Easy Cutting With Fiskars Softouch Scissors

If you suffer from stiffness or loss of strength in your hands when using fabric cutting scissors, you owe it to yourself to try something completely different: a pair of Fiskars Softouch Scissors. And even if you normally don’t have trouble with your hands, the Fiskars design could help reduce hand fatigue when you do lots of cutting.

Regular scissors depend on your ability to open your hand with the handles of the scissors wrapped around your fingers and your thumb. You have to use the muscles in your hands both to open the scissors and to close them.

Fiskars Softouch scissors work on a different principle. They use a spring to automatically open the scissors. You just need to close your hand to cut. Open your hand, and the scissors open automatically. When you’re done cutting and want the scissors to stay shut, there’s a convenient bright orange locking lever.

These unique scissors get their name from the soft, velvety-feeling rubber handles that cushion your grip. And because the handles are simple and straight, any pair of Fiskars Softouch scissors will work equally well for both right-handed and left-handed quilters.

Putting Them To The Test

I like the way the scissors work and feel in my hands, but the real test of any pair of scissors is how well they cut fabric. I tested the Fiskars Softouch on the fabric with which I normally work: 100% cotton and muslin fabric.

I started some test cuts at the very back of the blades (for a good long cut), and some at the tip (for a short, precise cut). All the cuts I made were clean, with no fabric slippage.

The blades of the Fiskars Softouch appear to be a bit thick to do really precise cutting on small pieces, but I think that is more of a visual hindrance than an actual physical constraint.

In any case, I mooted the issue by using a pair of small Softouch scissors with fine points. This small size works well for the fine detail clipping you have to do in applique.

Next time you are casting about, looking for your lost scissors and vowing to get another pair, try these hand-friendly scissors from Fiskars.

Click here for more information about the Fiskars Softouch.