V-Tooth

V-Tooth (Vトゥース)

Quick look

What it is: V-shaped grooves cut between straight teeth on a thinning blade
Grip strength: High; strong bite that holds hair firmly during the cut
Best for: Thick, coarse hair that needs reliable weight removal
Heritage: The traditional Japanese thinning tooth design and the most common configuration worldwide

Why it matters

The V-tooth is the standard tooth profile for thinning and texturizing shears. Each tooth has a V-shaped notch cut between it and the next, creating a comb-like pattern. When the blades close, hair caught between the teeth is cut. Hair sitting in the V-shaped gaps passes through uncut. Simple, predictable, effective.

The V-shape gives this tooth type its defining characteristic: strong grip. The angled walls of each notch channel hair inward toward the cutting point, preventing strands from sliding out before the blades close. This makes V-tooth thinners especially reliable on thick, coarse, or resistant hair where softer tooth profiles might let strands escape.

Cut rate and tooth count

V-tooth thinners come in a wide range of tooth counts. Fewer teeth (5 to 15) produce aggressive texture with high cut rates of 30% to 70%. Mid-range counts (20 to 35) handle standard thinning and blending at 15% to 35%. Fine-tooth models (38 to 46 teeth) remove just 5% to 15% per pass for subtle, seamless blending.

Practical considerations

The strong bite of V-teeth can leave visible cut marks if the scissors are used carelessly on fine hair. The sharp transition between cut and uncut strands shows more than it would with a mushroom tooth or step comb profile. For thick hair, this is rarely an issue. For fine or silky hair, consider a softer tooth type or use the V-tooth thinner deeper in the interior of the cut where marks won’t be visable.

Related guide: Tool Mastery: Thinning Cut Rates