MT scissors comparison

[Adam5]

Preceded by Lynn LeFey's (and others) scissors tests and inspired by ReamerPunch's can opener comparison, I have decided to perform
my own comparison of multi tool scissors. I have tried to use a variety of materials to one would think a multi tool owner might need
to cut or may highlight multi tool scissors' strengths and weaknesses, all the while taking note of materials that others have deemed
to be test worthy.

The scoring is subjective to some degree and is not very reliable for ranking scissors of similiar quality. Your scoring may vary from mine.
Also, there is probably some variability in the quality of the construction for the different brands and models of multi tools.
I am using only one sample per model, and my sample may be better or worse than the typical model. Finally, scissors with an overall
lower score may work well for your purposes.

I do not have a complete list of the scissors I am testing. However, here is the list of scissors I have tested so far:

Fiskars 5" scissors (my control)
Victorinox Super Tinker
Leatherman Micra
NexTool Mini Flagship
Gerber Armbar Drive
SOG Snippet
Leatherman Squirt S4
Leatherman Juice CS3
SOG Baton Q1
Leatherman PST II
Wenger EVO Grip 14
Craftsman 10 in 1
Victorinox Classic SD
AceCamp 11 in 1


I hope that this information is of use to somebody, but I will not be too disappointed if it isn't. I am having fun trying out different tools.
Though, if my wife asks, tell her that my tests are very important

[Adam5]

Fiskars 5" scissors



The Fiskars 5" scissors are being used as the control in the scissors testing. They should outperform most, if not all, MT scissors.
That being said, they are light duty, so they may experience some difficulty in cutting tougher materials.

Thread - 3
Mason cord - 3
Jute - 3
550 Paracord - 3
4 lb monofilament fishing line - 3
0.065" trimmer string - 3
10 lb braided fishing line - 3
Denim - 3
Cloth - 3
Tissue - 3
Felt - 3
Cardboard - 3
Plastic bag - 3
Padded envelope - 3
Webbing - 3
Zip tie - 3
Nylon rope - 2.5
Stranded copper wire - 3
18 awg copper wire - 3
Plastic container - 3
Rubber ball - 3
Leather belt - 1
Cutting out simple pattern on paper - 3
Ergonomics - 3

Total - 69.5/72

Scoring:
Effectively cuts material with minimal effort = 3
Requires an extra snip or some extra effort = 2.5
Will cut material, but requires holding material taunt or finding sweet spot on scissors = 2
Scissors tends to gnaw through material rather than cut cleanly - 1.5
Will cut material roughly and with great effort - 1
May be able to cut material, but not worth the effort - 0.5
Can not cut material - 0

The only item that presented a problem was the leather belt. I could not generate enough force to easily cut through the leather.
I had to focus on nibbling at the leather in order to make any process with the cut. Otherwise, the scissors performed as advertised.

[Adam5]

Super Tinker (91mm SAK)



Thread - 3
Mason cord - 3
Jute - 3
550 Paracord - 2.5
4 lb monofilament fishing line - 3
0.065" trimmer string - 3
10 lb braided fishing line - 2.5
Denim - 3
Cloth - 3
Tissue - 3
Felt - 3
Cardboard - 3
Plastic bag - 3
Padded envelope - 3
Webbing - 3
Zip tie - 3
Nylon rope - 2
Stranded copper wire - 3
18 awg copper wire - 2.5
Plastic container - 3
Rubber ball - 3
Leather belt - 2
Cutting out simple pattern on paper - 3
Ergonomics - 3

Total - 68.5/72

Scoring:
Effectively cuts material with minimal effort = 3
Requires an extra snip or some extra effort = 2.5
Will cut material, but requires holding material taunt or finding sweet spot on scissors = 2
Scissors tends to gnaw through material rather than cut cleanly - 1.5
Will cut material roughly and with great effort - 1
May be able to cut material, but not worth the effort - 0.5
Can not cut material - 0

Unsurprisingly to those in the know, the scissors on the Super Tinker (the representative 91 mm SAK for this test) are quite good.
However, there was some tendency for the material to be pushed away from the pivot, which affected its ability to cut the paracord and the nylon rope cleanly. Also, it was difficult to generate enough force to cut the leather belt. Finally, when cutting the denim I found that the spring did not effectively reopen the scissors after each cut.

[Adam5]

Leatherman Micra



Thread - 3
Mason cord - 3
Jute - 2
550 Paracord - 1.5
4 lb fishing line - 3
0.065" trimmer string - 2
10 lb braided fishing line - 2
Denim - 2
Cloth - 2
Tissue - 2
Felt - 2.5
Cardboard - 2
Plastic bag - 3
Padded envelope - 2.5
Webbing - 1.5
Zip tie - 3
Nylon rope - 1
Stranded copper wire - 3
18 awg copper wire - 3
Plastic container - 3
Rubber ball - 2
Leather belt - 2
Cutting out simple pattern on paper - 3
Ergonomics - 2.5

Total - 56.5/72

Scoring:
Effectively cuts material with minimal effort = 3
Requires an extra snip or some extra effort = 2.5
Will cut material, but requires holding material taunt or finding sweet spot on scissors = 2
Scissors tends to gnaw through material rather than cut cleanly - 1.5
Will cut material roughly and with great effort - 1
May be able to cut material, but not worth the effort - 0.5
Can not cut material - 0

Material had some tendency to fold up between the scissors instead of being cut. They did cut better near the pivot than near the tips.
I found the handles to be a bit pinchy and edgy, but they did allow me to generate some cutting power.

[Adam5]

NexTool Mini Flagship



Thread - 3
Mason cord - 3
Jute - 3
550 Paracord - 3
4 lb fishing line - 3
0.065" trimmer string - 3
10 lb braided fishing line - 2
Denim - 3
Cloth - 3
Tissue - 3
Felt - 3
Cardboard - 3
Plastic bag - 3
Padded envelope - 3
Webbing - 2
Zip tie - 3
Nylon rope - 2.5
Stranded copper wire - 3
18 awg copper wire - 3
Plastic container - 3
Rubber ball - 3
Leather belt - 3
Cutting out simple pattern on paper - 3
Ergonomics - 1.5

Total - 68/72

Scoring:
Effectively cuts material with minimal effort = 3
Requires an extra snip or some extra effort = 2.5
Will cut material, but requires holding material taunt or finding sweet spot on scissors = 2
Scissors tends to gnaw through material rather than cut cleanly - 1.5
Will cut material roughly and with great effort - 1
May be able to cut material, but not worth the effort - 0.5
Can not cut material - 0

In general, the NexTool Mini Flagship has good, almost great scissors, able to cut a variety of materials well.
Only the webbing and the braided fishing line gave it some trouble. However, it is lacking ergonomically. Though I could generate
plenty of power, the handles are very edgy, and the end of the handle that is used to deploy the scissors also dug into my palm.
Not to mention that the tip of the scissors cut my thumb one time while deploying them. Finally, more than once the keyring attached
to the tool got in the way of closing the handles while using the scissors.

Note:
ReamerPunch owns a Mini Flagship, and the scissor spring after very little usage. That does not mean you would have the same (bad) luck,
but confidence in its durability should be somewhat diminished.

[Adam5]

More to come

[Syncop8r]

 

Show content

SURGE!!!   

[ComboTool]

NexTool Mini Flagship
Note:
ReamerPunch owns a Mini Flagship, and the scissor spring after very little usage. That does not mean you would have the same (bad) luck,
but confidence in its durability should be somewhat diminished.

ReamerPunch is not alone, I had the same experience and I recently noticed that Nextool sells the scissor handle as a spare part. Whether this inspires confidence (because it can be fixed if it breaks) or distrust (because it implies that this failure is a common occurrence) is anyone's choice.

[Aloha]

   Thank you for this.  Its always interesting to see such tests. 

 

[Adam5]

Show content

SURGE!!!   

I have a used Surge, and the scissors look to be in good shape, but I think it would be better if I wait until I have a new one to include it in this test.

[Adam5]

Here are some pictures of the materials being used in the test/comparison:


Thread, Mason Cord, Jute, 550 Paracord, 4lb monofilament fishing line, 0.065" trimmer string, 10lb braided fishing line


Denim, Cloth, Tissue, Felt, Plastic Bag, Padded Envelope, Cardboard


Webbing, Zip Tie, 18 awg Copper Wire, Stranded Copper Wire, Nylon Rope, Plastic Container, Rubber Ball, Leather Belt


Pattern

[Adam5]

Gerber Armbar Drive



Thread - 3
Mason cord - 3
Jute - 3
550 Paracord - 1.5
4 lb monofilament fishing line - 3
0.065" trimmer string - 3
10 lb braided fishing line - 3
Denim - 1.5
Cloth - 2
Tissue - 2
Felt - 2
Cardboard - 0
Plastic bag - 3
Padded envelope - 3
Webbing - 1.5
Zip tie - 2.5
Nylon rope - 1.5
Stranded copper wire - 2
18 awg copper wire - 3
Plastic container - 0
Rubber ball - 1.5
Leather belt - 0
Cutting out simple pattern on paper - 2
Ergonomics - 2.5

Total - 49.5/72

Scoring:
Effectively cuts material with minimal effort = 3
Requires an extra snip or some extra effort = 2.5
Will cut material, but requires holding material taunt or finding sweet spot on scissors = 2
Scissors tends to gnaw through material rather than cut cleanly - 1.5
Will cut material roughly and with great effort - 1
May be able to cut material, but not worth the effort - 0.5
Can not cut material - 0

 
Disappointing performance. There is not enough leverage to cut tougher materials well. The bevel of the scissor edges seem to be a bit more obtuse than other scissors, which does not help. But the edges are not dull, as witnessed by its ability to cut the braided fishing line. Also, the construction of the scissors does not extend the thumb pad beyond or above the pivot. When pressing the thumb pad down fully to complete a cut, my thumb was obstructed a bit by the pivot.

[Adam5]

Craftsman 10 in 1



Thread - 2
Mason cord - 2
Jute - 2
550 Paracord - 2
4 lb monofilament fishing line - 2
0.065" trimmer string - 3
10 lb braided fishing line - 1.5
Denim - 2.5
Cloth - 2.5
Tissue - 2
Felt - 0
Cardboard - 3
Plastic bag - 2
Padded envelope - 2.5
Webbing - 2.5
Zip tie - 3
Nylon rope - 2.5
Stranded copper wire - 3
18 awg copper wire - 3
Plastic container - 3
Rubber ball - 3
Leather belt - 2.5
Cutting out simple pattern on paper - 3
Ergonomics - 3

Total - 57.5/72

Scoring:
Effectively cuts material with minimal effort = 3
Requires an extra snip or some extra effort = 2.5
Will cut material, but requires holding material taunt or finding sweet spot on scissors = 2
Scissors tends to gnaw through material rather than cut cleanly - 1.5
Will cut material roughly and with great effort - 1
May be able to cut material, but not worth the effort - 0.5
Can not cut material - 0

I had to cut near the tips for finer materials (last 1/4th of scissors). That is the only section where the edges meet. Otherwise, they perform well. Nice handles that, while maybe a bit bulky for keychain tool, felt good in my hand and allowed me to generate power.

[Adam5]

Leatherman S4



Thread - 3
Mason cord - 3
Jute - 2.5
550 Paracord - 2
4 lb monofilament fishing line - 3
0.065" trimmer string - 3
10 lb braided fishing line - 3
Denim - 3
Cloth - 3
Tissue - 3
Felt - 3
Cardboard - 3
Plastic bag - 3
Padded envelope - 3
Webbing - 3
Zip tie - 3
Nylon rope - 2
Stranded copper wire - 3
18 awg copper wire - 3
Plastic container - 3
Rubber ball - 3
Leather belt - 2.5
Cutting out simple pattern on paper - 3
Ergonomics - 3

Total - 69/72

Scoring:
Effectively cuts material with minimal effort = 3
Requires an extra snip or some extra effort = 2.5
Will cut material, but requires holding material taunt or finding sweet spot on scissors = 2
Scissors tends to gnaw through material rather than cut cleanly - 1.5
Will cut material roughly and with great effort - 1
May be able to cut material, but not worth the effort - 0.5
Can not cut material - 0

Cuts better towards the tips than the pivot. It does cut very well if you stay in the sweet spot.

[Adam5]

SOG Snippet



Thread - 3
Mason cord - 3
Jute - 3
550 Paracord - 2
4 lb monofilament fishing line - 3
0.065" trimmer string - 3
10 lb braided fishing line - 3
Denim - 3
Cloth - 3
Tissue - 3
Felt - 3
Cardboard - 3
Plastic bag - 3
Padded envelope - 3
Webbing - 2.5
Zip tie - 3
Nylon rope - 2.5
Stranded copper wire - 3
18 awg copper wire - 3
Plastic container - 3
Rubber ball - 3
Leather belt - 0
Cutting out simple pattern on paper - 3
Ergonomics - 1

Total - 65/72

Scoring:
Effectively cuts material with minimal effort = 3
Requires an extra snip or some extra effort = 2.5
Will cut material, but requires holding material taunt or finding sweet spot on scissors = 2
Scissors tends to gnaw through material rather than cut cleanly - 1.5
Will cut material roughly and with great effort - 1
May be able to cut material, but not worth the effort - 0.5
Can not cut material - 0

The Snippet does not have a spring for opening the scissors. Instead, it has a couple of outer handles that let the tool operate in the manner typical scissors do. Overall, the Snippet cuts well. But it is by far the least comfortable of all the scissors MTs that I have used.

[Gareth]

Great thread Adam.

Surprised to see a notable difference between your Micra and Squirt.  I know they're not actually the same scissor head but I didn't think there was a practical difference.  Could age and wear be a factor?

[Adam5]

Great thread Adam.

Surprised to see a notable difference between your Micra and Squirt.  I know they're not actually the same scissor head but I didn't think there was a practical difference.  Could age and wear be a factor?

Thanks Gareth 

Well, the Micra is new and the S4 is like new, so the difference isn't due to age and wear.

Some of the difference can probably be attributed to variances in manufactoring. If several Micras were tested, some of them may perform better then the one I have.

[Syncop8r]

Any chance of you (or anyone) graphing the results one day?

[Adam5]

Any chance of you (or anyone) graphing the results one day?

Yes. Here is a bar graph of the scissors I have tested so far:

[Syncop8r]

 

I was thinking of the individual scores too. But that would be a lot of work.

[Gareth]

Thanks Gareth 

Well, the Micra is new and the S4 is like new, so the difference isn't due to age and wear.

Some of the difference can probably be attributed to variances in manufactoring. If several Micras were tested, some of them may perform better then the one I have.

 

Yeah, sample size of one should always be taken into consideration but the test is still valid. 

[McStitchy]

This is awesome! Great work Adam. Thanks for doing this 

I see the difference between my Micra and my Style CS too here.
However, the Micra was a bit loose at the pivot.
I peened it tighter and it's better since.

[ChopperCharles]

Great thread Adam.

Surprised to see a notable difference between your Micra and Squirt.  I know they're not actually the same scissor head but I didn't think there was a practical difference.  Could age and wear be a factor?

My Micra matches the ratings here, and it's old but barely used. My Craftsman tool outperforms it handily. I have a SOG crosscut 2 and a Schrade tough chip, and the Craftsman has better scissors than either. Though the cross-cut has compound leverage which means those scissors will go through a lot thicker stuff a lot more easily. But for paracord and such the Craftsman tool I have is unbeatable.

Charles.

[ReamerPunch]

My Micra is pretty good, until I almost ruined it when I tried to mod it. Thankfully I was able to fix it with the loki wrenches. Thanks again, loki.

Nice work, Adam. I appreciate the shout-out and the fact that you used so many materials.

[pomsbz]

I'd be interested in the results of some full size MT's. Great work!

[Poncho65]

Great review of several different tools I use scissors quite a and usually just rely on SAK scissors but I do have a few of these tools as well and keep a Micra close by at home and a Squirt S4 in my work backpack

Glad to see so many material and the chart you made is also helpful when comparing all the data together

[Adam5]

Thanks guys!

I will try to get some more reviews/results out soon. I do plan to include full size MTs also. I have a decent amount of them to try out as well as some more mini scissors based MTs and some mini MTs that include scissors. Hopefully the list will eventually include Surge and Wave scissors.

Also, I will try to relearn some things I use to know how to do with LibreOffice and make some better charts.

[Syncop8r]

I might be dreaming here , but is there a way of having an interactive chart where you pick one or two criteria and it graphs them? Kinda like the "Compare" function some manufacturer's websites have but with graded values rather than yes/no. 

[Adam5]

I will look into it. It may prove to be beyond my abilities, but I can see the utility of such a function and so I will try to do it.

[Adam5]

Leatherman Juice CS3



It is my hope that the scissors on the CS3 can be a stand-in for all Juice scissors. If this is thought to be a wrong assumption on my part, please let me know.

Thread - 3
Mason cord - 3
Jute - 3
550 Paracord - 2.5
4 lb monofilament fishing line - 3
0.065" trimmer string - 3
10 lb braided fishing line - 2.5
Denim - 3
Cloth - 3
Tissue - 3
Felt - 3
Cardboard - 3
Plastic bag - 3
Padded envelope - 3
Webbing - 2.5
Zip tie - 2
Nylon rope - 1.5
Stranded copper wire - 3
18 awg copper wire - 3
Plastic container - 2.5
Rubber ball - 3
Leather belt - 0
Cutting out simple pattern on paper - 2.5
Ergonomics - 2.5

Total - 64/72

Scoring:
Effectively cuts material with minimal effort = 3
Requires an extra snip or some extra effort = 2.5
Will cut material, but requires holding material taunt or finding sweet spot on scissors = 2
Scissors tends to gnaw through material rather than cut cleanly - 1.5
Will cut material roughly and with great effort - 1
May be able to cut material, but not worth the effort - 0.5
Can not cut material - 0


Good scissors. Had a tendency to open up too much, allowing material to get into the region between the pivot and the cutting edge, which leaves a bit of the material uncut. Had some trouble with the thicker, tougher materials.