Tweezers And Small Scissors Or Shears-What Do You Like?

[Phog Allen]

I have been considering the purchase of some tweezers and scissors/shears. I think they would make a handy bit of kit to add to the toolbag. I immediately thowught of Klein's 'electricians scissors' and maybe some of the Knipex tweezers. Heck, they even manufacture insulated models! Some of those tweezers carry a hefty price point and I do not mind paying for quality but a pair or three of those and the scissors would knock a hole in a cnote pretty quickly. The scissors I usually see used by IT techs for cable like Cat5e. I do not anticipate cutting much wire with them. More like tape and jackets on bundled cables. Any other ideas for scissors? I'd rather them be short nosed with larger handles than the inverse. Brands?

 

[honcho]

I've used Fiskars All Purpose Snips for a number of years with good success. I do keep some regular scissors in my garage toolbox for cutting paper and plastic but the Fiskars work well in my mobile bag. The pair I have was made in Taiwan I found a pair for sale from a 3rd party vendor on Amazon for $48 which is robbery. For sale with free shipping on ebay here for $11 which is still high. I think I paid about $5-$6 for mine.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/330846736563

 

[nanofrog]

Take a look at Lindstrom, TDI, (Ideal-Tek is the actual manufacturer for both of these), Dumont, Wiha (VOMM is the actual manufacturer) in terms of tweezers. Depending on style, they can range from ~$20 - 35 for SA material (= Stainless Steel, Anti-Acid, Anti-Magnetic). Stainless (S) is a bit cheaper (not anti-magnetic, and not as chemical resistant), but NC (Nickel-Chromium; ~6x harder than SA) and TA (Titanium), tend to increase the price a fair bit for the same style.

For a place to purchase, try www.Stuller.com (they carry both Ideal-Tek and Dumont) or www.Micro-Tools.com (Dumont, Ideal-Tek <special order>, or Wiha/VOMM). Good prices at both.

For scissors, have you considered surgical models?

For example, a Lister Bandage Scissor could be useful for cutting sheathing/jackets with a reduced chance of cutting into a wire.
Or a Metzenbaum for cutting tape.

Both examples are almost certianly Pakistani made, but would do the job.

There are German made versions (i.e. Crown), but be prepared to spend some cash for them (i.e. ~$50 for 5.5" Lister). 7" would probably be near $70. Keep in mind though, when they say bandage, that actually means it cuts through tough materials such as a cast, not just gauze. Metzenbaum won't be much different in cost.

 

[96snma]

http://www.narescue.com/NAR_Trauma_Shears-CN1CEED1D0349C.html

 

[Phog Allen]

Thank you nanofrog. That is a whale of good information. Great to find out about the brands. I never considered surgical shears but they make sense.

96, thanks for the link. Those look good. Last summer I broke my leg at work and the emts used a similar shear to cut my work boot off. I could not believe how it cut that boot leather.

 

[96snma]

You can get $70 dollar ones that can cut through football pads but thought that was getting a bit spendy for a pair of garage shears. That and they're on back order, guess demands to high

 

[nanofrog]

Thank you nanofrog. That is a whale of good information. Great to find out about the brands. I never considered surgical shears but they make sense.

Glad it helped.

The Trauma shears look to be a stamped version of the Listers, so if you find a good set at a lower cost, might be worth giving them a go. The bottom blade (fixed one), has a lip on it that should help guide wire away from the cutting edges, so long as you don't accidentally scoop a wire up with it.

The brands listed are at or near the top end, save Crown (not sure where they fall vs. other surgical tool manufacturers; may even be rebranded).

As per function, I use the surgical scissors for cutting tape (electrical, Kapton, Mylar, ... whatever), and they're brilliant for it IMHO. But I got mine inexpensively (mostly US made).

My hemostats are German and Pakistani made I got very inexpensively at a flea market many years ago (late '80's IIRC). The Pakistani models weren't useless for what I use them for, but there is play in them at the first locking position (old, and probably just about worn out). Not that you asked, but they're handy for getting into tight spots that needle nose can't (fishing out screws or parts in very tight quarters), or continuously grip things without needing to be held (pulling parts out of a PCB or as a heat sink to keep from damaging a sensitive part). BTW, it's my understanding that the more recent Pakistani made ones are of better quality than those I bought so long ago.

On the other end of the spectrum, there's zero play/slop in the German ones.

Just a couple of extra thoughts.

 

[03protege]

I picked up some pretty old stanley shears from a second hand shop for next to nothing. They cut through all kinds of stuff recently some of the super thick plastic packing straps.

Couldn't find a picture online but they are the same size as these.

 

[Monte]

 

[nanofrog]

Meh... Those are their budget line.

How do you like the Boley style (AA pattern)?

 

[Phog Allen]

More great information. And Monte comes through again with photos that make me want to buy stuff. Good call on the hemos too. Very handy devices.

 

[skruft]

I have never had much use for tweezers as tools, but they could be used to pick up fallen items.

I often must use (and will drop) very small screws, so I sometimes start them or pick them up with what looks like a very small version of the standard pickup tool, with small, triple spring steel jaws on the end. They will grip screw heads enough to start them.

 

[Phog Allen]

Skruft I agree with you for the most part. The best quality tweezers are made for the blokes who assemble or repair electronics boards and the delicate components they contain. My use would be more as you describe. They would also come in handy for maintenance work where you may be holding a small wire or screw in an area with limited access. One or two pair, one with angled tip, would cover 99% of my needs. The scissors are an interesting matter. Klein, NWS, Ideal and some others all make electricians scissors that could pass for copies of each other. I suspect contract manufacture for all of them. NWS has a couple of models with nicely cushioned grips. A pair of those and a Lister or emt/rescue pair would be nice additions for great prices.

 

[Davefr]

You might want to consider plizers:

http://www.swanstromtools.com/stweez.htm