The Best Kashi Scissors for Hairdressers
Kashi is a US-based shear company founded in 2003 and headquartered in Orlando, Florida, trading as Kashi Shears Company. The 16 catalogued models sell direct through kashishears.com, span 5.0 to 7.0 inches, and run from an $80 student entry pair to the $1,200 Nihonto in Japanese powder steel. Most cutting shears sit between $150 and $399 in 440C cobalt or VG-10 steel.
What are the best Kashi scissors?
The Advance Student, around $80, is Kashi's entry shear for trainees in 440B Japanese steel, available across four blade lengths. The Solace, around $250, is the flagship right-handed cutting shear in 440C cobalt steel across the same size run. The Time Machine, around $280, puts VG-10 cobalt into the signature collection in 5.5 and 6.0 inch. The Stacked Double, around $399, is a twin-blade 6.0 inch shear in cobalt steel for cutting layers and outlines in a single pass. The Nihonto, around $1,200, is Kashi's top-tier powder steel shear hardened to 61–63 Rockwell in 5.75 and 6.25 inch.
Kashi’s steel hierarchy runs from 440B at student entry through 440C cobalt at the professional workhorse level, then VG-10 cobalt as the step-up, and Japanese powder steel at the top in the Nihonto. The 440C cobalt grade is used across the Solace, Spinner, and several other mid-tier models; VG-10 cobalt appears in the Tal, Time Machine, and Rose. The Nihonto is the significant price step — at $1,200 it is aimed at stylists who want maximum edge retention from a sintered powder steel. All Kashi shears are sold direct through kashishears.com.
Verified Jun 2026
Five Kashi picks from $80 to $1,200
| Attribute | Kashi Advance Student Cutting Shears Kashi | Kashi Solace Cutting Shears Kashi | Kashi Time Machine Cutting Shears Kashi | Kashi Stacked Double Cutting Shears Kashi | Kashi Nihonto Cutting Shears Kashi |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Price guide | US$80 | US$250 | US$280 | US$399 | US$1,200 |
| Price tier | Budget | Mid-range | Mid-range | Mid-range | Luxury |
| Steel | Unknown | 440C Cobalt | VG-10 Cobalt | 440C Cobalt | Unknown |
| Made in | USA | USA | USA | USA | USA |
| Handle | — | — | — | — | — |
| Blade type | — | — | — | — | — |
| Sizes (in) | 5.5 · 6.0 · 6.5 · 7.0 | 5.5 · 6.0 · 6.5 · 7.0 | 5.5 · 6.0 | 6.0 | 5.75 · 6.25 |
| View product | View product | View product | View product | View product |
Steel grades: 440B (Advance Student), 440C cobalt (Solace, Stacked Double), VG-10 cobalt (Time Machine), Japanese powder steel (Nihonto). All sold direct through kashishears.com. Guide prices at time of writing; confirm current figures on each product page.
The Kashi range
Kashi is an Orlando-based shear company selling direct through kashishears.com. The 16 catalogued models cover cutting scissors, thinning scissors, and a left-handed Solace, with blade lengths from 5.0 to 7.0 inch and guide prices from $80 to $1,200.
The steel hierarchy is clear from the product pages: 440B at student entry, 440C cobalt across the professional workhorse tier, VG-10 cobalt for the step-up models, and Japanese powder steel at the top in the Nihonto. Selling direct means the full Kashi catalogue is available through a single store without intermediary retailers.
The five picks
1. Kashi Advance Student (guide price around $80). Kashi’s entry-level cutting shear in 440B Japanese steel, hardened to 56–58 Rockwell. Available in 5.5, 6.0, 6.5, and 7.0 inch with an adjustable tension screw — the widest size range in the Kashi line and the most accessible price point. Suited to trainees and stylists buying a first professional shear before committing to the cobalt tier. Available through Kashi Shears.
2. Kashi Solace (around $250). Kashi’s flagship right-handed professional cutting shear in 440C cobalt steel with a permanent finger rest and adjustable tension screw. The Solace is the workhorse model — 440C cobalt across 5.5, 6.0, 6.5, and 7.0 inch for everyday salon and barber cutting. The matching Solace Lefty uses the same specification for left-handed stylists. Available through Kashi Shears.
3. Kashi Time Machine (around $280). A VG-10 cobalt cutting shear in Kashi’s signature collection, available in 5.5 and 6.0 inch. The Time Machine steps up from the 440C cobalt of the Solace to VG-10 — a cobalt-alloyed vanadium steel with higher hardness and edge retention used across the professional Japanese scissor tier. A companion 36-tooth thinner is available in the same collection. Available through Kashi Shears.
4. Kashi Stacked Double (around $399). A twin-blade 6.0 inch cutting shear in 440C cobalt steel, designed to cut layers and outlines in a single pass. The Stacked Double uses two stacked blades — a construction suited to stylists who want to build layered sections or outlines without resetting the scissor between passes. Available through Kashi Shears.
5. Kashi Nihonto (around $1,200). Kashi’s top-tier cutting shear in Japanese powder steel hardened to 61–63 Rockwell, fitted with a ball-bearing tension screw. Available in 5.75 and 6.25 inch. Powder steel is a sintered grade that produces a finer carbide structure and exceptional edge retention compared to conventional stainless — at this price tier, it requires a sharpener experienced with high-hardness Japanese powder steel. Available through Kashi Shears.
How we chose
The five picks map the main tiers in the Kashi catalogue: the Advance Student at entry, the Solace as the professional workhorse in 440C cobalt, the Time Machine as the VG-10 step-up, the Stacked Double as the specialist twin-blade model, and the Nihonto at the powder steel top. All five carry a price_guide greater than zero and are not sets. Guide prices move; confirm current figures before buying.
The wider Kashi catalogue
The Kashi Tal (around $350) and Kashi Rose (around $600) extend the VG-10 cobalt line with different lengths and handle geometries. The Kashi Spinner (around $250) puts a 3-ring rotating swivel thumb on 440C cobalt across four blade lengths for stylists who prefer swivel ergonomics. Thinning and left-handed models are covered on the Kashi brand page.
Frequently Asked Questions
Kashi is a US-based brand — headquartered in Orlando, Florida — that sells direct through its own website at kashishears.com. Country of manufacture details for individual models are documented on each product page.
Kashi uses 440B Japanese steel at student entry (Advance Student), 440C cobalt across most professional models (Solace, Spinner, Stacked Double), VG-10 cobalt in the Tal, Time Machine, and Rose, and Japanese powder steel in the Nihonto. The steel is specified per model on the kashishears.com product pages.
The Solace is Kashi’s flagship right-handed professional cutting shear in 440C cobalt steel. It is available in 5.5, 6.0, 6.5, and 7.0 inch with an adjustable tension screw and a permanent finger rest, and is the most broadly sized cutting model in the Kashi range at the $250 price point. A dedicated left-handed variant — the Solace Lefty — is also in the catalogue at the same price.
The Nihonto is Kashi’s top-tier cutting shear, built from Japanese powder steel hardened to 61–63 Rockwell and fitted with a ball-bearing tension screw. It is available in 5.75 and 6.25 inch at a guide price around $1,200 — the highest price in the Kashi catalogue. Powder steel requires a sharpener experienced with sintered high-hardness grades.
Yes. The Kashi Solace Lefty is a dedicated left-handed cutting shear in 440C cobalt steel, available at a guide price around $250 through kashishears.com.
Kashi’s cutting shears run from 5.5 to 7.0 inch, including quarter sizes such as 5.75 and 6.25 inch in the Nihonto. The Advance Student and Solace are both available across 5.5, 6.0, 6.5, and 7.0 inch.