The Sewing Place

William Whitley scissors

Ivydene

William Whitley scissors
« on: July 11, 2022, 19:47:54 PM »
OH is offering to buy me some scissors as a birthday present, and I am considering a pair of shears for cutting my fabric, I am more likely to try to make clothing or simple homeware than quilting.
I have a pair of Fiskars standard scissors but like the idea of shears. Oh, I have some arthritis in my cutting hand too.
Has anyone experience of buying from/using scissors from William Whiteley please?
Thank you
Ruth

So Chic

Re: William Whitley scissors
« Reply #1 on: July 11, 2022, 20:47:10 PM »
I have three pairs of Kai scissors in varying sizes and I’m very happy with them.  I bought the last ones from a shop in Cornwall but I can’t remember the name.
So Chic
Bernina Artista 630, Bernina 800DL, Janome Cover Pro 1000CP and an elderly Singer Touch & Sew 720G as a back up

Surest1tch

Re: William Whitley scissors
« Reply #2 on: July 11, 2022, 21:12:52 PM »
If it's William Whiteley tailors shears your hankering after you may find they are a bit heavy for you to handle with your arthritis, sorry. I agree with So Chic about Kai scissors, they are made by a Japanese company, have a look at the manufacturing process here
https://www.kai-group.com/global/en/kai-factory/process/scissors/
They are excellent scissors and keep their edge extremely well, not cheap but worth every penny.

SewRuthieSews

Re: William Whitley scissors
« Reply #3 on: July 11, 2022, 22:18:52 PM »
I own the Exo Shears in Silver
I love them very much and use them everyday.

PRODUCT SPECIFICATION
Product length: 26.9cm / 10.6in
Length of cut: 11.5cm / 4.5in
Product weight: 396g / 14oz

For me the weight is not a problem but some people with arthritis had complained about them being too heavy.
I don't lift the whole shears up when cutting, as I run the bottom blade along the table.

Ouryve

Re: William Whitley scissors
« Reply #4 on: July 11, 2022, 22:29:10 PM »
I have hand issues and have these which are ver comfortable and light abd very sharp. I have the 10" version on my gift list.
https://www.whiteley.co.uk/store/sewing/wilkinson-glide-lightweight-dressmaking-shears/

My issue isn't just the weight of the scissors on my wrist but the pressure on my thumb joint, which dislocates and locks all too easily.
« Last Edit: July 11, 2022, 22:31:18 PM by Ouryve »
Janome M50QDC - "Jane" - Small, cute and hard working. Pfaff Quilt Ambition 630 - "Pfanny" - Pfickle. Bernina L450 - "Bernie" - Very hungry. Bernina 830 Record - "Becky"

Ivydene

Re: William Whitley scissors
« Reply #5 on: July 12, 2022, 08:55:13 AM »
Thank you for all your replies.

@So Chic @Surest1tch  I have looked at Kai, the products I am finding are badged Prym Kai scissors. Are these the ones you have?

@SewRuthieSews @Ouryve  I am looking for a pair of shears because I want to be able to keep them down on the cutting surface, hopefully reducing the weight on my hand a bit. I never do multiple project cutting out sessions.

I like that the weight is included on the William Whiteley site.

Ploshkin

Re: William Whitley scissors
« Reply #6 on: July 12, 2022, 09:04:43 AM »
@Ivydene  look at Kai scissors on the Prosharp website.  They have every type.
Sorry, cant do a link on my Kindle.
I too am a big fan of Kai scissors.  The bent shears are good if you have hand issues.
Life's too short for ironing.

Surest1tch

Re: William Whitley scissors
« Reply #7 on: July 12, 2022, 09:20:12 AM »
The ones I have are not Prym @Ivydene, I've had them a lot of years and got them directly from Kai so unless Prym have either taken Kai over or bought the name somehow I really don't know what's happened there!
I know a lot of people use and like Prym products but personally I wouldn't touch anything Prym with a barge pole.

So Chic

Re: William Whitley scissors
« Reply #8 on: July 12, 2022, 09:54:22 AM »
@Ivydene   Ploshkin has jogged my memory and Prosharp is the company I bought my Kai scissors from.  Mine are all badged Kai with no mention of Prym but I think some Janome scissors are made by Kai in Japan.
So Chic
Bernina Artista 630, Bernina 800DL, Janome Cover Pro 1000CP and an elderly Singer Touch & Sew 720G as a back up

Mick

Re: William Whitley scissors
« Reply #9 on: July 12, 2022, 21:00:13 PM »
I have used the Wilkinson / W. Whitely tailors shears. (Not mine I borrowed them off someone). As has been said, they cut superbly but are certainly heavy. I must admit that when there are a few pennies in the kitty I'll probably invest in a pair of my own. Even if it's just for the sake of supporting one of the last traditional scissor makers left in this country.

One bit of advice I would give is that if you buy the "Xtra Sharp" models, they have micro-serrated blades. They cut brilliantly but can not be re-sharpened. I don't know how much use it would actually take to blunt a pair of scissors that well made. Probably a lifetime or two, but just something to bear in mind.

As for the arthritis.
As a fellow sufferer, I can tell you that it's not the weight of the scissors that causes a problem, it's the hard metal edges of the bows putting pressure on the joint.

This is my solution, just some thick cotton cloth bandaged around the thumb bow and stitched in place.
As crude as it looks, it works surprisingly well.

20220712_201845 by Mick, on Flickr


Ivydene

Re: William Whitley scissors
« Reply #10 on: July 14, 2022, 07:27:38 AM »

@Ploshkin @Surest1tch @So Chic, thank you for your replies. I will look at the Prosharp site, I’m not sure I would have found it without your prompting.

@Mick thank you for your response, I suspect I will probably end up adding some padding to the handle for support as well.

Time to make a decision.
Ruth

WildAtlanticWay

Re: William Whitley scissors
« Reply #11 on: July 29, 2022, 09:12:18 AM »
One bit of advice I would give is that if you buy the "Xtra Sharp" models, they have micro-serrated blades. They cut brilliantly but can not be re-sharpened.

Some hairdressing scissors have the micro serrated blades and are mainly used for blunt cutting as they grip the hair and so can’t be used for slicing techniques. They can still be sharpened by a professional scissor sharpener but I imagine the serrations would get removed and may need to be added back?

This is the company I use for sharpening my hairdressing scissors. They should be able to advise about sharpening fabric scissors, I’m sure.

https://www.yoiscissors.co.uk/

Starryfish

Re: William Whitley scissors
« Reply #12 on: July 29, 2022, 13:32:50 PM »
I get my shears sharpened by Prosharp, they are very quick. I definitely recommend them for that.
Expect mine to last for many years, I can't remember the manufacturer ( the owner died in tragic circumstances some years ago), but they sharpen up beautifully.
A day without sewing is a day wasted.

Sewingsue

Re: William Whitley scissors
« Reply #13 on: July 29, 2022, 16:57:29 PM »
I get my shears sharpened by Prosharp, they are very quick. I definitely recommend them for that.
Expect mine to last for many years, I can't remember the manufacturer ( the owner died in tragic circumstances some years ago), but they sharpen up beautifully.
Was the company Ernest Wright?
Bernina Aurora 440QE, Brother BC-2500, Singer 99K (1938), Juki MO-654DE overlocker, Silver Viscount 620D overlocker.

Kwaaked

Re: William Whitley scissors
« Reply #14 on: July 29, 2022, 17:59:54 PM »
I had a bad experience with Kai, so I don't buy them.  Scissors are fine, but I dislike being charged more for being left handed then for them not to support the product is a no from me.  If you do buy Kai, they will not honor any warranty unless you buy them direct so be aware of that. 

Mine were defective, I was told by the shop to contact Kai, Kai said they don't honor warranties for Kai on products they don't sell directly, take it up with the shop.    This sort of thing is too expensive to mess with, so I don't use the brand now at all.  At almost $100 for the scissors, I expect them to honor what they say.