Here at Anglers All, we carry more than 30 different fly tying scissors. Like so many things in the world of fly tying, the options are surprisingly varied. If you’ve ever found yourself at the fly shop staring at a wall of scissors and scratching your head, we don’t blame you.
To help us simplify the options and lay it out plainly, we spent some time chatting with two of our favorite tyers, Ben Baxter and Johnnie Trujillo. They had some great advice…
Price Points
The first thing you may notice when looking at a large selection of fly tying scissors, is the wide range in price points. You may see scissors that range from $10 up to $100. What gives?
“In every category of scissors, you’ll see a range of price points from the low end to the high end,” Johnnie explained. “The difference is the materials. The higher-end options will be built with better components, better blades, and will generally be more durable and stay sharp longer.”
Is it worth the upgrade? That’s up to each individual tyer. How much you use your scissors and how you use them will help you determine if a more expensive scissor is worth the investment.
Materials
If materials are the biggest difference maker in price, which materials should you be aware of? While most scissors are built with stainless steel blades and components, keep in mind that not all steel is the same. Higher quality steel will generally stay sharp longer and be more durable than lower quality steel.
“You will also notice that some scissors are built with Tungsten Carbide blades,” Ben added. “This is a high quality material that provides some very sharp and long-lasting blades. And in some cases, the price point is going to reflect that.”
Length
According to both Johnnie and Ben, length is mostly a matter of personal preference.
“Longer blades can be very helpful when working with a material like deer hair or elk hair,” Johnnie told us. “When you’re trying to cut that hair away from the hide, having a longer blade makes that easier. But in many situations, length comes down to preference.”
Johnnie added that he prefers using scissors with long blades because he can use the inside portion for wire and tough materials, while keeping the tips sharp for everything else.
Curved vs. Straight Blades
Johnnie and Ben both agreed that straight blades are the go-to choice in most situations. Though an option with curved tips is nice to have whenever you’re trying to get a close cut on any material that’s more than just thread.
Serrated vs. Smooth Blades
Among all of the other options out there, you’ll also notice that some scissors have serrated blades, while others do not. Some scissors even feature one serrated blade and one smooth blade.
As a general rule, serrated blades are better at gripping materials. This helps the scissor grab onto those synthetics that tend to be a bit slippery, or bit into heavier materials.
On the other hand, smooth blades tend to make a clean cut and they are great for cutting thread and fine natural materials. But with one caveat – they need to be sharp. When smooth blades get dull, they have a tendency to push the material aside rather than cut it cleanly.
COMMON TYPES OF SCISSORS
All Purpose
Like the name suggests, all-purpose scissors are a good option for tyers who want one thing that can do it all.
“All-purpose scissors are a great place to start,” Johnnie said. “You can do everything you need to do, even if not perfectly. All-purpose scissors are my go-to blades. I tend to use just one pair of scissors for everything. And then I replace them when they wear out.”
Arrow Scissors
Arrow scissors have a narrow point and fine blades that are great for detail work. If you tie a lot of small flies or find yourself making detail cuts, these could be a good option. Arrow scissors also have a notch for cutting wire.
Razor Scissors
Similar in style to all-purpose scissors, razor scissors have fine blades and are usually made with very sharp, high-grade steel.
“Razor scissors are my go-to scissors that I use for almost everything,” Ben told us. “Though admittedly, I do keep a pair of old beard trimming scissors on my tying desk for cutting wire as well.”
Hair Scissors
You will see many pairs of scissors in our shop calling out a use on hair. These scissors are generally larger with thicker blades and excel at cutting tough materials like elk hair and heavy synthetics.
“If you tie a lot of large streamers with spun deer hair, or are working on reloading your dry fly box with elk hair caddis patterns, a pair of hair scissors is a nice to have, Johnnie explained. They will stay sharper longer when being used on these material types.
Braid Scissors
When it comes to cutting those tough, synthetic materials, Ben said that having a braid scissor can be handy. If you find yourself working frequently with mylar, tubing or braid materials, you might consider adding a braid scissor to your toolkit.
Squeeze-Style Scissors
“Squeeze scissors are ergonomically friendly,” Ben noted. “They are great for in-hand tying and they really excel at making fine cuts and detail work.”
Adjustable Tension Scissors
We often get asked about the adjustment knob on some of the scissors we carry. These adjustable tension scissors allow the tyer to make fine adjustments on how stiff the scissors are to open and close. “When working on very small flies making very small cuts you don’t want to fight stiff scissors. But you do want a stiffer squeeze when cutting bunched up materials because the cut will be more accurate”, says Ben.
Contact Us With Questions
Have questions about fly tying materials or tools? If you need a hand, please let us know. If you’re on the Front Range or in the Denver area, come see us at the fly shop in Littleton. Otherwise, give us a call at 303-794-1104. In the meantime, check out our selection offly tying scissors.
