(Sarah Read is an author, editor, yarn artist, and pen/paper/ink addict. You can find more about her at her website and on Twitter.)
I'm used to being picky about my scissors for fiber crafts, and if JetPens has their way, I'll soon also be picky about my scissors for paper crafts. Of course, paper scissors are a whole different animal, and there's a lot to learn. I think I'm up for it.
These Nakabayashi scissors are a great place to start. My first impression was entirely superficial--dang these are pretty scissors. And they look like serious business. They are pretty serious, in a well-thought-out, engineered sort of way.
The scissor body is stainless steel coated in titanium, so they're super strong and easy to clean. They can cut sticky tape or stickers without accumulating much residue.
The handles are resin-lined to assist in comfort. I didn't find them to be very comfortable, though. The lining is pretty hard and not very molded or substantial. Even after a short cutting session, I had the classic finger divots from the pressure of the handles. The openings are also very small. I have tiny hands, but still had some issues. Larger hands would not be able to comfortably fit two fingers through the larger opening, I suspect. It doesn't appear that a whole lot of attention was paid to making these comfortable to use.
Their engineering is entirely focused on the blade, which makes sense, as they're made in a Japanese town that is known for their knife craftsmanship. There is a double-beveled edge for extra durability, so these are great tools for cutting thicker papers and cardstock, even cardboard. The double bevel does, in theory, sacrifice some precision, but I still found them to be super precise. I had no trouble turning 3 mm grid paper into homemade confetti of perfect little squares. The real feature here is the curved upper blade, where the scissors get their name--Hikigiri, which means "cutting while pulling". Because the curved edge is longer, it pulls the paper toward you as you cut, allowing for more continuous cutting. It also slices in addition to shearing.
These cut paper really well. There's that nice crunchy feedback, and the cut edges are extremely smooth and straight. They were great with cutting lines and curves and gave excellent control even with tiny shapes. If the handles were more comfortable, I wouldn't hesitate to recommend these at all. But these won't suit everyone--not lefties, and probably not folks with bigger hands or fingers. And while the blades can certainly handle everything from fine cuts to stiff card boad, cutting thicker pieces can be downright painful.
I'll definitely use these for quick cuts of plain paper and tapes and labels--great everyday use stuff. But for full-on crafting scissors, I'd say the quest for the perfect tool continues.
(JetPens provided this product at no charge to The Pen Addict for review purposes.)
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