Smoothness of the scissor movements

  Hold the scissor properly in your hand. The scissor should open and close without any portion of the scissor getting caught on itself. The opening an closing of the scissor should feel light and smooth.

Finish

• Polish is smooth and unified
• Coloring of the handle should be even. Unpolished burrs should not remain
• When gripped, scissor surface should feel smooth.

Material of the scissor

Cast metal
  Usually the most afforadable. Unfortunately once bent, it can not be easily corrected.

Stainless Steel
  Not as durable as steel, but lately the performance of stainless steel is nearing pure steel quality.

All Steel
  Usually refers to as "all-steel" when the whole blade portion is made from steel.
As long as the blade is not mistreated, the blade should remain straight. But if the blade is used without care, the blade may bend. Fixing a bend in a blade can be very difficult with an all steel blades. The cutting edge may also be ever so slighty less flexible than added steel.

Forged steel and iron
  Usually the scissor is made with iron, but the blade is compromised of steel. Most top grade Japanese scissors are manufactured in this style, using traditional techniques, materials and manufacturing processes. Such Japanese scissors are also considered to be very high in quality and very durable.

Size

  Raxa Scissors (Japanese textile scissors) are typically 240mm (8sun) in length. A slightly bigger Raxa scissor of 260mm (8.5sun) is usually for specialized tailors. 280mm (9sun) and 300mm (shaku) Raxa scissors are strictly for cutting garment.

  After using over a long period of time, the scissors may become dull and make cutting a bit more difficult. There are two possible reasons for a dull pair of scissors. One is frictional wear by the blade edge and the other may be the fact that the pivot screw has become weak.

When the scissor becomes dull
  Only sharpen the blade with a finishing whetstone. Since the back of the blade (as illustrated in the diagram of the cross section of the blade) contains a slight curvature, please do not attempt to sharpen you are a beginner. If at all possible, find a qualified blade sharper to sharpen your scissors.

When the pivot screw weakens
  Use nose pliers and tighten the pivot screw to a reasonable stiffness. If the screw is bent or is worn down, have a scissor specialist replace the screw.