Review of Gingher Knife Edge Dressmaker's Shears, 8-Inch

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I compared the following fabric shears, listed in order of how well I liked them:

1. The Kai 7250: 10 inch Professional Shears N7250 (7250) Professional Shears

2. The Gingher 10 Inch Knife Edge Bent Trimmers (Note: I list these here because I prefer this length, but I only tested the 8" and 12" models below.)

3. The Kai 7300: 12 inch Professional Shears N7300 (7300) Professional Shears

4. The Gingher Knife Edge Bent Trimmers 12

5. The Gingher G-8T KE Tailors Shears, 8-Inch

6. The Gingher G-8 8-Inch Knife-Edge Dressmaker's Shears

7. The "Kai 110: 11 inch Tailoring Shears S-110 (S-110) Professional Shears"

8. The "Kai 7240-AS: 10 inch Serrated Edge Shears N7240-AS (7240-AS) Professional Shears"

I bought all the Ginghers on Amazon, and all the Kais from their web site (Amazon doesn't sell them). I evaluated them by cutting eight 4" long layered sheets of lightweight cotton fabric at once. My criteria were:

smoothness of cutting

was the edge straight, or did it wave?

comfort of scissors (hand position, weight, tightness of grip)

how often did I have to open the scissors to cut the 4" fabric?

With all 8" shears I had to open them too often, resulting in more effort needed to get a straight cut. With all 12" shears I had to open them too wide, which was difficult even with my very large (size 10+) hands. I thus settled on a 10" pair.

The Ginghers are all excellent -better than any of those colored-handle shears I've tried. They are rumored to last 25 years, and they're not that expensive ($25). Of those, the tailoring shears were ever-so-slightly smoother than the dressmaker shears. Not sure why.

But the Kai 7000 series were simply better. They're smoother, lighter-weight, sharper, nicer engineering, and they offer a $14 sharpening service. Wow. Them's be some sharp scissors. Holy cow. Did the "let's gently run my thumb perpedicular to this blade" test and a minute later realized I was bleeding... Didn't even feel it. Must also say the customer service was top-notch. They sent me the 3 pair I wanted to test in advance, and didn't charge my card till I picked the one I liked best.

Yes, they're $70. But Gingher's 10" pair are $50, too. If you're looking for the best bang for your buck, I'd get the "Gingher G-8T KE Tailors Shears, 8-Inch" ($25). If you're looking for the best fabric shears period, I'd get the Kai 7000 series (the 10" ones for me).

Update (01/09/2013): A fellow reviewer pointed out to me that Amazon now carries some of the Kai shears. I have added links above to those they carry at this time. And I still recommend looking at the manufacturer's web site. They offered me super service -really above and beyond.

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I've been given a pair of Gingher shears as a bridal shower gift (I made my own wedding dress) and they have been my favorites throughout the last 17 years. They are sharp right to the tips, an essential feature of the shears needed for trimming seams.

I purchased a second pair so that I'd have one to use while my originals went back to the Gingher factory for sharpening (a service they provide for a mere $7.50). I hope in time to have all Gingher shears in my sewing room!

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I can't say enough good things about Gingher scissors. They cut through light and medium weight cloths like a hot knife going through butter. They operate smoothly and are well balanced. Further, with the dearth of scissor-sharpening options available these days, it is nice to know that Gingher will sharpen their scissors when that operation is necessary. I'm replacing all my scissors with Ginghers!

Honest reviews on Gingher Knife Edge Dressmaker's Shears, 8-Inch

It cuts through multiple pieces of fabric cleaning all the way to the tip. It's a bit heavy, but I like the feel of the weight. Take good care of them (don't cut tape or wires), have them sharpened, and they should last forever. Don't forget the left handed version too!

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These shears of very high quality and are extremely sharp. That said, for someone with man-sized hands (being a man myself), they're not very comfortable. The handle is relatively small and the force required to complete the last half of the cut is high. Combined together (the small opening and tight grip) made for sore hands. If I could loosen the action or increase the size of the grips, I'd be in love with them.