Skip to content

Backup Scissors for When Your Main Pair Is Away

By SalonScissors editorial team Updated

A Yasaka SA Classic cutting scissor beside a Mina Umi cutting scissor.
A main pair and a budget backup: Yasaka SA Classic (left) and Mina Umi (right).

Sharpening can take a couple of weeks, and drops happen on busy days. A backup pair means neither costs you a booking.

How we chose: Three backups from our range, picked on hand, size and price as listed on 15 October 2026. We sell them and haven’t run cutting tests.

What makes a good backup pair?

  • Your hand. A right-handed spare is no use to a left-handed stylist.
  • Your usual size. Pick the length you use for most of your cuts, not your detail pair.
  • Your handle layout. If your main pair is offset, an offset spare will feel familiar from the first cut.
  • Ready to go. Keep it clean, serviced and in its own slot, so it works the day you need it.

Our backup picks

Mina Umi cutter. Right-handed from 4.5” to 7”, or left-handed in 5.5”, 6” and 7”, all at the same price. Keep in mind it has an offset handle and a flat edge, so it’ll feel different if your main pair is a straight-handled convex cutter.

Mina Dark Gem. A long, right-handed offset cutter in 6.5” or 7”, listed for broad sections and scissor-over-comb. Keep in mind it’s long, so keep a shorter pair for detail.

Mina Umi set. One cutter plus a 6”, 30-tooth thinner, in right- or left-handed options. Keep in mind the thinner is 6” in every option.

Sharing spares in a salon

  1. One spare, one booking

    Write down which booking the spare covers, who will use it and that it suits their hand.

  2. Two stylists, one spare

    One spare can’t cover two people at the same time. If both main pairs are away, you need a second spare.

  3. Spot the gap early

    If a booking has no spare, sort it before the day: borrow, buy or move the sharpening date.

Plan the spare against the bookings, not just the drawer.

Check the bookings before a pair goes away. If two stylists’ main pairs are out the same week, one spare won’t cover both of them at once.

Plan around the turnaround

Ask your sharpener how long they take before you send anything. For a sense of scale, KAI USA quotes 10 to 14 business days for Kasho shears in the US, and Joewell about 2 weeks for repairs at its factory. Book sharpening for a quieter week when you can.

Common questions

Do I really need a backup pair?

If you cut most days, yes. Sharpening can take a couple of weeks, and a drop can take your main pair out without warning.

Should my backup be the same model as my main pair?

It doesn’t have to be. Match the hand, a similar size and the handle layout you’re used to.

Can two stylists share one backup?

Yes, but only one of you can use it at a time, and it has to suit both your hands.

Next step

Not sure what suits your hand and work? Try the scissor finder. Sending a pair away now? Here’s how to get it ready.