If you sew, you know that a good pair of shears (scissors) can make or break a project. You need a nice, smooth cut, a pair that sits well in your hands, and ones that don’t crap out when cutting through thick layers. The new Fiskars Amplify RazorEdge Shears are honestly the most amazing non-spring action fabric shears I’ve ever used.

First, let’s learn how they are described by Fiskars:

Designed to cut thick and heavy fabrics, these premium fabric shears feature ultra-sharp blades ideal for all-purpose cutting tasks.

Perfect for a wide range of sewing and quilting tasks, our Amplify™ RazorEdge™ Fabric Shears sense blade separation and force the blades back together to cut cleanly through heavy materials. This amazing innovation in scissors technology means that sewing and quilting enthusiasts like you can expand creative boundaries and work with more adventurous materials than ever before. Our premium fabric shears feature high-grade, stainless-steel RazorEdge™ blades precision honed to an ultra-sharp edge to make sure every cut is crisp and clean. Amplify™ RazorEdge™ Fabric Shears also offer excellent comfort and control thanks to sculpted finger and thumb loops enhanced with Softgrip® touchpoints.

• Features
• Ideal for cutting multiple layers and all-purpose cutting through thick fabrics like leather, upholstery, vinyl, burlap, suede, flannel and much more
• Amplify™ technology senses blade separation when cutting thick fabrics and forces the blades back together for crisp, clean cuts every time — the floating blade tang transfers energy to the torsion bar which adjusts the blade to its optimal angle
• RazorEdge™ Shears feature ultra-sharp, premium-grade stainless-steel blades with a precisely honed edge that glides through fabric for clean cuts all the way to the tip
• Exceptional comfort and control provided by thumb and finger loops with ergonomic sculpting to fit the shape and natural movement of the hand
• Softgrip® touchpoints enhance comfort and control
• Protective sheath keeps the blades safe and protected
• Lifetime warranty

The smallest ones- the 6″ ones- actually have a very small cutting surface, only  a few inches. However, these are almost like fabric tin-snips! You can see from the photo just how sharp these bad boys are.

Here you can see them with the sheath on. That little orange button on the handle literally “buttons them up” and keeps the sheath on securely. Very nice for traveling with them or keeping them away from little fingers.

OH, and I should mention that there is a Mixed-Media version of the RazorEdge Amplify scissors, too- and they have a predominantly white handle, so you don’t confuse them with your fabric scissors. Handy, that.

The technology in the scissors comes from that little place in the handle indicated by the arrow. Somehow the folks at Fiskars figured a way to force the blades back together when cutting a thick or tough material- so instead of the blades working apart, you actually get more leverage.

Now, earlier I mention that these where the best non-spring-action scissors. I usually have to use spring-loaded scissors due to hand fatigue. But when I was using the Fiskars Amplify RazorEdge shears, my hands didn’t tire at all. That little do-hicky in there is amazing! They also sat very comfortably in my hand and I didn’t have any spots that got sore or threatened to blister.

But I digress. Let’s see how it cut!

I only have ONE THING in my world that I dread cutting- denim. I love to make rag-style quilts, but usually all that snipping wears a blister and makes my hands ache. So really that was the only thing I felt I really needed to test these on!

First I tried snipping through the belt loop and waist band- AT ONCE> Yes, that’s quite a few layers! as you can see from the bottom picture, it’s a nice, smooth cut. (Not to mention the satisfying “snick” of the blades in real life.)

Next, I used the 6 inch shears again to cut through the leather label on the back. Again, smooth cuts.

Now for a big test- 8 layers of denim.

Hardly even a challenge. By the way, I used the 8 inch shears for this task. I also used the 10 inch shears to disassemble the side seams and those nice long blades made quick work of  it!

So, since 8 layers was easy, how about cutting some fringe into SIXTEEN LAYERS?

Yup, does that too!

So basically I’m sold. These are the only fabric scissors I need right now- small ones for making fringe, medium ones for everyday tasks, and the large ones for cutting lengths off the bolts.

Now, these shears aren’t cheap- because they aren’t cheap, if you know what I mean. They retail for $25.00, $30.00, and $40.00 USD respectively. But if you are a sewist or love someone who is, you know that there is a value in buying one GOOD, durable, quality tool rather than buying a dozen crappy ones. These are like the Cadillac of scissors, and they should be on your holiday wish list!

Disclosure: product provided for review purposes, but opinions are honest and derived from my experience using the product. 

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About Jenny

Chief Craft Test Dummy, Craft Evangelist, Founder, Editor, bottle-washer, trouble-maker, and creative whirlwind.

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