Symphony

Symphony carries one of the longer family histories in the trade. The brand dates its roots to 1920 and is run today by the Eickert family from Fremont, Ohio, but the story it tells starts further back, in a German scissor-making factory that the family eventually relocated to the United States. That German-to-American thread is the heart of the brand’s identity, and it frames Symphony as a maker that blends old-world engineering discipline with hand finishing.

The practical result is a hand-built American shear at a sensible price. Symphony’s blades are 440C stainless given a convex, triple hand-honed edge with an extra hollow grind, and the brand says every pair is designed and produced by hand in the US. Pricing sits mid-range, roughly 200 to 400 dollars, which is fair for a hand-finished domestic product and undercuts a lot of imported premium steel.

A broad technique list

The range runs to cutting scissors, thinning shears, and left-handed models, and the technique list is genuinely wide: blunt cutting, slide cutting, slither cutting, scissor-over-comb, point cutting, fine design work, plus texture and volume control. A triple-honed convex edge suits the slicing and slither work especially, since that edge glides through hair rather than chopping at it. Worth knowing that a convex edge wants a sharpener who understands the geometry, so factor maintenance into the decision.

Symphony sells directly through symphonyshears.com and is also carried by Williamsport Bowman. For other American makers in this band, see the USA hub.