What is the Difference Between Right Handed and Left Handed Shears?

What is the Difference Between Right Handed and Left Handed Shears?

Scissors can be left handed or right handed, depending on how the blades cross. Shears and scissors made for lefties will cross backwards, meaning the cutting edge will be on the left hand side of the blade instead of the right hand side.

A true left hand shear or left handed scissors will cross from the left to the right which is the opposite of right handed shears and scissors 

Sometimes some shear companies move their screw to the opposite side of the shear and call them left handed shears when they are really right handed shears. If you are looking for a true left handed shear, these shears from Bonika Shears are the left-handed shears we recommend.  The most popular Bonika Shear in a left handed configuration is the Jazzy Lefty.

These and others can be found in the Bonika Shears Left Handed Collection.

It is important that left handed stylists cut with any left handed shear they plan to buy if possible before they purchase. If they are purchasing a left handed shear from the Bonika Shears Left Handed Collection, they have a 30 Day Return Policy. For those who have been cutting hair for a while and have been using a right handed shear in their left hand, they may notice that the hair tends to fold rather than cut. This is because you are cutting with a “crab grip.” A relaxed hand will make your left handed shears more likely to cut successfully.

This video shows the difference between a lefty shear and a right handed shear.

Often a swivel thumb shear like the Silk Twister Lefty or Rocker Lefty is an easier transition shear for left handed stylists because the thumb will rotate if the stylist puts too much side pressure on the thumb hole. The trick to getting used to cutting with a left handed shear is to cut more relaxed.

Another trick to making a left handed shear perform well for you is to put thick insert rings in the holes. These rings keep the fingers and thumb from sliding through the holes to put side pressure which makes a shear fold.

 Shear sharpeners must know the difference and know how to sharpen these and have the proper equipment. Bonnie Megowan of Bonika Shears trains sharpeners who sharpen both left and right handed shears and sells the Scimech flathone which can easily sharpen both left and right handed shears.