The Best Australian Hairdressing Scissor Brands
Australia has a substantial domestic scissor industry: companies that develop and sell their own models, some with in-country manufacture and some with Japanese production. The six picks here cover the range from The Scissor Shop's entry-level 6.0 inch cutting scissor from Sunshine Coast, QLD to SHEAR GENIUS's ATS-314 cobalt professional shear from Lake Wendouree, Victoria. Each is an Australian business with its own cataloged models.
Updated
What are the best Australian hairdressing scissor brands?
K5 International's Silver, around US$60, has brand-published Japanese 440C and a convex edge, with manufacture country unconfirmed, the accessible entry from a Wollert, Victoria company. OBU's Minarai Centurion, around US$140, is a Port Melbourne brand's apprentice-tier scissor in Silver Minarai steel at 59 to 60 HRC, made in Japan. exclusive shears' DYM-57, around US$214, is a VG-1 Japanese steel 5.7 inch cutting shear from a Watsonia North, Victoria company with a three-year warranty. Tru-Blu's Phoenix, around US$350, is individually handcrafted in Morwell, Victoria with Proterial (formerly Hitachi Metals) 440C blades and a double-mountain hollow-ground edge. SHEAR GENIUS's Cosmos, around US$400, pairs ATS-314 cobalt steel with a hand-honed convex edge and lifetime guarantee from Lake Wendouree, Victoria. The Scissor Shop's Kura Cutting, around US$56, is a 6.0 inch convex-blade offset scissor from a direct-to-consumer brand founded in 2019 on the Sunshine Coast, QLD.
Australian scissor brands differ in where the scissors are made. Tru-Blu lists Australia as country of manufacture; the reviewed K5 Silver listing does not establish manufacture country; OBU, exclusive shears, and SHEAR GENIUS are Australian-owned businesses that source production from Japan. Each pick below notes its country of manufacture.
Specs at a glance
| Attribute | Pick 1 K5 International Silver Hairdressing Scissors K5 International | Pick 2 OBU Minarai Centurion Apprentice Scissor OBU | Pick 3 Exclusive Shears DYM-57 Exclusive Shears | Pick 4 Tru-Blu Phoenix Cutting Scissors Tru-Blu | Pick 5 Shear Genius Cosmos 6.0 Haircutting Shear SHEAR GENIUS | Pick 6 The Scissor Shop Kura The Scissor Shop |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Price band | US$60Price band Under US$100 · Budget | US$140Price band US$100–200 · Entry-level | US$214Price band US$200–400 · Mid-range | US$350Price band US$200–400 · Mid-range | US$400Price band US$400–800 · Premium | US$56Price band Under US$100 · Budget |
| Steel | Japanese 440C Stainless Steel | Not listed | VG-1 | Hitachi 440C (blades), Hitachi 304 Stainless (handles) | ATS-314 | Not listed |
| Made in | Not listed | Japan | Not listed | Australia | Japan | Not listed |
| Handle | Offset | Offset | Offset | Offset | Offset | Offset |
| Blade type | Convex edge | Convex | Convex | Double mountain, hollow ground | Convex | Convex |
| Sizes (in) | 5.5· 6.0· 6.5 | 5.5 | 5.7· 6.5 | 5.5· 6.0 | 6.0 | 6" |
| Product links | View product | View product | View product | View product | View product | View product |
Six Australian brands from US$56 to US$400
- 1K5 International
K5 International Silver Hairdressing Scissors
- Japanese 440C Stainless Steel
- Offset handle
- Convex edge blade
K5 International is an Australian supplier. Its Silver has brand-published Japanese 440C and a silver chrome finish; the reviewed listing does not establish Australian manufacture. Compare the recorded sizes and current offer on the product page.
View K5 International Silver Hairdressing Scissors - 2OBU
OBU Minarai Centurion Apprentice Scissor
- Silver Minarai Steel
- Offset handle
- Convex blade
The apprentice-tier scissor from OBU in Port Melbourne, made in Japan. Silver Minarai steel at 59 to 60 HRC with a convex edge and offset handle, 45 grams on the scale. The Minarai collection is built for apprentice stylists and backup duty, with hand-adjustable tension and a lifetime quality guarantee behind it.
View OBU Minarai Centurion Apprentice Scissor - 3Exclusive Shears
Exclusive Shears DYM-57
- VG-1
- Offset handle
- Convex blade
A VG-1 steel cutting scissor at 5.7 inch, made in Japan for exclusive shears of Watsonia North, Victoria. VG-1, also known as V Gold 1, is a Takefu stainless grade with a published minimum of HRC 61. The kit arrives with a scissor case, cleaning cloth, oil pen, and tension key, and the warranty runs three years minimum.
View Exclusive Shears DYM-57 - 4Tru-Blu
Tru-Blu Phoenix Cutting Scissors
- Hitachi 440C (blades), Hitachi 304 Stainless (handles)
- Offset handle
- Double mountain, hollow ground blade
Tru-Blu’s individually handcrafted cutting scissor, made in Morwell, Victoria: Hitachi 440C blades on Hitachi 304 marine-grade stainless handles. The double-mountain blade geometry carries a torsional twist toward the tips, hollow ground, a profile the product page notes as designed to reduce hair pushing during wet cutting. Sizes are 5.5 and 6.0 inch, and every pair carries its own serial number. Available from Tru-Blu direct and through Spencer Scissors in the UK.
View Tru-Blu Phoenix Cutting Scissors - 5SHEAR GENIUS
Shear Genius Cosmos 6.0 Haircutting Shear
- ATS-314
- Offset handle
- Convex blade
The professional ATS-314 cutting shear from SHEAR GENIUS in Lake Wendouree, Victoria, made in Japan. Cobalt steel enriched with molybdenum and vanadium, a hand-honed convex edge, a micro-polished ride line, and a sculpted offset handle at 6.0 inch. A lifetime guarantee rounds out the package.
View Shear Genius Cosmos 6.0 Haircutting Shear - 6The Scissor Shop
The Scissor Shop Kura
- JAP440C
- Offset handle
- Convex blade
A 6.0 inch convex-blade offset scissor from The Scissor Shop, a direct-to-consumer brand founded in 2019 on the Sunshine Coast, QLD. The brand describes the pair as hand-balanced. The lowest price on this page and the simplest buying path of the six.
View The Scissor Shop Kura
Brands in this guide
Identity links · not a quality rank
Two models: local manufacture and Japanese production
Australian scissor brands run on two manufacturing models. Some build the scissors in Australia: blades cut, ground, and assembled locally from imported steel. Tru-Blu in Morwell, Victoria lists Australian manufacture and individual handcrafting with a serial number. K5 International is based in Wollert, Victoria; the reviewed Silver listing does not establish where that model is made.
Others design locally and build in Japan. OBU in Port Melbourne, exclusive shears in Watsonia North, and SHEAR GENIUS in Lake Wendouree specify and warrant their own models while Japanese workshops produce to that spec: the brand sets the steel grade, the edge type, and the design. It is a common structure across the professional scissor industry.
For the buyer, the manufacturing model matters less than the specification on the page. Steel grade, edge type, hardness, and size decide how a pair cuts. Both models can produce a scissor that performs to a professional standard, and both can fall short if the specification is weak. The picks give the specification and the manufacturing location side by side.
How we chose
Each pick lists its steel grade and country of manufacture on its product page. Tru-Blu Phoenix lists Australian manufacture; K5 Silver’s manufacture country is unconfirmed. Three are Australian-owned with Japanese production (OBU Minarai Centurion, exclusive shears DYM-57, SHEAR GENIUS Cosmos), and the Kura Cutting comes from a Sunshine Coast, QLD direct-to-consumer brand. Guide prices move; confirm current figures on each product page before buying.
Further into the Australian catalog
The full Osaka range, from the A5 Barber at around US$135 through to the ATS-314 CR at around US$471, comes from a Sydney brand with Japanese production at multiple price tiers. The UK scissor brands roundup covers the comparable British industry, and the Japanese brands by tier roundup maps Japanese production across every price tier.
Frequently Asked Questions
4 answers you can open one at a timeAre Australian-made scissors the same quality as Japanese-made scissors?
The relevant comparison is the specification: steel grade, edge geometry, and build quality. Australian-manufactured scissors such as Tru-Blu’s range use Hitachi-sourced steel, the same mill that supplies Japanese manufacturers, cut and finished in Victoria. The manufacturing location sets the production environment and quality control context; the steel source and edge work determine the cutting performance. A professional-grade result is achievable from both production contexts, and the product page specification is the practical guide to what you are buying.
Which Australian scissor brands manufacture in Australia?
Tru-Blu (Morwell, VIC) lists Australian manufacture. K5 is based in Wollert, VIC, but its reviewed Silver listing does not establish manufacture country. OBU, exclusive shears, and SHEAR GENIUS are Australian businesses that source production from Japan. The Scissor Shop is an Australian business based on the Sunshine Coast, QLD; country of manufacture for individual models is listed on each product page.
What is Silver Minarai Steel used in OBU scissors?
Silver Minarai Steel is the steel grade used across OBU’s apprentice and backup range, rated at 59 to 60 HRC on the product page. Full specification details are on the OBU brand page and on each Minarai product page.
Where can I buy Australian-brand scissors in Australia?
Each brand sells direct. K5 International ships from k5international.com.au; OBU from obuscissors.com; exclusive shears from exclusiveshears.com.au; SHEAR GENIUS from sheargenius.com.au; and The Scissor Shop from thescissorshop.com. Tru-Blu is stocked in the UK by Spencer Scissors. The brand pages on ScissorPedia carry retailer links and additional stockist information where available.
Sources
- K5 Silver: direct brand listing (manufacturer product listing)