors handle the lighter work.

Shears Are Made Strong.

Shears are generally 6 inches or more in length. There is a small ring handle for the thumb, and a larger one for inserting two or three fingers, to enable you to hold the shears. Holding the shears by placing your fingers through these rings gives better leverage to perform the heavier tasks for which shears excel

Scissors Are Smaller.

Scissors can be anywhere from 6 inches long and on down to 3 inches or even shorter. Smaller than shears, scissors also have handle rings of equal size.

How To Choose Quality Shears And Scissors.

Most scissors are made of steel. Scissors and shears are made mainly of two types of steel, carbon or stainless. The first type of steel, carbon steel, is used to make scissors with the handle and the blade formed in one continuous piece. This kind of steel is very strong and stay sharp. Carbon steel shears and scissors are usually plated with nickel or chromium to prevent them from rusting.

The other type of steel scissors are those made from stainless steel. A plastic handle is usually fitted to the stainless steel blades. These scissors aren’t as sturdy and don’t retain a sharp edge as long. They’re also harder to re-sharpen. However, stainless steel scissors and shears are generally cheaper than their carbon steel counterparts.

Different Kinds of Scissors And Shears.

There's a wide variety of shears and scissors available. Here’s a small sampling:

• Applique Scissors: Offset for level cutting
• Bent Handle Dressmaker Shears: Allow the cutting blades to rest flat on the table
• Easy Grip Scissors: With larger handles for those having difficulty holding scissors
• Embroidery Scissors: Used for cutting embroider threads
• Finishing Shears: Either as pinking or scalloping shears, used to cut ravel-resistant seams
• Heavy-duty Shears: For cutting leather, upholstery, drapery, etc.
• Thread Snipping Scissors: For cutting loose threads off sewing

There are also shears made for left-handed people, household scissors (all-purpose, poultry shears, etc.), electric scissors, scrapbooking scissors, paper scissors for children and more.

No matter what the cutting job is, there's probably some kind of shears jor scissors ust right for the task.

Care of Shears and Scissors.

The main rule of scissors and shears: Don't use them for anything but the materials for which they were designed.

Don't use shears for household tasks like cutting paper if they were meant to be cutting material. If you use shears or scissors for something other than the materials they were intended to cut, that will dull the blades.

Keep shears and scissors dry and dust free, and occasionally oil them at the hinge screw. Keeping scissors and shears in a safe place like a sewing basket, or with higher quality cutting instruments, the box they came in, will help protect the points. Also note that scissors and shears should be stored in a closed position. Laying down a pair of scissors or shears in the open position is the most common cause of dull blades.

High quality shears and scissors can be re-conditioned by the manufacturers or other companies providing that service.This resharpens the scissors good as new.

That's The Story On Shears And Scissors.

For household use, cheaper scissors work fine. It's not a problem to replace them if they become broken oe dull. For cutting fabric and other sewing chores, a good set of shears is a wise investment.

Take good care of your scissors and shears and they’ll reward you with easy cutting.  That will make your sewing a shear pleasure.

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