Are really expensive shears worth it?

[jeanette]

Hi all
I have been a bather brusher for about 6 months at a petsomething store, and I am going to go to grooming school at the end of this month. They do put together a tool kit for you, but I think the shears could be better. Do you think it's worth spending an additional 140 dollars on some shears? Everyone says maybe, but if you drop it you are out of luck, so maybe stick with the 50 dollar shears? What do you think?

Thanks!

[milhasavilla]

I have some $50 shears that are great! Some even a tad cheaper. None of mine have ever cost over $80 a pair. It really depends on what fits your hand, feels comfortable and cuts the way you want it to at the same time. If I can get the same results out of a pair of $50 shears, than I'm doubtful I will ever pay hundreds of dollars for a pair. I'm way too cheap! Shop around and go to a show if you have a chance and try some out, it's the best way to find a pair that feels right.

[rapuzzled]

My favorite scissors cost me 5o!

[goldiphlox]

Are expensive grooming shears worth it

In a word: Yes........just don't leave them on the table when you turn away for 2 seconds.......nothing like the sound of your best shears hitting the floor!

[goldiphlox]

sorry. forgot to mention. i save them for my best dogs.

[Peaster]

Of the kit I am familar with I would deffintly recomend getting different shear. Actiually I would recomend buying all your own stuff if you at all can. I started and in fact still use Stiletto shears you can buy them from petedge or the Paragon website. I think they are great starting shears. Good enough quality job and learn with but not so expensive that you have a heart atack if you drop them. And later when you decide to upgrade the will still be great back up shears.

PM me if you like as we sent several bathers to school from our store and several went with the kit. So if its the same petsomthing I may be able to give you a more acurat skinny on what you may get.

[neanea]

Well, I have used a couple of different brands of less expensive shears, but I have a pair of Talyn's 8" curved, Kenchii T-100 9.5" straights, Kenchii 9.5" Scorpion straights, Kenchii Scorpion 7" curved, and Kenchii Alpha 42 tooth thinner/blender. I have to say, my more expensive shears really perform well. They feel great in my hands and cut like a dream. Their worth the money IMO, in the quality of work they produce and the ease in which they let me perform my job.

Speaking of shears, I gotta send my Talyn's off to be sharpened

[Rebekah]

I feel the same way milhasavilla does. My shears are a $50 cheapos but they work fine to me. I do have a $100 pair and I hate them. So yes I threw away some money thinking the more you pay the better. Try them out before you buy them.

[4Newfs]

Absolutely try them out before you buy anything. But I agree that you are always better putting together your own tool kit then purchasing something ready made. I have shears ranging from $70 to $500 and my favorites fall somewhere in the middle. Of course use different shears for different things. But most importantly is that they have to feel right in your hand.

[spanielcrazy]

I would hold off buying the expensive shears for awile for several reasons:

At this stage of the game you don't know what type of shears are going to work best for you. You haven't developed a scissoring style yet. Not all shears fit all hands either. At grooming school you will probably get to try out several types of shears.

The expensive shears are VERY sharp and will cut a dog (or you) before you know whats happened. Better to learn on a more forgiving shear.

There is no sound more dreadful to a groomer than the sound of a couple hundred bucks hitting the floor. You will drop them, animals will kick them off the table....

There are quite a few excellent shears in the mid-price range, $50-75, these are what I use after 6 years of grooming, because I'm a klutz and I'm cheap!

[Pawshpooch]

I still use my shears and thinning shear that i got from my kit from when i was sent to the petsomthing school. the thinning shear is awesome, my shears still work good. The only thing I changed was my clippers. I had the black andis 2 speed, now I use the blue ultra edge andis clippers. good luck at school.

[azoci]

Well, that really depends on the dogs you are doing. I have fancy shears, I have some not so fancy shears...my fun shears...are my cheepie' , Aussie Dog's, 3 finger, and for 3 for $100 (at shows)...titanium coated (rainbow)...I have curves, straight, thinner (2 -toothed blades- a must IMO) small striaght, blenders, double tang for using both ways(being able to flip a curve is important...

I got my first Aussie dog's last year at APF, and am picking up more. I really have a lot of fun with these and they are inexpensive. they hold an edge well.

Personally if I am teaching a student, the kit I provide does have the 3 fingered shear, both curve and straight...so important for getting the correct feel for you shears, and fitting like a glove, they also help train you to use proper finger placement for your hand and muscles. You only have 2 hands, and you must take care of your "parts".

Ergonomics is so important , something we didn't have when I an many older (years in grooming) groomers didn't have. We had to use shears that didn't fit, so we modified (at least I did) my hand placement. Today that is not the case. I can't say enough about the 3 fingers shear...(as you can tell I like them...I have maybe a dozen pairs, all doing something different...)

On the high side...I have my Alu-Coba's love them...need to get myself the blenders that go with them...I also have the new 26 tooth blender (yeah the big one) it's touchy, but I love it for erasing blade lines and scissors lines and blending things together. I also love my Fang II's curved with a swivel-...n ow that's a different shear...

If you do not like the shear that comes with the kit, then buy yourself something else...we all have scissor collections we start building when we start!

I have a pair of Andre Tisserands...they are at least 25 years old...and are so sharp tipped, they are dangerous to use, now...same with a 10" straight...talk pointy!

Go for it! Get to a show if you can to "try on for fit" ..have fun! I love new toys!

[baddog]

Go with roseline or dbl duck until you really grasp grooming, it's amazing when you first start out how shears just "jump" out of your hand on to the floor

[minkyboodle]

I wouldn't buy new shears until you have been grooming for a while. I used the shears I got in my kit for a long time and many times it has saved me from accidently cutting a dog or myself.

Once you learn how to properly use your shears and you figure out what kind you will need due to what you will be doing most of and how your style and hand size is, that is when you want to buy new shears.

I use the old ones I got from my kit when I need to ship my good ones off or when I need to do something to a dirty dog.

[scullysmom]

I have stuck with gieb, they have some in the $ bracket your looking at. The key is to keep scissors off the table as much as poss, and always keep them closed (for curves closed with tips pointed down) that way if they drop, you may have a chance they will drop closed. If they drop closed, they will not need re-sharpening. If they are open (even a little) and get dropped you will have a 100% chance that you will be resharpening them. See if some nice groomers will let you handle theirs, see what you like first