Mercer CulinaryM14804 Multi-Purpose 8-7/8" Kitchen Shears, Black/Silver

First off, the Mercer Culinary M14804 Multi-Purpose Shears are the same as the Kershaw Taskmaster 1120X Shears and the Shun DM7300 Shears. These are not just copies of each other, they are the exact same scissors made in the same factory by the same Chinese factory workers. The only difference is the engravings. These were previously made in Japan, but the factory moved to China. They still get their raw material from Japan. Don’t pay more for the Shun or Kershaw. Mercer is the same at a lower price. Shun used to be $26 when made in Japan. They raised the price to $49 and they are now in China. Go figure. Any of these shears are definitely not worth more than $20. I got mine on sale for $13, but I would still be ok with $17 (current price).I also picked up a pair of KitchenAid All Purpose Shears and J.A. Henckels International 11517-100 Take-Apart Kitchen Shears. I definitely like the Mercer Culinary M14804 Multi-Purpose Shears the most amount these three options.:::: Cleanliness ::::Both the Mercer and the Henckels both come apart to make it possible to clean and dry without getting water or bacteria trapped inside. This is a MUST HAVE feature for kitchen shears. KitchenAid does not come apart.::::: Blade Sharpness ::::The Mercer and KitchenAid are both very sharp blades and nice to cut with. From normal use I can’t tell which is sharper, but I didn’t try any side-by-side cutting tests. The Henckels blade sharpness fine, but slightly more rough if you hold the other scissors in your hand.:::: Ergonomics/ Handle ::::Henkles is by far the worst here. The holes are smaller with less room for the fingers to comfortably fit and it feels a little cramped. It’s not painful but not enjoyable. It also makes it more difficult to open the blades and use the scissors. I noticed it, but didn’t realize how much of a disappointment the Henckels is until I used the other shears. The Mercer and KitchenAid are both very comfortable, nice to hold, and easy to open and close. I give the KitchenAid the edge here.:::: Usable Blade Length ::::This is less important because they all have enough to cut but one think to note is the bone cutter notch on the Mercer reducers the usable blade length for most uses. Even with the reduction in usable length it still seems to have more cutting length than the Henckels, especially since I have trouble opening the Henckels all the way. KitchenAid has more length.:::: Functionality and Extras ::::What do you need? I don’t need a mediocre nut cracker or sub-par bottle opener. I won’t use them. I just wanted good quality shears. I’d prefer to pay less and only receive what I need. The protective cover cap on the KitchenAid is nice though because the tip is dangerously sharp.:::: Durability ::::I have not had these long term to be able to say which one will hold the sharpness longer, but I suspect the Mercer will win. The metal is thicker and feels more heavy duty than the others. It is also supposedly made with a high strength carbon steel which means it will hold its edge longer but also be more likely to rust if you don’t dry it.Bottom line... buy the Mercer Culinary M14804 8-7/8” Multi-Purpose Shears. You won’t regret it. If you want an extra pair of good scissors around the house (not for the kitchen) I’d also recommend the KitchenAid, but get it on sale at or at a local store. I bought mine for $6 at a local store.

Easy to handle, sharp, versatile and come apart to clean.

Great construction and materials used. Very sharp and easy to clean.

These are great! They cut anything like butter and so easy to clean.

Look for sales to buy these. The fit and finish could be better, but these are clone of the Japanese ones. They function pretty much the same, assuming you know how to sharpen shears.