What are you buying?

I have been a sharpener for the past 40 years and working with the grooming industry from the start. For the first 20 years I sold other brands of shear to my customers, they were all quality shears from well-known companies. In 2004 I was introduced to a manufacturer of Beauty; Barber and Grooming shears and Pro Line Ltd. was born.

Why do you buy one of the major brand name shears? That is a simple question.

1. My Co- workers use them.
2. I know they have good stuff.
3. I see them at all the shows.
4. They have been around for many years.

When you see shears on the internet why do you buy them?

1. They were inexpensive.
2. They look just like the name brand.
3. They were a set of 3 for $50.

As a sharpener I have an appreciation for the actual product that I sharpen. To me the color, blade style or handle is of no concern to me. The most important things are:

1. The STEEL (the cake mix) 440C Japanese steel.
2. The Hardness of the blade (the temper of the blade) 61 RCH.
3. The Finish of the edge, the ride line.
4. The Set of the blades.

When I first started sharpening in 1983 the Benchmark for shears were shears made in Germany. The Seligman steel company of Germany was the world’s best foundry. As of about 1988 Japanese steel started to replace Germany as the new benchmark. Today Japanese steel is still preferred for shears, though the actual cake mix of elements will determine if the steel is good for shears or washing machines. There are 5 basic cake mixes that shears are made from. Of those 440 C is the benchmark, the others are either slightly less desirable or have added elements, cobalt, or more exotic elements, which do add to the product but are somewhat of a gilding of the lily.

The second feature of a good shear is the temper or hardening of the blade. When a blade is tempered it needs to be hard enough to hold a fine edge but not so hard as to cause chipping. A soft blade can be brought to a fine edge, but it will not maintain that sharpness for the desired time, it will dull quickly.

The Ride Line is the third component of a well-made shear; this is the area on the inside of the blade that allows the two blades to shear up to the tip slicing the hair in a smooth even stroke. How this line is established is critical to the feel of the shear, it should run from the top of the hilt around the set screw along the blades edge to the very tip of the shear. Establishing the ride line, as one even continuous level plain, is critical to having a well performing shear. That is why as a sharpener we must always take the shear apart when sharpening or we will create a shelf at the hilt of the shear, the area under the set screw, when we rework the ride line during sharpening.

The Set of the blades is what makes our tool a shear. The slight inward arc in the blade from the set screw to the tip creates a bend in the blade that when it is opened the tips cross. This allows the edges to ride up the blades to the tip, shearing the hair as the ride line edges slide past each other.

These 4 elements are what makes up a quality shear other aspects are the set screw or tensioning system. This can be a simple screw with a washer right up to a washer system with 11 tinny ball bearings and a tensioning spring. There are over a dozen different tension systems on the market. For a shear to perform well the tension must be set correctly, too loose and the hair will fold, too tight and the blades will grind and dull quickly. A good test for setting the tension is to hold the shear parallel to the floor open and then drop the blade; it should not slam shut but rather stop just before closing. This tension setting will allow the blades to ride (shear) but not be so tight as to grind the edge or cause you to fugue your hand.

Pro Line Ltd. is a small company with 17 different styles of shears over 90 different pieces however all of our line has the steel hardness and finish that makes them a professional tool that any groomer can count on.