How to Choose Grooming Shears

There are so many different brands of grooming shears on the market, it's hard to know what will work best for you. Because dogs' coats and style clips vary so greatly, a successful professional dog groomer needs several pairs of shears with varying blades. Choosing the right pair of grooming scissors is the difference between grooming multiple dogs in a day and having a cramped hand after a single groom.

Things You'll Need

  • Grooming equipment catalogs
  • Used shears (for weight comparison)
  • Thumb/finger adjusters
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Instructions

    • 1

      Get online to find and order all the grooming equipment catalogs available. All catalogs should be free. Look at the closeup pictures of the different styles of grooming shears. Be prepared to pay at least $40 for quality pet grooming shears.

    • 2

      Decide what style of shears you need. There are many different styles of grooming shears, all with different cutting abilities. Try out the different cutting styles before making a purchase.

    • 3

      Go to online forums and ask for other groomers' opinions on their favorite style and weight for shears. Every groomer has their favorite; look for fair and accurate reviews of the ones you are interested in.

    • 4

      Go to local grooming shops and ask other groomers what they prefer to use. Ask them to demonstrate different shear blades such as thinning shears or curved blades. Ask the groomer which blade they like better and why.

    • 5

      Visit local grooming equipment shops to personally try out the feel and weight of the different shears. Try different finger and thumb grips to get the perfect size for your hand. Bring in your used grooming shears to make a comparable match to the weight. Ask if you can try the shears (on a piece of paper) to get the feel of them in your hand.