Klein Tools has come out with a trip of new aviation snips, featuring integrated wire cutters.
The new snips can handle sheet metal up to 18 gauge for cold rolled steel, and 22 gauge for stainless steel. They’re spring-loaded, color-coded, and have contoured comfort grips.
- Straight-cutting: 1202S
- Left-cutting: 1200L
- Right-cutting: 1201R
Klein designed the new snips based on customer feedback, after realizing that HVAC professionals sometimes damage their snips when cutting wires. So, they added a wire cutter notch on the outside of the blade. This allows users to cut sheet metal, ducting, and suspension wires with the same tool.
Pricing: $18-$24 each
Buy Now(via Amazon)
Update: They’re cheaper at Home Depot:
Straight | Right | Left-Cutting via Home Depot
First Thoughts
Klein hasn’t gotten back to me about whether these new snips are made in the USA or not. I mention this because you can usually find Midwest snips for $18-25 each, and Wiss for ~$12+. $24 each for these Klein snips? I’d hope they were made in the USA at that price. If not, Stanley FatMax, Dewalt, and Milwaukee offer good quality imported snips for less.
It does seem convenient that there’s a built-in wire cutter. I had wondered how someone could damage aviation snips by cutting wires, until I read a quote in the press release that mentioned suspension wires. That makes sense.
What are suspension cables made from – wire rope? Yep, steel wire rope will quickly destroy cutting edges of anything not specifically intended for cutting hard wires.
So, what do you think? To me, it seems like a convenient expansion of Klein Tools into a less traditional market for them, although I wish the country of manufacturing origin was a little more transparent.
Klein makes other tin snips, and from the user reviews, they seem to be pretty well regarded.
