Japanese Trimming Shears "HIDEHISA"
HIDEHISA Japanese Trimming Shears made of YCS3-Steel
The blades of these shears are not laminated (a hard, tool steel forge-welded to a softer iron body), but rather they are made entirely of Hitachi YCS3-Steel. With traditional Japanese laminated shears, the problem is often that when cutting, the relatively soft iron body of the shears bends under stress and so the blades, however hard and sharp, no longer meet closely enough to allow a proper shearing cut.
But if one makes the entire shears out of the hard "Hagane" steel, they would be too susceptible to breaking, as the "Hagane" steel is relatively brittle. The modern alloy YCS3-Steel makes it possible to harden the blades to HRC 63, but to avoid the brittleness characteristic of high-carbon steels.
It also allows the body of the shears to be engineered to a finer, lighter shape. At only 285 g, these shears are lighter than others of their type. That, and the nicely ergonomic grips help make long, tough jobs lighter and easier.
HIDEHISA hand forged shears are manufactured in Sanjo, Niigata Province, Japan by an old, established firm well known for the quality of their wares.