Fiskars Cuts+More

[jzmtl]

When I first heard about the new Fiskars scissors, I didn’t think much of it. But just would luck have it local store has it on sale. Being the sucker for gadget I am I had to go get one, and it actually works fairly well.

It comes in a paper/plastic clam pack, which is quite ironic since you just bought a pair of scissors, but you need to find another pair to get it out of the package.

The package states Titanium 3x harder than steel in large fonts, while leaving the word Coating almost unseen. I thought it’s quite tacky as the coating offers absolutely no improvement to cutting performance, rather just a marketing gimmick.



It comes with an injection molded plastic sheath, which also contains the tape cutter and sharpener component. The scissors snap into the sheath, leaving the bottle opener exposed. I haven’t tested it yet, but it should work well from the looks of it. Besides, it’s pretty hard to screw up a bottle opener, no?





As you pivot the scissors apart, the notch on blade lines up with pivot and the two halves come apart, and you can use one as a knife/awl. Here comes my first complain thou, the way pivot is oriented, the two halves come apart too early. When the user is trying to make a long cut utilize the full length of the edge, or trying to expose the wire cutter, if not careful it will come apart when least expecting it. But after using it for a while, one will get used to it and not open it as wide.



The tape cutter is just a little hook molded on the sheath. It’s not actually sharp, but would rip thin packaging tape like when you would use your keys. It’s nice to have to avoid any gunky tape residues on your knife/scissors, thou I’d imagine you will have to clean gunk off your sheath eventually.



The sharpener is a ceramic rod molded into the sheath at 45 degrees. To sharpen your scissors simply insert the two halves into the two slots, close two halves lightly onto the rod and draw towards yourself. The sharpener actually works quite well, while it won’t give you a fine edge like you can achieve with stones, the result works well for the shearing action of scissors.



The base of scissors have what Fiskars called power notch, which is a curved portion not unlike a bypass pruner. The tip of upper part is pointed while lower part is left blunt, so you can slide it under material you are trying to cut without worry about stabbing into other things.





The power notch while offer better cutting action for thicker materials, also cause problems when trying to utilize the whole length of the edge for a long cut. Where it ends and straight edge starts, it tend to squish things rather than cut, especially on thinner materials like newspaper. But if you use only the straight part, it will chew through most things well enough.



When taken apart, it can be used as a knife and an awl. While it won’t work nearly as well as an actual knife, it will do in a pinch. Thou on thinner materials it will rip rather than cut. There are some jimpings above the edge which you can put thumb on while cutting to exert more pressure, or even as a file to notch things.



Near the pivot is the twine cutter, while will work as intended, seems quite redundant on a pair of scissors. It’s quite out of the way, so there’s no worry of cutting yourself even thou it’s exposed.



A wire cutter is also included, and it can cut through small paper clips without problem. Thou I wouldn’t use it on anything thicker, as I can feel the scissors flex while cutting.



As with all multi purpose tools it’s a conglomeration of compromises, but the end result in this case isn’t bad. It would be quite handy in and around the house, when you don’t want to carry or go dig out the pruners, bottle openers, wire snips, and sharpening stones. And in the end, it’s better to think of it as a beefy pair of scissors with some bonus, instead of a true multitool.




Pro

- Beefy scissors
- Handy additional components
- Sharpener that works

Con

- End of power notch cause problem with cutting thin material
- Two halves come apart too early
- Knife function really only as last resort.

[Mike, Lord of the Spammers!]

Nice comprehensive review there mate

I quite fancy a set for home too, if there ever on sale at a reasonable price over here

[AHB]

Excellent write-up..
I gotta get one of them, that's for sure.. 

[ari6126]

Great review. This thing screams Gerber. The coating looks just like the Shard. Maybe this is what Gerber was working on while all those Suspensions got produced.

[Gareth]

Nice write-up mate.   I'm not convinced I need to run out and buy the things but if, like you, I saw them going for a steal then I guess I'd pick them up.

[jekostas]

It does scream Gerber, doesn't it... well, same company.

Kershaw makes a very good pair of all-purpose camp shears with a detachable handle.  CRKT does as well, but I don't have any experience with CRKT's.

[jzmtl]

Thanks. Yeah at the regular price I wouldn't rush to buy one, but half that is pretty decent.

[thebullfrog]

Yeah, like I said in the other thread, I'm still convinced it was a Gerber design that Fiskars decided to take for themselves. Sounds like I'm gonna have to get me one. Seems like it'd be handy to have something like that in my new EDC bag 

Oh and it's "though" not "thou". Completely different word. Sorry about being a spelling Nazi but that was bugging the crap out of me every time I read it 

[jzmtl]

Oh and it's "though" not "thou". Completely different word. Sorry about being a spelling Nazi but that was bugging the crap out of me every time I read it 

Lol, I don't use it when I'm writing an academic paper, thou not something for the net. 

But seriously, I used to write with near perfect spelling and grammar. But ever since I started doing forums they have gotten progressively worse, and I'm now making the same mistakes I used to think "how could that happen".

Maybe I should stop before I lose the last bit of sanity and life to the Internet.

[Carlos]

jzmtl, just out of curiosity, where is that made?

[jzmtl]

I already threw out the packaging, but I'm pretty sure it's made in China. The quality is good thou, nothing wrong so far.

[MultiMat]

$10 bucks that was a steal I reckon 

Can you get a couple more  (cheeky bloody Aussie  )

[rp252]

Cheers for the review mate, nice and full of pictures and some useful and honest information.

I like the look of the thing but the more I look at it and read about it the less I want to buy one.  I think the fact it come apart quite early is the real deal breaker for me.

[thebullfrog]

I already threw out the packaging, but I'm pretty sure it's made in China. The quality is good thou, nothing wrong so far.

Gaaahhh!! 

How wide can you open them before it comes apart?

[jzmtl]

I already threw out the packaging, but I'm pretty sure it's made in China. The quality is good thou, nothing wrong so far.

Gaaahhh!! 

How wide can you open them before it comes apart?

 

About 60°, but the thing is you need to open it almost 50° to fully expose the wire cutter. They could've turned the pivot a bit more, so it comes apart at maybe 80°. Not something you can fix however since the pivot fit into a square hole in lower half.

$10 bucks that was a steal I reckon 

Can you get a couple more  (cheeky bloody Aussie  )

Sure I can, but with shipping and tax it'll be over $20 so not cheap anymore. 

[MultiMat]

$10 bucks that was a steal I reckon 

Can you get a couple more  (cheeky bloody Aussie  )

Sure I can, but with shipping and tax it'll be over $20 so not cheap anymore. 

Is that $20 too ship + $10 too purchase  .

In Oz I would never get a Cuts+More for under $30  .

[jzmtl]

$10 bucks that was a steal I reckon 

Can you get a couple more  (cheeky bloody Aussie  )

Sure I can, but with shipping and tax it'll be over $20 so not cheap anymore. 

Is that $20 too ship + $10 too purchase  .

In Oz I would never get a Cuts+More for under $30  .

No, around $23 shipped to you, shipping is about $10.

[shecky]

I just one one of these at the Office Depot. They are made in China. Interesting that the pivot on mine requires the scissors to be opened up as far as they'll go in order to separate.

Yeah, I kinda figured the titanium bit really meant titanium coating. Titanium scissors really don't make much sense. Then again, a single titanium coated scissor blade is pretty silly, too.

Given a proper sharpening, I don't see why the blade couldn't function as a reasonable, if chisel ground, knife. The only thing that keeps it from performing like a knife is the lack of a sharp knife edge. It is a little awkward, though. While the concept of a scissor knife is unusual, there are a few implementations on the market. One that kinda works is the Kershaw Two Can, which does OK as a knife, but is a little awkward as scissors. 

The string cutter seems redudnant. But if you use the wire cutter, the string cutter might follow op as a reasonable wire stripper.

The sheath sharpener works well enough for scissors. The sheath itself seems to work ok.

Overall, it's a pretty decent pair of scissors, easy to disassemble, and will function a few other ways in a pinch. For the price, though, I think the more gimmicky looking Carolina/Coughlans scissors would be a better value. If you can still find them. They are a little less heavily built than the Fiskars, but have proven to be pretty reliable.

[MultiMat]

$10 bucks that was a steal I reckon 

Can you get a couple more  (cheeky bloody Aussie  )

Sure I can, but with shipping and tax it'll be over $20 so not cheap anymore. 

Is that $20 too ship + $10 too purchase  .

In Oz I would never get a Cuts+More for under $30  .

No, around $23 shipped to you, shipping is about $10.

That is a little tempting 
I will be good & try too resist 

Thanks for the review & offer mate 

[jzmtl]

Given a proper sharpening, I don't see why the blade couldn't function as a reasonable, if chisel ground, knife. The only thing that keeps it from performing like a knife is the lack of a sharp knife edge.

To me the 45° edge is very obtuse for a knife (the actual edge is probably even more so if you consider the wear on the other side due to scissoring), plus the thick edge it doesn't cut well. But I'm used to sharp knives so the general public will probably think differently.