Origin of Scissors
The origin of the scissors needs to be separated into two aspects:
- Where do the materials come from?
- Where are the scissors assembled and finished?
Scissors are more often than not described as being either Japanese or German.
The German hair scissors usually hail from Solingen, which is small industrial town outside Dusseldorf.
Japanese hair scissors are not normally identified-they are usually just stamped Japan. This is often confusing as very few scissors are manufactured entirely in Japan. In most instances, steel is made in Japan and then scissors are made from this steel in other parts of the Far East-Taiwan, Korea and China in particular.
The distinction is important to make because the Japanese craftsman have many years of experience and great heritage in the production of steel blades. These skills and the understanding of the materials provide for better finished products than is currently available from elsewhere, although Taiwan and Korea are very close behind! The quality available from China is behind Taiwan and Korea. Although the gap is closing there is a justified premium for genuine Japanese scissors. However, it is not always easy to identify the genuine article!