We understand that at the core of the Shear Experience, the materials sourced and the forging process plays an incredibly important role.  This is why all shears that are purchased from Alpeka are guaranteed to be forged with 440c Stainless Steel.

-What does this Mean?  What is 440c Stainless Steel and why is it so important?

• 440c Stainless steel has the highest carbon content of the 400 stainless steel series.  The reason we use the 400 stainless steel series because it is a good balance between hardness and softness - which is determined by the carbon content of the steel.  440c Stainless steel (being the highest carbon content in 400 series but less than other steel series) has the ability to hold a sharp blade longer than lesser steels but is soft enough where it can be sharpened and will not chip, ruining the blade.

Another important aspect of forging our Alpeka Shears is the Quench Hardening process.  We forge all of our shears to be around 59-62 HRC.

 

- Why is quench hardening so important?

• Quench Hardening is the process of raising the temperature of steel above its recrystallization temperature and rapidly cooling it through the quenching process.  This changes the structure of the steel.  Quench hardening is particularly important when working with steel because steel is very sensitive to quenching.  If the stainless steel HRC rating is too high (caused during the quenching process), it can make the stainless steel very brittle and chip when sharpened.  If HRC is too low, the shear will have a softer blade which will need sharpening more often.  We have carefully dialed into the perfect HRC rating for all of our shears.

Essentially, we found a premium, well rounded stylist shears shares the characteristics of being forged with 440c Stainless Steel, Quench hardened to a rating of 59-62 HRC.