Key questions to ask sharpeners

A guide for hairdressers and barbers who want to protect their tools and their craft — and spot the warning signs of unqualified sharpeners early.

If you’ve been in the hairdressing industry for a few years, you may have had a “mystery sharpening.” You hand your scissors over, the sharpener disappears for ten minutes, and when they return—something feels off. They are your scissors, but they don’t feel right. The glide is gone. The tips don’t meet. They were in need of sharpening but now they are unusable and you will have to buy new ones in a hurry.

The truth is, not all sharpeners work the same way. Some are trained, specialised technicians who will make your scissors feel like new. Others mean well… but they treat hairdressing scissors the same way they treat ordinary scissors. And that’s when damage happens.

So before you hand over your best scissors, here’s how to ask the right questions and how to recognise when it’s time to decline their services.

Do you specialise in hairdressing scissors?

This is the first and most important question. Hair scissors—especially Japanese-style—are a completely different world from knives or fabric shears. They have unique geometry, different machinery requirements, and need a much more delicate, precise touch. If they hesitate, change the subject, or say “a blade is a blade”… that’s your answer.

Hair scissors are normally sharpened with abrasive discs on a flat hone and deburred with a Japanese water stone and stropped with leather. Ordinary scissors are often sharpened on a small bench grinder unsuited to hairdressing scissors.

Can I watch you work?

Good sharpeners don’t mind at all. Whether they sharpen in your salon, in their vans or elsewhere, they’re proud to show you their skills and talk you through what they are doing. If someone refuses, rushes, or avoids being seen, that usually tells you everything you need to know.

How long will it take?

This is a surprisingly reliable indicator.

• 25 or more minutes: Normal for scissors that are worn, dropped, or overdue for a service.

• Around 15 minutes: Only if your scissors are already in very good condition.

• Under 10 minutes: That’s a major red flag. Proper sharpening simply can’t be done well that fast.

Where are you based? Can I find you online?

A professional should have a card, a website, real reviews, and a home base. Be cautious of sharpeners who travel huge distances, and leave nothing behind to trace them.

If you can’t find them again, you can’t get support if something is wrong with their work.

Do you carry spare parts?

Washers, bumpers, screws, finger rings and finger rests—these things wear out. A sharpener without parts can only do half a job.

Do you take the scissors apart?

This is where most problems start. A correct service includes full disassembly, cleaning, inspection with a loupe before and after, sharpening, polishing, and oiling before reassembly. If they don’t take apart the scissors, they simply can’t do half of what needs to be done.

Can you show me how to care for my scissors after sharpening them?

A sharpener who knows their craft should easily explain:

• cleaning

• oiling

• tension

• what could be done to reduce fatigue when cutting hair for long hours.

• How to keep the scissors sharp for as long as possible.

If they can’t explain it, it’s a sign they do not give scissors a full service and don’t fully understand how scissors work.

Bonus information about scissor sharpening

Refining the edge

Before sharpening, the cutting edges show signs of wear, reflecting the light where they have become rounded, rolled or nicked.

A true professional ensures that all damage is ground away and the sharp edge is clean and invisible. You can check it with your phone’s macro photo mode or a jeweler’s loupe or by cutting cling film or a single ply of wet tissue. No tearing means that their sharpening was successful.

Finishing the tips

The tips should meet cleanly with a tiny overlap, never scratchy when closed or misaligned. This may require trimming the bumper or slightly bending the handles. Lastly, the outside of the tips are shaped such that the scissors cut cleanly to the very tip but do not scratch when closed. If the finishing work is rushed, you’ll feel it when point cutting.

Matching the original geometry

Every pair of scissors has a special design:

• A slight curve to the blade; the tips should not be rounded

• bevel edges or convex edges

• Some scissors have micro-serrations on one edge

• the teeth of texturizers are usually notched

Your scissors should come back looking like your scissors, never with a change of profile, new scratches, a blunt bevel, or missing teeth detail. If that happens, the sharpener used the wrong method or the wrong machine.

Checking the set.

The set is the subtle inward curve that makes your scissors glide and cut effortlessly once the rideline is polished. It is checked by taking the scissors apart and pressing the centre of each blade against a flat reference plate with a light behind. Some scissors made from forged steel can have the set corrected using a hammer or a bending block. Others, made from cast steel, like those from Jowell have little potential for correction as they snap easily and will need to be replaced if the set issues are severe.

Polishing the rideline grit 

Japanese-style scissors have a hollow inside and a thin ride line of less than a millimetre width. In Japanese, this is described as a clam-shell design. The scissors must be polished on a fine grit Japanese waterstone while disassembled. Cutting the burr by simply closing the blades (while appropriate for Kiepe and some other cheap models of scissors) leaves most hairdressing scissors crunchy. A smooth, buttery glide comes only from proper polishing.

Wrapping up

When you use a sharpener who can answer your questions with confidence, explain what they’re doing without hesitation, and work openly in front of you, you’ll notice the difference the very next time you pick up your scissors. The glide feels right. The balance feels natural. Your cuts feel effortless again. That’s when you know your tools are being cared for the way they were always meant to be.

If you’re in Somerset or the surrounding counties and want this level of service, get in touch with me, Dominic, at Toucan Blades, I am always happy to talk through what your scissors need and what you can expect from a proper professional service.