In many households there is one pair of scissors,used for everything from cutting fabric to toenails! It will probably do none of these jobs properly! More than most tools,it is important to be very specific about scissors-and the trade carry every variety you could need, The craftsperson can choose from several designs of embroidery scissor,different lengths and handles in dressmaking scissors,and even different patterns of cut.

It is important to buy a pair which are comfortable to your hand,otherwise you may find your working sessions are short,and you may even damage the hand tendons. The trade generally use plain metal handles,which are open enough for most fingers,and very durable. The hobbyist may well prefer cushioned plastic handles,but needs to ensure they are not too cramping. Length is also important.The longer the scissors,the longer a clean straight cut can be made-but with length usually comes weight!

The most important point of course is quality.We are lucky in this age that technology has meant that good scissors are affordable,but that does not mean that all scissors are good. In the very cheap range,you will be lucky if scissors are good for anything but paper cutting,and often not even for that.

Even a cheap scissor should have a screw and nut fastening,or at the least a rivet which can be rehammered. Even new scissors out of the box generally require slight adjustment so that the blades slide along each other for the full length of the sharpened edge. If a scissor is "tuned" properly,it makes a pleasant note in use!

Even the best of scissors will eventually require resharpening,and that is usually best left to the professional. However,very often the blades have just become burred,and can be cleaned up on an oilstone by a handyman. Pinkers are very difficult to resharpen,but luckily rarely require it. Cheap and nasty household scissors aren't worth the bother or expense of trying. Serrated edge scissors are usually very longlasting,but will lose the serrations on resharpening.

If you are lucky enough to find some very old scissors with brownish blades,cling to them! They will be carbon steel.which will take an edge which no modern stainless blade can match.

Finally-the obvious. keep scissors to the job for which they were designed. None of them will cope well with  an all-purpose role.