The Collection · 7 models

Apprentice Range

Apprentice Hairdressing Scissors — the Right First Professional Pair

The scissor in your hand shapes how you cut for the rest of your career — which is exactly why your first professional pair shouldn't be a throwaway trainer. Every scissor on this page is a Young Genius: a genuine professional tool built for apprentices and stylists starting out. Forged in Japan from Cobalt Alloy steel, hand-finished at Matt Grumley's bench in Lake Wendouree, Victoria, and inspected by Matt before it ships. ShearGenius is made by a real Australian scissorsmith — the other names in this category are marketers and resellers, not makers. That is the difference you feel the first time the blades close.

7 models

A great cut is two tools — every set pairs the scissor with its matching finisher, for less than the two apart. Not sure which scissor? Find yours in five questions

The Guide

Behind ShearGenius is 75+ years combined on the floor — Matt cutting hair since 1990, Aaron since 1987 — and 100,000+ scissors sharpened on the bench. That is what teaches you what a first scissor actually needs: a true convex edge that slices instead of pushing, a pivot tensioned so the scissor opens and closes clean, and an offset ergonomic handle that protects a wrist with decades of cutting ahead of it.

Why the Young Genius is the correct first professional scissor

Professional properties, honest price. Cobalt Alloy steel at 58 HRC, a true convex edge, offset ergonomic handle and single-bearing flat tension system — the same class of properties that decide how any professional scissor cuts and how long it serves. Only the price is apprentice-level.
It teaches the right habits. You cannot learn slide cutting or point cutting on a bevelled retail edge. A convex edge from day one trains your hand on the technique you'll use for your whole career.
It stays useful after the apprenticeship. A Young Genius isn't something you outgrow and bin — years on, it's the everyday spare on the trolley, the colour-day scissor, the pair stylists still reach for on busy Saturdays.
Built genuinely left-handed too. The left-handed Young Genius line is built left from the start — ride, edge and thumb where a left hand wants them — not a flipped right-hander.
Made to be re-sharpened for life. A scissor that holds and re-takes a convex edge is a scissor you keep, not one you replace.

The Apprentice Range at a glance

Young Genius Hairdressing Scissor — $250. The right first professional pair. 5.5″, convex edge, offset handle.
Young Genius Thinner — $250. Soft, even blending for everyday finishing.
Scissor + Thinner Bundle — $350. The matched apprentice scissor set — cutter and thinner off one bench.
Ultimate Triple Bundle — $550. The complete kit: 5.5″ cutter, 7″ cutter and matching thinner ($750 bought separately).
Left-Handed Scissor, Left-Handed Thinner ($250 each) and the Left-Handed Bundle ($350). Genuinely left-built apprentice scissors.

Interest-free with SlicePay — built for apprentice pay cycles

Take home the right scissor today and spread it out with SlicePay: 10% today, then 20 easy weekly payments, zero interest. Plus free shipping Australia-wide on every order (express post available at extra cost).

The ShearGenius Lifetime Manufacturing Warranty

Every Young Genius is covered by the ShearGenius Lifetime Manufacturing Warranty — covering defects in materials and workmanship for the life of the scissor. And when the edge eventually needs refreshing, Matt's paid mobile sharpening service re-grinds the convex edge by hand and returns it cutting clean — the same service trusted across 100,000+ scissors sharpened.

Loved by working hairdressers

4.9-star average across 2,900+ verified reviews, with 40,000+ scissors in stylists' hands since 2007. Wholesale-direct pricing, no middlemen.

Frequently asked questions about apprentice hairdressing scissors

What scissors should an apprentice hairdresser buy first?

One genuine professional cutting scissor — a convex edge on named steel, an offset ergonomic handle, and a maker who stands behind it. The Young Genius Hairdressing Scissor ($250) is built exactly for this: professional properties at an honest price, so you learn the right habits from day one instead of fighting a cheap kit-list pair.

Is the Young Genius only for apprentices?

No — Apprentice Range is who it's priced for, not a ceiling on the tool. It runs Cobalt Alloy at 58 HRC, a true convex edge and a hand-set pivot, and plenty of experienced stylists keep theirs for years as the everyday spare and colour-day scissor.

Do you make left-handed apprentice scissors?

Yes — the Young Genius left-handed scissor, thinner and bundle are built genuinely left from the start (ride, edge and thumb positioned for a left hand), not converted right-handers.

Should an apprentice buy a scissor set or a single scissor?

Start with the cutting scissor if budget is tight — you'll learn more from mastering it first. If you want texturising covered from the start, the matched scissor + thinner set ($350) saves against buying the pieces separately and both come off the same bench with the same feel.

Can an apprentice pay off scissors weekly?

Yes. SlicePay is interest-free: 10% today, then 20 easy weekly payments — designed around hairdressers' pay cycles.

The apprentice buying guide · Left-handed scissors · Sharpening service · Call Bec on 0487 391 647

Precision is a choice. Professionalism is a habit. ShearGenius is your partner.

If you're tossing up between two of these, don't guess: the ShearGenius Fitting is free, starts with a look at your scissors, and ends with a written recommendation — even if it's "keep what you've got".