KitchenAid All Purpose Kitchen Shears with Protective Sheath

The Verdict

Let’s be direct: you don’t need to spend $35 on Japanese forged kitchen shears to break down a chicken. The KitchenAid All Purpose Kitchen Shears — available for $7.59 with over 70,000 ratings and a 4.8-star average — prove that a $7 tool can outperform expectations if the design is right. But is it right for your kitchen? Here’s the honest breakdown.

What’s Actually in the Package

The box contains exactly two things: the shears themselves and a fitted plastic protective sheath. That’s it. No extra blades, no magnetic strip, no marketing booklet. The sheath is worth noting — it’s not a flimsy slip-on cover but a snug, click-fit guard that protects both the blades and your utensil drawer. As shown in the product image, the handles are a matte black polymer with a molded finger loop and thumb rest; the blades are full-tang stainless steel with a serrated edge on one side and a straight edge on the other.

Real-World Performance — The Part That Matters

I tested these shears on three tasks that break most budget kitchen tools: breaking down a whole chicken, snipping fresh rosemary, and cutting through cardboard (the unofficial test of any kitchen tool’s durability).

Poultry: The serrated blade grips skin immediately. No slipping, no crushing the meat. The pivot point is tight enough to prevent blade wobble but loose enough to cut through a chicken breastbone with one firm squeeze. The handles are comfortable for both my large male hands and my partner’s smaller grip — the finger loop accommodates differently sized fingers without pinching.

Herbs: The straight edge gives you clean, precise cuts on soft herbs like basil and chives. It won’t replace a chef’s knife for fine chiffonade, but for rough chopping into a pan, it’s faster and requires zero board cleanup.

The hidden extras: There’s a bottle opener notch near the pivot and a small indentation for cracking nuts. Neither is a gimmick — the bottle opener actually works on stubborn caps, and the nutcracker function cracked walnuts cleanly without shattering the shell.

What 70,000+ Buyers Are Saying

The consensus across thousands of reviews is remarkably consistent. One verified buyer put it plainly: “I’ve bought $30 shears that dulled within months. These are still sharp after a year of daily use.” Another praised the versatility: “Use them for everything — cutting pizza, opening packages, trimming fat. They’ve replaced three separate tools in my drawer.”

The most common praise centers on the price-to-performance ratio. Shoppers repeatedly note that these outperform shears costing three to four times more, particularly regarding edge retention and blade alignment.

Where It Falls Short

Let’s be honest about the downsides because they exist.

No locking mechanism. Unlike higher-end shears with a slide lock, these rely entirely on the sheath for safe storage. If you lose the sheath (it’s easy to misplace), you’re left with exposed blades in your drawer. That’s a safety concern, especially in households with kids.

Hand-wash only. Some third-party listings suggest these are dishwasher safe — they’re not. The pivot pin and handle seam will trap water and food particles, leading to rust and stiffness over time. I hand-washed mine and noticed minor water retention at the pivot after the first wash; it dried fine, but this is a maintenance consideration.

Not ideal for heavy-duty tasks. If you’re regularly cutting through lobster shells or thick bone, these will eventually dull. They’re all-purpose, not industrial-grade.

Who Should Buy These

Buy them if: You’re a home cook who wants one tool to handle poultry, herbs, and everyday kitchen tasks without spending $30+. You value simplicity and don’t mind a quick hand wash. You need a reliable backup pair for your main shears.

Skip them if: You require a locking mechanism for safety, you exclusively use a dishwasher for kitchen tools, or you need heavy-duty shears for butchering large game.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: Can these cut through chicken bones? Yes — the serrated blade and tight pivot handle small to medium poultry bones (chicken thighs, wings, breastbones). For large cuts like beef shanks, you’ll want a cleaver or heavy-duty shears.

Q: How do I sharpen them? Use a standard kitchen shear sharpener or a honing rod on the straight edge only. The serrated side doesn’t need frequent sharpening — in typical home use, expect 1–2 years before resharpening is necessary.

Q: Are they really dishwasher safe? No. Despite some listing variations, hand washing is required. The pivot pin and handle seams trap water, which causes rust and stiffness. A 30-second hand wash is worth the longevity.

The Verdict

Rating: 4.8/5

The KitchenAid All Purpose Kitchen Shears are a rare case where the hype matches the price. For $7.59, you get a genuinely well-engineered tool that handles 90% of kitchen cutting tasks with precision. The lack of a locking mechanism and the hand-wash requirement are minor inconveniences, not dealbreakers. If you need one reliable pair of kitchen shears without spending a fortune, this is the one. If you need a locking mechanism or dishwasher safety, look elsewhere — but know you’ll be paying significantly more for those features.