Kai 5210 8-inch Dressmaking Shears (N5210)

Fantastic shears, like them better than my Gingers. My best fabric shears that I use only for fabric. Bought my wife a set and then my son. Love these. Use them for all types and weights of fabric. Very comfortable for long use and I have large hands.

My prior scissors had failed. Spectacularly so and under the most elementary of conditions - cutting a thin piece of cardboard. I could have torn the cardboard by hand. It was nothing to me. But in an attempt to be a modern human I decided to use my scissors. One of the defining characteristics of humanhood is our intelligence and one of the primary characteristics of our intelligence is our ability to use tools to generate leverage and accomplish tasks that would otherwise be impossible. It had been a while since i’d demonstrated this fact to myself.But as it turns out, paper sometimes really does beat scissors and as i attempted to cut a pathetic piece of cardboard it was the scissors that ended up in two pieces. Failure.The internet quickly yielded some suggestions for a replacement scissors, the Kai 5210 8-inch Dressmaking Shears being one of them. A few clicks later it was in my hands. (I’m skipping over the bit where my clicks initiated a complex payments workflow followed by an even more complex logistics system where the item was picked, packed, put on a truck and delivered to my door. I’m skipping this because it’s unnecessary for the purposes of explaining to you, the reader, what happened and honestly the description would needlessly elongate this review maybe to the point where you might start to think ‘what the f is wrong with this guy.’ And I don’t think we need to get to that point. Agreed? Onward.)I’ve had the Kai 5210 8-inch Dressmaking Shears for about eight months now and have used it for tasks great and small. The craftsmanship is humble but serviceable. It’s not the most beautiful scissors I’ve ever seen; For example the plastic edges around the handle could be finished a little better. But the heft is good, the proportions are reasonable and there’s a reassuring “Made in Japan” label on the side. Let’s put it this way, when i took it out of the packaging I wasn’t disappointed.And that’s where things pretty much stood for the longest time. I now owned a reliable scissors. It was there in the drawer, or on the countertop waiting to be used. It cut when called upon and I didn’t run with it. A perfect partnership.But yesterday I was cleaning out some junk and happened up my growing collection of used ring bound notebooks. You know the ones - sheaves of paper collected in single file by a cold metal spiral. Strong and flexible. The reason my collection was growing is that while I wanted to throw them out, the rules for recycling online seemed to indicate that i needed to remove the metal spiral and put the rest in the paper recycling bin. This is a chore.Sure i could have just tossed them out. I could have hidden them in a pile of regular trash. Nobody would ever know. But one of the defining characteristics of humanhood is (still) our intelligence and one of the primary characteristics of our intelligence is our ability to recognize that our actions have long term consequences and that our stewardship over the world can be meaningful if we make it so. I was going to recycle these infernal contraptions, come hell or high water, but so inconvenient was this process that I ended up storing the notebooks with the intention of either one day recycling them correctly or maybe the recycling regulations would change, idk. Short of waiting for an event that may never occur, how to remove the shackles of steel binding the paper together?This was my conundrum as I stared at the pile of notebooks.As if from nowhere the scissors was in my hand. I looked down at it. It looked up at me (probably). “Scissors,” I said, (I hadn’t named it yet. Still haven’t), “now might be a really good time for you to get cutting.”“That’s my secret @thekarldaly on twitter... I’m always cutting”It sheared through the adamantium rings as if they were nothing. The pages fell free in an instant showering the floor of my apartment with oversized confetti with scribbles on it.I gazed down at my hand now in awe. Though I was now basically wielding two samurai swords loosely riveted together I knew that cutting through metal was not the way to maintain these blades. Inspecting them closely I saw the barest suggestion of wear on the edge but nothing more. You wouldn’t notice if you weren’t looking for it.I turned my attention instead to cutting the paper. Through eighty or more leaves at a time it sliced, laughing as it did so. When all was said and done a pile of paper ready for recycling stood at my side. The paper leaves’ training was complete enough that even freed from their shackles they stuck together. Soldiers to the end.And as for the scissors? If it could have yawned, it would have. (I just symbolically opened and closed the blades right there in a little yawn. That will have to do.)

These scissors are great. A+ design, quality and functionality. I like them so much I’ve even purchased them to give as gifts! Everyone can use a nice pair of scissors, but you probably don’t know what you’re missing until you try them. They’re sharp and feel comfortable in your hand. They’re not too heavy and don’t pinch your fingers. I have 3 pairs and use them for everything from trimming houseplants, cutting fabric & canvas, wrapping presents and opening packages to cutting pizza, green onions and fresh herbs in the kitchen. I also have a backup unopened pair. I had no idea I could care so much about scissors but it’s a small upgrade that really pays off over time. Treat yourself or someone else!

My wife sews professionally. She does alterations, repairs, and custom sewing. She stays pretty busy at it, and all of her customers compliment her very skilled work.Like many others have mentioned, for a long time we both thought that Gingher scissors were the best. We were loyal to Gingher. Grandma has a wonderful pair of Gingher scissors. But we've been struggling with the poor quality of late production Gingher scissors for several years. Twice, we've even sent scissors in to Gingher for servicing, but they came back little or no better. Gingher scissors will variously grab in spots, not cut at the very ends of the blades, or be hard to close. Cindy had resorted to using a pair of $10 Fiskar scissors, which aren't great, but they cut better than her Gingher's. Wanting to help her with this problem, and after reading so many positive reviews, I took it upon myself to order her a pair of these Kai brand.Cindy is thrilled with these Kai scissors. She can't stop talking about how much she loves them. They're comfortable to use, require very little force to cut even heavy fabrics, they cut the sheerest fabrics just as well, They are sharp, and the cut well right out to the tips of the blades.With the cost of even sending a pair of Gingher scissors to Gingher for servicing at $12 a pair, plus shipping costs to get them to Gingher, it's an easy decision to just throw them away. Then spend to only $6 more to get a pair of these fantastic Kai scissors.I like using good tools myself, so I'm happy to help supply my wife with the best tools she can own. I was so pleased with my wife's reaction to these $22 scissors that I ordered her three more Kai scissors; one pair of 5-inch in the same series, an 8-inch pair of the Professional series, and a 10-inch Professional series. She's a professional and she deserves professional tools.Maybe Grandma will leave us the good Gingher scissors in her will, but there's still no way they can be better than these $22 Kai scissors. We would prefer to buy an American product, but can't afford to subsidize poor American quality.-------------------------------------------------------------------UPDATE (Sept. 2016): After two years of using her Kai Scissors almost every day. Cindy says the three large pair still cut like new. She keeps the 8 inch Pro scissors at her sewing machine. She keeps the 8 inch Dressmaker Shears at the ironing board. And she uses the 10-inch Pro scissors less often for cutting bulk fabric. She says that those three pair sill cut like new. About this lower cost pair (5210) she says, "If these were the only ones I had, I would be very happy with them. But the Pro Series scissors are just a little more precise feeling and have a more comfortable handle. I'm glad for all four pair."She has also used the little pair of embroidery scissors every day to cut thread at her sewing machine. This is a LOT of use for these little scissors and they have finally (after more than two years of daily use) gotten to where they don't cut well on the last 1/2 inch of the tips where she uses them the most. This isn't at all disappointing, but it is time to order another pair. Professionals do expect to wear out tools eventually.Also, shortly after trying out Cindy's Kai scissors, even grandma put her Gingher scissors away for good when her beau bought her a set of Kai scissors. She also says, "Wow, I can't imagine how I got along without these." The Ginghers are relegated to be heirloom pieces.

These scissors cut very easy and are a great price.

This is the best pair of scissors! Have gingers, they are heavy. These are light weight and they are sharp all the way to the tip!

These are the third pair I purchased. I like any Kai products. They cut well, and get sharpen well with a sharpener. I was surprised to see my most recent pair were no longer made in Japan, unlike my first two. They are still Kai, but I was a bit disappointed that Kai doesn't make them in Japan any more.