Misen Kitchen Shears: Are They Actually Worth the Price?

Misen kitchen shears are one of those products that have a genuine reputation among home cooks. At around $35-$40, they're priced above basic shears but well below specialty brands. The question most people have is whether that price difference over a $15 pair of kitchen scissors actually translates to better performance in the kitchen. The short answer is yes, but with some specific caveats worth knowing.

This guide covers how Misen kitchen shears are built, what they do better than cheaper alternatives, where they fall short, and whether they're the right choice for your kitchen.

What Makes Misen Kitchen Shears Different

Misen's shears are built around a few design choices that separate them from generic kitchen scissors.

Full Stainless Steel Construction

The blades and handles of Misen shears are stainless steel throughout. Many budget kitchen shears use plastic handle scales over a steel frame, which looks fine initially but becomes a problem over time. Plastic handles can crack, the seams can harbor bacteria, and they feel flimsy compared to solid metal.

Misen's all-stainless design is more durable, easier to sanitize, and feels more substantial in the hand. It also means they're dishwasher safe in a meaningful way, without worrying about handle materials delaminating or absorbing water.

A Proper Scissors Mechanism

Cheap kitchen shears often have a loose, rattly pivot point. The blades don't align properly, which causes them to push food around rather than cut through it. Misen shears have a tight, properly-aligned pivot. The blades meet cleanly along the full cutting edge.

This sounds basic but it's the most important factor in how shears actually perform. Misaligned blades require more force to cut through anything substantial, and they create a tearing action rather than a clean slice.

The Serrated Blade Design

One blade on the Misen shears is serrated while the other is smooth. This combination works better than all-smooth blades for most kitchen tasks. The serrations grip slippery materials like chicken skin and herbs, holding them in place as the smooth blade cuts through. Without the serrations, chicken skin in particular tends to slide away from the blades.

The Dedicated Herb Stripper Slots

The Misen shears include small circular slots near the pivot for stripping herbs from stems. These work reasonably well for thyme and rosemary. They're a convenience feature rather than a primary function, but they're there and they're functional.

What Misen Kitchen Shears Are Actually Good For

Kitchen shears get used more than most people expect once you have a good pair. The tasks where they genuinely excel:

Cutting pizza. Most people default to a pizza wheel, but shears cut through pizza faster and more cleanly. You can cut a pizza directly on the pan without damaging it, and you get cleaner cuts through thick crust.

Butchering chicken. Spatchcocking (removing the spine from a whole chicken) is much easier with kitchen shears than trying to hack through with a knife. Cutting chicken wings at the joints, removing skin, portioning thighs all go faster with shears than a knife.

Snipping herbs. For chives and green onions in particular, shears over a bowl are faster and more efficient than chopping on a cutting board. You get uniform pieces and less mess.

Opening packaging. This sounds mundane but shears are better than knives for opening vacuum packaging, clamshell containers, and stubborn bags.

Cutting canned tomatoes. Rather than fishing whole canned tomatoes out and chopping them on a board, snipping them directly in the can is faster. Same with other large-piece canned goods.

Portioning raw proteins. Cutting strips of bacon, scallops, shrimp, and fish in exact sizes is faster with shears than a knife for many tasks.

Where Misen Shears Have Limitations

They're stiff when new. The tight mechanism that makes Misen shears good at their job also makes them stiffer than cheap shears. They loosen up with use but the first month or two of use requires more hand pressure than you might expect.

The handles can be slippery. Stainless handles look great but provide less grip than textured rubber handles when your hands are wet or oily. If you're processing a lot of raw chicken, wiping your hands first becomes a habit you'll need to develop.

They're not ideal for delicate tasks. The heft and stiffness of Misen shears makes them awkward for fine work like cutting parchment paper to size or snipping fresh flowers. They're kitchen tools, not craft scissors.

One size. Misen offers one size of kitchen shears. People with smaller hands sometimes find the grip span wider than comfortable for extended use.

Misen Shears vs. The Competition

The main competition at similar price points includes Victorinox, OXO, and KitchenAid kitchen shears.

Victorinox makes kitchen shears in both budget ($15) and mid-range ($30) configurations. The budget Victorinox shears are excellent for the price and are often recommended alongside Misen. The mid-range Victorinox shears compete more directly with Misen on specs.

OXO kitchen shears are popular and use a more comfortable grip design with soft-touch handles. They're more comfortable for longer sessions but aren't all-metal.

KitchenAid shears are inexpensive and perfectly adequate for basic kitchen use, but they don't match Misen's construction quality.

My honest assessment: Misen shears are worth the price over budget options. The construction quality difference is real and you'll feel it during use. Whether they're better than Victorinox's mid-range or OXO comes down to whether you prefer an all-metal design over softer handle options.

If you're already looking at Misen products, their chef's knives and other blades are worth considering. For broader kitchen knife recommendations, check best kitchen knives or top kitchen knives to see where different brands land.

Care and Maintenance

Misen shears separate at the pivot for cleaning. This is an important feature. Non-separating kitchen shears accumulate food debris at the pivot point that's impossible to clean properly, which is both unhygienic and causes the mechanism to gum up over time.

To disassemble: hold both handles and push the pivot button (or release mechanism depending on the generation). The blades separate into two pieces. Wash each separately, dry thoroughly, and reassemble.

Dishwasher safe: yes, but hand washing extends the lifespan and keeps the blades sharper longer. Dishwasher heat and detergent eventually dull edges faster than hand washing.

Sharpening: kitchen shears can be sharpened with a small whetstone or a diamond sharpening rod. Stroke each blade separately when disassembled, maintaining the original bevel angle. Alternatively, most knife sharpeners have a scissors sharpening slot.

Oil the pivot occasionally with a food-safe mineral oil to keep the action smooth, especially if you're washing them frequently.

FAQ

Are Misen kitchen shears worth it over cheap kitchen shears? For most people, yes. The construction quality difference is noticeable in everyday use. The tight pivot, properly aligned blades, and all-metal construction all contribute to better cutting performance and longer lifespan. If you're cooking frequently, the upgrade is worth it.

Can Misen shears cut through chicken bones? They can handle thin bones like chicken wing joints and small rib bones. They're not bolt cutters, and forcing them through thick bones will damage the blades. For heavy-duty butchery, poultry shears with a more aggressive mechanism are purpose-built for this.

How do I sharpen Misen kitchen shears? Disassemble at the pivot. Use a whetstone or diamond rod to touch up each blade individually at the original bevel angle. A few strokes per side is usually enough for maintenance sharpening.

Are Misen shears good for left-handed users? The handles are symmetric, which means they're technically usable left-handed, but the serrated blade will be in the opposite position from what's optimal. Misen doesn't currently offer a dedicated left-handed version.

The Verdict

Misen kitchen shears are a well-made pair of shears that will outperform anything in the under-$20 range and compete with the best options at similar prices. The all-stainless construction, proper blade alignment, and separable pivot are legitimate quality differentiators. The stiffness when new and slippery metal handles are real limitations that some people find deal-breakers.

If you cook frequently and find yourself reaching for shears often, Misen is a worthwhile upgrade over basic options. If you rarely use kitchen shears and mostly need them for opening packaging, a cheaper pair serves the same function.