After reviewing the points of inspection for your surgical scissors, it’s important to also test the sharpness of your surgical scissors.

Instrument sharpening tests usually take 2 to 3 days to ensure your instrument is performing accurately and precisely.

Test material includes standard latex material, which can also available in latex-free test material.

Purchase your surgical scissor sharpness test material from Spectrum Surgical.

Follow the steps below in order to properly test the sharpness of your surgical scissors:

• Step 1: Using the right thumb and middle (or ring) finger, make sure scissors are held like a surgeon.
  For scissors longer than 4 ½’’ use Spectrum’s standard (Red) scissor test material or Non-Latex (Orange) scissor test material.
  For scissors 4 ½’’ and shorter in length, use Spectrum’s thin (Yellow) scissor test material.
• Step 2: Cut through material using ½ of blade to cut all the way through to the distal tip.
• Step 3: After several cuts, extract scissors. If scissors do not pinch or grab material, scissors are sharp.
• Step 4: The final test is how the scissors feel. Scissors should open and close smoothly and should not “jump”, grind or feel loose.

For more information and guidance, please review the surgical scissor feature on the Spectrum Surgical Website or feel free to instantly download the surgical scissor guide for free for instrument sharpening tips and more.