Why Do Scissors Have a Space Between the Blades? Bevelled & Convex Gap

January 28, 2022 3 min read

Why Do Scissors Have a Space Between the Blades? Bevelled & Convex Gap - Scissor Hub Australia

Have you ever wondered why scissors have a space between the blades? It's not just for looks! 

This space between the blades, called the "set," is an essential feature of hair scissors, and without it, the hair may fold and prevent the blades from cutting correctly. 

Let's take a closer look at what makes this space so important!

The set on hair scissors is designed to enable the shear to slice through hair. When you open and close the blades, you should be able to see that they only touch in one place along the blade. 

This gives the scissor edge a powerful slicing ability, which is what most hairdressers and barbers want when cutting hair.

The set also helps keep the hair from folding between the blades and getting in the way of the cutting action. 

If there were no space between the blades, the hair would quickly get caught and create a lot of resistance. 

This would make it difficult to cut through the hair and could even cause damage to the scissors.

Read other similar articles on hair scissors here:

Bevelled Shears: The Gap Between The Blades

The gap between bevelled edge hair shears is called a "set". This gives bevelled scissors the ability to slice through hair easily.

When holding a pair of bevel shears, you can open and close the blades, the blades touch in one section that allows for the hair slice cutting.

This perfect all-rounder blade type allows you to easily cut through thick and coarse hair or thin and smooth hair with ease.

Convex Edge Shears: The Space Between The Blades

A closeup image of the space between convex edge scissor blades

Convex edge hairdressing scissors are created by Japanese bladesmiths and have an almost invisible gap between the two blades.

The space between convex edge shears blades is created so that when you open and close the scissors, the blades only touch in one place. 

This gives the convex edge scissors a sharper cutting ability and is perfect for precision hair cutting.

The space between the blades also prevents the hair from folding between the blades and getting in the way of the cutting action. 

If there were no space between the blades, it would be difficult to cut through the hair and even damage the scissors.

The extreme sharpness and tiny gap between blades make cutting hair effortless. You can barely feel the blades cutting through hair.

Convex edge hair cutting shears are extremely popular and found in most salons and barbershops worldwide.

If you start to feel the scissors cutting hair more, you may need to realign your convex edge shears or have them sharpened! 

This is a red flag that your scissors need to be inspected.

They must be close. If you lose the tight tension on your scissors, the blades could catch each other, and this can cause severe damage to your shears. Inspect and realign your scissors, or have a professional sharpening service fix this for you. 

Tension is mostly used to adjust the cutting method across the blades and ensure the space between the blades is set correctly.

Summary: Why Should I Care About The Space Between My Hair Scissor Blades?

Now that you know a little more about the space between hair scissor blades, you can see why it's important!

The space between hair scissor blades, such as bevelled and convex edge shears, allow for a smooth haircutting experience. Without this space, your blades would be too tight or too loose to cut hair.

The set helps keep the hair from folding between the blades and getting in the way of the cutting action. If there were no space between the blades, it would be difficult to cut through the hair and even damage the scissors.

Bevelled shears have a gap between their blades that gives them the ability to easily slice through hair, while Japanese bladesmiths create convex edge shears with an almost invisible gap between their two blades. 

The tiny space between these blades allows for precision hair cutting and makes cutting hair effortless.

Tension is mostly used to adjust how much pressure is put across the blades and ensure that the space between the blades is set correctly. 

If you lose the tight tension on your scissors, it could cause severe damage to your shears. Inspect and realign your scissors, or have a professional sharpening service fix this for you.

Now that you know all about hair scissor blade sets, you can ask your stylist which type of scissors they are using and why!


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