Midwest Standard Snips
Midwest Standard Snips
MADE IN USA
Standard Left Cut Snips |
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MTC-6716-L | $31.00 | ||
Standard Right Cut Snips |
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MTC-6716-R | $31.00 | ||
Standard Straight Cut Snips |
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MTC-6716-S | $31.00 | ||
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"Standard" Aviation snips are available in three blade patterns with serrated edges on both top and bottom blades. They have a cutting capacity of 18-gauge cold-rolled steel and 22-gauge stainless. Available in three different cut patterns: left, right and straight. All of the models will cut straight but only the straight cut model will cut both left and right. The handles are color coded for easy identification. These are great for doing short cuts in sheet metal. If longer or tighter radiused cuts are required, the offset models are recommended as they allow the material to pass easily around the blades and under the handle, similar to how a throatless shear would work. Although these will cut cleanly through stainless, they are not designed for everyday use on it or other hard materials. For cutting hard metals such as stainless steel, inconel, and titanium we recommend the use of Midwest Special Hard Snips.
Specifications of Left & Right Cut Snips
Specifications of Straight Cut Snips
“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 special 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 ![]() ![]()
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). ![]()
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, Be the first person to write a review on this product. |