Editorial Policy
How We Write Brand Pages
ScissorPedia’s brand pages combine manufacturer data, technical research, and community feedback. Every brand page follows the same structure:
- Factual overview — founding history, manufacturing location, steel grades used
- Technical assessment — steel properties, edge characteristics, heat treatment where known
- Considerations & Trade-offs — what the steel can and can’t do, value relative to alternatives, who benefits most, who should look elsewhere
- Community voice — synthesized feedback from working stylists (where available)
- Sources — linked to manufacturer websites and reference materials
Words We Avoid
We maintain a published list of vague marketing terms. When we find these in our content, we replace them with specific, verifiable claims:
| Instead of | We write |
|---|---|
| “renowned” | The specific achievement (e.g., “2015 Good Design Award winner”) |
| “premium steel” | The steel name and hardness (e.g., “VG-10 at HRC 60-62”) |
| “craftsmanship” | The manufacturing process (e.g., “13-step production with hand-finished ura-suki”) |
| “Japanese steel” | The alloy name (e.g., “Takefu VG-10” or “Proterial GIN-3”) |
| “world-class” | A citation (award, test result, or independent assessment) |
| “cutting-edge technology” | The named technology (e.g., “Extramarise sub-zero processing”) |
| “exceptional edge retention” | A measurement (e.g., “~1,200-1,800 salon cuts between sharpenings”) |
| “handmade in Japan” | Which steps are handmade and where (e.g., “hand-finished ura-suki in Seki City”) |
This list is based on Wikipedia’s Manual of Style: Words to Watch, adapted for scissors content.
When We Can’t Verify
For brands where we have limited information, we say so. You’ll see pages marked with an Incomplete Page notice — these contain only what we’ve been able to verify. We’d rather have an honest gap than fill space with generic marketing language.
Manufacturer Claims
When a manufacturer makes a performance claim we haven’t independently verified, we attribute it clearly:
- “[Brand] states that…”
- “According to the manufacturer…”
- “[Brand] positions this as…”
We distinguish between claims we’ve verified against primary sources (steel datasheets, independent testing) and claims that come solely from the manufacturer’s own marketing.
Corrections and Contributions
We welcome corrections from manufacturers, stylists, sharpeners, and industry professionals. If you find inaccurate information on ScissorPedia, please contact us through our contact page.
Every page displays a last-modified date showing when the content was last updated.