What’s THAT Cut Like?
Jessica Clark
Groomer. Sharpener. Enthusiast.
www.myclarkplace.com
Have you ever been browsing online and you see some wicked looking toothed shears pop up? I swear, my first question used to be, “what’s THAT cut like?!” I would even ask sales reps or sharpeners, but as much as I love my sharpening family, the answers would still leave me with questions.. Mainly, “I mean.. but what does it CUT like?…” Can you relate?
I remember I asked one of my sharpening friends to explain what a piano tooth fluffer cut like, and he said, “well, you know, thinners catch hair, while chunkers push it, so since the teeth are smooth, it will push instead of catch.” Like, seriously, are y’all following? I was not. So of course, I bought the shears, used them, and still thought, “yup. That was a weird way to describe how they cut.”
Now that I have a better understanding of the sharpening side of things and what he was saying, I want to see if I can use that knowledge to help describe how shears will cut based on their characteristics and features.
Blenders, Thinners, Chunkers, Fluffers.. What is What?
Initially this was going to be the topic of this week’s article, but unfortunately, while gathering information to neatly present what is what, there was a lot of conflicting information. As it would turn out, there is NOT agreement on terminology AT ALL. In fact, I was so positive I knew exactly what was what, and then I found other manufacturers, groomers, and sharpener/retailers who stated 3 totally different definitions of what is what. For instance, there is a huge divide that says true thinners have thinning teeth on both sides and blenders have thinning teeth only on one side with a cutting edge. I decided this was not a war I want to start, so instead, let’s just focus on characteristics of the shears instead of what the correct names for each are.
The Sandpaper Analogy
I have no clue who started this brilliant analogy, but I saw it come up a few times in other grooming groups from various people. With sandpaper, the higher the grit is, the less is removed from the surface you are sanding. Higher grit also means a smoother finish. This is also the case with toothed shears. The shears with more teeth are always going to remove the least amount of hair and leave the smoothest finish. This will typically be the thinning style shears with very fine teeth, typically v-notched. NOTE: There are exceptions dictated by spacing. Some Chunkers do not have much spacing so they have a smoother finish despite low teeth counts. Some cosmetology thinners I have seen have huge spacing between very thin v notched teeth. These obviously take very small amounts of hair despite their low teeth count. For the most part however, these rules will be applicable.
Chunkers will always have the least amount of teeth in comparison to the other styles. These also will remove the most hair and leave the roughest look. When I was trained to groom, chunkers were not even a thing, and the boxy little matrix finish they leave never sat right with me. I see other groomers who turn out beautiful work using the ones I sell however, and I will never understand. Hats off to you, my friends! Yes I know grooming is an ever-changing industry, and when it comes to chunkers, I failed to adapt. Haha
Piano-Tooth Fluffers, have more teeth than a chunker, but less than a thinner. In my opinion, they are the Goldie Locks shears because they are just right. Thinners take too long to remove hair (yes, I am ADHD and I like to have instant results). Chunkers remove too much and leave castle towers in the coat. But piano-tooth shears debulk a decent amount AND still manage to leave a smooth finish. They will always be my favorite.
Tooth Style
Understanding the style of teeth on the shears you are using will help you imagine what the hair removal will be like. When the sharpener had told me thinners catch hair, I was thinking about that wrong. I pictured how serrations catch hair. The v-notch is more like a guillotine. Hair gets settled down in that notch, and as the cutting edge of the shears closed, the trapped hair is sliced off.
Smooth teeth like chunkers and piano tooth shears are going to allow hair to push as the shears are closed, but will cut a decent amount as well. If the teeth are serrated, more hair will stick on the teeth and cut so that will increase removal a bit too.
Tooth Spacing
Tooth spacing is going to play a role too because if the teeth have big gaps in between, less hair will be removed and the finish will be more staggered. Teeth that are closer together will have less length left in between the teeth obviously and more hair removed.
Single teeth vs Double teeth
Double thinners will remove bulk faster than a single thinner will. The way it works out, there is simply more hair getting caught and cut than there is with a single thinner. As far as double chunkers, the Tsunami Chunkers by GSH have teeth on both sides, but the cutting edge only has shallow teeth. These have wide teeth, low count, so you would think, based on the sandpaper analogy, they would leave a rough finish, but with the unique design (due to narrow spacing) these actually leave a very natural smooth finish. The style is best suited, in my opinion, for silhouette cuts and fluffy butts. (It has a ring to it if you say it sort of with a swing to emphasize the words ‘cuts’ and ‘butts’, so just try it out, and you are welcome.)
There are many types of teeth on the market. Some are for function, some are for looks, some will change the industry. Hopefully this article will help you better visualize what each style of shear will cut like. If you ever have any questions on what a shear cuts like, feel free to reach out to me and I will post a video showing how shears cut on test hair. This is a great reason to attend shows too. Vendors offer test hair and you can see how each shear cuts so you know exactly what you would want to use them on.
Also remember, while there are thousands of sharpeners out there, not all are created equally. I have invested my entire savings in the tools, training, inventory, and miscellaneous expenses to be the best sharpener I can be. There are many sharpeners that struggle with toothed shears and these typically are the most difficult to repair bad sharpening on. Please keep this in mind if you invest a lot of money in your toothed-shears. Enjoy!
Teeth Pictures and Explanations
V-Notched Thinners: In case you are not familiar with V-Notches, now You can see them. Also notice how thin the teeth are. These thin teeth will only capture minimal hair between the tiny V-Notch for the least hair taken. These are ideal on fine details on faces and for surface finishing.
Tsunami Chunker: These are the double sided chunkers that have shallow smooth teeth on the cutting side and deep narrowly spaced smooth teeth on the other. These are an exception to the sandpaper analogy because while the teeth count is low, due to the narrow spacing, they still leave a cleaner finish. These also remove the most bulk out of the listed examples due to width of teeth and narrowness of spacing. They are ideal for silhouettes and natural shaping.
Chunker: A regular chunker has smooth teeth flared to have a large cutting surface but also at the narrow base, a wide spacing for hair to avoid being cut in between (the chunky look). The lower teeth count means more hair is removed.
Piano Tooth Fluffers: These have more teeth than a chunker, and less teeth than a thinner so many refer to them as a thinner or a hybrid. In my mind, a Thinner will only be a true thinner of it has V-notches. This is my opinion, and as mentioned before, all groomers and manufacturers have their own opinions on what is what, but since the teeth are smooth on these shears, I consider them more like a chunker that leaves a smooth finish. Key features: Smooth teeth, narrow teeth spacing, moderate width of teeth. These remove hair quickly like a chunker but with a finish similar to the thinner. Ideal for outlining, faces, and quick detail work on wiggly faces (sometimes a wiggly face needs faster results than a thinner can yield).
Double Thinner: Though this picture is not high quality, these shears will typically have thinner shaped teeth on both sides. Typically the cutter teeth will be smooth and opposite side is V-Notched. I really like them for all the things I would use single thinners on, but just in a quicker thinning speed. These are gaining popularity, however some groomers get them and never love them or set them aside. Also, I commonly get these shipped to me because other sharpeners have said they cannot sharpen them.
