7 Mistakes When Buying Your First Hair Cutting Scissors
Wrong size, wrong hand, a set you don’t need, chasing steel, poor fit, no care budget and an unclear seller: the 7 first-pair mistakes and their fixes.
By SalonScissors editorial team Updated
Get one of these wrong and you’ll probably buy twice. Here’s each mistake and its fix.
How we chose: Picks from our range, based on maker specs, listed options and price. We sell them and haven’t run cutting tests. Prices checked 15 October 2026.
1. The wrong size for your hand or your work
Too long, and the tips wander when you’re working close. Too short, and every section takes extra closes. The inch size can mislead too: it measures the whole scissor, and two 5.5” pairs can have blades 6 mm apart (60 mm on Yasaka’s SA-5.5, 54 mm on Joewell’s FX-L55).
The fix: start at 5.5” for salon work, and 6.5” to 7.0” for barbering and scissor-over-comb. Go down to 5.0” if most of your work is detail, or a 5.5” feels hard to hold steady at the tips.
2. The wrong hand
A right-handed pair in your left hand pushes the hair away instead of cutting it cleanly, and the top blade hides your line. Turning it over or swapping the ring inserts won’t change that, because the blades themselves are reversed on a left-handed pair.
The fix: order the hand you cut with, and read the whole option name before checkout. On the Mina Umi, Left / 5.5” Cutting Scissor sits right next to Right / 5.5” Cutting Scissor.
3. A set you don’t need yet
A set looks like better value, but a thinner you won’t use for months is money sitting in a drawer. Your cutter does the outlines, and that’s most of your early practice.
The fix: buy the cutter first. Add the thinner when your course or your clients need one. If you need both now, the set is the cheaper way to get them:
| Cutter only | Set with a 6.0” thinner | |
|---|---|---|
| Mina Umi | A$109 | A$164.95 |
| Ichiro Ergo | A$189 | A$219 |
4. Chasing steel names
VG10, 440C, cobalt: steel names sound like a ranking, but steel is one ingredient. The same VG10 shows up in our cutters from A$269 to A$680, so the name isn’t what you’re paying for. The edge, handle, finish and maker are.
| VG10 cutter | Handle and edge | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Juntetsu VG10 Ergo | Offset, convex | A$269 |
| Ichiro Taiyo | Offset | A$284.95 |
| Yasaka F-CUT 6.5” | French handle, slice edge | A$449 |
The fix: choose the size, hand, handle and edge first. Then compare steel between pairs that already suit you. The steel guide explains the names.
5. Ignoring handle fit
A handle that fights your grip makes a long day longer. If your thumb strains to open the blades, or the rings dig in or slide around, the layout or the ring size is wrong for you.
The fix: start with an offset handle, the most common layout in our range. Then hold the pair and open and close it before it touches hair, because a change-of-mind return needs it unused. Loose rings take a finger insert.
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Straight
Both rings sit level, the classic layout. Thumb and finger rings are the same distance from the pivot.
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Offset
The thumb branch is shorter, so the thumb ring sits closer to the pivot. Most cutters we sell are offset.
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Crane
A sharper offset. The thumb branch bends, which changes the angle your hand holds the blades at.
6. No budget for care and sharpening
The scissor price isn’t the whole cost. You’ll need a case so the edges don’t knock against other tools, a cloth, brush and oil for daily care, and a sharpen when the edge starts to fold hair.
The fix: keep about A$35 aside for a case and a care kit. For sharpening, ask us for a quote with your model before you need it, so a blunt pair doesn’t catch you out.
Maintenance Kit: Clean, Oil & Fix Hair Scissors
Best for oil, a cloth, a brush, inserts and a tension key
Mina Vegan Leather Hair Scissor Case
Best for carrying two pairs to class
7. An unclear seller
A cheap listing with no business name, no returns terms and no phone number is a gamble. It’s riskier still for left-handed and set options, where one wrong tap gets you the wrong pair.
The fix: before you pay, find these on the seller’s site:
- the business name and ABN;
- a phone number or email;
- what delivery costs;
- the change-of-mind returns terms;
- who handles a faulty pair.
Ours: the ABN is in the footer, standard delivery is A$6 up to A$89 and free above, express is A$9.95, change-of-mind returns run 14 days, and faults are covered under the Australian Consumer Law. Whoever you buy from, keep these three things:
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Save the listing
Screenshot the option you chose, its price and what comes in the box.
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Check the confirmation
Hand, size and contents should match the listing. Fix any difference before it ships.
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Check what arrives
Match each tool to the confirmation before it touches hair.
Common questions
What’s the best first pair of hair scissors?
For most beginners, a 5.5” offset cutter for the hand you cut with. The Mina Umi (A$109) is our budget pick and the Ichiro Ergo Apprentice (A$189) our pick for apprentices.
Should apprentices buy a set?
Only if your course needs a thinner now. Otherwise buy the cutter and add a thinner later. The Ichiro Ergo set is A$219 when you need both.
How much should a first pair cost?
A$109 to A$219 for the scissors, plus about A$35 for a case and a care kit. Standard delivery is free over A$89.
What if I get the size or hand wrong?
Contact us within 14 days of delivery. If the pair is unused and complete, you can return it and order the right one, as set out on our returns page.
Find the right pair first time
The scissor finder asks four questions (tool, hand, size and budget) and shows the exact option to pick.
Buying for a course? The apprentice kit guide covers what to buy now and what can wait.
Comparing scissors for your kit?
Tell us what you cut and which scissors you are comparing.
Useful next reading
Read all blog posts
20 Beginner Questions About Hair Cutting Scissors, Answered
Straight answers to 20 beginner questions: what size to buy (5.5”), which hand, offset or straight, cutter or set, and what to spend, from A$109.
New Salon Scissors? What to Check Before the First Cut
Unboxing a new pair? Check the model, size and hand against your order, look over the blades, wipe off any factory oil and keep the box and paperwork.