Which is better for men's cut's? Clippers vs Scissors?

If you’re thinking that there is no different to the end result of the haircut whether you’re using clippers or scissors... Like the Spice Girls sing "Who do you think you are?” These two different tools can create very different looks and here we are going to explain how.

But you don't have to be biased and say that you can only use one of the others. We say that you can use both depending on the final look you want to create and if you are very confident in both we would say "You're some kind of superstar".

Let’s go through all the Pros and cons of both scissors and clippers to see what works best for different haircuts or different stylists.

Scissors

Haircutting scissors and household scissors are two different types of scissors. When cutting Hair you want to make sure you are using the right pair of scissors for the correct type of cutting. There are many different types of scissors you can use but the best pair of scissors to use for men's cuts is barbering scissors.

Barbering scissors are traditionally shears that are 6inches and longer. When looking for a good pair of barbering scissors there are a few key factors you need to make sure to have in order to have the BEST pair of barbering scissors.

Firstly, the Steel that the scissors are forged out of is very important, that steel being Japanese stainless steel. This steel has the best durability and the sharpest steel in the world. You need a sharp steel when cutting through coarse men's hair.

Now let’s go through the Pro's and Con's compared to using clippers when cutting.

Pros

• Creates more of a natural result and cuts and hair grows back more natural looking.
• More control over the length being cut off.
• Easier to service and sharpen your scissor. For example: cleaning and oiling them is easier and getting them sharpened by a professional blade smith. 
• Easier to hide any mistakes in a haircut for longer lengths.
• Can use scissors to texture and cut

Cons

• Requires more skill for blending on shorter lengths.
• More time consuming and could add at least 10 minutes to your haircut.
• You have to be more careful around ears, scalp and neck areas because unlike a clipper, you have no guard to protect you from cutting the skin.
• Take a lot longer to learn cutting techniques with scissors and take trainees a lot longer to feel comfortable doing a whole haircut with scissors.
• If not sharpened at least twice a year they can bend the hair or pull on the hair.

Best pair of Scissors

Our favourite pair of Barber scissors are:

Matsui VG10 Sword

We love this style because of the robust design and the stylish look of these Scissors. They are made from the best premium quality Japanese steel that will feel a breeze when cutting. Made in 6 inch and 7 inches. This Sword style with seriously cut hair is smooth and a soft breeze.

Matsui Master Barber

Made from Premium Hitachi Japanese steel which always takes cutting men's hair to the next level. This traditional style is made in lengths 7 Inch and 8 Inch. These are the Standard Barber all round Scissors, but super impressive for sure. We love this Style!

Matsui Master Barber Ergo 

Looking for the most comfortable shear while cutting all day long? The Barber Ergo Style is for sure the most comfortable Sheer you will ever use! Made from High Quality Japanese Cobalt steel which means they are not only super sharp and strong, they will also last you through the ages.

Matsui Matte Black Master Barber Razor

Now we know this isn't Technically a Pair of Scissors but if you are looking for a sleek and aesthetically Razor, Look no further! This Razor has a Wooden Handle with a Stainless Steel Blade holder. This is a Sexy razor blade for sure! If you can call a razor blade sexy.

Clippers

Clippers do really come in all different shapes and sizes, well maybe just over more than a few. There are different types of clippers you can get now to make cutting much more stylish and easier. Of course you can get your traditional Clippers with all the attachments, Also you can have mini clippers to help you get into those tricky areas and balding clippers to get an even closer shave to your traditional clippers.

Some clippers are powered by electricity, while others run on a rechargeable battery. There is no denying really that every hairdresser should own a pair of clippers to make their cutting life easier. Whether you’re a barber or a hairstylist there is a clipper out there to transform any hair cutting for you.

Pros 

• Fastest way to take the most bulk out of the hair and quicker for blunt cuts.
• They really are the easiest tool for beginners to use, but there no denying there is still an art to using them
• These are the only tools that can give you a very symmetrical and perfect cut like for example cutting a Flattop haircut or a Crew Cut. These haircuts are nearly impossible to cut with scissors.
• Shorter cuts that are cut by clippers can actually appear to make the hair look thicker
• Short back and sides clipper cuts always look much neater.

Cons

• Mistakes are very obvious with clippers as they are shorter hairstyles.
• The haircut appears to grow out faster and out of shape.
• Can break easily if dropped and when they become blunt they can damage or even pull out the hair.
• Need to be plugged to power or battery charged? So if the battery dies halfway through a haircut or the power is out then you are stuck.
• Hair builds up inside the clippers quickly which makes it difficult to clean

Best Pair of clippers

All Clippers should be tailored for different hair textures. We have listed below just a few of our favourite Hair Clippers. 

Wahl Professional Cordless Magic Clippers

Wahl clippers are very well known in the Hairdressing world for a clipper cut, they have all types of low grade home clippers to high grade pro clippers. The most impressive clippers or electric razor is the cordless clippers! I mean how annoying can cord be when cutting? VERY! 

But to be honest you can't go wrong when buying a pair of Wahl PRO Clippers they are all really great quality.

Babyliss PRO GoldFX Skeleton Lithium Hair Trimmer

Babyliss make a range of hair styling tools but in regard to Mini clippers, these are really cool! Firstly you can’t go past the really cool gold skeleton design. We think every Pro styler should own a pair of Mini clippers to get into the hard around the hairline and they make a super sharp defined line.

 

 

With all the Information you need to really decide "Which is better?" I'm sure we all still have different opinions on which is best for us. I think that every Barber has their strengths and weaknesses and to say that one told is better that the other is just not practical. Both tools have their strengths a weaknesses for different haircut but we believe to be a successful barber you do need to tools that work best for you.

So both tools you need! But we will always feel that Scissors are better, why? Because we are Bias *chuckles*