Several years ago I saw a man ask science-fiction writer Neal Stephenson what he thought was mankind's greatest technological achievement, and Stephenson thought about it for a moment and said he thought scissors were pretty cool. The questioner was probably hoping he was going to say "the self-aware robot I secretly built in my basement," but I was just thrilled to see scissors finally get the attention they deserve.
I can be a little weird about scissors, but I don't think anybody can sew as much as I do without getting at least a little weird about scissors. When my college boyfriend first moved in with me, I tied little blue ribbons to all my special sewing scissors and sat him down for a very serious talk about how the blue-ribboned scissors were made of lava and he should never, ever touch them for anything. At this point, he's pretty much convinced that good scissors are as fragile as glass and expensive as diamonds. (They're not, but I don't intend to disabuse him of the notion.)
From the clean, architectonic lines of modernist desk shears to the gold-dipped curlicues of my grandmother's embroidery snips, few things beat a good pair of scissors for the perfect union of form and function.
1. Craft Design Technology Scissors, Occulter, $72.00
2. Portable Pen Scissors, Muji, $9.25
3. Wicked Step Scissors, Sublime Stitching, $12.50
4. Tajika Cast Iron Scissors, Mjolk, $45-$85
5. Gingher 8" Bent Trimmer Shears, Joann, $36.99
6. Owl Scissors, Sublime Stitching, $20
7. Karim Rashid Sculptural Scissors, MOMA, $26
8. Think Bamboo Embroidery Scissors with Leg-Shaped Handles, Amazon, $13.88
9. Laser-Guided Scissors, Think Geek, $15.99
(Images: As linked above)
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I have No. 7, the Rashid designed scissors. It is awful. My fingers get pinched all the time!
@BRUINTOO I was going to post the exact same thing about number 7! But they are very pretty, so I keep using them.
How can there be a post about well-designed scissors without even a mention of the nearly perfect Fiskars?! Yes they are in every other office supplies store, but they are still a timeless design classic from Finland.
I'd think that some with padded handles would be included...
#2, the "pen scissors," don't seem to be spring loaded in a way that pushes them back open after you've pressed the handles together. Their website doesn't say anything about that. If not, LOL, world's WORST scissor design!
Well no, the laser-guided ones - that laser line, sorry to tell the inventors, moves whenever you move your hand. OK, so #2 gets World's-Worst award, and World's-Dumbest goes to #9.
I still have my Wiss sewing shears from high school (the 60"s) and they still FAR outperform any other of my scissors when it comes to fabric or thick paper. When I had sheet metal to cut, I sprang for Wiss tin snips, and it was WAY worth the extra money.
EVERYONE knows which scissors in my house serve which purpose: fabric, thread, paper, misc., and you better not mix them up!
No Fiskars!?
The leg-shaped scissors are a little creepy. Love the Wicked Step Scissors.
The gold-dipped Owl scissors made me remember my pretty stork embroidery thread scissors.
My most prized scissors are the gorgeous sterling silver ones that are made for clipping baby fingernails and toenails. Perfect for embroidery!
I sew all the time and Gingher just can't be beat for cutting fabric and thread. This is basically the only brand I buy because I'm comfortable with the consistent quality. I never realized there were designer type scissors... I love the owl scissors! Who knew there were other people out there with similar, weird obsessions?
Yeah, I would say basically none of these make any real sense for common scissor use. Gingher or Fiskars really can't be beat, but I guess I will keep these in mind for my embroidery/bonsai trimming/scissor-that-is-a-pen-for-some-reason needs.
After years of using several different brands of scissors, I returned to Fiskars! Why? I remember using them during school days and loved them then. Not only are they still made in the bright orange but now white too, bonus.
I have a pair of little bird-shaped thread scissors. My boyfriend keeps stealing them to trim his beard.