How to Use the 5 Piece Hair Cutting Kit - 9CR: Tool Roles, Technique Foundations, and Daily Care

What Comes in the 5 Piece Hair Cutting Kit - 9CR

Before you pick up any tool, it helps to know exactly what you are working with. The 5 Piece Hair Cutting Kit - 9CR contains five pieces: a 5.75 professional cutting shear, a 5.5 cutting shear, a 32T professional thinning shear, a hand/feather razor, and a shear wallet. Each piece has a defined role, and understanding those roles before you start cutting is what separates a productive session from one where you reach for the wrong tool.

• 5.75 professional cutting shear — the larger of the two cutting shears in the kit
• 5.5 cutting shear — the smaller of the two cutting shears in the kit
• 32T professional thinning shear — a professional thinning shear included in the kit
• Hand/feather razor — a distinct cutting tool included in the kit alongside the three shears
• Shear wallet — included in the kit to keep all four cutting tools organized in one place

Who This Kit Is Built For and What 9CR Steel Means

The 5 Piece Hair Cutting Kit - 9CR is designed to fit within limited budgets, making it a practical choice for students starting their training and advancing into their careers. It is also used by a number of working professionals. The kit is positioned as an affordable entry point that still delivers a quality cutting experience, with 9CR steel chosen to make that balance possible.

9CR steel sits in a middle range on the steel spectrum — above the most basic student-grade options and accessible enough to keep the kit affordable. The shear types guide describes 9CR as a stronger professional middle ground, which means you can expect a capable, serviceable edge that responds well to proper daily care. The kit was designed to be just as effective as higher-end shears while remaining accessible, though that is the company's stated design intent rather than an independently verified equivalence.

Assign a Role to Each Tool Before You Cut

This kit gives you four cutting tools with distinct purposes, and using each one intentionally is what makes the kit worth having.

The two cutting shears differ in length, and as a general principle from shear selection guidance, longer shears tend to suit larger sections, scissor-over-comb work, and longer panels, while shorter shears tend to feel more controlled for detail work and precision cutting. Applying that principle to the two shears in this kit, the 5.75 is the longer option and the 5.5 is the shorter one — so you would naturally reach for each based on the scale and precision demands of the work in front of you.

The 32T professional thinning shear is your blending tool. It is a versatile blending option — distinct from the cutting shears in the kit, with its own defined role in the workflow.

The hand/feather razor is a distinct tool from the three shears in the kit. It works differently from a shear and gives you an additional option when the haircut calls for something other than a clean shear finish.

Daily Care: Wipe, Oil, and Store After Every Session

The tools in this kit will stay reliable longer when you follow a consistent end-of-session routine. The three steps are straightforward: wipe, oil, and store. Skipping any one of them regularly is where most preventable wear begins.

After each session, wipe the blades down. Hair, product residue, moisture, and disinfectant can collect around the blades and pivot during use. Leaving that residue on the shear affects the finish over time and can make the blades feel less smooth. A quick wipe after use removes it before it builds up.

Once the blades are clean, apply a small amount of oil at the pivot. Oil helps the blades move cleanly, reduces unnecessary friction, and makes tension checks more accurate. After applying it, open and close the shear a few times to work the oil through the pivot. Daily working shears benefit from this step regularly, especially after cleaning or disinfecting.

One habit worth building early: use your shears only on hair. Paper, tags, thread, packaging, and fabric can dull or damage a hair shear edge quickly.

Using the Shear Wallet to Protect the Kit

The shear wallet included in this kit is not just packaging — it is an active part of your care routine. Most preventable shear damage comes from storage and misuse. A small nick from a drawer edge, a counter surface, or a dropped tool can change how a shear cuts, and that kind of damage happens between sessions, not during them.

Storing your shears in a case or protected holder — rather than loose in a drawer or bag — is the recommended practice for preventing edge and tip damage. The wallet keeps all four cutting tools in one place, with the blades and tips protected from contact with other tools or surfaces. After you wipe and oil each piece, return it to the wallet before you put the kit away.

Related resources

• How to Use the 9CR 32T Professional Thinning Shear