Best Scissors?

[J Watrous]

Looking for recommendations for fly tying scissors, preferably with serrations. Things that are quality and last tend to cost more, and I hate buying cheap scissors and tossing them every year or so, so let’s say the max spend is $300 for a pair of scissors. I tie mostly streamers, mostly natural materials.

After several failures due to poor manufacturing/design across multiple product types, and really shitty customer responses by the head Dr. himself, I’m dumping all my Dr. Slick gear.

Have also had a bad run of luck with Loon, so looking for other suggestions.

 

[mcswny]

Looking for recommendations for fly tying scissors, preferably with serrations. Things that are quality and last tend to cost more, and I hate buying cheap scissors and tossing them every year or so, so let’s say the max spend is $300 for a pair of scissors. I tie mostly streamers, mostly natural materials.

After several failures due to poor manufacturing/design across multiple product types, and really shitty customer responses by the head Dr. himself, I’m dumping all my Dr. Slick gear.

Have also had a bad run of luck with Loon, so looking for other suggestions.

Definitely following this thread.

I feel like I go through a pair of dr slick razor scissors every year. Are you re sharpening your scissors ever?

 

[J Watrous]

Definitely following this thread.

I feel like I go through a pair of dr slick razor scissors every year. Are you re sharpening your scissors ever?

The straight edge ones, yes if they don’t fail at the hinge or lose a tip first. I have used a combination of whetstones, oil stones, and a work sharp.

 

[SurfnFish]

check out heirloom scissors from the likes of Gingher, Merchant and Mills, Wilkinson, and Ernest Wright.
And Joanne's craft stores carries some vg scissors likely worth looking at.

 

[nwbobber]

My wife is a quilter, Mom was too. We have at least twenty worn out pairs of scissors around here, but I have a pair of gingher dressmakers shears that belonged to my Mom that are probably 50 years old and still work fine. The problem I have always found though is the scissors sold for sewing are made for women's hands, and my fat stubs that I call fingers will not fit. For that matter nearly all of the flytying scissors are a challenge for me. Gingher makes embroidery shears that look like the right shape.
That said, the best scissors I have used to date are Dr. Slick tungsten carbide. I probably don't tie as much as most on here, though.

 

[SculpinSwinger]

Kershaw Skeeter II, one serrated blade, good not great, small finger openings are a minus.
Rising Stellar Scissors 2.0, similar to Dr Slick and Loon, one slightly serrated blade, so far these are my favorites.

 

[J Watrous]

Anyone ever try Renomed scissors?

Renomed - Handmade to last!

Exclusive Hand-crafted scissors. For cosmetic, home, craft, art and fly tying. Reliable scissors for years. There are not thousands of them. Our scissors are not produced by machines. They are handcrafted in a family manufactory, housed in a historic granary in Europe by skilled craftsman and woman.

renomedusa.com

 

[RCF]

Another vote for Gingher scissors. Have had the same couple of pairs for more than 2 decades. No issues... BTW I use cheap scissors for hair/fur and metal wire. Probably has helped a lot in saving my Gingher scissors...

As others have said, find ones that fit your hands and the way you want to use them...

 

[FinLuver]

Anvil

 

[nwbobber]

Anyone ever try Renomed scissors?

Renomed - Handmade to last!

Exclusive Hand-crafted scissors. For cosmetic, home, craft, art and fly tying. Reliable scissors for years. There are not thousands of them. Our scissors are not produced by machines. They are handcrafted in a family manufactory, housed in a historic granary in Europe by skilled craftsman and woman.

renomedusa.com

Never tried those but I like the look of them. I wonder if you can get away with bending those finger holes for a custom fit?

 

[J Watrous]

Never tried those but I like the look of them. I wonder if you can get away with bending those finger holes for a custom fit?

ADHD got the better of me and I ordered 3 of them: 1 x Super Stinger, 1 x The FlyTier Straight, and 1 x FS9 Xtra Long Blade.

Best case, I found my answer.
Worst case I’ll return them and update this thread.

What sold me is that they’re handmade and intentionally created for big hands.

 

[NCL]

I use the Renomed scissors and absolutely love them. What I most like is the fine point which allows a close cut. The Renomed scissors are the most expensive scissors I own but have considered buying a second pair.

 

[Brute]

I was disappointed in my last purchase of Dr Slick’s Razor scissors…they were not very sharp out of the box…

 

[Shad]

Main thing is to avoid using your good scissors on things that are especially hard on them (wire, heavy plumes, and the like). In many cases, you can tie in the material sufficiently so you can break it off at the end of your thread wraps, which makes for cleaner flies anyway. For those sadly real times where you need scissors to cut something that makes you cringe, I keep around a pair of cheapies. I also have a dedicated pair of quality (Gingher) scissors that I only use for trimming hair and the like, where consistent, clean cuts are the rule.

I have used the same set of Griffin tying scissors for the vast majority of tying applications for the past 25 years. They aren't as sharp as they once were, but they still get it done (to my satisfaction, at least).

This thread makes me think my standards for scissors might have been lessened over 25 years of using the same set. I fear if I bought a new one, I might become spoiled for sharp edges again.

 

[RichS]

A pair of Rapala superline scissors ($4) does a tremendous job on hard to cut materials and preserves your more expensive scissors. I have used the same one for years on everything from gamechanger chenille to unwire with no obvious decline in performance. Then again maybe I just like inexpensive Rapala products. I have had the same wood handled Rapala fillet knife for 55 years and it still works fine as well.

 

[Dogsnfish]

Anvil

yeah, I miss Anvil.

 

[Mossback]

Amazon.com : ophthalmic scissors

Lots of choices above, easy to find what works best for different applications, as medical scissors are generally available in configurations/angles/sizes that fly tying scissors are not.

I have a pair of Solingnen scissors that are great, best pair I own hands down.

 

[J Watrous]

Main thing is to avoid using your good scissors on things that are especially hard on them (wire, heavy plumes, and the like). In many cases, you can tie in the material sufficiently so you can break it off at the end of your thread wraps, which makes for cleaner flies anyway.

Completely agree. I keep a pair of fingernail clippers handy for times when I’m cutting wire or thick marabou stem, a razor blade for shaving things like stacked elk/moose hair, and a pair of shears and a fabric wheel for rabbit strips, etc. I also use a dedicated pair of scissors for things like semperfli thread.

Where I’ve been let down most recently is two pairs of Dr. Slick tungsten carbide scissor points breaking when snipping thread (one on 12/0 uni of all things). Looking at the grain structure of the metal it was a flaw in the metal. I’ve also not had a pair of Dr. Slick or Loon staying acceptably sharp for more than a year, and the majority of what I cut is pretty soft natural fibers (nayat for one).

 

[Shad]

Where I’ve been let down most recently is two pairs of Dr. Slick tungsten carbide scissor points breaking when snipping thread (one on 12/0 uni of all things). Looking at the grain structure of the metal it was a flaw in the metal. I’ve also not had a pair of Dr. Slick or Loon staying acceptably sharp for more than a year, and the majority of what I cut is pretty soft natural fibers (nayat for one).

I must agree that's some disappointing stuff. I mean, 12/0 thread???

 

[Mossback]

Another place to check for surgical scissors is ebay, used ones are fine for fly tying usage, and a much better value than anything made specifically for fly tying.

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