Wiss. The only way to go.

 

I second that

 

yep... new pair every week.... ..

 

Wiss are definitely the standard, although I picked up some Milwaukee snips to try in the shop and they seem pretty good.

 

I tried many different brands when I did sheetmetal work, and I found the Malco AVs and Max2000s were the best anywhere. The AVs were nice because the offsets were very low profile and they had a smooth operation. The Max2000s stayed very sharp, and the larger grips allowed you to cut heavy gauge metal. They had a longer cutting edge = more cuts with fewer strokes = less hand fatigue.

I never carried anything but a right and left offset and a pair of bulldogs for cutting slips and drives. I was doing large commercial sheetmetal installs, and I could get about 1-2 years out of my snips.

 

When I was doing a lot of duct work new construction and replacement installs I would get about 3 months out of Irwin right offsets, though comfortable and worked good just didn't last. I got a pair of Lennox right offsets and won't get anything else ever again. Get about 12 to 15 months out of a pair. It helps a lot to only cut tin with your snips and get a pair of bulldogs for cutting the seems, slips and drives.

 

1st of let me say I do not do install and rarely use snips.

However I do have a set for the few times a year I might need them.
They are just cheap ace hardware brand, but they just cut right
Through the sheet metal no issue. I don't foresee any complaints if
I did have to use them daily though.

 

I worked as an Aircraft Maintenance Engineer for 7 years, doing quite a bit of sheet metal in that time. I'm now a first year HVAC/R apprentice.

In my opinion, having used many different types, I found that for overall quality and Longevity, nothing outperformed Wiss

 

I did A&P for a while back in the late 1970's... seemed the only real $$$ was graveyard at the airlines... something I did not like much.

I used to buy Wiss at HD... then tried Malco and use them. Have not tried Midwest yet.

One thing for sure; one gets a better price on tools online now-a-days. I tend to buy a bundle of stuff every few mos... rather than nickel and dime... usually get free shipping and sometimes a volume discount.

 

Hands down midwest. They beat the hell out of wiss and I think all malco are are midwest snips with malco name on it.

 

Midwest are the best. Most comfortable to use.


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+1 for Midwest.
They were even better when they were sold under the Craftsman name and had the lifetime warranty

 

I used Midwest for a while and Malco for a while, then I got a pair of Lennox rights and left and will never go back to any other snips they are the best hands down IMO. For straight cutting I use Malco 12s

 

I liked the craftsmen snips but they stopped making them, now I use Midwest

 

Midwest here. If your doing a lot of cutting in the field, maybe it's time for a uni shear. We have the Bosch uni shear, works great

 

any thoughts on those malco turbo shears ? i've been using the same midwest snips for 3yrs now and they need replaced. the lennox look good and i am glad to hear good things about them from you guys here. at my shop we never use foam board and a quick shear attachment seems like a good investment to me.

 

Midwest are my favorite. I have klenk, malco, wiss, and lennox in my tool box. I enjoy midwest the most. Last I remember Sears stocked them on the shelf.

 

Well, the good thing I've learned here is that they don't typically last more than 1-2 years in general. Which is not a good thing, of course, but it tells me that I'm not misusing my tools since the shears last approximately that long for me as well.

I have the Malco Turboshear and it's served me extremely well. 4 years and it's still going. Love that thing, especially when you need to cut out a return on the side of a furnace. Just pop a 1/2" hole and cut it out. Awesome. Best sheetmetal cutting investment I've ever made.

I am suspecting a slacker apprentice used my snips to cut copper wire, which might be what suddenly killed them. But I can't say for certain, they were 2 year old snips.

Thanks for the recommendations. I've always used Midwest and Wiss snips, and since nobody has cited using their tools for over 2 years, I'd have to agree they are good ones. I just hoped for better!

 

Copper is a relatively soft metal.... I suspect if someone abused your shears it was bailing wire or something hard (a nail?).

Shame helpers cannot just ask... they would learn something if they did.

 

The Malco 'shear head' works well for me... I bought a 12V Dewalt drill and keep it attached to it all the time (attachment brackets are not much $$$).

Nice to just pick it up and cut.

Note a 'shear' style power cutter will cut angles and corners... a 3 element scissor cutter will not turn corners well-better for straight cuts.

 

honestly when im in a " gawd forsaken spot " and those snips are what i have.......yeah they're gonna cut it.

 

I hate to see a fresh set of snips get destroyed that way by a lazy installer or a new guy who didn't know any better. On the bright side, when it does happen, you have a new set of 'beater snips' for cutting all kinds of junk lol.
I keep a couple pairs around for cutting stuff like shingles for a nice rounded flashing install, BX, liquid tite etc.

I'll be curious to see what happens with the copper too. My beater snips are so beat up from cutting other crap, I couldn't tell you if copper ever made a new dent in them.

 

Klein or Lennox has been most trustworthy for me !

 

I have used these for years, now they have a wire cutter. I have 2 are that are 15+ years old. The most important thing I have found with snips is not to let anyone else use yours.

http://www.klenktools.com/Main/Products/AviationSnipsNew.asp#MA70560

 

handtools Midwest
powertools Trumpf http://www.trumpf-powertools.com/index.php?id=1209&L=1

 

Where do you get these Trumpf power snips? How much are they?

 

Midwest. Got a brand new set of kleins, that I hated. Any snips that i have to tighten the fricken nut up every time I use them are not doing me any good. Got some old klenks that come in handy too.

 

I ended up going with Wiss. It's cutting nicely but we're still in the honeymoon stage of our relationship. We'll see what happens when marriage sinks in. LOL

 

Midwest is by far the best I have ever used