A good pair of kitchen shears are an essential tool in any chef’s kitchen. They can perform a multitude of tasks including cutting chicken and other poultry, vegetables, and herbs. They can also be used for opening packages or bags and so much more. They are an often overlooked tool that increases safety and control in the kitchen, functioning where knifes are not the best fit. There are a wide variety of models to choose from and it can be confusing for consumers at times. The best kitchen shears are sharp, made of high-quality materials, multi-functional, and come apart for cleaning. The BladeAdvisor team is here to help. We’ve selected and reviewed 10 of the top rated kitchen shears available.
In a hurry? Here are our favorites for the 3 best kitchen shears…
Cutco Model 77
Kitchen Shears
Top Features:
- Come Apart for Cleaning
- 4440A HC Stainless Steel
- Guaranteed Forever
Price: Click Here
Moricai Kershaw
Taskmaster Shears
Top Features:
- Come Apart for Cleaning
- Multi-Functional
- Lifetime Warranty
Price: Click Here
Shun Kitchen
Shears
Top Features:
- Comes Apart for Cleaning
- Adjustable angles
- Lifetime Warranty
Price: Click Here
Who Needs Kitchen Shears?
Everyone needs a good set of kitchen shears. They help anyone perform all sorts of tasks, from serious chefs using them to cut meat and vegetables to everyday moms and dads opening a package for the kids. As they have become more “multi-functional” in recent years, we’re finding more and more uses for them. We go deeper in to the many uses for kitchen shears below in our detailed buying guide.
Why a “Best Kitchen Shears” List?
Although kitchen sears are extremely useful and make life easier for anyone working hard in the kitchen, they can sometimes be an afterthought. When you think of tools for the kitchen, no one forgets silverware or steak knives, but scissors are often overlooked. For this same reason unfortunately, there aren’t many resources out there for helping consumers find the best kitchen shears. There are many good options, but there is also a good amount of cheap, junky scissors that won’t last and aren’t worth your money. The good news is, you don’t have to spend a fortune to get a good pair kitchen scissors. For the amount of functionality they provide us, a quality set of kitchen shears really don’t cost that much.
The list of our top 10 best kitchen shears is up next. For more information and details on how we selected them, common uses, how to sharpen kitchen scissors, and more, check out our comprehensive buying guide. It’s right below the top 10 kitchen shear reviews, actual customer feedback, and reviews.
Best Kitchen Shears List
1. Cutco Model 77 Super Shears
SUMMARY
The Cutco Model 77 Super Shears are made of 440A high-carbon stainless steel for the ultimate in hardness and corrosion resistance. This extremely versatile pair of scissors is perfect in the kitchen or just around the house for every day uses. The Super Shears can be used to disjoint chicken and cut through shellfish like crab legs and lobster or used to open that toy for your kids.
FEATURES
- 440A HC Stainless Steel
- Very Strong
- Come Apart for Easy Cleaning
- Ultra Durable
- Will Cut Almost Anything
- Dishwasher Safe
- Made in USA
- Forever Guarantee
WHY WE LIKE THEM
Every home should have at least one pair of Cutco Super Shears. These are an amazing product! They are strong, sharp, and extremely durable and are backed by Cutco’s “Forever Guarantee”. These shears are so tough that they were given the name “Super Shears”. So it should be no surprise that these Cutco shears are marketed by showing a pair cutting a real penny right in half! You probably don’t need them for this purpose, but it does go to show how tough and durable they are. These are a little more costly than others on the list, but their versatility makes it worth it. They will replace several other pairs of cheap scissors and last you a lifetime.
2. Moricai Kershaw Taskmaster Shears
SUMMARY
Kershaw’s Taskmaster shears are a must-have tool for the shop or at home. They are multi-purpose and are perfect as vegetable cutting scissors in the kitchen, opening packages in the home, or even trimming flowers in the garden. Of course, not only do these shears cut as you’d expect, but they also function as a screwdriver, bottle/jar opener, nutcracker, and more!
FEATURES
- High Performance Stainless Steel
- Come Apart for Easy Cleaning
- Multi-Function
- Nutcracker
- Jar Opener
- Bottle Cap Lifter
- Bone Notch
- Screw Driver Tips
- Lifetime Warranty
WHY WE LIKE THEM
The Kershaw Taskmaster model is a great set of kitchen shears, but they do so much more. It really is more like a multi-tool. You get a lot of value for your money with this set of scissors. We’d keep these in a handy place because you’ll be using them for everything in no time. It might be worth getting a couple of pairs!
3. Shun Kitchen Shears
SUMMARY
These Shun Premium Kitchen Shears (model no. DM7240) are a high quality product made from a high carbon stainless steel called molybdenum-vanadium. The stainless blades separate for cleaning and have a lifetime warranty.
FEATURES
- High Carbon Stainless Steel
- Come Apart for Easy Cleaning
- Very Sharp
- Bone Notch
- Made in Japan
- Lifetime Warranty
WHY WE LIKE THEM
These kitchen shears are another great product offered by this great brand, Shun, who makes some really nice Japanese knives. Like their knives, the Shun DM7240 scissors are well thought out and made of high-quality materials. They are sharp, have a bone notch, and a serrated blade to prevent slipping. All of these features make these great chicken cutting scissors or other types of poultry shears. They are also good as other meat shears.
4. Heirloom Culinary Shears
SUMMARY
These Heirloom poultry shears have spring loaded handles and give you great grip for added control. Similar to a boning knife, these food cutting scissors are made of thick high quality stainless steel. The seller claims that they will never come apart during usage. No matter what needs cut, these shears are up to the task. They can even cut sheet metal and prune trees!
FEATURES
- High Grade Stainless Steel
- Come Apart for Easy Cleaning
- Very Sharp
- Bone Notch
- Best Poultry Shears
- Lifetime Guarantee
WHY WE LIKE THEM
These are great poultry shears or meat cutting scissors. Top rated for spatchcocking a chicken or turkey, that is cutting out the backbone and laying it flat. The high grade stainless that runs throughout the length of the handles ensures they are corrosion resistant and will stand the test of time. They aren’t just for the kitchen either. They are great for the garden as well.
5. Zwilling J.A. Henckels Twin Kitchen Shears
SUMMARY
These ZWILLING J.A. Henckels kitchen shears (model no. 43967-200) are sharp and very heavy duty. The shears are put together with a screw for easy sharpening and precision blade movement.
FEATURES
- Forged Steel Blades
- Screw Assembly for Easy Sharpening
- Very Sharp
- German Made
- Lifetime Guarantee
WHY WE LIKE THEM
There’s not much to say about this simple pair of kitchen scissors. They are a perfect all-purpose scissor to have in your home or office. Customers love their ZWILLING shears and rave about how they last for decades due to the top quality craftsmanship!
6. Wusthof Grand Prix Kitchen Shears
SUMMARY
Wüsthof, a family-owned business known for their German-based knife making for more than 200 years offers these all-purpose kitchen shears. Made from high carbon stainless steel and a permanently bonded handle, they are rugged and eco-friendly. The blades are forged from single piece of steel by hand in a 38-step process.
FEATURES
- High Carbon Stainless Steel
- Hand-Forged
- Multi-Functional
- Sharp – Cuts Lobster Claws
- Made in Germany
- Lifetime Warranty
WHY WE LIKE THEM
Another great product by the famous knife makers out of Germany. Everything Wüsthof makes is of high quality, so why would these Wüsthof scissors be any different? Don’t be fooled by the cheap knock offs that look similar. These are the real deal as the Grand Prix is one of Wüsthof’s premier lines. Great pair of kitchen scissors!
7. Victorinox Kitchen Shear
SUMMARY
From the makers of the original Swiss Army knife, Victorinox knows how to make blades! Crafted from the highest quality carbon stainless steel, these German-made shears are durable and perform great.
FEATURES
- High Carbon Stainless Steel
- Rugged
- Long-Lasting
- Made in Germany
- Built-in Bottle Opener
WHY WE LIKE THEM
If you cannot afford the higher end kitchen scissors higher on our list, this pair of Victorinox shears is a good alternative for both food cutting as well as other all-purpose needs. Besides the built-in bottle opener, this set is a no-frills work horse product.
8. Kai Kitchen Scissors (DH-3005)
SUMMARY
Kai’s DH-3005 kitchen scissors have 18-8 stainless steel blades and heat resistant handles up to 130 degrees Fahrenheit.
FEATURES
- 18-8 Stainless Steel
- Come Apart for Easy Cleaning
- Inexpensive
- Reliable
WHY WE LIKE THEM
These are good, reliable kitchen scissors. Although Kai is a Japanese brand, recent reviews state that these scissors are now made in China. However, it does appear that for the price, these are still decent quality. Materials are not as desirable and they are less durable than the expensive kitchen scissors, but they are a decent cheap pair if that’s what you’re looking for.
9. Wusthof Kitchen Shears (WU5558)
SUMMARY
Very basic kitchen shears that are reasonably priced from Wüsthof. No fancy materials or high-end processes to make these a durable pair of scissors.
FEATURES
- Stainless Steel
- Come Apart for Easy Cleaning
- Inexpensive
- Sharp
- Integrated Bottle/Jar Opener
WHY WE LIKE THEM
Unfortunately, these are not the same Wüsthof quality that we’re used to. This is a Chinese made product that just bears the name of the great knife maker in Germany. These are a decent pair of kitchen scissors if you’re looking for something cheap. Just know that’s what you’re getting, something cheap! Looking for better Wüsthof-made scissors? Check out #7 on the list above.
Curious how we came up with the order for the list above?
We followed the selection process outlined below in our buying guide. You can follow the same criteria and find the best kitchen scissors for your particular needs.
Kitchen Shears/Scissors: The Complete Buying Guide
Whether you’re looking for herb, vegetable, or poultry shears for the kitchen or just need a good set of all-purpose kitchen scissors, we can help. This entire buying guide was assembled to assist consumers in finding the best kitchen shears for any given use, hand size, and budget level. The BladeAdvisor team will take you through many different kitchen scissors uses and cover how to sharpen your kitchen shears. But first, let’s discuss the elephant in the room.
What’s the difference between kitchen shears and kitchen scissors?
Technically, shears have one smaller finger hole and one larger finger hole. This allows the user to place more fingers in this hole and apply more cutting force on the object being cut. Conversely, scissors typically have two equally sized finger holes that are symmetric. Another difference is that shears are longer, say 6″ in blade length or longer versus scissors that are often shorter. We see these as estimations and not always true. Look, some of the shears listed above don’t even have finger holes! We, like most manufacturers, use the terms “kitchen shears” and “kitchen scissors” interchangeably.
How To Choose Good Kitchen Shears
The list of kitchen scissors reviews above is a great starting point. Reading through them will give you good insight into the top kitchen shears available. However, educating yourself on what’s important when choosing scissors for your kitchen is even more powerful if you have the time to learn. It can empower you to make the decision for yourself and decide what kind of budget or investment you should be making for your situation. No one else can really tell you that. We are all in different stages of our lives.
Let’s look at the some of the most important criteria to consider when looking to buy kitchen shears. By the way, these are pretty much how we selected our favorite kitchen shears on the list above, with a special emphasis on the last one.
Blade & Handle Materials
Manufacturers of kitchen shears or scissors make them out of many different materials, mostly some sort of steel alloy. Stainless steel is great for corrosion resistance, but without a high carbon content, the blades just aren’t very hard. Some the kitchen shears made by higher-end knife makers like Shun and Cutco utilize a high carbon stainless steel, similar to what’s used in high quality knives. This gives scissors rust resistance, but also very hard blades. Typically, the harder the blade, the longer it will hold it’s sharp edge. As for handles, most use very durable plastics. It’s best if you can find kitchen shears that have their steel blades extend throughout their handles as well. Those that don’t can be vulnerable to failure where the steel ends.
Craftsmanship
The best kitchen scissors are often made by the top knife makers. This is because they know which materials and manufacturing processes work well for durability and keeping an edge sharp over a long period of time. Balance is another thing that makes a good set of shears.
In addition to these things, it’s important to consider if as specific pair of food cutting scissors is left-handed or right-handed. Most are actually ambidextrous, but not all. Make sure you take a look before you buy, just in case. Last but not least, many chicken or poultry shears will have micro-serrations to keep the wet, slimy chicken from slipping while cutting.
Separating Blades
It might seem like a funny thing the first time you see that most of the best kitchen shears come apart. Although it might seem silly, this is actually a very important feature on kitchen shears, more specifically, food cutting scissors. When you cut food, especially chicken or other proteins, raw meat can contaminate your scissors. They need to be thoroughly cleaned immediately after this to reduce the likelihood of bacteria spreading. The ability of kitchen shears to separate the blades for cleaning is very important. This makes the scissors more like two separate knives during cleaning and allows you to get into any crack or crevasse. You’ll notice that almost every pair, and for sure the top 3, of kitchen scissors on our list can come apart for easy cleaning. This is a big deal!
Multi-Purpose Scissors
This criteria really depends on your specific needs and the reason you need kitchen shears. We want you to know that some food cutting scissors are pretty basic, but use high-quality materials, have sharp blades, and will last for many years. Other kitchen scissors are more multi-purpose and have many other functions. The Kershaw Taskmaster is a great example, and there are several others available as well. We just like the Taskmaster best for multi-purpose kitchen scissors.
Some “extra” features above and beyond basic cutting that can be fund on some kitchen scissors include can openers, nut crackers, bone notches, jar openers, screwdriver tips, and more. Keep this in mind if you are looking for more than just herb or vegetable cutting scissors.
Budget/Price-Point
Just like most products, in shears you get what you pay for. If you want the best kitchen scissors, you’ll have to spend a little more. It’s typically a good investment though. When reading customer reviews online, you’ll often see a comment similar to this one, “I’ve purchased 3-4 pairs of cheap kitchen shears in the past and they’ve all broken in the first year. I finally splurged and bought “X shears” and I love them. I should have done this years ago because I spent just as much and don’t have anything to show for it.” This is a typical story we’ve heard throughout our research of kitchen shears. If you can’t afford more than $20, spend $20 or less. If you can afford better shears, consider spending a few extra bucks to get some that will last for many years. You will end up saving money in the long run. Some of the best kitchen shears will last you a lifetime!
Product Reviews & Customer Feedback
Knowledge is power! The BladeAdvisor team knows this and lives this. We want to educate you so you know how and where to spend your money wisely. No one wants to waste their hard earned money on something that will break shortly after buying it. With the internet, everyone has more information at their fingertips, for free mind you, than our grandparents could have dug up in their lifetimes. Our recommendation…USE IT!
We’ve spent many hours sharing our best kitchen scissors reviews above and writing this buying guide. Besides product reviews like those above, actual customer feedback and ratings published online at retailers can be invaluable during your search. Not every single one of them is pertinent to your purchase, but if 30% of the reviews of a specific product says it falls apart when you try to cut something, odds are that there is a flaw and they might come apart on you. We put a hefty emphasis on this criteria when assembling our own recommended list. We ensure customers love a product before we recommend it to others.
Kitchen Scissor Uses
If you’ve read this far, you already know there are many uses for kitchen scissors. It’s time to name several of them in one place to give you some ideas for how to use yours. This might also help you determine what kind of kitchen scissors to buy. Perhaps you never thought of using them for something, but after seeing this list, you’ll want to. First, here’s a cool video from Bon Appétit that might spark some ideas.
Poultry Shears
Shears are great for cutting chicken and other poultry items. It can be unsafe to cut slippery chicken with a knife in one hand and the raw meat in the other hand.
Meat Shears
For similar reasons to chicken, cutting raw or cooked meat with kitchen shears increases control and safety in the kitchen for chefs, moms, and all cooks for that matter.
Vegetable Cutting Scissors
Vegetables like green beans, pea pods, asparagus, and others are a much easier task with a good pair of kitchen shears vs. a knife. We encourage you to give it a shot sometime.
Nut Cracker
Many multi-functional kitchen scissors include extra features like jar and bottle openers as well as a nut cracker like seen in the image above. Ever thought of using scissors for this?
Herb Cutting Scissors
Another common use for kitchen shears is for cutting herbs of all kinds. This could be slicing and dicing them for a dinner meal or could be used in the garden as the herbs need picked.
Trimming Bacon
Whether trying to trim some fat off bacon or cutting it up into small pieces for a dinner salad (real bacon bits), cutting bacon is a great use for your newly bought kitchen shears.
Cutting Shellfish
Lobster tails, crab legs, and shrimp are all shellfish that can be cut, trimmed, shelled, or broke open with kitchen shears. A good pair makes light work of an otherwise difficult task.
Pizza Cutting Scissors
You might have thought a pizza slicer was the best way to cut pizza. Well, they work fine too, but consider using your food cutting scissors for this job next time you cook pizza.
Opening Bags/Boxes
While this is the most unlike the other uses, it might be one of the most common uses. Everyone in the family will pick up the kitchen shears to open bags, boxes, and more.
Caring for Kitchen Shears
If you’re going to invest in a nice set of kitchen shears, you need to make sure you take care of them. Maintaining the edge quality, storage, and how you use them are all important in keeping them in good shape so they last you for years to come. We want you to enjoy your new, high-quality scissors. Please keep the following in mind as you use them. To keep it easy to remember, just think of the 3 “keeps”: Keep them clean, keep them sharp, and keep them dry.
Keep Them Clean
By keeping your shears clean, it ensures food and/or other things don’t build up on the blades and damage them. It also keeps them from dulling prematurely for reasons they shouldn’t. Some kitchen shears are marketed as dishwasher safe. They probably are, but the BladeAdvisor team recommends hand-washing kitchen shears to increase their life.
Keep Them Sharp
Keeping the blades on your new kitchen scissors ensures the edges don’t get damaged beyond repair. It’s probably not as difficult to sharpen your kitchen scissors as you think it is. For more detail and some recommendations around this, take a look at the next section “How To Sharpen Kitchen Shears”.
Keep Them Dry
It’s always important to keep your kitchen scissors dry. Some models are made of stainless steel, but not all are. Even many of those made of stainless include a high carbon content to make the blades harder. In almost all cases, even stainless blades are only corrosion-resistant, not corrosion proof. By keeping the blades dry, you’ll be extending the life of your kitchen scissors. This is one of the primary reasons we recommend that you not put your scissors in the dishwasher.
How To Sharpen Kitchen Shears
Electric or Manual?
Unfortunately most shears have wider blades and/or different edge angles than kitchen knives. In rare cases, you might have some shears with thinner blades that match edge angles, but in most situations we recommend using a steel or sharpening stone rather than an electric knife sharpener for this task.
Almost Sharp Scissors/Shears
For shears that aren’t very dull, you can simply take them apart and run them over a steel to touch-up the blade. Make sure to try and match the angle during this process. This will ensure a nice sharp edge if done often and you should only need to take the step below on rare occasions if kept in good shape.
Very Dull Scissors/Shears
In the case where your kitchen shears have gotten very dull or the edge is even slightly damaged, you’ll need more than a basic steel. You’re going to need a sharpening stone to complete the job. Just as above, first separate the blades from one another. By matching the edge angle on the stone, you can sharpen the blades in a similar fashion to that shown in the video above in order to do a more thorough job on your scissor blades.
Other Scissor/Shear Sharpening Resources
Depending on the severity, there are different theories on how to best sharpen scissors/shears. Here are some additional resources to check out if you have an interest in this topic.
BobVila.com: https://www.bobvila.com/articles/how-to-sharpen-scissors/
Curbly: https://www.curbly.com/sharpen-scissors
Sharpening Made Easy: https://sharpeningmadeeasy.com/scissor.htm
BladeAdvisor (Serrated Blades): https://bladeadvisor.com/how-to-sharpen-serrated-knives/
Kitchen Shears: The Final Cut on This Great Kitchen Tool
Now that you’ve seen our shear reviews, some top recommendations for the best kitchen shears on the market, and a comprehensive buying guide, you should be pretty close to being an expert now. Hopefully you feel like you could select your own now. As you’ve found out, kitchen shears are so much more than just a pair of scissors for opening a bag of candy for the kids. They’re such a great tool if you know what you use them for, and now you do!
By investing in the right pair of kitchen shears, you should be buying the only pair you’ll ever need. However, if like most you go for a cheap pair of shears, you’ll be doomed to the same outcome. Time to buy another pair every year or two. You end up spending the same amount over the long run (until you buy the good ones that is), but you’ll have nothing to show for it since you threw all the broken pairs out!
As you saw above, the BladeAdvisor team selected the Cutco Super Shears as our top choice! Before we button up this post, here’s a quick video showing you how Cutco’s Super Shears are made.
Our fun on kitchen shears has come to an end. Thank you for reading our kitchen scissors reviews as well as our detailed buying guide. We hope you learned a few things along the way since that was the point. We encourage you to try out some of the kitchen scissor uses above. They should help you get more use out of an already great tool.