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  7. The 16 Best Tin Snips – Guide

The 16 Best Tin Snips – Guide

SaleComparison winner of the editors HURRICANE 10 Inch Aviation Tin Snips, Heavy Duty Metal Cutter Shears for Cutting Sheet Metal, Straight Cut, Chrome Vanadium Steel

The 16 Best Tin Snips – Guide

The right choice of tools is crucial for the work of a craftsman. Due to the high demand, there are also many offers on the market. If you are looking for the best tin snips, you can breathe a sigh of relief. Our checklist and product recommendations will make your purchase decision easier and provide you with advice.

Sheet Metal Shears Checklist

Material And Quality
  • Especially if you want to cut very materials, make sure that your tin snips are made of sturdy material. Greater stability is achieved with rigid, forged-together shear head and handle that form a single unit. More mobile and therefore suitable for less forceful applications are tin snips, which consist of a separate handle and shear head.
  • The blades are made of stainless steel, high-speed steel (HSS), or high-speed steel with titanium coating (HSS-TiN). All materials are as well as safe to use.
  • HSS material is more expensive to purchase, but is more powerful, especially with hard materials. An additional coating of titanium nitride reduces wear.
  • For clean cuts and reduced risk of injury, you must also pay attention to quality and workmanship. For example, there should be no debris protruding from the handles or the head of the scissors should not be sharpened properly.
  • You can also recognize good quality by the test mark (e.g. TÜV) or if you use well-known brands such as Makita.
Field Of Application
  • Before buying, you should be aware of the area in which the tin snips will be used. For example, continuous shears are intended for continuous cuts, figure shears for delicate and graceful cuts with a tight radius, and ideal shears for both possibilities. All the above-mentioned plate shears are offered to you right- and left-cutting.
  • In addition, shear types are designed for different thicknesses of sheet metal.
  • If the material to be cut is very thin, a mechanical plate shear is sufficient. This is capable of processing up to 1.6 mm.
  • Electric plate shears can cut slightly thicker materials. These include materials up to 2.5 mm.
  • Up to 4 mm, sheet metal shears can cut with compressed air and at a fast pace.
Power And Weight
  • A tin snips should be able to provide at least 500 watts of power. Otherwise, they will work too slowly and produce poorer results.
  • Sheet metal shears that are operated with a rechargeable battery usually do not reach this power. We therefore recommend 2 ampere hours (Ah) or more for cordless plate shears.
  • Excessively heavy weight of the plate shears should in no case affect the working performance. Battery-powered models are usually heavier than electric-powered tin snips. Ideally, the weight should not exceed 3 kg.

We have compiled the best and most interesting tin snips. You can find the list with our product recommendations here.

Tip: You can find many more utensils for the do-it-yourselfer in our The 10 Best Tool Carts – Guide.

The Best Sellers Of Tin Snips

In a list of bestsellers we have compiled the most popular tin snips for you.

# Preview Product
1 HURRICANE 10 Inch Aviation Tin Snips, Heavy Duty Metal Cutter Shears for Cutting Sheet Metal, Straight Cut, Chrome Vanadium Steel HURRICANE 10 Inch Aviation Tin Snips, Heavy Duty Metal Cutter Shears for Cutting Sheet Metal,...
2 DeWalt DWHT14675 11.9' Industrial Grade Straight Cut Ergonomic Aviation Snips DeWalt DWHT14675 11.9" Industrial Grade Straight Cut Ergonomic Aviation Snips
3 Amazon Basics Straight Cut Aviation Snip Amazon Basics Straight Cut Aviation Snip
4 Crescent Wiss 9-3/4 Inch MetalMaster Compound Action Snips - Straight, Left and Right Cut - M3R Crescent Wiss 9-3/4 Inch MetalMaster Compound Action Snips - Straight, Left and Right Cut - M3R
5 Performance Tool W2043 Center Cut Aviation Tin Snip Performance Tool W2043 Center Cut Aviation Tin Snip
6 OTLOOMTBT 10 Inch Straight Cut Tin Snips for Cutting Metal Sheet, Easy to Use Well-Made Industrial-Grade Heavy-Duty Midwest Aviation Snips, Super Sharp and Labor Saving Tin Snip, Metal Shears OTLOOMTBT 10 Inch Straight Cut Tin Snips for Cutting Metal Sheet, Easy to Use Well-Made...
7 Milwaukee 3-Piece Aviation Snip Set - 48-22-4533 Milwaukee 3-Piece Aviation Snip Set - 48-22-4533
8 MIDWEST Tool and Cutlery Aviation Snip - Left Cut Offset Tin Cutting Shears with Forged Blade & KUSH'N-POWER Comfort Grips - MWT-6510L MIDWEST Tool and Cutlery Aviation Snip - Left Cut Offset Tin Cutting Shears with Forged Blade &...
9 HORUSDY 3 Pack Aviation Tin Snips Set, 10 Inch Metal Straight Cut, Left Cut, Right Cut for Cut Sheet Metal, Chrome Vanadium Steel HORUSDY 3 Pack Aviation Tin Snips Set, 10 Inch Metal Straight Cut, Left Cut, Right Cut for Cut Sheet...
10 IRWIN 21304ZR Tin Snip, Multi Purpose, 11-3/4-Inch (21304) IRWIN 21304ZR Tin Snip, Multi Purpose, 11-3/4-Inch (21304)
11 Klein Tools 1202S Metal Shears, Aviation Snips with Wire Cutter, Straight Cut Klein Tools 1202S Metal Shears, Aviation Snips with Wire Cutter, Straight Cut
12 IRWIN Aviation Snip, Aviation Snip, Straight (2073113), 9-1/2' (241 mm) IRWIN Aviation Snip, Aviation Snip, Straight (2073113), 9-1/2" (241 mm)
13 STANLEY FATMAX Tin Snips , Straight Cut, Aviation Snip, 9-7/8-Inch (14-563) STANLEY FATMAX Tin Snips , Straight Cut, Aviation Snip, 9-7/8-Inch (14-563)
14 IRWIN Tin Snip, Flat Blade, 12-inch (22012) , Blue IRWIN Tin Snip, Flat Blade, 12-inch (22012) , Blue
15 ZKH 10 Inch Aviation Tin Snips, Straight Cut, Heavy Duty CR-V Metal Cutter, Metal Snips for Cutting Sheet Metal ZKH 10 Inch Aviation Tin Snips, Straight Cut, Heavy Duty CR-V Metal Cutter, Metal Snips for Cutting...
16 Crescent Wiss 9-1/4' Metalmaster Offset Straight and Left Cut Aviation Snips - M6R , Red Crescent Wiss 9-1/4" Metalmaster Offset Straight and Left Cut Aviation Snips - M6R , Red
17 Crescent Wiss 3 Piece MetalMaster Compound Action Aviation Snip Set - M123R Crescent Wiss 3 Piece MetalMaster Compound Action Aviation Snip Set - M123R
18 AIRAJ Pro 10 in Aviation Tin Snips Straight Cut,Industrial CR-Mo Metal snips with Double Lever, Heavy Duty Tin Snips for Cutting Sheet Metal, Chrome Vanadium Steel AIRAJ Pro 10 in Aviation Tin Snips Straight Cut,Industrial CR-Mo Metal snips with Double Lever,...
19 Klein Tools 89556 Metal Cutter, Tin Snips Cut Tin, Copper, Aluminum, Vinyl, Steel and Stainless Steel, 12-Inch Klein Tools 89556 Metal Cutter, Tin Snips Cut Tin, Copper, Aluminum, Vinyl, Steel and Stainless...
20 Malco M2006 10-3/4 in. Left Offset Snips Malco M2006 10-3/4 in. Left Offset Snips

Tip: You can find many tips for organizing tools in our The 10 best tool cases – guide.

Current Offers Of Tin Snips

You can find the best current deals on tin snips in this list.

SaleBestseller Nr. 2
SaleBestseller Nr. 3
Crescent Wiss 9-3/4 Inch MetalMaster Compound Action Snips - Straight, Left and Right Cut - M3R
Crescent Wiss 9-3/4 Inch MetalMaster Compound Action Snips - Straight, Left and Right Cut - M3R
Cuts up to 18 gauge low carbon, rolled steel; Spring-action handle for a faster, effortless feed
$22.93 −48% Amazon Prime
SaleBestseller Nr. 4
SaleBestseller Nr. 5
Milwaukee 3-Piece Aviation Snip Set - 48-22-4533
Milwaukee 3-Piece Aviation Snip Set - 48-22-4533
One Handed Locking - Ease of use/Quick open & close (Patent Pending); Flush Bolt Design - Won't hang up on material (Patent Pending)
$49.99 −18% Amazon Prime
SaleBestseller Nr. 7
IRWIN Aviation Snip, Aviation Snip, Straight (2073113), 9-1/2' (241 mm)
IRWIN Aviation Snip, Aviation Snip, Straight (2073113), 9-1/2" (241 mm)
Snip tool features compound cutting action with textured grips and an E-Z close latch; Multipurpose snips with compound cutting leverage
$23.98 −46% Amazon Prime
SaleBestseller Nr. 8
STANLEY FATMAX Tin Snips , Straight Cut, Aviation Snip, 9-7/8-Inch (14-563)
STANLEY FATMAX Tin Snips , Straight Cut, Aviation Snip, 9-7/8-Inch (14-563)
Tin snips cut up to 18 gauge (1.2mm) cold-rolled steel or 23 gauge (0.7mm) stainless-steel
$17.64 −12% Amazon Prime
SaleBestseller Nr. 9
Crescent Wiss 9-1/4' Metalmaster Offset Straight and Left Cut Aviation Snips - M6R , Red
Crescent Wiss 9-1/4" Metalmaster Offset Straight and Left Cut Aviation Snips - M6R , Red
Cuts low carbon, cold-rolled 18 gauge steel; Offset blades keep hands clear of metal; Cuts straight lines and left arcs
$33.99 −50% Amazon Prime

FAQ About Tin Snips

What kind of tin snips are there?

Scarifiers have a rotating axle that is studded with blades . These blades score the turf a few millimeters. This process removes moss and lawn felt, which loosens and aerates he awn.

How expensive are tin snips?

Due to the different types of tin snips, it is not possible to make an exact statement on this. Mechanical tin snips range from 15 to 90 euros. Pneumatic plate shears and electric plate shears start at 30 euros, but you should choose a high-quality model if you want to use the shears longer. The price range goes up to over 300 euros.

Which tin snips are suitable for what?

Mechanical tin snips are best suited for smaller, delicate work where physical strength is sufficient as a drive. You can find out which mechanical tin snips you should use for which cut in our checklist . For materials from 3mm you can then also use a pneumatic shear or an electric sheet metal shear

What is an air shear used for?

Pneumatic plate shears are most often used in car repair shops, as they are best suited for clear cuts of thicker material. For example, they are used to cut trim or even rusty protrusions.

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