Midwest Special Hard Snips

Built to the same size and shape as "Standard" Midwest Snips, these "Special Hard" models are also specially treated for cutting hardened sheet metals such as stainless steel, Inconel, and titanium. These are great for doing short cuts in sheet metal. If longer cuts are required the "Offset" models allow the material to pass easily around the blades and under the handle similar to how a throatless shear would work. These are only available in left and right cut but both can cut straight.

The additional hardness of the blades extends the edge life of the blade when cutting extremely hard metal. The cutting capacity is not increased by the additional hardness of the blades. While these models feature hardened blades, blades of standard models are stronger and more durable. Therefore, special hardness models should only be used for cutting very hard materials. All other features and benefits of these products are identical to the standard series models except handle grip color. All special hardness models can be identified by their orange handle grips. The standard models use red, green & yellow.

Weight	15 oz
Length of Snips	9-3/4"
Length of Cut	1-1/4"
Capacity Steel	N/A
Capacity Stainless	22 Gauge

“For many years we have carried Wiss brand aviation snips, but recently we learned an important fact about their manufacture: they are no longer forged. I have used Wiss snips, often daily, for nearly 40 years, and Wiss was the brand used by the professionals I knew when I was growing up. My old pre-1970 snips are great, but Wiss has changed their manufacture away from those forged snips to cast ones. We now carry Midwest Snips. They are forged, and they are American-made. Midwest also offers extra-hard snips for those of us doing stainless and titanium. We offer all of the many patterns offered by this excellent company, and are very pleased to offer you the best on the market today, Midwest Snips.” - Kent White

Design and Operating Features of Midwest Snips

1.	Full length pinch-to-point cuts up to 18 gauge CRSM or 22 gauge SSSM, with less than 80 lbs. of hand pressure making Midwest Snips the easiest to use.
2.	The blades are hot drop-forged molybdenum alloy steel which is then austemper heat-treated, producing a cutting edge that will outlast all others and making Midwest Snips virtually unbreakable.
3.	40 blade serrations per inch grip with slip or scare. Individually ground "stops" prevent handles from bottoming out which further assures the most efficient transfer of hand power to cutting power. "Stops" also control crossover of blade tips to prevent sideways tear of material being cut.
4.	Grade-8 hardened center pivot blade adjustment bolt is threaded into the bottom blade to keep blades in adjustment for over 30,000 test cuts - exceeding the ASME Standard.
5.	Heavy-duty spring is a "double over-wind" design that in cycle tests exceeds 120,000 cutting strokes - twice as long as the single coil springs in some competitor brand snips.
6.	Being spring loaded the latch keep the snips shut when not in use.
7.	Handles are made of heavy gauge steel to maximize cutting power at blades while not bending like the others.
8.	The comfortable grips are soft yet durable; made of copolymer, they won�t twist or wear through.
9.	Optimum handle opening at a 5-1/2 inch spread is easiest to grip in hand, allowing user to maximize length of cut per cutting stroke. Strong steel handles won't bend or collapse from hand pressure and maximize transfer of hand force to cutting power.
10.	The Midwest Scratch Awl stores conveniently in the handle of all Midwest Snips Aviation Snips.

The Midwest Difference

If you care about the quality of the tools you use, you'll appreciate a company that cares about the quality of the tools it makes. At Midwest Tool And Cutlery Company, they take the time and effort to manufacture the very best aviation snips you can buy. You'll find that their snips will perform better and last longer -- from tips to grips -- than any other brand.

They don't expect you to take their word for it, so they went out and asked for some second opinions. A leading university study found Midwest Snips to have a superior ergonomic design compared to other brands. At an independent testing laboratory, Midwest Snips brand beat the competition on every key performance test.

Hand Pressure Test (Right)

Measures how many pounds of hand pressure is required to make "pinch-to-point" cut in 18 gauge cold-rolled sheet steel. The lowest number is best. In tests with brands of two other manufacturers, Midwest Aviation Snips require significantly less hand pressure to complete a cut in 18 gauge cold-rolled sheet steel. One company manufactures blades from investment castings, and the other uses stampings. This test does more than just demonstrate the edge - it shows what Midwest is made of. The performance difference made by the highest quality hot drop-forged blade manufacturing process makes is obvious.

Spring Compression Test (Left)

In tests of aviation snip springs, the springs used in all Midwest Aviation Snips exceeded 120,000 cutting strokes without failure. No wonder - they're of a heavy-duty double over-wind design. Single coil designed springs used by other manufacturers gave out around 60,000 cutting strokes. Midwest springs lasted a minimum of twice as long. This test measures how many compressions (cuts) the return spring can make before failing. The Midwest springs never did and never will. The higher number is better. To help put this number into perspective, on average Midwest Snips have a cutting length of 1.25�. If the springs last for over 120,000 strokes that is a total cutting length of 13,541 feet or over 2.5 miles. Midwest not only puts a lifetime warranty on these springs, they guarantee them forever.

Forged Blades

Blacksmiths have known it since the Middle Ages - when you forge steel and "flow" it with its grain in a desired direction or shape, you get a stronger blade that stays sharp longer. This same principle is used to manufacture the blades of Midwest Snips� Aviation Snips. Using advanced technology in forge die design and a hot drop-forge process, the flow of the steel's grain is directed to the shape of each blade,

which is formed from molybdenum alloy steel. The result is cutting blades that are virtually unbreakable. Some other manufacturers of aviation snips use blades that are stamped from sheet steel or blades that are cast from liquid or molten steel. In either instance, the steel does not have its grain flow matched to the shape of the blade, and so doesn't have the strength or the cutting edge life of a Midwest Snips blade.

Blade Strength Test (Right)

This test measures how much force in pounds the blades can withstand by putting pressure on the shanks of the blades with the blades wedged open. The low numbers for the two other brands are at the point at which their blades broke. (Midwest Aviation Snips blades are strongest).

Setting New Standards

A tradesman can make more cuts in a day than the home handyman makes in a lifetime - and Midwest Aviation Snips are manufactured for tradesmen. Their aviation snips feature a center adjustment bolt that is threaded into the bottom blade. This keeps blades in adjustment the longest - they exceed 30,000 cycle test cuts of 18 gauge cold-rolled sheet steel (the ASME Standard) before they need re-adjustment. Most snips manufacturers don't bother with either meeting standards or maintaining blade adjustment, as you can tell from the Blade Adjustment Test to the right.

Midwest Snips not only meet, but exceed all of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) Standards. We are proud to offer these high quality American-made tools and both TM Technologies and Midwest Snips promise, �You will feel the difference!�

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