Regarding knock off scissors...

 Your comments regarding counterfeit Japanese shears are right on. Our company manufactures high-end, authentic Japanese shears & we're continually fighting against counterfeiters.  We appreciated your comments regarding mislabeling the country of origin and using generic descriptive terms such as "Japan Steel", "Hitachi Steel" & "Cobalt Japan" when most of these knock off shears are made in China, Taiwan & Korea. Stylists need to be aware of this as well as the growing counterfeit shears issue.
mtlgad: 1 year ago

Never assume...

Never assume the same sharpeners or companies selling the expensive high end shears are qualified to service and sharpen your scissors!
SHEAR INTEGRITY does not wish to malign honest and reputable sharpening services and scissor manufacturers, neither does Shear Integrity wish to perpetuate or be part of the problem.

Set realistic expectations...

Set realistic expectations when having your scissors Correctively Repaired and Sharpened. Shear Integrity can make a scissor with half an edge missing look like it was cut new from the factory. In reality what would be the point? In the end you’re still left with half a scissor. Don’t expect your scissors to perform like new or hold the edge very long when too much metal is missing from the blades. Putting a pristine edge on half a scissor will never make it new!

How well are you maintaining your scissors?

 
A simple test once a week is to fill a bowl with water and place a single sheet of perm paper so it floats freely on the surface. Take your scissor and see if you can cut through the wet paper cleanly and effortlessly without biting or pinching the free floating paper.

If your scissor snags the floating perm paper especially at the tips it usually means that you were cutting with the shears too loose and prematurely dulled the blades.
LOOSE TENSION WILL CAUSE IMMEDIATE AND DESTRUCTIVE WEARING OF THE SHEARS!

WARNING: IS YOUR SHARPENER RUINING YOUR SCISSORS?

Have you or someone you know had a bad experience as the result of scissor sharpening or had their shears ruined by a sharpening service? Did you know that 75% of all first time sharpening is done incorrectly and half of that should be replaced or discarded? This is usually caused from unnecessarily removing too much of the critically essential metal from the blades rendering your shears worthless! Before you decide to have someone perform actions on the prized tools of your craft, find out how they will be serviced. Do not let servicing the tools of your trade become a scary proposition, but be sure to have a full knowledge of what is being done with your shears.
Sharpening is more than just honing the blades. No two scissors are alike and no two stylists cut exactly the same. Each shear has its own quirks when time to sharpen. Learn as much terminology to best communicate your needs with your sharpener and to get a better sense of their competence. Do you really want to pay a novice your hard earned money who’s only real training and experience comes from learning on the job by practicing on your valuable shears? Always trust your first instinct. If you don’t feel comfortable handing over your costly shears, takes a pass. Once any metal is removed it cannot be replaced!

With over 30 years experience in business sharpening for the beauty trade and medical industry where sharpness and precision is critical, SHEAR INTEGRITY has earned one of the highest customer satisfaction records in the industry. This was no easy feat, especially given that more than half our business consists of corrective sharpening and repair as a result of damage caused by another sharpening service. To complicate matters, you should know that most scissors being sold today as Japanese shears are actually inferior copies that cost a fraction to produce--yet they are being sold at the significantly higher prices of the authentic Japanese shears.

SHEAR INTEGRITY does not wish to malign honest and reputable sharpening services and scissor manufacturers. Neither does SHEAR INTEGRITY believe that everyone should cut with $500 shears made only in Japan. SHEAR INTEGRITY also does not believe that their customers should pay $25-50 to sharpen or repair a $5 cast-metal blank. (Ironically it’s simpler to sharpen an authentic Japanese shear, because the alloys in the Japanese shear make it more responsive and the results more predictable than the weaker, inferior steels used in the copies and knockoffs.)

Please be aware that an increasing number of unqualified sharpeners are entering the business and this highly saturated field is in no way regulated. Before you trustingly hand over your tools to the next sharpener to visit your salon or mail them away to an unproven vendor, please take these few important steps:

Ensure that the Vendor is legitimate and doing business legally for your protection.
SHEAR INTEGRITY has advertised in all the major beauty trade magazines: Modern Salon, American Salon, Nail Pro, and Beauty Store Business,Behind the Chair and is listed in the Gold and Green Book Directories.
Find out what insurance they offer if you are not satisfied with the quality of their work.
SHEAR INTEGRITY insures all work up to $750.00 per shear. If you are not fully satisfied with the quality of the work, you don’t pay!

Take control and responsibility of your tools. Learn how to properly maintain them between servicing. The more knowledgeable you become the more you will appreciate our quality workmanship and dedication. Before any work is to be performed, have your sharpener explain what is wrong and how they plan to correct them.
Have them show you a new shear that has not been sharpened or correct one blade first for your comparison and inspection.
SHEAR INTEGRITY provides illuminated magnification for your further scrutiny and examination.

Ask for references.
SHEAR INTEGRITY offers salon references upon request.

Mistakes are not an Option!

Shear Integrity believes when it comes to precision sharpening of high end Japanese shears Mistakes are not an option. Once any metal is removed it cannot be replaced. (Ironically it’s simpler to sharpen an authentic Japanese shear, because the alloys in the Japanese shear make it more responsive and the results more predictable than the weaker, inferior steels used in the copies and knockoffs.)
That is why you can expect the same high quality service weather you mail in your shears or we send our two men team of sharpeners to your salon. All work must first be Authorized, Tested and Approved by YOU the stylist before ever leaving the salon! Shear Integrity provides Illuminated Magnification lamps for further scrutiny and inspection and Human Hair to test your sharpened scissors. Your scissors will be handed back to you in the same pristine condition as sharp or in most cases sharper than when bought new. Your scissors will cut the hair like a hot knife cutting threw butter without sliding, pinching or folding. Every stylist is offered a comprehensive Gold Standard insurance and detailed maintenance instructional brochure. We strongly recommend that everyone reads it!!!

Scissors are never the same after sharpening...

Scissors are never the same after sharpening...unless they are done professionally!
New and Newly serviced scissors are easy to damage. Treat them with care. Do give newly sharpened scissors a few light hair cuts to run in the edges.
LOOSE TENSION WILL CAUSE IMMEDIATE AND DESTRUCTIVE WEARING OF THE SHEARS! Shear Integrity does not wish to malign honest and reputable sharpening services neither does Shear Integrity wish to perpetuate or be part of the problem. Someone must go on record to raise the bar and industry standard.

IS YOUR SHARPENER RUINING YOUR SCISSORS?

What happens when 95% of Salon Sharpeners cannot sharpen correctly and 98% of stylist doesn’t properly maintain their expensive tools?
The situation has become TOXIC!
Shear Integrity does not wish to perpetuate or be part of the problem.
Shear Integrity does not wish to malign reputable sharpening services.
Shear Integrity hopes you read these BLOGS in the spirit in which they were intended!

Why did my newly sharpened scissors dull out so quickly?

A novice sharpener will simply POLISH the outer edge and smooth out the inside of blades instead of sharpening the scissors correctly for fear of disfiguring the edge. The scissors will be dull again within 2-3 haircuts! A lot of times a novice sharpener is afraid of showing their work by leaving a distinct line of demarcation (a wavy blade or bevel). Leaving a weak line is caused by poor control and lack of skill and experience when sharpening the higher end softer steel shears. Consider yourself fortunate because once any metal is removed it cannot be replaced!
Shear Integrity does not wish to malign honest and reputable sharpening services. Shear Integrity does not wish to perpetuate or be part of the problem.

CAUTION...

New and Newly serviced scissors are easy to damage. Treat them with care. Do give newly sharpened scissors a few light hair cuts to run in the edges. Don’t cut heavy sections of hair. When cutting with scissor over comb, cut at least ¼ inch from the comb to avoid accidently damaging the scissor by cutting into the comb.
Check Tension Daily…
LOOSE TENSION WILL CAUSE IMMEDIATE AND DESTRUCTIVE WEARING OF SHEARS.

IS YOUR SHARPENER RUINING YOUR SCISSORS?

All one has to do is look around their own salon. Simply inspect your edges by comparing them to a new scissor and the answer is painfully obvious. Before you trustingly handover your expensive shears to the next sharpener find out what insurance they offer if you’re not satisfied with the quality of their work. Be sure to ask for a detailed receipt. Salon sharpening is a lot like playing Russian Roulette. Always trust your first instinct. If you don’t feel comfortable handing over your costly shears, take a pass. Once any metal is removed it cannot be replaced! $200+ shears are not disposable and should not be discarded after only a few sharpenings!
Shear Integrity does not wish to malign honest and reputable sharpening services neither does Shear Integrity wish to perpetuate or be part of the problem. Someone must go on record to raise the bar and industry standard.

Care and maintenance for oversized shears...

Oversized shears 6.5-8inches and longer are not precision/balanced tools. Oversized shears with a Japanese Convex configuration and soft steels are even more susceptible to damage. You have 2 inches of handle and 5 and more inches of blades. If for any reason the tension is not set correct the blades will open and close on an uneven plain causing the blades to bite into each other wearing out prematurely and nicking and pitting the inside edges. This is especially true when point cutting with loose tension and cutting too thick sections of hair.
Don’t throw your oversized shears onto the hard surface of the counter top.
Over time this will fatigue the blades causing them to lose the set.
LOOSE TENSION WILL CAUSE IMMEDIATE AND DESTRUCTIVE WEARING OF THE SHEARS!

Store your scissors in a protective case

Don’t store your shears loose in a draw where they will knock into each other and come into contact with other objects i.e. combs, clips and brushes etc...Where they can nick the blades, lose their set or worse!
Don’t throw your scissors on to the hard counter top of your work station. This will cause the scissors to loosen up and lose their set. Place your shears down on a soft protective mat.
Wipe your shears clean and dry removing any and all oxidants before storing away after use.

Alternate between shears!

Always alternate between shears. It's impossible the cut with only one shear without incident between servicing and sharpening. Most stylists dull their edges out within the first month from abuse and neglect. What happens if you drop your only pair on to the hard floor or you cut into your comb? What happens if you get a BAD SHARPENING? Alternating between scissors prolongs the edges and the need for frequent sharpening.
LOOSE TENSION WILL CAUSE IMMEDIATE AND DESTRUCTIVE WEARING OF SHEARS!
Shear Integrity does not wish to malign honest and reputable sharpening services. Shear Integrity does not wish to perpetuate or be part of the problem.

Before your next sharpening...

If your shears were badly damaged by another sharpening service please set realistic expectations when having them correctively re-sharpened and refurbished. Honing a pristine edge on a scissor with only half a blade does not make it new! Always give new and newly sharpened scissors a few light hair cuts to run the edges in. When cutting with scissor over comb, cut about 1/4 inch from the comb to avoid accidentally damaging scissors by cutting into the comb.
Shear Integrity does not wish to malign honest and reputable sharpening services. Shear Integrity does not wish to perpetuate or be part of the problem.

Please Take Note...

1) Check and adjust proper tension every day.
2) Wipe clean and dry after every haircut
3) Don’t cut heavy sections.
4) Don’t pressure the blades.
5) Rest your shears on a padded surface.
6) Don’t tap comb with scissors to remove hair
7) Always alternate between scissors to prolong edges.
8) Clean and lubricate after each day.
9) Store separately in protective case.
10) Never loan your scissors, everyone cuts and pressures differently!

Please Do Not Ignore!

WARNING: Loose Tension Will Cause Immediate And Destructive Wearing Of Shears!