Hand scissoring versus clippers

[Noodlesmadison]

I've been grooming for a few years now and I use clippers. I trim afterward (of course) to neaten things up, round the heads and trim the faces, etc. I hand scissor when they need an overall neatening and light trim.
I have been watching groomers hand scissor ONLY, no clippers.

I just don't see what's so great about it. It looks EXACTLY the same as when I groom except it takes double the time.
Am I missing something? I don't think clients can tell the difference between scissored and clippers the majority of the time. I watch the other groomer that comes to my grooming room once a week for cats, but will groom some dogs while there. She hand scissors only and it takes her 2-3 hours per dog, which is really ridiculous, and it looks like I did it (with clippers, and in an hour or less).

Is it because the groomer doesn't want to keep up with blade care? Can't afford the snap-ons?
o_O

[Moonpiepoodlz]

I just don't see what's so great about it. It looks EXACTLY the same as when I groom except it takes double the time.
Am I missing something? I don't think clients can tell the difference between scissored and clippers the majority of the time.

I do rough cuts with my clippers and finish with scissors; there IS A DIFFERENCE and my clients DO notice!
My ex who grooms is a clipper finisher the majority of the time; I'm a scissor finisher. Clients couldn't go between the two of us as once they saw the difference between the scissor finish and clipper finish, the wanted the scissor work.
I think you are missing something: a higher quality of work and if you have two dogs from the same family; finish them each differently I think the client will notice the difference.

[Max'sMom]

Hand scissoring an entire dog like you are talking about is an art form. It takes a tremendous amount of practice. If you are grooming pet dogs, use your snap on combs and neaten afterwards. Exactly like you are doing. I hand scissor my own dogs if they are aren't too shaggy (which is often the case) to keep my scissoring up to par, but that's it. I feel the other draw back to hand scissoring is wear and tear on your hands even if you hold your shears correctly and consistency. The snap on combs give you a consistent length. So that's my opinion. Give it a try and it will make you really appreciate your tools.

[Debbiedogs]

Ask the groomer

I think you need to ask that groomer why she prefers hand-scissoring. Maybe she just likes it.

Most groomers who scissor do not take 2-3 hours per dog.

And you could always ask that groomer whether she thinks your dogs look like hers. Maybe she thinks so, maybe she doesn't.

[lilmamagrmr]

There's reasons...

Hey I've been grooming for almost 3 years now, and I can tell you that it would take me FOREVER and a day to hand scissor a dog, sans just a trim up face feet fanny. There are times, if the dog si getting a longer guard trim, and has thinning hair, you can just scissor to length on the undercarriage line and shape in the rest to match. PLus she might have just been taught to do it that way. I agree with p.r. Just ask her why. And let me know what she says I practice on my bosses standard poodle, I put her in a continental clip. I mean yeah I clippered the hsort parts, but the rest of it I hand scissored. It was fun, took like 8 hours start to finish, but she looks gooooood, if I do say so myself.

[keyray]

I just don't see what's so great about it. It looks EXACTLY the same as when I groom except it takes double the time.

There is a difference. Scissoring leaves a much crisper finish. It also gives you the ability to sculpt out the dog, regardless of length of hair. I've only been grooming 3 years and my scissoring skills are pretty weak. I practice, but if I only scissored a dog I would only be able to groom 1 dog a day. I think clippering for the vast majority of pet dogs is just fine. But if you really want a nice looking poodle or bichon you have to finish them with scissors. It takes skill to finish a dog with clippers and have it smooth but if you get out a comb and look real close you can see that the clippers leave a "soft" edge. It is a completely different skill to be able to scissor a dog. I also think it takes more time to develop that skill.

I REALLY doubt the groomer is scissoring because they are cheap. Scissors cost to get sharpened and good scissors cost more than blades and clip on combs together. She probably takes a great deal of pride that she CAN handscissor a dog completely. Some groomers are artists and are more interested in grooming a dog with style and beauty than churning out a bunch of dogs in the same amount of time.

[Dog Daze]

If I had the time to hand scissor dogs completley I would do it for the practice alone.

One tip our grooming instructor gave us is if and when you have time with say a pom or poodle with good coat who is getting clipped short to practice your scissoring skills on them first just to get the practice before you clip them short.

Maybe she wants the pratice and is intending on competing some day if she doesn't already.

[AwesomeStandards]

Stick to what you feel most comfortable with. I do both. There are a lot of dogs that come in with hair that I love scissorring. It's a real art form and it really shows off what you are capable of. It doesn't take me 2-3 hours though. lol

[AuntieBeth]

there is a huge difference!

which is why you will never see a show dog that has been clippered. It changes the end of the hair shaft and the growth of the hair. A good scissor job takes the same amount of time usually because it is done frequently and maintained.
I don't say you have to do it for a pet but often you can see the difference in the color and the texture of a scissored coat. Especially noticeable in Bichons, poodles and Portuguese Water dogs, to name a few. It is how faults are disguised and high points exaggerated- you just can't get the same effect with a clipper in the long run
You can however get a perfect honorable, adorable puppy cut and well cut clipper cut - go a little longer blade and hand scissor to finish if you have to cover up roach backs and eastie westie bow legs...

[OntheBRINKofDisaster]

If you can't see a difference it's likely that she either doesn't have the correct scissor, or is doing it wrong. I scissor finish absolutely every single dog I do, even if they are getting stripped with a #7. I'm not the best yet, but I can say with confidence that my scissoring skills are the reason my salon is thriving in this economy! I find, (for me) like Keyray and Auntie Beth have said, you cannot get a nice finish-on a bichon and poodle especially, but many terriers as well-using just clippers. I actually prefer not to use my clippers. I ADORE my Wahl SS combs (you can pry them out of my cold dead hands!) but since I will go over it again with my scissors, its often quicker for me just to scissor it in the first place. I have had coworkers that swear by clippering, but scissors are much more precise. I could always take my comb and scissor, go back over it, and leave it a more even length and uniform, crisp look.

[flyingduster]

the other thing with scissoring is that you can sculpt the hair to look however you want, when underneth the body can be in a totally different shape. Clippers follow the curves of the body. If you clipped my poodle she'd have a flat front, cos she has a VERY straight shoulder, and it basically goes almost straight down from her throat to her toes, but because I scissor her, she has a nice 'proud' chest... In the same waym, I also scissored a poodle the other day with a sway-back (link: http://i80.photobucket.com/albums/j1...2/IMG_0281.jpg), to make her look like she's got a much more level topline: http://i80.photobucket.com/albums/j1...2/IMG_0290.jpg
If I clipper her, she'd still have that sway back look, cos the clippers would have followed her curved back...

FD

[Dog Daze]

the other thing with ......

FD

Very nice correction. I am just now trying to learn fault correction after 5 years everywhere I worked with shaved everyone one length all over no sculpting whatsoever.

You can also fault correct like someone else said using clippers but you have to either avoid or leave the areas such as a sway back longer and then scissor it in.

[lilmamagrmr]

Fault correction

Yeah, I've been using the clippers and just skipping over the areas I want to fix, swayback, roachback, bowed legs, etc. Then I scissor those in if the dog's being left long enough. I've been trying to use my scissors for more and more though, lately. I do like how it looks.

[SharPeiMom]

I remember when I was in school we had to hand scissor everything. Oh dear lord there were days I thought my hands would fall off and my back would break. I remember my teacher always saying yes you can use clippers and that would be fine in a lot of cases but NO clipper will ever take the place of fine hand scissoring. It's been 3 years now and I think I scissor about 50% of the time just because I like to do it and on some coats it looks so nice. I also remember my teacher saying that you do not want to ONLY use a clipper becuase the day will come that a dog won't let you clipper it or it's face or something and you will need that alternative. Yes it has happened to me. Just today a Brussels scissor only face. I'm not a great scissorer but I sure do love to practice.

[mylady]

As others have said, there is a difference. Maybe the other groomer is still perfecting her scissoring skills so there isn't much difference to notice. Why would she choose to scissor everything? Well, to me, clipper work is down right boring much of the time. I enjoy the artwork that scissoring is, the challenge to sculpt the coat. If I have the time, I will also sit and nit pick so I can take a while at times. Of course, that's IF I have the extra time, which I often do LOL. Even when I use a snap on, I will still comb everything up and go back over it with shears. And I know MANY a groomer who can hand scissor faster than many others can clipper. She may be trying to work on her scissoring speed, or may just be enjoying herself, or she may feel that snap on combs are "cheating" as some groomers I have met do. Is there a reason you haven't aked her yourself? I am a little disheartened that you jumped to an assumption that wasn't very complimentary as to why she chooses to hand scissor. You may prefer your way, but not everyone is going to do it all the same way as everyone else for their own reasons.
For me, grooming is an art form and snap on combs, well, the kind of cheapen the experience for me in a way. They are a great tool, a great time saver in a busy salon, a great way to make sure multiple groomer shops have a way of keeping the look uniform, and can make pets look adorable in a very short time, but it just isn't as much fun for me as when I get to grab my shears and go to town.