enVsharp is an independent organization that test sharpeners for their skills and knowledge about hair scissors and shears. A four (4) hour test requiring skill and performance on sharpening and corrective sharpening is given to sharpeners trying to qualify for this exclusive designation. The reason why this is an independent organzation is that all other sharpening certifications offered are run by either a scissor company, a sharpening equipment company that sells sharpening equipment to sharpeners or both. Some of these other certifications offered may carry with them the possibility of having a  "conflict of interest". enVsharp is independent and has no possible conflicts of interest as enVsharp does not sell shears to sharpeners or make sharpening machines or supplies. enVsharp only interest is just training the best sharpeners to ensure the stylists shears are sharpened to perfection. The test is given and graded by peers within the hair shear sharpening business to be certain the testing is fair. Any sharpener can take the test and when they pass, the sharpener earns the Certified enVsharp Sharpener designation.

 

A sharpener who earns the designation of Certified enVsharp Sharpener is qualified to sharpen any hair brand of shears being sold in the market. While there are hundreds of brand of shears being sold, there are only a few types of cutting edges. Therefore, the exam given is designed to certify the sharpener's ability to sharpen any Cutting Edge from Any Company or Manufacture; not just a particular line of shears. It is costly for a sharpener to be forced to purchase about 30 top name brand shears ($3,000 plus) to be certified with each individual company. Why? There are (5) basic and different types of cutting edges that a shear can have.  It is pointless unless your selling shears that is!! - Do you see the potential for a conflict of interest? 

 

What good does it do to put a small nick or some minor damage on a shear and have it sharpened by a sharpener in order to get certified by a shear company. A newly trained sharpener can just simply resharpen the shear and fix the minor damage without much skill or knowledge. On the other hand in the real world of sharpening many sharpeners are given shears that require far more work and repair than just a basic sharpening.

 

Therefore, enVsharp developed a four (4) hour exam to test any sharpener on all the possible edges that a shear may have.  A preliminary test is given to see what the skills the sharpener can perform correctly. Any additional skill(s) the sharpener lacks will be taught for one to two days. After the instructor(s) knows the sharpener has acquired the additional skill(s )needed the instructor(s) will approve the sharpener to take the final certification test. The sharpener is then required to take the final exam without any help from the instructor(s). If the sharpener passes the test, the Certified enVsharp Sharpener designation is earned.

 

In particular, a Certified enVsharp Sharpener can sharpen the following types of hair shears regardless of how expensive the shear may be or what the material or alloys the shear contains:

 

Convex shears from any company or mfg.

Semi-Convex shears from any company or mfg.

Color Titanium shears from any company or mfg.

Bevel shears from any company or mfg.

Custom edges or shears from any company or mfg.

Any thinner or texturizer shear from any company or mfg.

Any specialty shear from any company or mfg.

 

The above list cover all shears used in hair cutting and styling from  all scissors companies and manufactures who make shears.

 

enVsharp sharpeners are knowledgeable about scissors, how they are made and are well trained to service your shears and give advice on purchasing new shears. A shapener who carries this certification can not just do basis sharpening, but can perform major repairs on damaged shears.

 

This certification gives a stylist confidence in knowing their expensive shears are being sharpened and repaired with great skill. The knowledge they can give a stylist about their shears and what may be wrong with their shears is valuable. enVsharp sharpeners can show you any existing damage on your shears and explain what contributed to the damage and how to prevent the damage. 

 

You can learn some of this knowledge by reading the articles on this site. If you read nothing else, be sure to read the article number 5 -"What is a warped blade?".  This article alone can save a stylist thousands of dollars over their career.