Kai 5210 8-inch Dressmaking Shears (N5210)

My wife sews professionally. She does alterations, repairs, and custom sewing. She stays pretty busy at it, and all of her customers compliment her very skilled work. Like many others have mentioned, for a long time we both thought that Gingher scissors were the best. We were loyal to Gingher. Grandma has a wonderful pair of Gingher scissors. But we've been struggling with the poor quality of late production Gingher scissors for several years. Twice, we've even sent scissors in to Gingher for servicing, but they came back little or no better. Gingher scissors will variously grab in spots, not cut at the very ends of the blades, or be hard to close. Cindy had resorted to using a pair of $10 Fiskar scissors, which aren't great, but they cut better than her Gingher's. Wanting to help her with this problem, and after reading so many positive reviews, I took it upon myself to order her a pair of these Kai brand. Cindy is thrilled with these Kai scissors. She can't stop talking about how much she loves them. They're comfortable to use, require very little force to cut even heavy fabrics, they cut the sheerest fabrics just as well, They are sharp, and the cut well right out to the tips of the blades. With the cost of even sending a pair of Gingher scissors to Gingher for servicing at $12 a pair, plus shipping costs to get them to Gingher, it's an easy decision to just throw them away. Then spend to only $6 more to get a pair of these fantastic Kai scissors. I like using good tools myself, so I'm happy to help supply my wife with the best tools she can own. I was so pleased with my wife's reaction to these $22 scissors that I ordered her three more Kai scissors; one pair of 5-inch in the same series, an 8-inch pair of the Professional series, and a 10-inch Professional series. She's a professional and she deserves professional tools. Maybe Grandma will leave us the good Gingher scissors in her will, but there's still no way they can be better than these $22 Kai scissors. We would prefer to buy an American product, but can't afford to subsidize poor American quality. ------------------------------------------------------------------- UPDATE (Sept. 2016): After two years of using her Kai Scissors almost every day. Cindy says the three large pair still cut like new. She keeps the 8 inch Pro scissors at her sewing machine. She keeps the 8 inch Dressmaker Shears at the ironing board. And she uses the 10-inch Pro scissors less often for cutting bulk fabric. She says that those three pair sill cut like new. About this lower cost pair (5210) she says, "If these were the only ones I had, I would be very happy with them. But the Pro Series scissors are just a little more precise feeling and have a more comfortable handle. I'm glad for all four pair." She has also used the little pair of embroidery scissors every day to cut thread at her sewing machine. This is a LOT of use for these little scissors and they have finally (after more than two years of daily use) gotten to where they don't cut well on the last 1/2 inch of the tips where she uses them the most. This isn't at all disappointing, but it is time to order another pair. Professionals do expect to wear out tools eventually. Also, shortly after trying out Cindy's Kai scissors, even grandma put her Gingher scissors away for good when her beau bought her a set of Kai scissors. She also says, "Wow, I can't imagine how I got along without these." The Ginghers are relegated to be heirloom pieces.

Nice heavy weight shears. Have had them for over a year and a half and they are sharp, well made, a good weight without being too heavy and easy to use. Excellent for fabric (I sew garments, cosplay and quilts). I STRONGLY prefer these over my old brand that started with a "Fis" and they hold up excellent.

I got to tired of the cheap orange Fiskars scissors that dull in not time and don't cut, so I went on the hunt for a decent pair of scissors that actually cut and found these and am so happy with the quality of them. They feel solid in my hands and they aren't so cheap that they "flop", they allow controlled usage. And, the best part--they are the sharpest scissors I have ever used. Actually, I have to warn people who haven't used them before to be careful as they are so sharp, they could cut ones fingers very easily. I can cut very small, precise things like tags off of clothing without accidently cutting the cloth as would happen with all my other scissors that can't cut at the end of the blade. I highly recommend these and bought four to go in several areas of my house and another for a gift, but beware that they cut everything, even fingers. . .

I've been using and almost certainly misusing these as general purpose utility scissors. Wool felt, packaging, paracord and even some speaker wire and wire ties. In this role, these are by far the best scissors I've ever used. The first thing you'll notice is the smooth, precise action. The well designed fastener hardware certainly contributes to this smoothness. The steel used for the blades seems to be of a higher quality, harder and holds a very sharp edge longer than similarly priced and similarly designed scissors I have experience with. After removing it from the packaging, the first thing I tried trimming was a pair of dense 1/4" thick wool felt insoles. The relative ease with which I was able to trim the insoles was a revelation. Clean and straight cuts, much less scissoring when compared to other similar scissors I've used. In spite of regularly sharpening two other brands, they required some effort to do similar work. The Kais are a different breed, designed and manufactured to a higher standard than other similar scissors I've owned or used. Although a sweeping generalization, the difference between this and others I've used over the years may have to do with Japanese attention to detail - design, manufacturing and quality control. My experience with many Japanese products over the years has been that they can seem deceptively simple. It's only when you dig a bit or use the products on a regular and/or long term basis that subtleties emerge. Everything from cutlery and cookware to aerospace products, automobiles, sophisticated electro-optical equipment and very high end machine tools that only 2-3 countries in the world are capable of manufacturing. The list is almost endless. Truly a unique country with an underlying craftsman culture. Note that Kai seems to have off-shored their 'budget line' to Vietnam. I assume that they did this to be able to provide these at a price point accessible to everyone. I now have 4 types of Kai scissors, two of which are made in Japan, two in Vietnam. The Vietnamese manufactured scissors seem to of the same quality. I assume that they are manufactured with the same steel and parts used in the Japanese manufactured scissors. Kai almost certainly provides manufacturing and quality control oversight. Great scissors, happy customer and at this price point (~$14.00), a stone cold bargain.

This is a precision instrument. Razor sharp and feels good in the hand. I almost wish I needed two of them, but I don't.

These scissors are great. A+ design, quality and functionality. I like them so much I’ve even purchased them to give as gifts! Everyone can use a nice pair of scissors, but you probably don’t know what you’re missing until you try them. They’re sharp and feel comfortable in your hand. They’re not too heavy and don’t pinch your fingers. I have 3 pairs and use them for everything from trimming houseplants, cutting fabric & canvas, wrapping presents and opening packages to cutting pizza, green onions and fresh herbs in the kitchen. I also have a backup unopened pair. I had no idea I could care so much about scissors but it’s a small upgrade that really pays off over time. Treat yourself or someone else!

I own a previous pair of this exact model that were made in Japan. The latest pair I received is made is Vietnam. As of this writing, the preview image clearly shows made in Japan so that needs to be updated. The quality is not the same when comparing the Japanese model to the Vietnam model. You can see micro shadows where metal aligns or even see through the scissors blades at certain points on the Vietnam model. The blade tips are finer and more precise on the older Japanese model. The blade grind and some of the begin and end shapes are also a bit different. The Vietnam model seems like a good scissor but nowhere near the perfection achieved by the previous Japanese model.

I was skeptical about these shears, being that they are such a low price. I half expected to get a cheap product, but these actually work amazing. They're sharp and cut through most fabrics smoothly, like a knife through butter. The handles are quite comfortable to hold, not too bulky like some other brands. I've used these shears for more than fabric, they work great as multipurpose scissors. You do have to be careful about loosening the blades, the parts that keep it together are put on quite snug.