What you should know about scissors

3. The cutting edge
The cutting edges on the upper and lower shear blades are the essential, sharply ground working parts of the scissors. Cutting edges are either smooth or serrated.

Scissors with a fine cutting edge
The fine cutting edge is suited for cleanly cutting thin and light material such as paper, fabrics and foil.

Scissors with serrated cutting edge
The serrated cutting edge is a feature of scissors and shears with special functions such as poultry shears. The micro-serration holds the material in position.

4. The area between "eyes" and blades: well formed handles
The area between the "eyes" and the blade forms the handle. The eye ring is the working surface for the fingers. The eye rings should be formed so that they fit the natural shape of the fingers harmoniously. Of crucial importance for comfort in the hand is the careful, smooth surface finishing of the inside of the eye rings. Depending on the scissors' intended function - for rough or delicate work with either high or low energy involved - the eye ring must be appropriately large or small. The "eyes" are shaped according to the size and function of the scissors. To enable large scissors to be held and worked with two or more fingers, the eye ring is often significantly larger and oval.

5. The scissor tips: Rounded or fine
The finer the cutting requirements on a pair of scissors - e.g. embroidery scissors - the more pointed and narrower the tip needs to be. A good pair of scissors must cut cleanly right up to the last millimeter of the blade.