- Models here
- 45
- Includes
- 17 cutting, 13 thinning, 15 sets
- Lengths
- 4.5″ to 7.0″
Ichiro makes shears for the working day. The collection is wide and practical: cutting shears, thinners, texturizers and matched sets, almost all on offset handles, in a broad choice of finishes. Where another maker might refine one shape for years, Ichiro offers a broad choice of lengths, edges and colours, so a stylist can match a cutter and thinner without stretching the budget.
The way to read the collection is by family. Each family shares a steel, a blade style and a finish, and most include a cutter, a thinner and a set.
The everyday families
The core of the range is in 440C stainless steel, with a convex blade and a slice cutting edge on the cutters.
- Offset. Polished steel, cutters from 5.0 to 7.0 inches, with a matching thinner and set.
- Matte Black. The same shape in a matte black finish. The cutter is offered left-handed in 5.0, 5.5 and 6.0 inches, and the thinner in either hand.
- Rose Gold. A pink rose gold polished finish, with left-handed options on the cutter, the thinner and the set.
- Ash Gold. Matte black with rose gold accents.
- Rainbow and Pastel Pink. Colour finishes for stylists who like their tools to stand out on the station.
A finish changes how a shear looks under salon lights and how it feels in a warm hand. It doesn't change how the blade cuts, so choose the length and edge first and the finish last.
The Premium Series
The Premium Series gathers three families. The Taiyo, in polished silver, and the Tsuki, in a polished black coating, step up to VG-10 steel, with a full convex edge and a Tejina-style tension screw. Each offers cutters from 5.5 to 7.0 inches, a 15-tooth texturizer and a set. The Sakura, also in the Premium Series, is listed in 440C, with a convex blade, cutters in 5.5 and 6.0 inches, a 30-tooth thinner and a set.
If you're deciding between an everyday family and the Premium Series, compare the steel, the edge and the tension screw on both product pages.
Shapes with a purpose
Beyond the families, a handful of models are built for one kind of work.
- Detail. The Ichiko Precision, in 4.5 and 5.0 inches, with a convex slicing blade.
- Balance. The Kawa Z-Balance, on its own Z-Balance offset handle, with a satin brushed finish. A swivel thumb version adds a thumb ring that turns a full circle.
- Classic hold. The Precision Master, unusual here for its classic even handle and fine point, in 5.5 to 7.0 inches, with a semi-sword blade on the 7.0.
- Barbering. The Tsurugi barber shear, with an angled blade in 6.0 to 7.0 inches, and the Master Series barber set, which pairs an even-handled cutter with an offset thinner.
- Bulk removal. The Chomper Wide, a 6.0 inch shear with a wide, short convex blade of 2.55 inches.
- Sword. The Rose Gold Sword, a lightweight sword blade with a key-adjustable spring tension.
- Ornament. The Dragon line, in SUS440C with a dragon-scale pattern on a 3D offset handle.
Edges for learning
Some Ichiro models pair or offer two blade types. A convex blade slices; a micro-serrated blade has fine teeth along the edge that hold the hair still as the shear closes, which is forgiving for blunt lines, dry cutting and stylists still building control. The Ergo Apprentice cutter is offered as a 5.5 inch convex slicer or a 6.0 inch micro-serrated shear, and the Ergo Slice and Serrated set includes both. It's a sensible way to learn which you prefer.
Thinners and texturizers
Ichiro describes its thinners by style as well as tooth count. The Kawa Z-Balance texturizer comes as a 14-tooth chunker or a 30-tooth blender. The Texture Master offers a light W-style, listed at 10 to 15%, a medium V-style at 20 to 25% and a heavy H-style at 30 to 35%. The 16T texturizer, as its name says, has 16 teeth. Most of the family thinners are 6.0 inches with V-shaped teeth.
Who Ichiro suits
Ichiro suits working stylists replacing a first shear, apprentices putting together a first matched kit, left-handed stylists who want a choice of finish, and anyone who would like a cutter and thinner with the same handle and colour. The Premium Series suits stylists ready for VG-10 steel within a familiar layout.
Choosing, and caring
Choose the job first: cutter, thinner or set. Then choose the length and hand, then the steel and edge, and finally the finish. Many models list a Left or Right option; check it before adding a shear to your cart. Wipe the blades after each client, oil the pivot daily and keep the shear in its case. Prices are in Canadian dollars. If a model shows as backorder, it ships once the next stock arrives.
To see Ichiro beside a maker with a very different idea of a shear, read Joewell and Ichiro compared. Or browse the Ichiro collection.
