The Best Fresh Scissors for Hairdressers
FRESH is a direct-to-consumer scissor brand based in Rockmart, Georgia, selling professional-grade shears built with 440C Japanese steel. The range is structured by design and intended cutting technique rather than price — most models sit at the same $100 guide price, making the choice about handle type and blade design rather than budget. Five picks here cover the core salon model, the flip-handle Kik Flip, the slicer-blade Umi, the swivel-thumb Umi Swivel, and the barber-specific Matsu.
What are the best Fresh scissors for professional hairdressers?
The Pei, around $100, is the core salon model in 440C with an offset handle, available in 5.5 and 6.0 inch. The Kik Flip, around $100, puts 440C in a reversible flip handle across three sizes from 5.0 to 6.0 inch. The Umi, around $100, applies a slicer blade design to 440C for slide cutting and slicing work at 6.0 inch. The Umi Swivel, around $105, adds a swivel thumb ring to the slicer blade design. The Matsu, around $100, is the barber-specific model with longer blades and larger finger holes at 6.75 inch.
All five picks use 440C Japanese steel and document USA as country of manufacture. The Pei, Kik Flip, Umi, and Matsu sit at the same $100 guide price; the Umi Swivel adds $5 for the swivel mechanism. The primary differentiator across the range is design and cutting application — the choice between Fresh models is about handle type and blade geometry, not budget tier. The slicer blade on the Umi and Umi Swivel is the major blade-design difference from the standard convex on the other three.
Verified Jun 2026
Five Fresh picks from $100 to $105
| Attribute | Fresh Pei 6.0 Hair Cutting Scissors FRESH | Fresh Kik Flip 5.5 Hair Cutting Scissors FRESH | Fresh Umi 6.0 Slicer Hair Cutting Scissors FRESH | Fresh Umi 6.0 Swivel Hair Cutting Scissors FRESH | Fresh Matsu 6.75 Modern Barbering Shears FRESH |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Price guide | US$100 | US$100 | US$100 | US$105 | US$100 |
| Price tier | Entry-level | Entry-level | Entry-level | Entry-level | Entry-level |
| Steel | 440C | 440C | 440C | 440C | 440C |
| Made in | USA | USA | USA | USA | USA |
| Handle | — | — | — | — | — |
| Blade type | — | — | — | — | — |
| Sizes (in) | 6.0 | 5.5 | 6.0 | 6.0 | 6.75 |
| View product | View product | View product | View product | View product |
All five made in the USA with 440C Japanese steel. Guide prices at time of writing; confirm current figures on each product page.
Fresh’s one-price range
FRESH is a direct-to-consumer scissor brand based in Rockmart, Georgia. The range is built with 440C Japanese steel across all models and documented at USA as country of manufacture. What makes Fresh’s line-up distinctive is its pricing structure: most models sit at the same guide price, so the choice between models is not about how much to spend — it is about which blade design and handle type match the cutting work.
The five picks below represent the main design families in the Fresh cutting range: the standard offset Pei for general salon work, the reversible Kik Flip for adaptable positioning, the slicer Umi for slide and slicing techniques, the Umi Swivel for swivel-thumb slide cutters, and the longer-bladed Matsu for barbers.
The five picks
1. Fresh Pei (guide price around $100). FRESH’s core salon cutting scissor. 440C Japanese steel, convex edge, offset handle. Available in 5.5 and 6.0 inch — the standard pair of lengths for general salon cutting. The Pei is Fresh’s general-purpose salon model: 440C at the standard price in the two most commonly used cutting lengths. No specialist blade design or ergonomic mechanism — the offset offset-grip, convex-edge 440C pair for everyday salon work. Available through Fresh directly.
2. Fresh Kik Flip (around $100). FRESH’s flip-handle cutting scissor. 440C Japanese steel, convex edge, reversible flip handle. Available in 5.0, 5.5, and 6.0 inch — three sizes including the 5.0 inch option for detail work. The Kik Flip’s documented feature is its reversible flip handle — the product page describes this as allowing adaptable cutting positions, with the handle designed to reposition for different cutting angles. Among the Fresh range, the Kik Flip is the handle-design pick: the same steel and price as the Pei, but with a mechanism that adapts to different positions. Available through Fresh directly.
3. Fresh Umi (around $100). FRESH’s slicer-blade cutting scissor. 440C Japanese steel, slicer blade design, offset handle. Available in 6.0 inch — one size. The Umi is Fresh’s slide-cutting and slicing model — the product page documents a slicer blade design built for smooth slide cutting and slicing techniques. This is the blade-design pick in the Fresh range: same steel and price as the Pei and Kik Flip, but with a blade geometry specifically for stylists who use slicing and sliding as primary techniques. Available through Fresh directly.
4. Fresh Umi Swivel (around $105). FRESH’s swivel-thumb slicer. 440C Japanese steel, slicer blade design, swivel thumb ring, offset handle. Available in 6.0 inch — one size. The Umi Swivel combines the slicer blade of the standard Umi with a swivel thumb ring — the thumb rotates through the cutting stroke, documented on the product page as designed to reduce wrist and hand strain during repetitive cutting. At $105, it is the most expensive model in this list at $5 above the standard Umi. Available through Fresh directly.
5. Fresh Matsu (around $100). FRESH’s barber-specific cutting scissor. 440C Japanese steel, longer wider blades, larger finger holes. Available in 6.75 inch as the primary size, with a 7.15 inch variant in the series. The Matsu is Fresh’s barber model — the product page documents longer, wider blades and larger finger holes for barbers and stylists with bigger hands, suited to scissor-over-comb and long-panel cutting. Available through Fresh directly.
How we chose
All five picks document USA as country of manufacture and 440C Japanese steel on the product page. The five span Fresh’s primary design families — standard offset, flip handle, slicer blade, swivel slicer, and barber — at a near-flat $100 to $105 price range. This is a range where the buyer’s decision is about cutting technique and handle preference rather than budget, so each pick serves a specific use case. The Makai series (Fresh’s most versatile, in 5.5 to 7.0 inch) is noted below. Guide prices move; confirm current figures before buying.
The wider Fresh range
The Fresh Makai (around $100) is the widest-size-run standard offset model in the Fresh range — available from 5.5 to 7.0 inch and described for longer cutting strokes and over-comb work. The Fresh Makai Swivel (around $105) puts a swivel thumb on a standard Makai offset design. The Fresh Koa barbering line covers blending shears at 14, 40, and 50 tooth for barber texturizing work. The full thinning range — including the Kama Blending and Kama Slice models — is on the FRESH brand page.
Frequently Asked Questions
FRESH is based in Rockmart, Georgia, and sells direct to professional stylists and barbers via its own website. The range uses 440C Japanese steel across all cutting models. Country of manufacture is documented as USA on each product page. Fresh’s direct-to-consumer model includes a 14-day trial period on their scissors — confirm terms on the Fresh brand website before purchasing.
The Kik Flip’s flip handle is a reversible design documented on the product page as allowing adaptable cutting positions. A flip or reversible handle can be repositioned to suit different cutting angles or hand orientations — consult the product page or Fresh brand website for full details on how the mechanism works and which cutting positions it supports. The Kik Flip is available in 5.0, 5.5, and 6.0 inch, all at the same $100 guide price.
The Umi’s slicer blade design is documented on the product page as being built for slide cutting and slicing techniques. A slicer blade typically has a blade profile optimised for the sliding cut — where the hair is sliced along the blade as the scissor closes, rather than being cleanly cut at one point. This creates softer, more textured ends compared to a standard blunt cut. The Umi is available in 6.0 inch only; the Umi Swivel adds a rotating thumb ring to the same blade design.
The Matsu is Fresh’s barber-specific model. The product page documents longer, wider blades and larger finger holes for barbers and stylists with bigger hands — designed for scissor-over-comb and other barber cutting techniques that benefit from a longer blade span. The Matsu is available at 6.75 inch as the primary size, with a 7.15 inch variant in the series. Both are at the same $100 guide price.
Yes. Fresh’s thinning and texturizing range includes the Kama Blending shears (30 and 35 tooth) and the Kama Slice texturizers (21 and 27 tooth). The Koa line is a barber-focused blending and thinning range. The full thinning catalogue is on the Fresh brand page. This roundup covers cutting scissors only.