Scientifically speaking, scissors are an instrument with a functioning 2-lever system with a fulcrum in the middle. Where the scissors is held that is, the blade corners, force is applied there with the hands. The 2-lever apparatus exerts pressure in the middle where the fulcrum lies. The closer the material (to be cut) to the fulcrum, the easier it is to cut. This is because less force is required by the hand and the thumb.

One can say that a pair of scissors is actually composed of a pair of knives attached to each other. A single knife has one blade, whereas scissors have a pair of blades. Bigger scissors are called shears, in which the blades are of higher length and are usually for cutting heavy materials, plants or metal.

Truman Capote said ?I believe more in the scissors than I do in the pencil?, meaning that scissors are perhaps one of the most essential home tools people can use in their regular lives.

You probably can not name a household that does not have at least a pair of scissors. If you do, then the people of that house either are too ancient or there is a phobia attached to this tool.

It is a tool that is the easiest to use since it has a way to exert minimum pressure to cut through materials. There are innumerable uses of scissors like cutting paper, cloth, tin foil, hair, strings, plastic, leafy vegetables, etc.

Which brings me to the main point of this article. The question is: Are left-handed and right-handed scissors different?

The answer is "Yes." It is actually difficult for two people to share a pair of scissors if one is a right-handed and the other a left-handed. Because the thumb exerts pressure on the blade that is above and the rest of the fingers hold the other blade end to support that pressure. This is true for a normal scissors but in case of a scissors made for a left-handed person the reverse is true. The two blades in the scissors are different and their placements in the two types of scissors for two differently oriented persons will differ in just the vice versa way.

Though commonly it is found in a household that a scissors for right-handed a person is generally used and if a member is left-handed, he usually practices to use the same right handed scissors. But scissors made for the left hand are optimized for that position and are recommended for those that do cutting everyday.

In the present day's context a variety of soft touch scissors are used that enable you to cut material with a minimum of pressure.

There is another with a spring mechanism where the user does not open the blades apart to hold the material. It automatically opens and the user only has to exert pressure to cut. Scissors like this, and especially with rubber handles, are easy on the fingers of the user.

There are a variety of scissors that are optimized for their inteded use:

1. Children's Scissors are the safety scissors with almost blunt blades. If your children use these scissors, then their safety is ensured.

2. Medical or bandage scissors are used in hospitals and nursing homes. They have long handles with shorter blades. One of the blades is generally blunt and supports the cutting action of the other.

3. During operations, surgeons use another kind of blade, known as Hemostat. Instead of 2-blades system it has a one clamp and a one blade system.

4. Cutting cloth require very sharp bladed scissors. They are called fabric scissors. Such scissors are sharpened regularly, as even a little bit of bluntness will lead to irregular cuts on the fabric.

5. Gardeners use a type of scissors called the secateur. It is used to cut shrubs, and other plants. Another name for the secateur is "pruning shears."

6. Scissors having zigzag shaped blades are called pinking shears. They form a similar, decorative zig-zag type of cut shape on the material being cut.

7. There are a number of other scissors used in commercial industries as bolt cutters, tin snips, nippers, etc.

So the main thing is to get the right scissors for your need and for the correct hand that you use.