Eli5: why are the tips of scissors worse at cutting than the base?

898 views

Eli5: why are the tips of scissors worse at cutting than the base?

In: 38

39 Answers

Anonymous 0 Comments

Scissors are fastened together at the base. So they’re slightly closer together there.

And if you’re using worn scissors then they likely were primarily used more at the tip than at the base.

Anonymous 0 Comments

The blades aren’t perfectly flat so they diverge more as you get farther from the hinge. Unless they’re like, really nice expensive scissors.

Anonymous 0 Comments

Scissors are fastened together at the base. So they’re slightly closer together there.

And if you’re using worn scissors then they likely were primarily used more at the tip than at the base.

Anonymous 0 Comments

In addition to the other comments, since the base is closer to the hinge, more force is applied there thru leverage than further down the blade.

Anonymous 0 Comments

Scissors are fastened together at the base. So they’re slightly closer together there.

And if you’re using worn scissors then they likely were primarily used more at the tip than at the base.

Anonymous 0 Comments

In addition to the other comments, since the base is closer to the hinge, more force is applied there thru leverage than further down the blade.

Anonymous 0 Comments

The blades aren’t perfectly flat so they diverge more as you get farther from the hinge. Unless they’re like, really nice expensive scissors.

Anonymous 0 Comments

The blades aren’t perfectly flat so they diverge more as you get farther from the hinge. Unless they’re like, really nice expensive scissors.

Anonymous 0 Comments

They aren’t, necessarily. Scissors are not particularly sharp – they do not cut like a knife.

Scissors cut by having the blades slide past one another, shearing the material. It only works if there’s no room between the blades for the material to slip through.

The blades are a little bit bendy, though, and the hinge isn’t perfect. Out by the tips, there is usually some room for the material to squeeze between the blades and thus escape being cut.

Anonymous 0 Comments

They aren’t, necessarily. Scissors are not particularly sharp – they do not cut like a knife.

Scissors cut by having the blades slide past one another, shearing the material. It only works if there’s no room between the blades for the material to slip through.

The blades are a little bit bendy, though, and the hinge isn’t perfect. Out by the tips, there is usually some room for the material to squeeze between the blades and thus escape being cut.