SANTOKU
SANTOKU
Updated August 2026 · 6 min read · UK Japanese knife specialists
In short
Shears are simply the bigger, heavier members of the scissors family. The working distinction is blade length of roughly six inches or more, two differently sized handle loops — a small one for the thumb and a larger one that takes two or three fingers — and a pivot set further from the handles for extra leverage. Scissors are shorter, with two matched loops.
Reach for something to cut with and you probably call it a pair of scissors. Shears are the close cousin the word gets applied to by mistake. They are not a separate invention — every pair of shears is technically a pair of scissors — but the name is a signal about size, grip and the kind of work the tool was built for. Here is how to tell them apart, and how to pick the right one.
Table of contents
Scissors vs shears at a glance
| Scissors | Shears | |
|---|---|---|
| Blade length | Traditionally under about six inches | Longer than about six inches |
| Handle loops | Two loops of roughly the same size | One small thumb loop, one larger loop taking two or three fingers |
| Pivot position | Closer to the handles, tuned for light resistance | Set further from the handles, which increases leverage |
| Grip and force | One or two fingers, lighter squeeze, easier to steer | Force spread across several fingers, so more pressure with less strain |
| Typical use | Paper, packaging, herbs, craft, hair, general household jobs | Dressmaking fabric, hedges and pruning, poultry bone, metal and wire |
What shears are, and what they are for
Shears sit inside the scissors family: two blades joined at a pivot, with finger loops on the handles. What earns them the name is scale. The generally accepted cut-off is a blade length longer than about six inches, and that extra length changes how the tool behaves.
Look at the handles and you will usually see two different loops. One is a small ring for the thumb; the other is a larger opening designed to take two or three fingers at once. That is not decoration. Spreading the cutting force across a wider grip means you push more pressure through the blade with less strain on the hand, which is exactly what you want in thick fabric or a hedge.
The pivot does the other half of the work. On shears it sits further from the handles than it does on scissors, and that longer distance gives you more leverage at the point where the blades meet the material. Put the two together — long blade, generous grip, leverage — and you get a tool built to keep going through material that would stall a pair of household scissors.
That is why so many shears are named after a single job. Garden and hedge shears for trimming, pruning shears for cutting back plants, dressmaking and fabric shears for laying long clean cuts through cloth, poultry shears for bone and joints, tin snips and metal shears in the workshop. Medics carry trauma shears to cut clothing away from a wound — a shears, despite most people calling them scissors.
What scissors are, and what they are for
Scissors are the shorter, lighter, more general-purpose end of the same family. Blades are traditionally under six inches, the two handle loops are roughly the same size, and the pivot is set for lighter resistance. The result is a tool you steer rather than force.
That is what makes them the everyday choice: opening packets, snipping herbs, craft and paper work, cutting string. Most kitchens have a pair somewhere in a drawer, and most of the time that is the right call, because the jobs a kitchen actually throws at a pair of scissors are light ones.
Scissors also get specialised without ever becoming shears. Hairdressing scissors are short, very sharp and often carry a finger rest to steady the hand. Thinning scissors have a toothed blade. Surgical and bandage scissors are built for a specific clinical cut. Nail, office and sewing scissors are all the same short-bladed pattern tuned to a task.
Which one do you actually need?
The honest answer is that the label matters less than the material. Ask what you are cutting and how often.
If the work is light and varied — paper, packaging, herbs, string, craft — a decent pair of scissors is the right tool and the easier one to control. If you are repeatedly cutting something thick, tough or fibrous, the extra blade length, the multi-finger loop and the leverage of shears will make the job faster and put less strain on your hand. Dressmaking is the classic example; so is anything involving poultry bone or a garden.
One thing worth saying plainly: we do not sell scissors or kitchen shears, so there is nothing we are steering you towards here. If you need shears, buy shears.
When a knife is the better tool
There is a real dividing line in the kitchen, and it is worth knowing because a lot of people reach for the wrong side of it.
Shears win on bone. Cutting a backbone out to spatchcock a chicken, going through joints, breaking down a bird — a pair of poultry shears is faster and safer than a knife, and it is not close. If that is your job, use shears.
A knife wins on everything flesh-side. Trimming fat and silverskin, portioning boneless meat, slicing cooked protein, prepping vegetables and herbs — a sharp blade gives a cleaner cut, better control of thickness and far less tearing than dragging material through a pivot. If you find yourself using kitchen scissors for those jobs because your knife has gone dull, the problem is the knife, not the scissors.
Our knives are made with Japanese VG10 and AUS-10 steel, which holds a fine edge well — useful precisely for the close, controlled work shears are bad at. Two that cover most of it:
Haruta 7 Inch VG10 Japanese Damascus Steel Santoku Knife — £89.99
★★★★★ 4.88 (112 reviews)
Pros
- Flat profile suits push-cutting herbs and vegetables
- Short enough to stay controllable on a small board
- Takes a fine edge for trimming and slicing
Cons
- Not a tool for bone — that is a job for shears or a cleaver
Haruta 8 Inch VG10 Japanese Damascus Steel Gyuto Chef Knife — £89.99
★★★★★ 4.88 (112 reviews)
Pros
- Longer belly lets you draw-cut boneless meat in one pass
- Better reach than shears for large joints of meat
- Handles vegetable prep as well as protein
Cons
- 8 inches needs a full-size board to use properly
Not sure which size to start with?
Our chef knife range covers the sizes that do the most work in a home kitchen, all made with Japanese-steel blades and finished for UK customers.
Browse chef knivesFrequently asked questions
Are kitchen shears just scissors?
Kitchen shears are a type of scissors, but the name signals a heavier build. Shears generally have blades longer than about six inches, one handle loop noticeably larger than the other so you can get two or three fingers through it, and a pivot set further from the handles for leverage. Ordinary scissors are shorter and have two matched loops.
What size counts as shears?
The commonly used cut-off is a blade length of about six inches. Below that a tool is usually sold as scissors, above it as shears. It is a trade convention rather than a legal standard, so you will find products either side of the line labelled loosely.
Can you sharpen kitchen shears?
Yes. Each blade carries a single bevel, so it can be honed on a sharpening stone or on a sharpener that accepts scissors. Shears with a take-apart pivot are far easier to sharpen at home because you can work on each blade separately, and a drop of oil on the pivot screw keeps the action smooth.
Do shears cut better than scissors?
Not universally. The longer blade and the pivot position let shears carry more force into the material, which suits thick fabric, poultry bone and garden work. Scissors are lighter and easier to steer, which suits paper, herbs, packaging and everyday jobs. The right answer depends on the material, not on the label.
Should I use shears or a knife for chicken?
For cutting through bone and joints, such as removing a backbone to spatchcock a bird, shears are the safer and faster tool. For everything on the flesh side, such as trimming fat and silverskin or portioning boneless meat, a sharp knife gives a cleaner cut and far more control.
