These are my favourite scissors, simply because they have performed the best of all the pairs I own. Some are remarkably cheap while others are more costly but work so well, I think they're worth it. Sadly neither of the 2 pairs of Fiskars scissors that I own (dressmaking shears and snips) are there but they both became blunt really quickly and reside in the drawer of shame where they'll stay until I get around to having them sharpened at some point. Their sharp edge didn't outlast their first year thus they don't merit any sympathy and they can expect a very long spell in detention.
My best scissors Perhaps surprisingly the top two dressmaking shears are the cheapest but I've had them for 3 & 4 years respectively in which time they've reliably ploughed their way through mountains of lycra which is what blunted my big Fiskars within a few months. These two still cut right to the tip. The purple handled ones (very cheap on eBay) have serrated blades, the blue ones are titanium coated (Westcott's). I do favour the Westcott's of the two.
The blue snips are Kai's ergonomic design and are comfortable to hold and easy to use. I had some Inspira polished steel snips that became blunt over 2-3 years and looked pretty but were rather slippery with it. The Fiskars snips (no they've not suffered enough in this post yet
) tended to twist in my hands, only seemed to cut properly when used from one side and I didn't like their rather thick blades either.
The lime green and blue handles scissor are Karen Kay Buckley Perfect Scissors (what a name
) but the little ones do come very close to it. The larger ones are fabulous cutters (especially with those lovely pointy tips) but I can't help but wish the handles were offset.
Bottom left are my Ernest Wright duckbills (aka appliqué) scissors. Heaven for trimming & grading seam allowances and cutting close to seams and appliqué too of course.
Bottom right are my 5" SharpEdge Ginghers and they not misnamed! They will tackle all sorts with a smooth and easy cut so if I ever had to pack a mini travel sewing box with only one pair of scissors, they'd be the pair to take.
What about yours - both the friends and foes? The latter might make me a little less spiteful with the Fs in the detention drawer.