Buy it for Life

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A place to share practical, durable and quality made products that are made to last, with an emphasis on upcycled and sustainable products!

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Things that are well-made and durable (even if they won't last a lifetime) are A-Okay!

Unlike that other BIFL place, Home-made and DIY items are encouraged here, as long as some form of instruction is included in the body of the post.

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These cheap scissors are held together with a screw (instead of a rivet), which means they can be tightened when they get loose and sharpened when they get dull. (www.scotchbrand.com)

submitted 10 months ago by [email protected] to c/[email protected]

12 comments fedilink hide all child comments

I'm aware that the plastic handles probably disqualify these from being true "buy it for life", but the exciting thing for me is that they are relatively cheap and can be found on the shelf in most stores with an office supply section. It's an unfortunate reality that the vast majority of BIFL items are special order and cost several times more than their mainstream equivalent, so I wanted to shout out Scotch brand for maintaining such good serviceability on an item you can literally pick up at Walmart.

I just pulled apart a pair of these which was cutting horribly, gave each blade a couple passes on an oil stone, then reassembled and tightened them up with a drop of oil in the joint. They cut as well as the day they were bought, and the handles are still in good shape so I could see doing this several more times before I even have to consider replacing them.

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[–] [email protected] 1 points 7 months ago

Just wanted to point out there's scissor sharpening tools that don't require the scissors to be taken apart

[–] [email protected] 1 points 10 months ago

You should really get scissors with higher quality hard steel so you don't need to sharpen the soft easily dulled steel cheap scissors. Your advice is not bifl but frugal at the cost of time effort

[–] [email protected] 1 points 10 months ago (1 children)

I am an industrial seamstress and have been using the same pair of scissors for 20 years. Not everyday as I’ve had some other jobs here and there, but they are still my go to for anything sewing. They are Wiss 10”. Under $100 bucks and very much worth it.

That being said, if you can take these apart and sharpen them then that’s a good deal!

[–] [email protected] 1 points 10 months ago* (last edited 10 months ago) (2 children)

I have Wiss and like them. I have Mundial and like them. I bought some Kai and freakin' love them. Way, way lighter (to abate that repetitive stress) and super sharp. A little harder to sharpen because the steel is so hard and when they chip they chip bad, but they are amazing. Highly recommended.

Also an industrial seamster

[–] [email protected] 1 points 10 months ago

I used Kai for the sew shop, but they also use them to cut carbon fibre pre-preg.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 10 months ago* (last edited 10 months ago) (1 children)

Yes! I have a smaller pair of the Kai and you are not wrong about them. So damn sharp. I use those for small precise cuts. I’d like to get a bigger pair but then I’d feel like I’m cheating on the Wiss. Which is ridiculous lol.

Also, what kind of seamster? I’m a sailmaker, but I’ve “retired” from that and just sew for myself now.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 10 months ago (1 children)

Another boat industry professional! I make marine canvas and upholstery!

[–] [email protected] 1 points 10 months ago

Nice!! I never got too much into canvas, just the stuff that goes with sails. Sailcovers and stack packs, winch covers, that kind of thing. Nothing with frames. That’s some 3D wizard magic right there! Always so impressed with beautiful canvas. Really cool the 3D modeling stuff some of the guys near me are using for patterning, so precise. I do need to make a new dodger, bimini and enclosure for my boat so I’m going to be doing it whether I like it or not soon! Also cushions.. lol

[–] [email protected] 0 points 10 months ago (1 children)

I like these scissors but I feel like the screw works itself loose far too quickly.

[–] [email protected] 0 points 10 months ago (1 children)

Loctite.

[–] [email protected] 0 points 10 months ago (1 children)

Wouldn't that prevent the scissors from opening?

[–] [email protected] 1 points 10 months ago

No.