The Best German Brand Scissors for Hairdressers

Five manufacturers, one city

All five brands on this page make scissors in Solingen, Germany’s blade city. Solingen’s designation as a protected geographical indication means the city name on a pair certifies manufacture there, not just finishing or packaging. Jaguar and Cerena are the most broadly stocked; TONDEO and Nic sit at the professional tier; EKS runs a focused two-line range. The list below covers each brand in turn, from its entry point to its signature model.

Jaguar: $65 to $812, the most widely distributed

Jaguar has made scissors in Solingen since 1932 and runs about 3,000 pairs a day through its factory. The 126 catalogued models span cutting, thinning, and left-handed builds from 5.0 to 7.0 inches. Friodur ice hardening runs through the entire range; steel grades step up from SOLINOX54 at the entry level to VG-10 cobalt and Micro Carbide at the top.

1. Jaguar Pre Style Ergo (guide price around $97). The Ergo handle tilts the lower ring back to reduce wrist rotation, and the pair ships in SOLINOX54 with Friodur ice hardening. At $97 it is the most accessible documented German-made scissor on ScissorPedia, and the Pre Style range covers thinners, a left-handed build, and a barber version at the same tier.

2. Jaguar Silver Line CJ4 Plus (around $240). A step up within the Silver Line, which Jaguar runs in SOLINOX58 at a harder temper than the Pre Style. The CJ4 Plus brings a longer blade and a series of size and handle options; the Silver Line page lists the full CJ family, including a left-handed build and a thinner.

3. Jaguar Gold Kamiyu (around $558). Jaguar’s Gold series uses a VG-10 cobalt steel blend, and the Kamiyu pairs that with a convex edge — the combination Jaguar’s page lists for precision cutting and point work. A matched Kamiyu thinner adds texturing at around $608, and a 33-tooth version at $621.

4. Jaguar Black Evolution (around $713). The top-tier Black series runs Micro Carbide steel with a proprietary hollow-ground profile, the hardest Jaguar builds with the longest documented edge life in the range. Sizes from 5.5 to 6.5 inches; the Black Eurotech and Black Giant sit alongside it at the same price.

Cerena: $53 to $418, handwork from the second generation

The Kreitzberg family’s Solingen firm does around 80 percent of its work by hand, across up to 120 steps from hot-forged blank to finished pair. The 18 catalogued models span 4.5 to 7.5 inches; the Cobra at $53 is the entry point and the Zen at $418 is the top.

5. Cerena Cobra (around $53). Cerena’s entry-level pair in its compact range, at 4.5 to 5.5 inches with the hot-forged construction that runs through the entire line. The Cobra is on the Cerena brand page with the full size run and current pricing.

6. Cerena Ambition (around $349). Mid-high in Cerena’s range, in a size run from 5.0 to 7.0 inches, representing the model tier where the hand-finishing steps are most visible in the blade profile. The Cerena brand page lists the Ambition alongside the Level and Zen for comparison.

7. Cerena Zen (around $418). Cerena’s current flagship, at 4.5 to 6.5 inches. The Zen sits at the top of the line and is where the full 120-step production process is documented by the maker. Check the Cerena brand page for current sizes and availability.

TONDEO: $100 to $1,799, Niolox and Damascus at the top

TONDEO has worked in Solingen since 1928. The 23 catalogued models include Niolox and vanadium-steel cutting shears, two matched sets, thinners, and Damascus builds at the top end. The Supra and Mythos are the workhorse pair; the Damascus Mythos at $800 and the Zentao at $826 mark the upper tier before the Damascus specialty builds.

8. TONDEO Supra (around $502). The Supra is TONDEO’s Niolox flagship in the offset Conblade handle — Niolox is a nitrogen-alloyed stainless developed by Zapp in Ratingen that combines corrosion resistance with hardness above standard 440C. The Supra appears in competition work and in TONDEO’s own documentation as the pair that represents the brand’s manufacturing standard.

9. TONDEO Earl (around $550). A 5.5-inch Niolox cutter in a straight handle that TONDEO positions as the compact, precise alternative to the offset Supra for stylists who prefer a symmetric grip for detail and accuracy work.

10. TONDEO Countess (around $647). A larger build in the same Niolox family, at 6.0 to 6.5 inches, for stylists who run longer blades through graduation and one-length work.

Nic: $549 to $999, cobalt and stainless in parallel

Nic runs most of its series in both stainless and cobalt variants, the cobalt build adding hardness and longer edge intervals. Four models are catalogued on ScissorPedia: the STS, SR, WX Cobalt, and Try Cobalt.

11. Nic WX Cobalt (around $725). The cobalt-hardened build of the WX series, 5.0 to 6.5 inches, stocked by Shear World and Tricut. The WX exists in a stainless version too; the cobalt step adds hardness above the standard Solingen temper. The Nic brand page lists all four catalogued models.

EKS: Classic Satin and Chiroform lines

EKS makes the Classic Satin and Chiroform lines from Solingen, with thinning and texturising scissors alongside the cutters. Most production, by the company’s account, stays in Germany; the Classic Satin is available in a left-handed build and the Chiroform line adds an ergonomic handle option. Full range at the EKS brand page.

How we chose

This list is organised by brand because the selection question for German shears is usually “which Solingen maker fits my tier?” rather than a cross-brand comparison. Each entry reflects documented steel, construction, or handle claims from the brand’s own page or product page — no editorial speculation. Guide prices move; confirm current figures on each product or brand page before buying.

Where German shears sit in the market

German scissors and Japanese scissors sit at opposite ends of the same professional brief. German brands tune for ease of re-sharpening and corrosion resistance in high-throughput salon use; Japanese makers tune for harder steels and longer edge intervals at the cost of more specialised sharpening. Most working stylists end up with both, using the German pair for daily cutting and the Japanese pair for technique work or dry cutting. Our slide-cutting roundup and dry-cutting roundup cover where the convex-edge Japanese picks sit if you are building that complement.