Posted on October 01 2014
We tie a lot of flies over the course of the year, and one thing we’ve learned after turning out hundreds (maybe even thousands) of flies each season is that quality fly tying tools make a difference. Good tools are not only more comfortable to use in most cases, but they usually turn out better looking flies as well.
Its easy to skimp on fly tying scissors.. Especially with so many inexpensive options out there. Not all tying scissors are created equal however and make no mistake, quality scissors lends itself to quality flies.
We spent the last year with Dr. Slick’s Razor Scissors and we’re happy to report that these are the best tying scissors we have ever used, bar none. Here’s why.
- They’re super sharp! They’re called razor scissors for a reason. Think two razor blades connected with handles.. They’re literally ‘razor sharp’ and by far the sharpest scissors we’ve used.
- They’re comfortable. One of the best tips to tie quality flies faster is to always tie with your scissors in your hand. That’s not easy to do with uncomfortable, ill fitting, scissors that leave your hands sore after spinning up a few flies. The Razor Scissors are super comfortable for hours on end at the bench.
- They’re Adjustable. The Razor Scissors feature an adjustable tension knob to allow for easy tightening/loosening of the blades to tackle any materials. What does that mean? It means super straight and super clean cuts no matter what material you’re dealing with.
- They’re Quality. Like most Dr. Slick products, the Razor Scissors are made with high quality steel made to hold up over many years of abuse. We’ve used them pretty steady for a year now and can honestly say they work just as well as when they were new. With two-tone gold loops and silver blades, they look pretty darn cool as well.
The Razor Scissors come in two sizes, 4 inch and 5 inch models (we tested the 4 inch pair), and retail around $29.00 to $30.00 respectively at your local fly shop. While this may seem a little steep for a pair of scissors, trust us, if you’re a serious fly tyer, you need these scissors! Don’t get rid of your old scissors however. A back up pair of scissors is always great to have on hand for cutting materials that normally scar up quality scissors such as wires, braids, tubes and so on.
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