finding affordable shears

[archel]

So, I was in Target and noticed many pairs of shears (I had never noticed before because I wasn't really looking). I saw some by Sally Hansen, Trim, and some by Goody, I think. Are any of these decent or is this something I really need to spend more money on for a pro pair from Sally's?

I think I'm getting bangs sometime in the future and would like to get them cut by a pro the first time and then maintain them myself. I used to do that when I had short Bettie Page bangs. (Not doing that style this time, I think longer wispy bangs this time).

[motormuffin]

I got mine from a craft show. They have one here that comes once a year. There is a special scissor guy I got them from. I think it was these people...http://www.prosimco.us/index.htm
I think you would be fine going to Sally. I had some cheaper ones before and I could tell the difference and I'm not a hair cutter. I remember them being about $35.

[Anje]

I've got two pairs, one from Sally and one pair of Goody's. While I can definitely tell that there's a difference in the quality of the shears, both pairs cut my hair cleanly. Neither gives me lots of splits if I trim with them. For S&D and trimming my own hair, therefore, it doesn't seem worth it to pay a lot.

[pixiedust]

As a hairdresser, I can tell you that the sharpness of your shears are extremely important. Unless you cut a lot of hair often, and/or using a lot of specific, creative techniques, they brand/quality style is not. Look for stainless steel blades. I'd recommend purchasing something like these;

http://www.sallybeauty.com/haircutting-shears/JILBERE57,default,pd.html?cgid=Supp14

But if you're concerned with making sure they stay in good shape and keep you from cutting unevenly/getting splits, find somewhere reputable to get them sharpened in your area every 8 or so uses, because cheaper blades tend to get duller faster. Honestly It might even be more cost effective to buy new ones every 6-8 uses, being as sharpening usually costs around 15 dollars.

Usually, if you ask salons about who sharpens their shears, you might find somebody who does a really good job for a nice price. You can also look for classes in your area,which although is probably also going to be more expensive than regularly replacing your shears, it's a nice certification to have if you're into doing odd jobs ;)

You won't have to sharpen shears with higher quality blades nearly as often, but you'd still need to sharpen them. A lot of what the price has to do with is brand recognition, comfort for prolonged use and modification for specific cutting style/techniques.

Hope I could be of help ! :)

EDIT: Wanted to add that for trimming splits S&D style, a $1 pair of nail scissors is probably more ideal than full length shears, in case you were wondering about that (:

[MissManda]

I have a pair of Conair hair scissors that I bought at Bi-Mart for about five dollars. They work well for cutting out small sections of hair and S&D, but they cannot handle the thickness of my hair. I need to go very slowly and carefully with them when trimming, which does get annoying at times. They re-sharpen well and have not given my fine hair any split ends.

So if you are going to be doing any self-trimming, I do recommend getting some higher quality scissors, especially if your hair is very dense. If you are just going to be using them to trim bangs or search and destroy, a cheaper pair should do.