Where to Buy Chip Cutting Shears in the US — And What to Look for Before You Buy

Chip cutting — sometimes called notch cutting or chunking depending on the scale and depth of the cuts — is one of the most versatile finishing techniques in a professional stylist's toolkit. It removes weight with intention, softens harsh perimeter lines, and adds the kind of graphic, lived-in texture that blending shears and razors can't quite replicate. But like every precision technique, chip cutting works best when the shear is actually built for what the method demands.

What Is Chip Cutting?

Chip cutting involves opening the shear and making a series of deliberate, short cuts directly into the hair section — removing small "chips" of hair to reduce weight and create separation without producing the seamless blended finish of a texturizing shear. The result is a more graphic, intentional texture. It's particularly effective for adding movement to blunt cuts, breaking up heavy perimeter lines, and creating that effortless, undone finish that clients increasingly ask for by name.

Because the technique relies on placing cuts precisely with the tip of the blade, it makes specific demands on the shear doing the work — demands that a general-purpose or budget shear often can't meet consistently.

What a Good Chip Cutting Shear Actually Needs

• A sharp, precise tip. Chip cutting lives and dies by tip placement. A shear with a blunt, imprecise, or poorly finished tip will produce ragged, unintentional results rather than the clean notches the technique is designed to deliver. Look for shears with a hand-finished tip — a detail that separates genuine quality manufacturing from mass production.

• High-hardness steel. Because chip cutting involves repeated short cuts rather than long gliding strokes, the cutting edge experiences a high frequency of concentrated impact loads. Lower-hardness steel dulls faster under this pattern of use. ATS-314 at 61–63 HRC — the steel used in every Ivy Ann shear — is the appropriate choice for a shear that will hold a clean tip edge through a full professional workload.

• A true convex edge. The convex (hollow-ground) edge found on quality Japanese shears produces the cleanest single-cut result, which matters enormously in chip cutting where each individual notch is visible in the finished style. Beveled or micro-serrated edges produce less clean results on this technique.

• Light weight and good balance. The repetitive short-stroke nature of chip cutting is fatiguing on a heavy shear. A well-balanced, appropriately weighted tool reduces hand fatigue and gives you more control over placement across a long service.

Where to Buy Chip Cutting Shears in the US

The honest answer is: buy from a brand that makes its manufacturing origin and steel specification explicit, offers a shear with a hand-finished convex edge and named high-hardness alloy, and will stand behind the tool with a real guarantee and maintenance support.

At Ivy Ann Professional Shears, every shear in our lineup — including the Signature Sword and the Signature Dry Cutter, both of which are widely used for chip cutting work by stylists in our community — is cold-forged from ATS-314 Japanese steel and hand-finished 100% in Sanjo, Japan. The tip precision on our shears is a function of the hand-finishing process, not something that can be replicated in mass production.

Our lineup also includes dedicated texturizing shears for stylists who want to complement their chip cutting work with a tool optimized for weight removal across broader sections. The Signature Texturizer and Perfect Texturizer™ in both 30% and 60% configurations are available at ivyannshears.com/shop.

Get the Right Shear for Your Technique

Not sure which shear in our lineup is the best fit for a chip cutting-heavy practice? That's exactly what our free one-on-one fitment consultations are designed to answer. Our team of working cosmetologists will talk through your techniques, your hand, and your daily service mix — and give you a straight recommendation. No pressure, no upsell.

Book your free consultation at ivyannshears.com or call us at 910-769-0355. We ship anywhere in the US.