Scissor test

[Lynn LeFey]

The scissor test

I put my collection of MTs with scissors head-to-head to test them on various tasks. This was inspired by thelateboyscout’s great video on comparing the scissors of various leatherman tools. I recommend folks check out that video and compare my findings to get some benchmarks across the industry. I’ll link it at the bottom of this post.

The tools I tested: Sheffield swiss army knife rip-off, Sheffield 12010, Leatherman Squirt S4, Wingman, Wave, Sog Powerlock, Crosscut, Victorinox Classic, and Gerber mp400.

Most of these tools are in like-new condition, but the Vic Classic was carried by my husband for several years, and the Crosscut has been in my EDC for at least 15 years, and never sharpened.

The materials tested were paper, corrugated cardboard, T-shirt, The seam portion of old khakis (4 layers thick), suede leather, PETE plastic bottle (as a stand-in for blister packaging), Cardboard box (non-corrugated), heavy gauge screw-on plastic lid (from a container of ‘country time lemonade’, about 1mm thick), and 550 paracord.

I scored these in one of 4 caregories: Fail (-1), Barely Adequate (+0), Pass (+1), Pass with distinction (+2)

Findings by tool:

Sheffield swiss-army rip-off: Failed to cut corrugated cardboard, khaki, suede, plastic lid, or 550. Barely Adequate for T-Shirt and non-corrugated cardboard. Pass paper and PETE bottle. Score: -3

Sheffield 12010: Failed non-corrugated cardboard, plastic lid, and 550. Barely adequate for corrugated cardboard and khaki. Passed everything else. Score: +1

Leatherman Squirt S4: Failed nothing. Barely adequate for khaki. Pass with distinction for paper, PETE bottle, and plastic lid. Passed everything else. Score: +10

Wingman: Failed plastic lid. Barely adequate for khaki and suede, passed with distinction with non-corrugated cardboard. Passed everything else. Score: +6

Wave: Failed nothing. Barely adequate for plastic lid. Passed with distinction with t-shirt, suede, non-corrugated cardboard and 550. Score: +12

SOG Powerlock: Failed corrugated cardboard, plastic lid, and 550. Barely adequate for t-shirt, khaki, suede. Passed everything else. Score: +0

Crosscut: Failed nothing. Barely adequate for corrugated cardboard, khaki, suede, and  550. Passed with distinction for paper, PETE, and plastic lid. Passed everything else. Score: +8

Victorinox Classic: Failed plastic lid. Barely adequate for t-shirt, and khaki. Passed everything else. Score: +5

Gerber MP400: Failed nothing. Barely adequate for corrugated cardboard, and plastic lid. Passed with distinction for t-shirt, khaki, suede, non-corrugated cardboard, 550. Score: +12

Final totals:
Sheffield swiss army rip-off   -3
Sheffield 12010   +1
Squirt S4  +10
Wingman +6
Wave +12
Powerlock +0
Crosscut +8
Vic Classic +5
MP400  +12

These numbers are a little misleading. They only say how well a given tool cuts through a given material. They don’t really tell you how useful the tool will be to you. If you’re never cutting through heavy gauge plastic or 550 paracord, but tend to cut through cloth a lot, for instance, then how useful a pair will be can change dramatically.

For everyday use, for me, where I cut a lot of paper, the two that stand out in the field are the Crosscut and Squirt. The longer blades on them make short work of such tasks. If you were looking for safety cutter or EMT kind of tool, then the outstanding scissors on the Wave and MP400 would tackle cutting through seatbelts, clothing, etc quite well.

The big disappointment for me in this test were the scissors on the Powerlock. They failed to perform as well as the dinky (smaller than a vic classic!) pair on a Sheffield 12010 I bought in a pawn shop for $3!!!

Keep in mind with my testing that both the vic classic and Crosscut were used. And the Crosscut in particular was REALLY used. I suspect new that the Crosscut would just edge out the squirt in performance.

The crosscut and squirt have an advantage in the amount of force they can apply on big jobs, but this same advantage gives them trouble with corrugated cardboard where the body of the tool starts to get in the way. The scissors that mostly flip away from the body of the tool, as on the Wave, MP400, etc. tend to do better with Corrugated cardboard.

The video that inspired this test...

[dks]

I like the LM Micra scissors, though the Surge and the juice ones are good too.
I rarely use SAK scissors.

I think there was a thread on scissors a couple of months back somewhere here.... 

One of the Search-wizards could find it.

[Biru]

Any day the Wave comes out fine is okay by me...

I mentioned this in another thread, but I was present at a situation where a nurse had to apply a tough, pre-medicated bandage to a person's wounds. This bandage reminded me of fiberglass muffler patch with a gooey layer on top. For some strange reason, her medical scissors would not cut the bandage cleanly and only succeeded in  messing up the medication layer. This was one of those situations where you produce the multitool and people who've never seen the light think you've just stepped out from one of those Monoliths in "2001: A Space Odyssey".

Anyway, she and her associate were very skeptical, but were then stunned when the Wave's scissors cut through the goo and bandage like a lightsaber. When the stress was over, she said she was going out to get a Wave. I on the other hand couldn't wait to get it home and clean it.

[Heinz Doofenshmirtz]

Thanks for the info! 

I use the scissors on my tools quite a bit actually.  Mostly for cutting paper and thread but other things crop up too.  In general I've found the scissors on an MT tend to be better for tougher materials, while the scissors on my SAK's are better for precision work.

[Lynn LeFey]

For paper, I love my Crosscut. It'll also do thread fine, but the tiny scissors on a Vic Classic seem more 'maneuverable'... easier to get into small places.

For being as tiny as they are, the Vic Classics still cut through the seam of khakis (4 layers thick). It was slow, but it happened. I was frankly amazed how much work they could get done.

The scissors on both the Wave and MP400 were GREAT at small tasks, high precision, and chewed through most anything. I think for 'heavy duty' tasks, any of the MTs whose main tool is scissor heads will work better for really heavy cutting.

I have to say I'm rather sorry I don't have a wider selection of swiss army knives to test. The test here was intended strictly for plier/scissor based multitools, not SAKs, but I thought the Vic Classic was a good benchmark tool for comparison... and I had one handy.

Biru: the Wave scissors are top of the heap next to the Gerber MP400. They are, honestly, amazing to me. I hadn't expected that kind of performance, even after messing around with them a bit. However, while they're great across-the-board performers, for day to day likely tasks, the Crosscut and Squirt will outperform them.

dks: The scissors on the Micra are identical to those on the Squirt I tested. So you can just reference the Squirt's results (which were quite good). Sadly, I had no Surge or Juice for the line-up, but the linked video covered those. So, it should give you an idea where they fall compared to my tests.

[powerring]

Excellent review!  I'm pleased to see that the Squirt S4 performed as admirably as I would have expected of my favorite EDC tool.

[J Mackrel Jones]

Great tests !  Quite a span of materials and tools, and quantifying with results by numbers makes sense.

[dks]

dks: The scissors on the Micra are identical to those on the Squirt I tested.

Similar, but not identical (see picture with the noticeably rounder tips of the Squirt). I prefer the Micra ones, though they probably perform the same.

I also included a picture of the Squirt S4 and PS4 (smaller) scissors for reference

[Lynn LeFey]

How about we agree on 'functionally identical'

I unfortunately didn't have a PS4 for comparison. I would have liked to test their smaller scissors, particularly in comparison to the excellent Vic Classic pair.

[dks]

I graciously accept your apology.....   



 
The PS4 ones are not as good as the Victorinox classic ones, mainly in "feel", though they may be ok for smaller hands.

[Lynn LeFey]

One more tool tested, Scissors on 91mm Victorinox (Explorer).

This knife came to me in very used condition. It's a pre-1991 model, and has a screw holding the scissor blades together. I took them apart, did a very minor sharpening to them, and reassembled. They are in very good condition. So, while not new, I suspect they'll react about like a new pair.

My biggest complaint with these scissors was that for more difficult material, where more lateral force was needed, the spring would pop out from under the handle. Annoying, but not a deal-breaker. Otherwise, for scissors that are over 20 years old, I am highly impressed.

Vic 91mm Scissors: Failed lid, Barely adequate for 550. Pass PETE and non-corrugated cardboard with distinction. Pass paper, cardboard, t-shirt, khaki. Score: 7

[Styerman]

Never tried it myself , but some Dude on BF claimed to have cut 12ga. solid copper wire with the scissors on a classic . Without any damage !

He had apparently bought up a bunch , that had been seized by the TSA , so he didn't mind doing a "to destruction " test .

My personal preference runs to the Vic. scissors , I have found Wave/Charge scissors to be quite sloppy . My cutting with them runs to small /delicate tasks . For more meat and potatoes stuff , I have a pair of Kline Electrician's scissors on the back of my belt .

Chris

[ICanFixThat]

Nice!  Some great tests!   I think at some point I'll have to do a scissors test.  Just got in a new pair of shiny stainless steel Vic scissors rated at 60HRc.  They are 8" scissors, but the cutting edges are only 2.5".  They do cut "very" well though. packaging says hot forged in Spain.

[AimlessWanderer]

Nice!  Some great tests!   I think at some point I'll have to do a scissors test.  Just got in a new pair of shiny stainless steel Vic scissors rated at 60HRc.  They are 8" scissors, but the cutting edges are only 2.5".  They do cut "very" well though. packaging says hot forged in Spain.

Francis, we need to know more ... 
Where from, obsolete or current, piccies, blah blah blah 

[J-sews]

For all the bad opinions written about the Charge/Wave scissors when they first came out, they seem to perform admirably well, both in the video and in your own testing Lynn.

[Lynn LeFey]

I've heard a few folks talking about slop in their Wave scissors, which is weird. Mine are perfect. Absolutely no play in them.

I think it was Biru in another thread talking about them cutting a thick medicated pad for a nurse. Yeah, for me, they just cut through everything great. Same with the scissors on the Gerber MP400. They both have the slight failing that the Crosscut/Micra/Squirt S4 didn't, which is lack of leverage for hard cutting tasks. You can't have it both ways, though, and for their size the Wave's scissors are shockingly good, IMO.

I should add zip-ties to my future tests. That seems to be one of the real-world things scissors get used for on occasion.

[J Mackrel Jones]

Zip-ties are darn hard to cut.  I use a toothpick -or scissors - to unlatch the teeth inside the clasper part. 

[Lynn LeFey]

I convinced my husband to try carrying a Micra for a while, instead of his Vic Classic, and the first real time he was impressed with it was when he had to cut a bunch of zip ties.

[Craig]

Great test Lynn. Thanks for posting

[ICanFixThat]

Nice!  Some great tests!   I think at some point I'll have to do a scissors test.  Just got in a new pair of shiny stainless steel Vic scissors rated at 60HRc.  They are 8" scissors, but the cutting edges are only 2.5".  They do cut "very" well though. packaging says hot forged in Spain.

Francis, we need to know more ... 
Where from, obsolete or current, piccies, blah blah blah 

I think it is current, or was recently current, gone from victorinox.com as far as I can tell with their region stuff and the information there seemed a little out of date.  It could be that it is very new as well, i have not had time to check the catalog.

Model number is 7.6378, I'll get a picture up on the weekend. I see a couple on ebay mine came from Europe at 40 euros or so (not cheap).

[powerring]

I'll have to take a picture of the scissors on the Buck Xtract Essential for this thread.  They're huge! 

[ICanFixThat]

Nice!  Some great tests!   I think at some point I'll have to do a scissors test.  Just got in a new pair of shiny stainless steel Vic scissors rated at 60HRc.  They are 8" scissors, but the cutting edges are only 2.5".  They do cut "very" well though. packaging says hot forged in Spain.

Francis, we need to know more ... 
Where from, obsolete or current, piccies, blah blah blah 

I think it is current, or was recently current, gone from victorinox.com as far as I can tell with their region stuff and the information there seemed a little out of date.  It could be that it is very new as well, i have not had time to check the catalog.

Model number is 7.6378, I'll get a picture up on the weekend. I see a couple on ebay mine came from Europe at 40 euros or so (not cheap).

Oops I had mis-typed the model number, it is 7.6376.

[powerring]

I'll have to take a picture of the scissors on the Buck Xtract Essential for this thread.  They're huge!

As noted, here's a photo of the Buck Xtract Essential, Victorinox SwissTool Spirit X and the Leatherman Wingman scissors side by side.  The Xtract's scissors are in a class by themselves in size and, I think, ability.  The Xtract is sometimes forgotten amid the more poular Vics, Leathermen, and Gerbers but it's a star in the scissors department.

[Gareth]

Though I don't have one myself I've always had a bit of a soft spot for the X-Tract. 

Back to the scissors department we need someone to give us some shots and opinions on the Wenger Business Tool, the scissors on that are pretty impressive as well.

[Mercury]

Great tests Lynn!! 

I have always been partial to the Wave scissors, even through all the negative attention they have gotten.  For what they are, they do great.  I truly prefer Vic 91 mm scissors over most anything else, but the Wave scissors are great. 

The SOG powerlock scissors are a ludicrous attempt and should be discontinued.  They are worthless. 

I found the Old wave scissors to be extremely useful, I cut a key card in half with mine the other day and they went through it like butter.  Very tough.  I might try to fit a pair into my Sideclip if it's possible.


The Micra/S4 scissors are bad arse.  They cut zip ties like nobody's business.

[Lynn LeFey]

Thanks all for the positive feedback on this test.

[Gryffin]

One problem with multitool scissors is consistency. Depending on the factory's quality control, the performance of two specimens of the same model can vary quite a bit.

I'm not surprised to see the Wave do well. It (and the Charge, same scissors) gets flack for the small size of the scissors, but the lil' buggers cut very nicely.

I'm also not surprised to see the SOG do so badly. I've tried several over the years, and every one of them couldn't cut itself out of a soggy paper bag.

[ducttapetech]

Nice reviews Lynn. Sadly, the scissors on my Charge sucks. Way to much slop. While not completely useless, they have a hard time with cutting some stuff and I lucky I dont use scissors that much, that's what my knife is for.   

[Gryffin]

Sadly, the scissors on my Charge sucks. Way to much slop.

I didn't specify above, but yeah, I've had more problems with Leatherman in the consistency department. My first Charge had sloppy scissors; I sent it back, works fine, that's the one I still use. Bought another as a gift, and a Wave, they were both fine outta the box. But, more recently, I got a Style and a Style PS, which use the same scissors; the Style PS cuts like a dream, the Style not so much. LM needs a bit more QC for those scissor pivots, it's getting to be a crapshoot.

[sawman]

Thanks for taking the time to test these.  My favorite tools are those that suit multi-purposes.  I like the Vic Classic scissors for cutting my fingernails, but wouldn't attempt that with my CrossCut, while there are many tasks the CrossCut can accomplish the Vic scissors can't.  I'm a little redundant in that area.