Henbor
Italian scissors from Premana — a keener edge, in exchange for more careful drying.
Where they come from
Premana is a village of two thousand people in the Lombard Alps, and it has ground scissors since the sixteenth century. Not as a heritage exercise — the village supplies a large share of the world's professional hairdressing and manicure tooling, and Henbor is one of the workshops there.
The Italian tradition differs from the German one in temper rather than quality. Solingen leans on stainless and durability; Premana leans on the edge. Which is better depends on whether you will dry the instrument after use.
What they are known for
Henbor works in carbon steel where most makers have moved to stainless. Carbon takes a finer edge and holds it longer, which matters for cuticle work where you are cutting skin thinner than paper.
The blades are ground by hand and closed against each other one pair at a time. That is what you are paying for: two blades that meet along their whole length instead of touching in the middle and gapping at the tips.
The lines, and which to pick
**Mix Line** is the everyday range — nail scissors, cuticle scissors and a baby safety pair with rounded tips. **Perfect Cutters** are the professional shape: longer handles, shorter blades, more control per millimetre. **Heavy duty** toenail scissors are built for thick and hardened nails, where a light instrument flexes instead of cutting.
The choice between nail and cuticle scissors is not size but grind. Cuticle blades are thinner and curved to follow the nail fold; nail blades are heavier and set for keratin. Using nail scissors on cuticle tears rather than cuts, and it is the single most common reason a manicure ends in a hangnail.
The trade-off
Carbon rusts. Not «may rust under bad conditions» — rusts, if left wet. Dry the blades and the joint after every use and oil the pivot monthly, and the instrument stays sharp for years. Skip it twice and you will see spots.
We say this plainly because a Henbor bought without knowing this becomes a disappointment, and that helps nobody.
Who it suits
Anyone who does their own cuticles and has noticed that the result depends on the instrument more than on the technique. Also professionals, which is the market Premana actually serves — the same scissors sit in salon drawers across Europe.
Questions we get
Where are Henbor scissors made?
In Premana, in the Italian Alps — a village that has ground scissors since the sixteenth century and supplies much of the world's professional hairdressing and manicure tooling. Each pair is ground and closed by hand.
What is the difference between the Mix Line and Perfect Cutters?
Mix Line is the everyday range: nail scissors, cuticle scissors and a baby pair with safety tips. Perfect Cutters use the professional geometry — longer handles and shorter blades, which gives more control for close work.
Carbon steel or stainless — which should I buy?
Carbon takes a finer edge and holds it longer, which matters for cutting skin. It also rusts if left wet. If you will dry the blades and the joint after every use, choose carbon. If you know you will not, choose stainless.
Can I use nail scissors on cuticle?
You can, but they will tear rather than cut. Cuticle blades are ground thinner and curved to follow the nail fold; nail blades are heavier and set for keratin. The hangnail you feel the next day usually started as a fold made by the wrong pair.
How do I know a Henbor pair has gone blunt?
Hold the closed blades up to a window. Any visible line of daylight along the cutting edges means they crush instead of cutting. The steel is still sound — it is the geometry at the very edge that needs restoring, and a grinding workshop can do it.
