Correct Dog Grooming Scissor Tension

Here at Abbfabb Grooming Scissors, we ensure that all our scissors are set with the correct tension before we send them out to our customers. 

It is important that when you have finished using your scissors for the day that they are cleaned thoroughly. Your scissors should then be stored in the fully closed position, to avoid any stray debris accidentally damaging the cutting section of the blade. Ideally, they should be stored in a case to protect them from environmental factors, and away from magnets, which can cause the scissors to attract dust and other particles.

Correct scissor tension is also extremely important for maintaining your dog grooming scissors and getting the best out of them. Not only having the correct tension, which will result in your scissors performing beautifully, it will also prevent the blades from locking or catching against one another.

If the dog grooming scissors is too tight or tense, the blades become stiff and do not move freely. This will result in unnecessary wearing down of the scissor and will cause fatigue for the dog groomer due to the extra effort required to move the blades. On the other hand, if the dog grooming scissor is too loose, this will result in the blades closing too quickly and will cause the hair to fold rather than be cut.

In order to test the tension you should lift the blades upright to a 90-degree angle and let it the cutting blade drop. If the scissor is at the correct tension the blade should only fall ideally to a ⅔ closed position. Please see the diagram below.

How to adjust the tension

After a time, the scissor tension may loosen. It is important that you hold the scissors at the handles and with blades facing upwards at a 90-degree angle. Adjust the tension screw extremely gently and allow the cutting blade to drop. Adjust the screw accordingly so that the blade only falls to a 2/3 (45-degree angle) closed position.  Again, please use the diagram below as a reference.

At Abbfabb Grooming Scissors, we use two scissor screw types:

The flat screw system is an ultra precise screw with little looseness. Because this screw is flat, it does not hinder the scissoring and does not get in the way of your comb. This screw can be adjusted using a scissor coin. We provide the scissor coins for all our flat screw dog grooming scissors.

The adjustable screw is raised from the surface of the scissors and means you can turn the screw by hand to tighten or loosen the tension. The only issue with this screw is it can get in the way of the comb and can snag your dogs hair in it.

Please watch our demonstration below to view the theory put into practice.