What's the best scissors/shears based multi tool for a first aid kit?

[ChopperCharles]

I'm looking at different scissors-based multi tools to put in a small motorcycle toolkit. I don't need pliers or drivers particularly much, but I do need scissors that can cut through denim with ease, with a small packed size and yet very large scissors.

Here's what I've got already:

• Paul Chen / Hanwei 1008-GT "Professional" tool. It's basically a hybrid between the Gerber Multiplier and the MP600. MP600 style sliding mechanism, with non-locking internal tools, and four external tools - an OHO blade with liner lock, a wood saw, a removable file, and a small pair of fold-out pliers (a little bigger than Victorinox 91mm pliers). Also a pocket clip. I actually use this tool regularly and like it a lot, but it's too large for the kit I'm putting together.
• OUTU/Shcrade ST11. This has a pretty good pair of scissors, and it's what's currently in the kit. It's cheap and it definitely falls in the "Good Enough" range of things, but I'm looking for something perhaps without pliers entirely. The first aid kit I'm building out is for the motorcycle, and I already have an MP600 in the toolkit. I don't want to duplicate functionality because space and weight is at a premium.

I'm currently looking at:

• Schrade ST-2 (Tough Chip). This one appears to have a really nice pair of tweezers in the handle, which would be useful in the kit. Aged design, but new ebay is full of new old stock tools for $30.
• SOG Snippet. I'm not a huge SOG fan. Every tool I've ever bought from SOG has been lacking in some way. The Micro ToolClip has a useless file. The Sync II belt buckle has locking scissors and file, but the two screwdrivers are non-locking, making them useless. BUT, I'm willing to give SOG another try. It's hard to tell how large this is, though. These run about $25.
• Leatherman Style CS. This appears to be only slightly larger than a Squirt, and I'm thinking it is too small. It is inexpensive and I like the built in clip, but I'd really need to see the scissors compared to some other multi tools to get a good idea of its usefulness.
• Roxon S801. This is actually a really interesting tool, with large scissors like the OUTU/ST11, but it's too large for my toolkit. It's priced a bit high at $35 too, for a Chinese tool.
• Roxon 2-in-1 Folding Pocket Knife and Scissors. This tool has a large locking blade knife and a pair of fold-out scissors, and nothing else. A little more minimalist than I'd like, but definitely in the running. $25 on Amazon.

The Gerber Splice was briefly in the running, until I saw a picture comparing it to the Squirt and the Micra, which are also out of the running. All three are too small.  Of all the tools above, none have a can opener except the large Roxon, which is honestly out of the running for my motorcycle first aid kit. (But it may make it into the jeep kit). Of the above tools, does anyone have any feedback on the size of the scissors and their capability?  Any recommendations? Any tools I missed?

Thanks!

Charles.

[Vidar]

Leatherman Raptor? Kind of specialized maybe. Easily the best scissors for cutting denim though.

[gerleatherberman]

Based off of the space requirements and the tools you're looking at, the Roxon 2in1 is the best option size-wise.

Now, that said, Vidar's recommendation gets you the best cutting available in an MT.

Another one to look at in my opinion is the Bear & Son Bear Jaws 157 shears. Cutting head is the same size as the Paul Chen Pro, but in a tight and light package.

[ChopperCharles]

Those raptor shears are more shears than multi. Space is at a premium so they’re too large. The bear jaws are nice! I understand bear and sons sells individual tools separately as well, so I could outfit it to my use. It’s a lot more expensive... but it looks like a quality tool. I think I may go that route.

Charles.

[ChopperCharles]

What about the Tough Chip? I really do have a soft spot in my heart for vintage tools. What's the consensus on the scissors in that tool?

Charles.

[Alan K.]

I had a Schrade Tough Chip, loved it. It was really good at cardboard and cable ties, newsprint, and stuff like that. I never really tried it on fabrics. I haven't seen it in a couple of years so it is either packed in a kit that I haven't used in a while, or I sold or lost it. There are also people selling stacks and stacks of new Tough Chip sheaths which the Leatherman Mini fits in perfectly if anyone needs a sheath for their Mini.  CC, if you're sure you won't need the pliers, and space is that tight, maybe a Swiss Champ or smaller model SAK would fit the bill. They certainly don't take up much room and they have excellent scissors.

[Sam Lim]

I had a Schrade Tough Chip, loved it. It was really good at cardboard and cable ties, newsprint, and stuff like that. I never really tried it on fabrics. I haven't seen it in a couple of years so it is either packed in a kit that I haven't used in a while, or I sold or lost it. There are also people selling stacks and stacks of new Tough Chip sheaths which the Leatherman Mini fits in perfectly if anyone needs a sheath for their Mini.  CC, if you're sure you won't need the pliers, and space is that tight, maybe a Swiss Champ or smaller model SAK would fit the bill. They certainly don't take up much room and they have excellent scissors.

I didn't have good impression with the tough chip though. Maybe mine was a wonky example. The scissor are rather longish(flexes) and weak in my experience.. They fold over stuff more than they cut.. Again, that's mine. Perhaps Alan had a much better one.

Cutting capability ime, very similar to the crosscut. I didn't like the cross cut either..

[ChopperCharles]

Okay, thanks for that insight. I'll take the tough chip off my list.

Basically, I need to be able to cut jeans off a fellow if he crashes and has a bunch of road rash. The ability to cut through even thicker material, such as a leather jacket or ballistic nylon jacket, would be ideal as well, but that's asking a lot for anything that's not a pair of trauma shears. Mostly I'll use it to cut bandages and tape and gauze, cut t-shirts into bandages, etc. Well, mostly it'll sit unused I hope. But in the eventuality that either me, or a friend of mine, crashes, I'd like to be prepared.

Charles.

[ChopperCharles]

whoops, Bear and Son doesn't sell the parts individually. Oh well.

Charles.

[Mechanickal]

Don't misunderestimate the mighty Micra...

[ChopperCharles]

The Micra is too small for what I want it for.

Charles.

[Mechanickal]

I just said not to misunderestimate it

[ChopperCharles]

Just as an aside, the Paul Chen "Professional" tool is pretty awesome. It's too big for my first aid kit, but it's actually one of my most-used multi tools. Strange as that sounds. It's always in my kitchen within easy reach. I use the OHO blade to open mail all the time, the removable file is a lot nicer to use on fingernails than any file that's permanently attached to a multitool, and if you want to keep it attached it locks into the tool at 90 degrees. Which is actually pretty useful for holding the tool and moving the object to be filed. The phillips driver is pretty soft though, mine has some marks on it already from just light use and a few cam-outs. It's super short too. It does have a nice can opener, which I do use on occasion.  The scissors go through everything I've thrown at them. Recently it was thick marine grade vinyl for a motorcycle seat recovering project, and before that it was foam-backed headliner cloth. Before that, I cut 1" thick memory foam with it. Nothing seems to stop those scissors. AND you can swap them into an MP600 body if you want to. (Although without the spring-loaded action, they'll be a bit awkward to use). I've used the saw to prune a few branches, and that was fine, but it also works very well on drywall. Last bit of home repair I used it almost exclusively. the blade I used to remove joint compound between sheets of drywall, the saw to cut a hole for an outlet, and the shears to cut metal corner edging to length. I did use the driver to screw in a couple of screws, but quickly tired of that and got my drill

Even the little pliers I've found useful on occasion. Mostly for pulling plastic tops off of orange juice and cold brew coffee bottles, as they're extremely light duty. But still, this tool is awesome for around-the-house-and-garage use.

Charles.

[Alan K.]

I have a friend that is a firefighter/paramedic/Registered Nurse and he has a Victorinox Rescue knife.  However, he said that while he has used the curved blade on the rescue knife for seat belts and other strapping, he has never actually used it to cut clothing. It is safer and easier to use trauma shears.  I think you really need to make room for trauma shears. Or possibly a strap cutter with a replaceable razor blade such as the Gerber or Ontario. That would cut open a pair of jeans like pulling open a zipper.
https://store.glennsarmysurplus.com/ontario-knife-asek-aircrew-survival-egress-strap-cutter--sheath-p259.aspx
https://lapolicegear.com/gerber-cutter-22-01944-strap-cutter.html

[cody6268]

If you've seen "The Horn" on Netflix about Air Zermatt's EMS team, you'll notice they never pull out a pair of trauma shears--instead they use OH 111mm SAKs, namely Rescue Tools for basically everything (including around the station).   

I'd suggest a pair of trauma shears and a Rescue Tool in a larger bag, Classic for a compact kit as I usually carry with me.

[Sam Lim]

  I guess even a cheap pair of trauma shears will work better on clothing than any brand name scissors MT in this aspect. That's something that u probably not want to screw up when u need it most.

[cody6268]

I guess even a cheap pair of trauma shears will work better on clothing than any brand name scissors MT in this aspect. That's something that u probably not want to screw up when u need it most.

Some can't cut anything. I have a pair from Harbor Freight that are a joke. I bought ADC Mini Medicuts from a work clothing store some time ago, and they'll cut anything. Currently, several colors are under $5 on Amazon.

https://www.amazon.com/ADC-MiniMedicut-Shears-Stainless-Safety/dp/B004ETONPG

[Alan K.]

Some can't cut anything. I have a pair from Harbor Freight that are a joke. I bought ADC Mini Medicuts from a work clothing store some time ago, and they'll cut anything. Currently, several colors are under $5 on Amazon.

https://www.amazon.com/ADC-MiniMedicut-Shears-Stainless-Safety/dp/B004ETONPG

Those Mini Medicut shears are 2 inches smaller than standard trauma shears. If they will fit in CC's kit that looks like we have a winner. 

[ReamerPunch]

Micra, Snippet, Style CS, Shortcut, Splice, these are all too small.
Paul Chen shears, Raptor, Roxon Storm are too bulky.

If you are satisfied with the Outu, then stick with it. Its drivers won't take much abuse, the file is crap, the blade doesn't lock, and the scissors are adequate but nothing more. But it has pliers too.
Have you tried cutting denim with it? Some models are ok, like mine, but some others perform poorly from what I've seen. I'd suggest trying it on a pair of old jeans just to make sure it is up to the task.

Roxon KS has robust scissors and a good blade, but that's it. Also, it does go down to $20 from time to time.

Are any other features essential to what you are looking for? 
A small pair of dedicated trauma shears may fit the bill and take little room.

[Shuya]

For my part I wouldnt go with scissors at all foryour purpose.
Grab a Benchmade 5 Hook and some small scissors for the rest and you are good to go.
Less potential for injuries, faster than you can imagine.

[smiller43147]

Gadgetman has a post https://forum.multitool.org/index.php/topic,82035.0.html that leads to this upcoming tool from SOG:

[Happy Gilmore]

I've talked to a few medical professionals recently including one head of department for first responders in the area (35 yeas experience). His crew trust the Raptor, yes...its worth the price. "worth every penny" he said.