The KB line of scissors is crafted from genuine Hitachi Steel, known for its unparalleled quality. Hitachi and Aichi Steel—two of Japan’s premier specialty steel manufacturers—are globally recognized for producing the finest materials for high-performance cutlery. Founded in 1940 and 1956 respectively, Aichi Steel and Hitachi Metals have solidified Japan’s reputation as the leading source of specialty steel in the world.
It is important to note that some manufacturers falsely label their shears with “Hitachi” branding without using authentic Hitachi steel. While a low price can be a red flag for such imitations, be cautious of companies that may also overprice their products without delivering true quality. Hitachi and Aichi set the standard for Japanese steel excellence, and terms like “Super Japanese Steel” or “High Molybdenum” Japanese steel often signify alternatives that lack the quality and authenticity of Hitachi or Aichi products.
Shop our collection of authentic Hitachi steel shears to experience the difference genuine Japanese steel can make.
Handles
(First number before hyphen)
Example: C10-675D
- C10 is the handle. It drops the index finger inline to the ring finger.
- C10S the top blade handle is same but a swivel is added to the thumb.
- C11 is an opposing handle; the thumb and finger are in opposition.
- C15 is an opposing handle but has finger rests on both finger and thumb rings. It can be flipped to use either way.
- C20 is a slightly offset handle; the thumb is slightly forward from the ring finger.
- C30 is a slight crane handle. It bends downward from the blade. With this curve downward the stylists elbow will be closer to their side, resting their deltoid, with the scissor level. The crane handle was made to relieve fatigue and pain. This does not apply to all stylists because they don’t all cut the same.
- C40 is slightly different with finger ring higher
Note: The C20, C30 and C40 have only slight differences. - C55 The bumper, or silencer, which is usually located at the finger ring, is moved to the center of the handle. Some stylists like the fell of this style better but it is definitely not the most popular.
- C55S is a C55 with a swivel.
- C60 is a barber handle used for cutting over comb
- C61 is also a barber handle with modified finger/thumb rings
Blades
Shears are offered in different sizes from 5” to 7” There are a few shorter and longer but very uncommon. Following the handle number is a hyphen, then the scissor length.
C60-700 is a 7” scissor. The size is measured from the bottom of the finger ring to the tip of the scissor. If there is a finger rest extending from the ring finger it is not part of the measured scissor length.
Cutting
All other blades are all around cutting blades. They are highly rated wet/dry cutters. A specialized dry cutter has a serrated edge on the finger blade to hold dry hair while the thumb blade cuts. Above has none of these yet. But Washi does and I will carry it.
The D blade slide cuts better than any other blade on the market because of its innovative engineering. It is a specialty slide cutting blade. All blades can slide cut but the edge holds longer on this one for stylists who slide cut a lot.
Thinners/Blenders
6027NW
6” with 27 teeth the teeth are thin at the tip of the blade with each tooth widening slightly until the last one at the hilt. Hence, NW represents narrow to wide. The tip thins at 7% and the hilt at 35%. This leaves no cut line like other thinners. There is no other thinner on the market like this as this is patented. 6330NW 6 1/4 ” with 30 teeth from narrow to wide.
When thinners or blenders were introduced the difference was the amount of teeth on the blade. The NW blade has evolved a thinner/blender into one. It is the first of its kind. This one scissor can replace two as well as offer creativity seen in the youtube video.
