Thread: tin snips-left hand or right hand?

My first visit to metalwork forum. I am trying to get to the bottom of what makes a pair of snips left hand or right hand.

Aviation snips, or Wiss snips have green or red handles to indicate left or right hand snips.
A search of several different sources on the net show that the green handles are right handed and the red handles are left handed. If you look at a pair in the shop, the packaging will tell you that red is left hand and green is right hand.

So what's the problem?

As a plumber myself, the general opinion (almost universal) seems to be that green handles are left handed and red are right handed. This can cause confusion when working with others but normally you can just ask for the red ones, and avoid an argument.

But what about gilbow snips, which are not colour coded?

I have heard many theories about what makes one LH and one RH but none seem to stand up to logic and reason.

Please let me know if you have ever pondered this great dilemma and ,even better, come up with a feasible answer.

I always thought that left and right handed referred to the direction of the cut it would make, rather than the hand it was used in.

So a left hand pair would tend to want to cut to the left or anti clockwise and a right hand pair would tend to cut to the right or clockwise.

I thought all tinsnips were specially designed not to cut in the direction you want..

I thought it referred to which of the blades (left or right when looking down) was at the top. This then influences which side is the waste material as it allow one side of the material being cut to curl downwards out of the way. I could be wrong though!

I never really looked at which one is left or right, just picked the one that allowed me to pull the off cut out of the way so I could continue the cut. Quite often with long rips up a sheet I will alternate between the pair to get a curl of waste about 10mm wide.

I think the answer is that the snips need a clearance to cut any longer than the cutting edge. Depending on which is your off cut side you pick the appropriate tool.

Hahah I just re read your question.. I really should read people's questions a little better before I respond... Kind of reminds me of high school exams.. Your a plumber and probably already know all that!
I never bothered with calling it left or right, I just picked the correct one for the cut...so I'm in the same boat as you now!

Never really thought about it much but I always thought that if I held the snips in the right hand and the waste came off to the right of the snip blades enabling you to hold the wanted piece in your left hand then it was a right hand snip. If red/left and green/right are used for handles, then that would also match the marine convention of left/red/port and right/green/starboard.

I'm with Geoff,
Right handed(green handle) left blade on top, cuts right.
Left handed (red handle) right blade on top , cuts left.(from memory, I just sort of remember the names being backwards. I cant find a ref but am happy to go along with Wiss)

It doesnt make a lot of difference to how easily they cut(depends a little on the dia), you can see the line with one pair, you cant with the other.

Some snips are really build to cut straight lines only. If you really want to cut circles you're likely better off with the special Wiss snips, which you can cut circles or even right angles in the sheet.

Stuart

The colours are the confusion here. My guess is that some manufacturers couldn't narrow down the "rules" when they decided on their own colour coding.
As far as left or right handedness goes, it is the same with scissors. The shape and closing action of your hand puts side pressure on the handles and this is transferred to the blades. The snips and scissors are of different configeration, as mentioned by ash233. If you use left handed scissors in the "normal right handed way, you actually take side pressure off, resulting in the paper sliding down the side of the blade instead of being cut. Try cutting sheet metal with single fulcrum left hand snips using the right hand grip and watch the metal fold over the cutting edge and slip between the blades.
When teaching metalwork in high school, we had a few pairs of left handed snips but found that most "left handers" were so used to coping with tools designed for right handers, they didn't bother with them. Incidently, try teaching a left hander how to use a millsaw file.

My understanding is, if you have the snips in your right hand and you can see the line you are cutting to and it is not covered by the cutter they are right handed if the line is covered by the top cutter they are left handed and you would need to change hands or squint over the top. Of course there are many other reasons you would want handed snips other than which hand they are most comfortable in.
Of course this my not be Gospel.
Regards

If your RH use rh snips...if your left handed use left hand snips

want to be able to see the line when your cutting

but having both types can be beneficial in some situations

want to cut round inside circles..use curved blade snips.

Ah the debate of tin snips.
For starters I'm fairly confident that wiss is a brand name.Left and right has nothing to do with which hand you hold them in.Left is for where the offcut of the material peels away and allows you to cut curves in that direction and likewise for right.Even though I'm a leftie,I've always felt more comfortable
with the red pair which is the righties preferred choice.But do use the green pair whenever need arises.A great set to have is the duckbills,I say this and don't own any.If you get a chance to try them out.

Many an apprentice has been through this debate I bet me included almost cost me a weeks wage to by my first two pair which never had coloured handles.

I see many correct answers here some more right than others.

Now if you turn them over so waste goes aay from you what does it make them.................an inverted set of R&L anded snips.

I have all 4 sets of Wiss snips L&R straight and avaiation as set with two anvils.

Gilbarco (Edited thanks to Steamwhisper) should be Gilbow make a range also I used to have a R handed set for cutting small circles lite fingered person took them, I have not seen a pair since.

Here's the Wiss pdf I see some new one with in the range.

I notice they refer to them as "left cut" and "right cut" not left and right.
Regards

Yes,well spotted Duke.Very valid point.
Wheelin,if you invert them(upside down)the waste offcut will peel downwards not upwards,most uncomfortable situation.