Shear Talk: Blades, Edges & Metals

Join award-winning pet stylists, Karen Tucker and Melissa Verplank as they talk about one of our favorite topics: shears.

Melissa admits that she is a shear junkie. At one time, her collection was huge. However, as much as she appreciated the wide variety of shears, she was a little unsure about how they really worked. Melissa compares it to owning a car – she can drive one just fine, but don’t ask her to get under the hood!

How about you? Do you tinker under the hood on a regular basis? Or do you just jump into your car and drive?

Do you know why there is such a huge variance in pricing? What makes a shear cut? Why do some shears sing when you open and close them, while others are silent? What types of edges should you look for? How loose or tight should you adjust your shear for optimum cutting?

Karen has been a long-time ambassador for the Geib Shear Company. Ed Geib and his team produce high-quality dog grooming scissors. For over thirty years, they have produced a very successful collection of grooming tools, meeting the needs of the beginner and advanced pet stylist worldwide. Over the years, Karen has worked very closely with Ed Geib and his team – both in their home state of Central Florida and at trade shows across the country.

In this lesson, Karen talks about shears in a way that’s easy to understand. She keeps it simple and focuses on the practicality of why shears work.

In this lesson, you will learn:

• the variables that dictate the difference in quality.
• what makes a shear cut well instead of folding the coat over.
• what makes a shear sing and why is it beneficial.
• what happens if you drop a shear.
• the difference between a German edge and a convex edge.