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Japanese hair shears for considered cutting choices

Cobalt in Hair Shears: Two Different Material Terms

Cobalt-bearing stainless and cobalt-base alloys need separate names.

By JapanShears EditorialUpdated

Hands inspecting a closed shear beside a loupe, notebook and comb.
Generated editorial inspection scene. A photograph and loupe do not establish a steel grade or hardness.
On this page
  1. Cobalt-bearing stainless steel
  2. A maker-named cobalt-base alloy
  3. Compare the complete six-inch cutters

Cobalt can be an alloying element in stainless steel, or the base of a different alloy. Those are two useful descriptions to keep separate when you read a shear listing. Calling everything “cobalt steel” blurs the distinction.

Two different uses of the word cobalt
The first panel labels iron, Fe, as the base of cobalt-bearing stainless steel and cobalt, Co, as an addition. The second labels cobalt as the base of a cobalt-base alloy. Open illustration at full size
  1. Cobalt-bearing stainlessCobalt is an alloying addition to a stainless steel grade. Read its complete grade name.
  2. Cobalt-base alloyCobalt is the base of a separately named alloy, such as Joewell’s CBA-1. That is a different material description.
Element symbols explain the terms; their box sizes are not composition proportions. A maker’s named alloy and exact model specification establish which description applies.

Cobalt-bearing stainless steel

Takefu’s VG10 material reference includes cobalt in its representative composition. Yasaka describes ATS314 as cobalt stainless steel. Cobalt’s presence does not turn either description into a cobalt-base alloy, or make VG10 and ATS314 the same grade.

The Kasho Silver Offset, 6.0 inch gives you an ATS314 model to inspect. Its stated hollow-ground convex blade, offset handle and flat centre screw belong to that Silver construction. They do not follow automatically from cobalt being in the material.

If you are comparing stainless grades, the VG10 guide and ATS314 guide give those names their own context.

A maker-named cobalt-base alloy

Joewell uses Cobalt Base Alloy CBA-1 as a distinct material term in its materials reference. Its Supreme SCC model page specifically names CBA-1 and the Convex PRO blade.

The Joewell Supreme Convex SCC, 6.0 inch is therefore a concrete cobalt-base example. It has an offset handle and a dry-bearing screw system. Keep those model details beside the alloy term; CBA-1 is not the name of its handle or blade grind.

The SCC listing also has a 5.7-inch option. Do not round that into a 5.5-inch comparison just because another range offers 5.5. Nominal size is one of the fields you are choosing.

Compare the complete six-inch cutters

DetailKasho Silver, 6.0 inchJoewell SCC, 6.0 inch
MaterialATS314 cobalt-containing steelCBA-1 cobalt-base alloy
Stated bladeHollow-ground convexConvex PRO
Handle familyOffsetOffset
PivotFlat centre screwDry-bearing system

This comparison keeps the nominal size fixed while several construction fields change. It cannot show that any difference in feel comes from cobalt content alone. It can help you decide which blade, handle and pivot you want to inspect more closely.

Use the catalogue photographs to compare the complete handles and visible pivot hardware. The selected option supplies the size and material; those fields cannot be read from a silver surface.

Kasho Silver Offset Hair Cutting Scissors, product-family image
Kasho Silver Offset Hair Cutting Scissors Selected option: 6.0" Inch Cutting Scissors $749.00 AUD Kasho Silver Offset family photograph. The card selects its right-handed six-inch cutter; the written specification identifies ATS314.
Joewell Supreme Convex Hair Scissors, product-family image
Joewell Supreme Convex Hair Scissors Selected option: 6.0" Cutting Scissor $999.00 AUD Joewell Supreme Convex family photograph. The card selects its right-handed six-inch SCC cutter; the maker's CBA-1 statement establishes the material.

Keep the exact maker term when arranging service too. Pass on the model and original blade construction, and follow its pivot instructions. A material preference should not override the mechanical care of the tool you own. The maintenance hub provides a useful starting point; the steel library connects the other material, process and finish questions.