Ernest Wright Review: The Last Scissors in Sheffield
Sheffield once had hundreds of "Little Mesters" — independent craftsmen working from tiny workshops, each specialising in a single tool. Scissor makers, blade grinders, spring makers. An entire ecosystem of interdependent skills built over centuries.
Today, two firms remain. Ernest Wright is one of them.
The Heritage
Walter Wright, Ernest's father, was one of the original Little Mesters — master craftsmen who rented benches in Sheffield's shared workshops and forged blades by hand. When Ernest founded his own firm in 1902, he carried his father's techniques into the 20th century.
Five generations later, those same techniques are still in use. Each pair of Ernest Wright scissors is hand-forged using stone-grinding wheels, hammers, and the skilled hands of "putters" — craftspeople who fit the blades together by eye and instinct, without jigs or templates.
The Rescue
In 2018, owner Nick Wright died. The company was days from closing. The workshop would have been cleared, the tools sold, and Sheffield's scissor-making tradition halved overnight.
Then Paul Jacobs and Jan-Bart Fanoy stepped in. They purchased the business, rehired the staff, and committed to keeping every pair made by hand in Sheffield.
It was one of the most significant rescue stories in British manufacturing.
The Recognition
In 2020, Ernest Wright won Heritage Crafts' inaugural President's Award for Endangered Crafts, presented by the Prince of Wales. The award recognised not just the quality of the scissors, but the broader significance of saving a critically endangered craft from extinction.
Heritage Crafts estimates that scissor making is Critically Endangered — only two firms in Sheffield remain committed to hand-forging. Ernest Wright and William Whiteley are all that's left of a tradition that once employed thousands.
The Craft
Making a pair of Ernest Wright scissors takes over 50 hand operations:
- Forging — Steel blanks are heated and hammered into blade shape on a traditional anvil
- Grinding — Blades are ground on sandstone wheels, a process that requires years of training to master
- Boring — The pivot hole is drilled with precision
- Hardening & Tempering — Blades are heat-treated to achieve the right balance of hardness and flexibility
- Putting — The two halves are assembled and fitted by hand. The "putter" adjusts tension and alignment by feel alone
- Setting — Final adjustments ensure the blades meet perfectly from tip to heel
No two pairs are identical. Each carries the mark of the craftsperson who made it.
The Product Range
Ernest Wright makes scissors for every purpose — from dressmaking shears to kitchen scissors, turbo trimmers to embroidery snips. Their flagship models include:
- The Kutrite — Classic 8" tailor's shears, the workhorse of the range
- The Turbo — A spring-action trimmer designed for repetitive cutting tasks
- The Multi-Purpose — Everyday scissors with the same hand-forged quality
Prices range from around £35 for utility scissors to £150+ for premium shears. Every pair comes with a lifetime guarantee.
The Verdict
Ernest Wright is not just a scissor company. It's a living museum of Sheffield's metalworking heritage — except the museum still works.
The rescue story alone makes them worthy of this directory. But it's the quality of the product that keeps them here. These are scissors that will outlast you, made by craftspeople practising techniques that are older than the factory they work in.
Pros:
- Genuine hand-forged Sheffield steel, every pair
- A rescue story that embodies the spirit of independent manufacturing
- Lifetime guarantee on every product
- One of only two scissor makers left in Sheffield
Cons:
- Lead times can be long (hand-made, small team)
- Premium pricing vs mass-produced alternatives
Related: Samuel Staniforth Review | Sheffield Steel Heritage