Toki

Toki is made in Tsubame, Niigata, which is most of what you need to know about its pedigree. The Tsubame-Sanjo area has been a metalworking center for centuries and turns out everything from kitchen knives to industrial tooling, so a shear brand rooted there starts with a deep local well of grinding and finishing skill to draw on. Toki manufactures everything in Tsubame and inspects each pair before it ships.

Three steels, three jobs

The lineup organizes itself around the steel, and it’s a sensible split. The AB cutting series and AB-D thinning series run on the cobalt alloys VG10 and ATS314, the workhorse grades for Japanese professional shears, well-balanced between edge retention and ease of resharpening. Above that sits the SG2 series, built on powder-metal Super Gold 2, which gets you a harder, finer, longer-holding edge at the cost of needing a sharpener who’s comfortable with powder steel. If you’re choosing, the AB pairs are the everyday call and the SG2 is for stylists who want the most edge they can get and will look after it.

Range and feel

Cutting and thinning shears, with stated specialties spanning blunt and chop cutting, dry cutting, base and rough cutting, plus volume control at roughly 30 and 60 percent and texture control around 10 percent. That spread covers both fine finishing and heavier bulk removal, so the catalogue is built for a stylist who works across hair types rather than one technique.

Toki sits in the premium band, roughly $400 to $800, which is standard for Japan-made shears at this build level. The brand is actively expanding its distributor network. In the US, look to Shear Integrity; otherwise the maker’s own site and @tokiscissors on Instagram are the direct lines. More Niigata and wider Japanese makers are in the Japan directory.