Do you have great scissors in your household tool kit? Or are you the type to use office scissors and kitchen knives for the bulk of your everyday cutting tasks?
Here are 5 of my favorites scissors, ranging from keychain-sized to jobsite-tough.
All of these also make for great gift ideas, too.
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Victorinox Swiss Army Knife Classic SD
Victorinox’s keychain-sized mini Swiss Army Knife is a fantastic tool. It’s compact, packed with useful tools and features (scissors, knife, nail file, screwdriver, toothpick, tweezers), and durable – especially for its size.
They are available in many different colors, patterns, materials, and even graphical themes.
This is a great way to get into EDC (everyday carry).
Engineer Multi-Function Compact Scissors
The Engineer PH-55 compact scissors is one of my favorite tools. It can cut through a wide range of materials and takes up little space in a drawer or cabinet.
I bought my first pair at least 10 years ago, and have had no regrets.
Milwaukee Jobsite Scissors
Milwaukee’s jobsite scissors are about as tough as they come.
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Throughout my childhood, my parents had two heavy duty pairs of scissors in the kitchen tool drawer, and they were the go-to for everything.
Milwaukee scissors play a similar role in my home – and workshop – and have become the go-to scissors for my family.
Wiss Utility Shears
These Wiss 7″ utility shears are not quite scissors, and not quite snips. It features spring-action handles, short blades for controlled cuts, and a serrated bottom blade to better grip different materials.
I wouldn’t consider this a must-have, but it could be a versatile addition to your tool kit.
Leatherman Raptor Rescue
Designed to meet the needs and demands of rescuers and emergency personnel, the Leatherman Raptor Rescue can be used for all sorts of everyday cutting tasks.
Leatherman says it can be used as “emergency response shears, industrial shears, fabric shears, kitchen shears, and garden shears.”
The scissors fold up and can be stowed in the included utility holster.
Additional features include a carbide glass breaker, US standard oxygen tank wrench, strap and ring cutters, and pocket clip.
MM
My two biggest go-tos for scissors both happen to be Fiskars:
#1) Micro-tip snips, these are great for precision or detail cutting, and there is a variety of similar models available. Some have nonstick coating, some have Titanium nitride, etc. They’re all great. For example:
https://www.amazon.com/Fiskars-190500-RazorEdge-Micro-Tip-Action/dp/B00UY11IFG/
#2) 9in serrated shop scissors. Serrated workshop scissors are nothing new but these Fiskars have a very fine yet also sharp serration which works great for a variety of materials. I think the Milwaukee shop scissors have stronger handles but these are more ergonomic and they have better blades. For my “kitchen junk drawer” needs I prefer these.
https://www.amazon.com/Fiskars-Serrated-Titanium-Nitride-12-96536984/dp/B000VYOISU/
Jared
Speaking of Fiskars – I really like the little folding ones too. Pretty nifty for ~$6.
https://www.amazon.com/Fiskars-01-005434-Travel-Folding-Scissors/dp/B003VWHN0O/ref=sr_1_1?
Very pocketable (though maybe not as versatile as a Victorinox SD). I keep a pair in a small first aid kit I keep for hiking, camping, etc.
Stuart
I’d be open to trying Fiskars again, after a poor experience a long time ago – https://toolguyd.com/fiskars-cuts-more-scissors-hands-on-review/ .
Scissors done well – or any tool for that matter – should blend into the background of the task at hand.
MM
I read over that old article and it sounds like that was a turd of a design. But generally speaking Fiskars scissors are excellent. I can’t claim to have used every model but as far as general purpose scissors for home, office, crafts, and light duty DIY I consider the name synonymous with good value. I know they had a similar looking set of scissors that have been around for a very long time–at least since the early ’90s–but they have the notch in only one blade, not both. The other blade is either straight or has a very subtle curve, and those work well.
Stuart
I have had other Fiskars tools break on me far too easily (pole lopper, small pruner shears), but their customer service was great.
I feel it’s a gamble to sort our heavy duty Fiskars tools from light duty-use tools aimed at consumers.
MM
Oh, I think that’s simple: they don’t make any heavy-duty tools, at least not truly heavy duty. They are certainly consumer-oriented. Home, office, light DIY, hobby/crafting is where they are good. I know they make some outdoor tools but that always seemed out of their wheelhouse to me so I never purchased any. Just because a company can make good office scissors doesn’t mean they can suddenly make good axes.
Jason
it’s not really that hard. fiskars makes the best splitting axe I’ve ever used (not alone in that opinion), the best mini-sledge, and those scissors are also my favorite. they have many loppers and pruners that are great values (i have a fiskars lopper that has gone from regular orchard use to cutting roots as they’ve been filed down over the past 20 years of heavy use). i’ve been using those scissors you complain about daily for many years and consider them one of the best tool deals out there. i’m glad i didn’t read your review beforehand because i generally trust your opinion. yes, fiskars also makes cheap plastic loppers and janky consumer-grade pole saws that suck just as much as everything else on the sub-silky market.
Jared
Like Jason, I like their hatchets and axes. The X7 is particularly good. I’ve been happy with my scissor purchases too, but I’m not using them for HD work or in the shop.
Seems like they put a nice edge on their cutting tools. The yard tools all seem flimsy and cumbersome to me. Like they added extra plastic overmolding in an attempt to be ergonomic.
Mopar4wd
I had a pair of those 9″ serrated scissors, they were great not sure what happened to them (probably my kids) but I should order another set. They even did fairly well cutting fiberglass cloth.
Jeff Anderson
Have to give a shout out to my Olfa 5″ scissors. They’re lightly serrated and look fairly unassuming, but they are the best utility scissors I’ve ever used. I have their 7″ version and its great, but its almost too big. https://www.amazon.com/OLFA-9765-Stainless-Serrated-Scissors/dp/B0000X1H90/
Scott K
I think the scissors on my Leatherman Micra are pretty capable. I use Fiskars office scissors around the house which is pretty rare since I typically reach for my Olfa retractable knife (with the package opener on the back) first. I would absolutely lover to get a set of those Leatherman Raptor shears but I can’t justify the price. Not sure if they would live in my larger first aid kit or stay in a smaller edc bag.
Scott K
I meant to add that Wiss snips should probably be on this list. They are great for tasks that typical scissors can’t handle. I don’t mind using them outside of their intended purpose given that they are about $10 when they go on sale at HD.
Stuart
If you don’t need the tool to be folding, you can get medical-style shears for $10 to $16 at Amazon – https://www.amazon.com/Prestige-Medical-Fluoride-Scissor-Black/dp/B002WJHE7E/?tag=toolguyd-20
I wrote about these too over the years:
https://toolguyd.com/prestige-medical-style-shears/
https://toolguyd.com/medical-shears-reasons-to-buy/
As for Wiss aviation snips – I still use mine on occasion, but far less outside of metal-cutting applications thanks to the Milwaukee scissors.
I have Milwaukee scissors in my office, in the kitchen, and in the workshop, and I make sure to include a pair in housewarming gifts and similar.
Scott K
I do have a few cheap pairs of medical style shears that cut through bandages easily enough – but the allure of the Raptors is strong
Lyle
I bought a cheap 3 pack of medical shears, probably after reading a review on this site. They’ve worked well. I think I paid like $13 for a 3 pack. The exact model isn’t available on Amazon anymore. For work I have a set of Klein electrician scissors and at home I have a pair of Knipex electricians scissors for similar work. Otherwise I use the cheap medical ones for everything else.
Lightyear
I must agree with you on the Milwaukee scissors. We are provided pairs of both styles at work and abuse them daily. Just picking them up, you can feel the heft of the all metal, all the way through the handle type of construction. My fave is the offset style which keeps my hand above the work surface.
Lance
Union electrician here, I’ve been reading the site since I started in the trade and it was Toolguyd that turned me on to KCTool. Now for everything from small VDV work to industrial controls I prefer the knipex shears I found there. Just thought they deserve a mention.
Stuart
The ones with the non-slip cable curve? https://www.amazon.com/KNIPEX-95-05-SBA-Electricians/dp/B08ZHCJP8T/?tag=toolguyd-20
I can see how they’d be useful for low voltage work, in tighter spaces, or when fewer tools are to be carried.
MM
They have some new angled ones too, they’re pretty sweet. Part no. 95 05 20 SB
Lance
Specifically these: https://www.kctool.com/knipex-95-05-155-shears/
Honestly though I’m sold on the entire line now
Frank
I barely touch my diagonal cutters since I bought the electrician shears, stripping wires is so easy with them and they can give you a nice flat cut on bigger 3 phase cables like butter.
Brian
+1 on the Milwaukee scissors, they are our primary scissors. My wife keeps a pair in her kitchen drawer, and uses them for all kinds of things.
Jay
Toughbuilt scissors are solid as well.
Chris
I’m a roofer and the best scissors I’ve found are the everhard 10″ Bent Trimmers DC65915. These are heavy duty and super sharp and keep their sharpness for a long time.
Bob
The weak spot for the SAK scissors is the return spring. I’ve had to replace it a couple times after each had fatigued out. Granted I’ve had the knife for decades. It’s a great form factor for trimming hangnails and cuticles.
For keychain size EDC, I also like the Leatherman Style PS. It has a robust little scissors. I rarely use the knife blade on the SAK so I don’t miss the absence of a blade on the Style. The one thing I don’t like about the Style is the tweezers. It’s two pieces of sheet metal held together with a tiny spot weld that fatigues and fails. When it’s intact, they are nice little tweezers.
Shoutout for the inexpensive cut-a-penny trauma shears. I have a pair with a black non-stick (fluoride) coating.
Jerry
I have the Engineer scissors and they are excellent. Not much experience with the others mentioned except to say that as far as Swiss Army Knives go, I think the Wenger are better than the Victorinox. The spring mechanism is stronger.
William Abernethy
Victorinox and Wenger are the same company.
From my experience Victorinox was always a notch above Wenger…
As far as a great pair of household and light shop work scissors and snips go, Klein linesman snips are outstanding.
Jared
They weren’t always. Victorinox took over Wenger awhile ago now, but there are still some Wenger designs available in the SAK catalogue – like the “evogrip” series, for example.
Vards Uzvards
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00KNO2JL6/
This is a good example of the original Wenger design, with a blade lock.
Ken
I like the Milwaukee but I prefer these…
Crescent Wiss 10″ Titanium Coated All-Purpose Scissors – W10T https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00NOLE00S
Derek
We have scissors all over our house but a lot of them aren’t the best. I’ve been thinking of getting the Milwaukee scissors for a while now. Might just have to after this post. I’m sure I’ll be at Home Depot this weekend.
Mark M.
I keep meaning to pick up a pair of the Milwaukee shears when I’m at HD. Everyone seems to rave about them.
My go-to are the small Knipex electrician shears. Great feel and construction. If I ever lost them I’d buy another in a heartbeat.
frampton
The engineer scissors are excellent and a bargain at $20. I have them scattered throughout the house and shop. For more delicate tasks, these Kai shears are extremely sharp and sturdy and come in under $20.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B004MN72VG
mla
Agree with @frampton that the Kai scissors are great. I’ve replaced almost all our normal house scissors with those.
David
I’ve used all these scissors and out of the bunch the raptor rescue is my favorite out of the bunch. They are extremely versatile and can take allot of abuse. They also take up very little room. The engineer scissors are also a really solid choice. My back up scissors are either fluke or Klein electricians scissors. They are tuff as nails and stay extremely sharp for a long time. I don’t see how anyone can get through the day without decent scissors. Cheap ones end up making you mad or ruining what your working on. Spend a little more and save the headache.
DML
Maybe going a little old-school here, but I’ve grown tired of disposable scissors made of cheap punched steel parts and plastic. The Klein Tools G758HC are stainless steel, durable, sharp, comfortable, and relatively inexpensive (~$20). Great all-around utility scissors.
Peter Fox
My current EDC is a Klein 2100-9 stainless electricians scissors. Compact, Tough, Sharp, and corrosion resistant. I don’t expect to replace them anytime soon unless I lose them.
Sure their are plenty of fancier options but nothing is close when it comes to pure functional performance without adding unnecessary fluff.
Doug in PF
I’m very fond of these. I suspect if there was a tool pouch category this model or a model like it currently serves in more pouches than all other models combined.
HushHouse254
Kai 5210 have been our household’s go to. Sharp, durable, comfortable and a great value for around $20. Gifted a 5210L for my left handed daughter. She was genuinely thrilled!
Rx9
Great list there!
I plan on getting those Engineer scissors.
My own favorites include the following:
-Corona floral scissors, which are great for outdoor and dirty work because they can be separated for cleaning.
-Fiskars Amplify line, which is sturdier and much better built than their other scissors.
fred
I’ve gifted several of the Engineer scissors – and folks seem to like them. But not me – as they feel awkward in my hands. I find that the grips are too small to fit 2 of my fingers – but seem sloppy gripped with thumb and middle finger.
I think that some of the Olfa scissors work well – and I find that I can use them with thumb and forefinger. Amazon says that these are on sale:
https://www.amazon.com/OLFA-Scissors-Stainless-Steel-Serrated/dp/B001D3G51G
My favorite is this from Allex (Japan):
https://www.amazon.com/ALLEX-Super-scissors-Stainless-Scissors/dp/B001M0E5YO
but they are not general-purpose shears – working better on thicker materials (like plastic blister packs) than on sheets of paper.
Drew M
If you’re considering the Leatherman trauma shears, you should check out Prep Medic’s review of them on the yootoobers. He makes some interesting points about the various design changes.
Ed in Honolulu
Stuart Great List!
FYI, Your AMAZON link for the WISS Shears goes to Home Depot
Stuart
Thank you!!
*fixed*
Nathan
Yes I’ll occasionally use my tin snips (aviation shears) for other items too works ok.
I have to say though in the garage I keep a set of those cheapo depo (hf) shears they sell for like 3 dollars or are the free item of the week. etc
I got a set once as I followed some coworkers to the store one day during lunch and they were the freebie of the week so I got a set. and they work well – would they hold up to always use – no probably not. do I have 4 sets of them in the garage – yes. and I’ll grab one to open clamshell or to cut the mail open or whatever.
Nathan
Important point they are serrated blade which is why they work well on clamshell plastic.
JoeM
I have a Scissors Curse. No matter how many pair I own, the different uses they’re designed for, and even how often I clean the house, putting scissors where they actually belong… I am always, and I mean Always, finding that I need more of them.
No word of a lie, just for the Kitchen alone, I once bought 20 pair of cheap Mastercraft brand (Canadian Tire house brand) all-purpose 6″ scissors, @$3 CAD each, because they were on clearance, and we always need Scissors for the Kitchen. That was over a decade ago, and only 5 still stay in the kitchen anymore. The other 15 went to the living room, my Mother’s Craftroom, and various tool storage boxes as backups. Last trip to CT to get other things, I found out why they were on clearance. They now only sell them in a 2-pack with two sizes, for $9.99 a pack regular price, $4.00 when they go on sale.
I would rule it as my own, personal problem or addiction to scissors, but I know too many people who say “Yes! I always need more pairs! They’re never where you put them, and they’re always needed somewhere you did put them! I gotta get more!”
I have both the Engineer scissors (Stuart’s Fault.) and the Raptors. And I’m always on the hunt for more. Right now, I need Tailor’s scissors and Fabric Shears. I had some, now I can’t find them. My Mother probably thought they were hers and stole them. Can’t count how many of my tools, that I engrave my initials on I might add, end up “Put Away” in my Mother’s craft supplies. Then she accuses Me of “Stealing Her Tools”… I’m betting my fabric shears, at the very bare minimum, are off in her supply horde somewhere.
Wayne R.
If you were to ask what’s the best, I’d easily recommend the terrific Wiss Inlaid type. Not stainless, but there’s a lot of metal in these things and will take abuse and years of sharpening, and have great leverage geometry.
https://www.amazon.com/Wiss-1DSN-Industrial-Shears-Inlaid/dp/B000LDGMPS/ref=sr_1_2?crid=3JG4G20QVPX9U&keywords=wiss+inlaid&qid=1671226740&sprefix=wiss+inlaid%2Caps%2C169&sr=8-2
For Trauma Shears, how about XShears?
https://xshear.com/products/xshear-7-5-heavy-duty-trauma-shears-coyote-brown-handles-black-titanium-coated-blades
Also recommended are Sharp/Blunt Operating Scissors (from not-bad cheapies to high-end German) or rounded-end Metzenbaum scissors. These are for more delicate work, of course, and will also easily fit anywhere a pen/pencil slides in.
Chip
My mother has sewed for most of her 87 years.
She always used Gingher shears.
I paid $40 for these spring-loaded (now $52)
Gingher 8 Inch Spring Action Dressmaker Shears https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000YZAPGK .
They stay in my top drawer of my work box.
They cut ram board,and tape for cabinet installs,the only downside is the lock can close while using them.
If I lost them,they would be replaced immediately, the spring is worth not having CT surgery.
fred
Gingher- now a subsidiary of Fiskars – was always a favorite of home sewers/tailors.
Some say that their quality has declined since being acquired by Fiskars – but I have no firsthand experience with this. My wife uses a pair of these:
https://www.amazon.com/Gingher-Double-Curved-Embroidery-Scissors-01-005866/dp/B003STDQJC
Franco
For the Engineer scissors, I have seen them many times but never got down to ordering them, mainly for the same reason Fred mentioned. They look small and don’t know if I could get used to gripping them as shown.
Instead from the same MFR, I have ordered 3 pairs of these
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B075MG2L8R/
They work well and I like that they are gripped similar to traditional scissors or even easier. The funny thing about these scissors when ordering them on Amazon, they come in 3 colors and each one usually is priced differently. As of this writing, the yellow are $17, but in a week or 10 days, they might be $20-$30 and the red or green will be $18 or $16…a real roll of the dice. Personally, I could care less about the color and just order the best priced ones…so far 2 yellow and 1 green.
These are also the same MFR and are also pretty good
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0767FG69L/
They also play the color and price changes. So far I have 1 pair; just a tiny bit less tough than the others, but work quite well also.
Franco
Someone mention needing scissors for fabrics. My wife does tons of sewing; like 30-40 hours a week and has 6 sewing machines. She has gone through Fiskars, J. A. Henckels, Wescott, and other brands I do not recall all the names. they were in varying degrees, decent but none fantastic, especially at staying sharp.
I did some looking around and KAI had really great ratings and reviews. I ordered an 8″ pair for her and she loved them. Since then I ordered another 8″, a 10″ and an offset pair from their professional line; she loves them and finds they are the best she has used to date. They definitely hold an edge much longer than any other scissors she’s had over the years. Even going back to some older (30-40 years old) professional models that were all metal, heavy and robust; worked great but did not hold an edge like the KAI
Franco
The Milwaukee scissors, between the all red handles and the red & black handles; any difference? Is one better than the other?
Stuart
I covered this in the separate post – https://toolguyd.com/milwaukee-jobsite-scissors-update-2022/ – but the short answer is that no, there’s no difference other than the color of handle.
It’s on my 2023 to-do list to pick up a pair for comparison, just to make sure.
Milwaukee has updated their hand tool grip colors before, such as with their Torque Lock locking pliers.
Franco
Good to know, thanks
Jordan L Hacker
For light-use (junk drawer) I use the Berger model 1420 (“Professional Scissors”). I bought them on scamazon a few years ago. Made in Germany.