Arc

Arc is an American brand, listed out of West Chicago, Illinois, that sells direct through its own online store. It sits at the elite end of this directory, the top price tier, so the expectation isn’t a first-kit pair but a shear a stylist commits to and keeps. Public brand documentation is on the lighter side, so the official site is the place to confirm the finer points of warranty and education.

Steel and build

The range works in two well-regarded alloys: ATS-314 and 440C, with the grade varying by model. That’s a telling pair at this price. ATS-314 is a cobalt-bearing Hitachi alloy that holds a fine convex edge for precision and slice work, while 440C is the harder-wearing all-rounder, so Arc is effectively letting the model and its steel signal whether it leans toward delicate detailing or everyday durability.

Range and who it suits

Arc covers cutters, thinners and left-handed shears, and the technique list is deliberately broad, blunt, slide and point cutting, precision and slice work, wet and dry, plus thinning and texturising. That spread reads as a versatility play rather than a single-method specialist, the kind of catalogue meant to furnish a stylist’s whole bench from one brand. Lines like the Harmony, Paragon and Phantom anchor the range.

Buying is direct-from-brand through the official store, which is also where current per-model pricing lives. For other American makers, see the USA brands hub.