Your New Scissors — The First Month
You have a new scissor. Here is everything worth knowing in the first month — what to check before you cut with it, what normal feels like, what to do daily, and when to think about the first sharpen. It takes five minutes to read and it will add years to the tool.
Before the first haircut: check the tension
This is the single most useful thing you can learn about a scissor, and most stylists are never taught it.
Hold the scissor by one bow. Lift the other blade to fully open and let it drop. It should fall about a third to halfway closed and stop there.
- It slams shut — too loose. The blades will not stay together through the stroke and the scissor will fold or push hair. Tighten slightly.
- It barely moves — too tight. It will drag, wear the edge fast and tire your hand by mid-afternoon. Loosen slightly.
Adjust in small increments and re-test each time. Full method: how to set scissor tension.
What a new scissor should feel like
Smooth and quiet the whole way through, no drag, no click at the close, and it should take hair cleanly at the very tips — the tips are where a scissor tells the truth. There is no breaking-in period; a properly finished scissor cuts correctly from the first client. What does take a week or two is your hand adapting, especially if you have changed length or handle form.
If something feels wrong in the first days, ring us before you change anything. Most of what feels like a fault is tension, and it is a thirty-second fix over the phone.
Every day, in ten seconds
- Wipe dry after every client. Damp hair and product are corrosive — moisture left sitting on a blade is what causes pitting.
- One drop of oil in the pivot at the end of the day, then open and close a few times to carry it through.
- Closed and dry when stored. Never wet in a drawer, never loose in a bag where the tips can knock.
- Never on a hard surface tip-first, and never anywhere near a bench grinder.
More detail: the care guide · how to clean them properly.
When is the first sharpen?
Roughly 6 to 12 months for a full-time stylist, and 12 to 18 months if you are part-time or cutting lighter. Treat those as ranges rather than rules — the real signal is the work, not the calendar. Bring it forward if the scissor starts pushing hair at the tips, if you feel it grabbing on a slide cut, or if you find yourself closing harder to get through a section.
Our sharpening is an on-road service: $70 per pair for ShearGenius scissors, $80 for any other brand, across Victoria, Tasmania, plus Mount Gambier and Millicent. There is no mail-in service. Book a sharpen or ring Matt on 0487 391 647.
Who should sharpen it — and keeping your warranty intact
Being straight with you: using another sharpener does not automatically end your cover for an unrelated manufacturing defect. But damage caused by a third-party sharpener is not covered, and that is a genuine risk rather than fine print. A convex edge ground back to a bevel on a bench grinder cannot be undone — the steel is gone. If the person sharpening cannot tell you whether they hollow the ride and what angle they finish to, do not hand them a professional scissor.
The safest answer is to have the maker do it, because the edge goes back the way it was built. Full terms: the Lifetime Manufacturing Warranty.
What is covered if something is genuinely wrong
The Lifetime Manufacturing Warranty covers defects in materials and workmanship — cracks, pivot faults, blade faults, finishing faults — for the life of the scissor. It does not cover ordinary edge wear (that is physics, not a defect), drops, misuse, corrosion or damage from outside sharpening. If you think something is a defect, ring us. We would rather look at it than have you wonder.
Anything at all
The person who designed, finished and inspected your scissor answers the phone: 0487 391 647. If you are not sure the scissor is right for you, the fitting is free — and if we are on your route you can cut with a different one at your own chair before you decide.
Common questions
How long should a new pair of hairdressing scissors last before its first sharpen?
For a full-time stylist, roughly 6 to 12 months. Part-time or lighter use, 12 to 18 months. Those are ranges, not rules — how much you cut, whether you cut wet or dry, and the hair you work on all move the number. The honest test is not the calendar: it is whether the scissor still takes the hair cleanly at the tips.
What should a brand new scissor feel like?
Smooth and quiet through the whole stroke, with no drag and no click at the close. It should take hair at the very tips without pushing. If it feels tight, that is almost always tension rather than a fault, and tension is adjustable in seconds.
Do I need to break in a new pair of scissors?
No. A properly finished scissor cuts correctly from the first haircut — there is no wearing-in period. What does change in the first weeks is your hand getting used to the balance, particularly if you have moved to a different length or handle form.
What is the first thing I should do with a new scissor?
Check the tension before you cut with it. Hold the scissor by one bow, lift the other blade to the fully open position and let it fall. It should close about a third to halfway and stop. If it slams shut it is too loose and will fold hair; if it barely moves it is too tight and will drag and tire your hand.
How do I look after my scissors day to day?
Wipe them dry after every client — hair is damp and product is corrosive, and moisture left on a blade is what causes pitting. Put a drop of oil in the pivot at the end of the day and open and close a few times. Never leave them wet in a drawer, and never let anyone with a bench grinder near them.
Will sharpening my scissors elsewhere void the warranty?
No — using another sharpener does not automatically end your cover for an unrelated manufacturing defect. But damage caused by a third-party sharpener is not covered, and that is a real risk: a bevel ground onto a convex edge cannot simply be undone. If you want the edge kept the way it was built, have the maker do it.