# Scissors: Type, Size & Brand Recommendation



## Malasarus (Apr 4, 2016)

First, some questions! =D

How intricate do you plan on making your grooms?
What size poodle will you be grooming? Your standard?
Do you have a pair of clippers and guards already?
What's the budget?


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## NH10023 (Oct 16, 2014)

Hello Malasarus 

*How intricate do you plan on making your grooms?*
I keep her in a basic cut, but I may experiment down the line. 

*What size poodle will you be grooming? Your standard?*
We have a two year old, standard female and a male standard puppy on the way! 

*Do you have a pair of clippers and guards already?*
Yes, I have an Andis, 2-speed with two blades each of #'s 10 and 7. I also purchased large and small comb attachments.

*What's the budget?*
I have already spent about $900 (I'm pretty sure I've got everything, but want to make sure I got the right scissors/shears). I figure I will re-coup the cost very quickly and therefore have not limited myself to a budget at this point. I would like to invest in great quality products, but I don't want to spend money on something that I really don't need either, you know?


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## Mysticrealm (Jan 31, 2016)

Comb attachments usually go onto size 30 or 40 blades so look into which you need for your combs. 

As far as scissors go everybody has their own preferences. I would probably go with a pair of 8 inch straight shears as they would be the most universal. I usually use 10" for everything but that's a lot of scissor for someone less experienced 

The absolute biggest thing when it comes to getting a decent finish on a poodle is blowdrying them straight. If you can't get them blowdried straight then having high quality scissors isn't going to make a difference as the dog will never look smooth. I would probably spend my money on a good force dryer and maybe a clamp that can hold it if you want to stretch the hair (my force dryer is powerful enough that I don't need to stretch the hair on pet grooms but it's also very expensive). I say invest in a force dryer rather than a stand dryer due to saving time. My st poo puppy is only 4 months old and I'm an experienced groomer and if still takes me a full hour to bath and dry him using the stand dryer (he's a show dog and my breeder thinks force dryers can break hair since they need to be kept so long and that every mm of hair is important, you wouldn't notice any hair breakage on a regular pet groom) force drying him would probably cut a good 20 mins off of that hour. And he's only small yet so the times will get longer (especially as his hair grows)


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## Mysticrealm (Jan 31, 2016)

Due to the poodles curly coat you do not generally need thinning shears. Chunkers are another think to look into. They are a cross between a thinner and a regular scissor and you use them like a regular scissor but they are more forgiving than a regular scissor. Some people love them some don't. I personally have never used one (too poor at the moment to buy one) so I can't say.


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## sidewinder (Feb 3, 2016)

I agree on the need for a 30 or 40 to use under the combs. Personally, I do my dog's face and feet with a 40 also. As far as scissors go, if you only want to buy one pair, get some good 8" straights. I love curved shears, and do most of my work with them, so if you can afford it, get a good pair of 8" curves, too. 

The thing about scissors is that if you cheap out, you will be sorry. Get good quality. You can order from a catalog, but your best bet is to go to a dog show and try them out. Individual shears are different even within a brand name. Sometimes a pair of shears is a little wonky, or has a spot where they don't cut. It's best to try them out before you spend the money. The scissors the pros use generally start at $100 and go up from there. You might get some OK scissors for $60.


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## Malasarus (Apr 4, 2016)

With a high quality budget I would probably buy something from Kenchii. You shouldn't really need thinners or chunkers, (until you start getting fancy anyway - then consider chunkers) but you'll want straights and curves around 7-8 inches long. The Kenchii site is easy to navigate and they have everything well seperated by price and size. Get the best you can afford that you like the specs of!

Other good brands: Sharkfin, Geib, Senseii.

And I agree about getting a force drier. They are amazing! Make drying much faster and once you've got the technique down everything will be so fluffy.


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## NatalieAnne (Jul 23, 2016)

Mysticrealm said:


> Comb attachments usually go onto size 30 or 40 blades so look into which you need for your combs.
> 
> As far as scissors go everybody has their own preferences. I would probably go with a pair of 8 inch straight shears as they would be the most universal. I usually use 10" for everything but that's a lot of scissor for someone less experienced
> 
> The absolute biggest thing when it comes to getting a decent finish on a poodle is blowdrying them straight. If you can't get them blowdried straight then having high quality scissors isn't going to make a difference as the dog will never look smooth. I would probably spend my money on a good force dryer and maybe a clamp that can hold it if you want to stretch the hair (my force dryer is powerful enough that I don't need to stretch the hair on pet grooms but it's also very expensive). I say invest in a force dryer rather than a stand dryer due to saving time. My st poo puppy is only 4 months old and I'm an experienced groomer and if still takes me a full hour to bath and dry him using the stand dryer (he's a show dog and my breeder thinks force dryers can break hair since they need to be kept so long and that every mm of hair is important, you wouldn't notice any hair breakage on a regular pet groom) force drying him would probably cut a good 20 mins off of that hour. And he's only small yet so the times will get longer (especially as his hair grows)


For those members with toy poodles, would you also recommend a force dryer? If so, are there different sizes?


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## King Louie (May 27, 2016)

The force air dryer is a little too much on Adonis when I tried a small one on him it only had 2 speeds low and high and the low setting was a lot for him he had trouble trying to stand and forget about trying it on his face and TK. That was the one and only time I tried it on him. I prefer the hand held dryers I still get the fluffy look and it doesn't take long at all to dry him and his hair is over 4 inches long


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## Mysticrealm (Jan 31, 2016)

NatalieAnne said:


> For those members with toy poodles, would you also recommend a force dryer? If so, are there different sizes?


I use a very powerful force dryer on 90% of my dogs including my 3 pound pom. I only don't use it on the very few dogs that find hand drying stressful (usually elderly dogs). Never had one have trouble standing due to the pressure. However a less powerful (there for cheaper) force dryer vs. a stand/handheld dryer won't make much time difference on a toy poodle.


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## Malasarus (Apr 4, 2016)

Yeah I also use the force dryers on even tiny toy dogs. You may have to put it on low and hold the dog on a table and/or stand back a bit if they're really tiny. There are ones out there with fully adjustable speeds, however. But they tend to be expensive.


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