Recommendations for Electric Scissors or Shears (not for hair)
July 10, 2017 4:07 AM   Subscribe

I'm looking for recommendations for electric scissors or electric shears. They'd be primarily used for fabric/sewing, and it'd be a nice bonus if they worked on paper.

It's for someone who broke her wrist over a year ago. She has pain when using hand scissors for any length of time, so noise, weight and vibration are a consideration.

I've no strong preferences between rechargeable or 120vac corded units. I'm not really sure if I want to go with a rotary cutter. Price isn't too much of an object, but I don't think a commerical-duty unit would be appropriate. I also I'd rather stay away from Ronco or cheapie units. It looks like Black and Decker made a one that fits the bill, but it's discontinued.
posted by klarck to Sports, Hobbies, & Recreation (2 answers total)
 
I'm not familiar with using electric shears, but I know that one of the first rules of sewing is that you should always have one pair of scissors for fabric and another for everything else, as the fabric ones need to be kept very, very sharp. Also, it's very easy to get rotary cutters designed for fabric, so if she finds them comfortable to use that may solve some of it.
posted by peppermind at 7:04 AM on July 10, 2017 [3 favorites]


I have the Black & Decker scissors you mentioned & got them for the same reason your friend needs them. They do just what you want--I use mine for fabric cutting, which took some practice to master (so don't start using them on your finest fabric; practice a lot on scraps). They certainly cut paper, too. I have had other electric scissors & these are the best ones I have used. I see they are on Amazon & eBay at pretty high prices. Probably worth it because of the quality and general lack of availability of good electric scissors. They are not super lightweight, so that may be a consideration for your friend.

Another possibility to relieve pain when cutting fabric/paper is using Fiskars Softouch scissors that use a different cutting motion. I found these made a big difference. Joann Fabrics often has all scissors on sale. I also have a spring-loaded Gingher pair I don't recommend.

I have since had a hand/tendon procedure & don't need either scissors for pain relief, but still use them because I like them!
posted by Nosey Mrs. Rat at 8:34 PM on July 10, 2017


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