umak89•25d ago

Fade or shear lines - which one do clients hate more?

I saw a survey from a barber supply site last month that said 68% of guys would rather have a slightly uneven fade than any visible shear lines on top. That surprised me because I always thought people cared most about the fade blending perfectly. But the article made a point that shear lines stand out way more because they catch the light differently and look sloppy. I've been paying more attention to my blending shears since reading that. Do you focus more on smooth fades or making sure the top has zero lines?

2 comments

2 Comments

lily23025d ago

Gotta point out that blending shears aren't really for taking off length just for texturing, so if you used them to blend the top you were probably making things worse. You want regular shears or clippers for the actual cut, then thinning shears just to soften the weight lines.

riley_coleman825d ago

That survey sounds about right based on my own clumsy attempts at cutting my husband's hair during the pandemic. The first time I tried blending the top with shears it looked like someone had taken a garden rake to his head. My own hair is so thin and fine that shear lines would be a disaster, so I just keep it buzzed short to avoid the whole problem. But for normal guys with actual hair to work with, I can see why they'd be more forgiving of a fade that's a little off since it's on the sides and back where people don't stare as much. A bad cut on the top is right there at eye level and hard to ignore, plus it catches every bit of light like a bad toupee. Give me a fade that fades out smoothly any day over those telltale lines on top.