Kai vs Gingher vs Fiskars: Best Scissors for Cutting Fabric
Hamlet once said to be or not to be. For the sewer the question is to cut or not cut and which scissors should I use. The scissor plays a large role in sewing as its blades make sure you get a precision cut...or not. No matter which brand of scissors you use, you need to keep the blades sharp.
One brand may be better than another but if they hurt your hand, are too large or hard to maneuver then they are not the best scissors for you. You get the brand you like and that fits your hand best.
To learn which brand most sewers prefer just continue to read our article. It seeks out the information and lets you make your own decision on which brand of scissors is best. That is the way it should be.
Scissors for Cutting Fabric 101
Do You Need Special Scissors to Cut Fabric?
The real answer is no you do not. If your regular scissors are sharp then you should be able to cut through some fabrics with ease. But not all fabrics are the same and your regular scissors just may not be up to the task of cutting them.
For those fabrics, you should have scissors that are made to cut tough fabrics. One option would be the Fiskars Amplify fabric shears as they are designed to cut those tough fabrics other scissors can’t.
It does pay to have several different pairs of scissors on hand when sewing as it may not be the best use of those Fiskars’ to use when you need to cut the extra fabric off a hem.
Where are Gingher Shears Made?
This may not be news to some sewing enthusiasts but Gingher was bought out several years ago. Before that buyout, their scissors were said to be made in Brazil, Italy, and Germany but after the buyout, their scissors are made in Italy and Taiwan.
The company that bought Gingher out was Fiskars and they have changed the Gingher scissors a little bit. Two weights are being made with the all-metal pair being made in Italy.
All the other scissors are made in Taiwan. There should be a stamp of the country of origin on each pair of scissors so you can see where they come from. The company still maintains a US office and an 800 number. Their website is located at this link.
Can Gingher Scissors be Sharpened?
Yes, they can be. In fact, the American head office makes a sharpening service available to all of its customers. They do limit that service to Gingher brand scissors only though. The company also repairs your scissors for you.
There is a charge listed on their website, linked above, and it will cost you $12 per pair of scissors. While the company restores the scissors sent to them to like-new condition they do not alter their appearance.
If you cannot wait for the 3 to 4 weeks to get your scissors back, you may want to take them to a local handyman or knife sharpening shop and get them done for you. The fee and waiting period may be a lot shorter than sending them to the company.
Where are kai Scissors Made?
The Kai scissors have been made in Japan for over 100 years. The company has them hand polished and balanced before shipping them out to their customers around the world.
They make a variety of models and you should be able to find one that fits your hand well, without any trouble. If you have a lot of questions about Kai scissors, here is a link to their website.
It seems that Kai scissors are so good that an American company had Kai make special pairs to be used in outer space. They are truly an international brand. Kai also makes Kershaw and Shun brands of scissors, etc.
Where to Buy kai Scissors
The first place you can find Kai brand scissors is on their website. They place their products on their landing page and have their prices below the images of their products.
After shopping at their website, you may be able to get faster delivery by going to Amazon as that company has a very good selection ready and waiting for you to make your selection.
Also, you can try the national fabric and hobby stores. They should carry most, if not all, brands of scissors including Kai. Your local department stores may also be a good place to look as would be your locally owned fabric and sewing outlets.
Finding a pair of good Kai scissors is not going to be that difficult of a task unless you live in some real rural areas of the country.
Who Makes Fiskars Scissors?
Fiskars is a very old and very vaunted Finnish company. It started back in 1649, and you read that right, in a small village called Fiskars. The village is roughly 60 miles west of Helsinki.
The company is the oldest one still operating in Finland today. Exactly where your pair of Fiskars scissors is made could be up to several factors and where the manufacturing arm for scissors falls in the conglomerate structure of the company.
Suffice it to say all the orders for manufacturing come from their head office in Helsinki. The company claims to have made over 1,000,000,000 scissors since they started making them. That number keeps growing every year.
What are Fiskars Scissors Made Of?
You can be assured that the company uses top materials when they produce their name brand scissors. They use carbon stainless steel which is a material that prevents rust from getting on the blades.
The steel keeps its edges very sharp for a long time as well. Sometimes the company coats the scissors with titanium. This hard coating makes the scissors more durable and retains their edge a lot longer.
That combination of stainless steel and titanium is one of the characteristics that keep Fiskar scissors in the running for being one of the best scissors to use to cut your fabric. They should be very long-lasting and make sewing a little easier.
Where are Fiskars Scissors Made?
The company operates out of Finland and has done so for almost 400 years. It has gone through a lot of changes over the centuries including creating the famous orange handles its scissors carry.
Originally the scissors were made in Finland but in 1977 the company established a factory in America. So it is most likely that your pair of orange scissors came from the US and are made by Americans.
The orange handle came about by accident as the scissors were originally made in 3 colors, black, green and red. The orange color won the vote and became the official trademark in Finland in 2003 and America in 2007.
Can Fiskars Scissors be Sharpened?
It seems that they can. Even though the company makes their scissors out of carbon stainless steel and given a titanium coating the scissor blades can grow dull over time and lots of use.
You should be able to sharpen their scissors but you will need the right tools to get the job done. A flat file will sharpen just about anything that has a blade and scissors are not excluded from that talent.
Or you can use a variety of sharpening products though the titanium coating on some of their scissors may make sharpening unnecessary. Check with your dealer to see exactly how you can sharpen that company’s scissors without ruining their edge.
How to Adjust Fiskars Scissors
All you have to do is place one blade of the scissors in your vise. Just make sure you can see the adjustment screw and can manipulate it easily. Then take a screwdriver and tighten the screw until the blade is seated correctly.
Take them out of the vise and grab some scrap paper or fabric and see if the cutting action works like normal. If not repeat the process until you get the blade in the proper position.
Keep in mind that the company warranty doesn’t cover adjustment so if you do not want to do it or don’t know how to take the scissors to an experienced repair shop and let them handle the duty.
Who Sells Fiskars Scissors?
You are going to find that the same outlets that sell Kai and Gingher scissors will also sell Fiskars brand name scissors. Amazon has a good selection as they do for the other brands. Their prices will vary depending on style and size.
Then you should be able to find this brand at Joann’s, Hobby Lobby, Michaels and other national chain stores where fabric and other scissors are sold. Your local fabric and sewing supply stores, as well as department stores, should have a selection for you to choose from.
In other words, you are not going to have trouble finding a pair of Fiskars scissors especially since they have a manufacturing factory in the US producing them.
Do Fiskars Scissors Have a Lifetime Guarantee?
Some of their products do but that lifetime guarantee is restricted to the original consumer who initially purchased their pair of scissors for their use. It also doe snot cover sharpening, normal wear and tear, environmental factors, commercial use, and a few other stipulations.
If the company is found to be at fault, they will repair, replace or substitute another style of scissors for your damaged pair. They have an 866 number you can get at their website linked above.
Not all Fiskars products, including scissors, have replacement parts available. You need to check with the company to see which ones do or do not. Their customer service page at their website provides you with the instructions you need to implement the warranty coverage.
Are Fiskars Scissors Good?
It goes without saying that the Fiskars brand of scissors is quite good. These scissors are made from very tough, dependable materials that stand up to the test of time with ease.
Made from carbon stainless steel and with titanium coatings you should not experience any rust for along time. Of course, the final assessment is up to you. How they function is another criteria in determining if they are good or not. If you do not think they work well with you and your projects then they are not good.
If they do then you have a good pair of scissors on your hands. Their classification is all on your shoulders. We like them so they are good but are they the best, that still remains to be seen.
Kai vs Gingher
For Kai, the experts have said that while you pay more, you get a better operating scissor overall. They open and close better than Ginghers and are sharper than the latter brand.
Where Gingher beats the Kai is in price. The former brand is a little less expensive than the latter brand. If you like a heavier scissor to work with, and not all hands can handle them, then you would want Ginghers to be in your sewing drawer. That brand is heavier than the Kai.
Finally, Kai beats Gingher in balance. But that may be because Kai hand-balances every pair they send out to the stores. But not all fabric scissors are made the same and Gingher’s regular dressmaking shears may be on par with Kai’s pinking sheers.
Gingher vs Fiskars
This is a little harder to make a comparison as Fiskars bought out Ginghers and the same company is making both brands. You should be getting the same quality of construction for both brands.
Gingher puts out a small line of pinking shears which one reviewer said Fiskars may not be doing so that makes the comparison more difficult. The two companies are given different styles to make and comparison is not really that fair.
Also, the two brands are made in different countries so the quality control requirements may be a bit different. From what we have seen though,. the older Ginghers seem to be more popular than the Fiskars. Again it will be up to your personal preference to decide which is better.
Kai vs Fiskars
The Fiskar scissors, for the most part, have both carbon stainless steel and titanium coating on their side. That construction style makes the blades seem to last longer than the Kai. Plus, they stay sharper longer.
What metals Kai uses is not discussed on their website as they emphasize their hand polishing and balancing over the construction materials they use. Kai will beat Fiskars in that department but lose out in the construction material category.
From what we have been able to read, more sewers seem to favor Kai over all the different brands. They just seem to operate a lot better and are not as heavy as the other two brands.
Your sewing projects will help you decide which one is better.
What is the Best Brand of Sewing Scissors?
Fiskars, Ginghers, and Kai are said to be the big three when it comes to scissors but that doesn’t mean they are the best scissors you can buy. There may be a smaller outfit that is not as well known that may produce better scissors than all three companies.
Actually, we should say 2 companies as Ginghers is no longer Ginghers, but a unit of Fiskars, unless they have been sold again. But from what we have been able to determine through our research, of the big three in this competition, it seems that the majority of people prefer Kai over the other 2 brands.
The soother operation, the lighter weight, balance and other factors turned the tables on the other two and helped Kai be the most popular of the 3. Now, this decision does not apply to all scissor models from all companies.
Some of the other companies models on an individual basis will top some individual Kai’s on a head to head comparison.
Some Final Words
Comparisons and competitions like this never really prove a clear cut winner. Unless the quality of the construction materials, customer service, and other factors are really inferior to the other companies involved then the winner will be the brand you prefer.
Your best will depend on your hands and wrists health, strength and size. One brand may not work well with you because it does not fit your hands very well. The best thing we can say is to try out all three brands and see which one works for you the best.
When you find that one, then that will be the best fabric scissors for you. Since Fiskars bought out Ginghers we are leaning towards Kai as ultimately being the best scissors you can buy but then we may be wrong. We just like them better.
