Snips Buying Tips

There are 2 types of mentalities when purchasing snips:

• Spend the cheapest amount of money possible because they are going to need to be replaced
• Spend a few extra dollars for a pair of snips that will make your work easier and will far outlast the typical lifespan.

What Hardness Are Your Snips?

This chart will give you an idea of the durability of snips. The higher the rockwell hardness, the longer your snips will last. If you don’t know the answer to this question, you most likely fall into the first category.

 

The amount of money a pair of snips costs correlates directly to this idea. The harder the snip, the more expensive they are because they will last longer.

A few other considerations:

• Left cut snips are designed to cut to the left. It is also easier for a right handed person to cut a straight line with left cut snips because they can see down the cutting line. Also of note is if you take a pair of right cut snips and cut towards you in a straight line, you’ll produce the same effect
• There are many specialty snips available for various details. A few listed below are circle snips (for tight radius cuts), mini snips (for details), and pelican snips (for longer, straighter cuts).
• Each pair of snips has their own unique qualities when it comes to durability, precision of cut, serrated vs smooth cut, and overall feel.