To avoid these ads, REGISTER NOW!
To avoid these ads, REGISTER NOW!

Squankum

Well-known member
Joined
Mar 28, 2011
Messages
7,557
Location
Southeast
I stopped by HF yesterday and they had one Quinn left in stock. Picked it up for $15, to give to Lady Squankum for her and her employees, who do not deserve keep track of nice things.

IMG_7828.jpeg


IMG_7829.jpeg

Taiwan! Just like the Knipex.

IMG_7830.jpeg

They're small. I expected that. The red part of the handle is hard, slippery plastic. Boo! But I don't know what the Knipexes are like. Mine will arrive later this week. Is a better handle worth $11? That's about what I pay when I get comfort grips on my usual Knipex purchases, but for now, the Doyle sure looks like a fantastic value. And no matter how much sensual grippy texture Knipex has on theirs, I'm expecting the finger holes will always hate my hand.

IMG_7831.jpeg

INOX HRC 56, it says. INOX = French/Euro word for stainless steel, HRC 56 means "hardness Rockwell C, 56." The Knipex has the same marking. I can't say if the fonts are identical until I have them side by side.

IMG_7832.jpeg
 

YesIHaveAHammer

Well-known member
Joined
Jun 1, 2025
Messages
749
They look similar at first glance but are vastly different in design and feel.
The 155 have a solid red plastic body with just the two soft blue gripping zones. The 10 are
I can't see any reason for the 155s to still be around, other than being about 20% cheaper. Maybe some people have an ergonomic preference.
 

sh944

ALLIANCE MEMBER
Joined
Jan 1, 2014
Messages
290
Location
Linwood, KS
Huh? With snips, you put your middle finger in the hole with your index finger just in front of it (still behind the pivot), with the base of these two fingers applying the power, and the opposite side goes into your palm in the meat under your thumb. You lose most of your dexterity and power putting your the tip of your thumb in the ring. Work with your meta-carpals, not the phalanges.

You are dead on…. I have no idea what I was thinking when I typed that except that I wasn’t paying attention to what I was typing.
 

KnurledNut

Well-known member
Joined
Jan 28, 2011
Messages
8,020
Location
n/a
I have a kitchen shear with that same general shape. They were beasts also. Lost them for several years, then turned up after a drawer clean out. Have only used them a few times since, but they are great. Will go looking for those later.

PXL_20260305_021555963-XL.jpg
Were they sold as kitchen shears?
Those are fiber optic shears.
 

RTM

Well-known member
Joined
May 13, 2019
Messages
12,986
Location
SF Bay Area
Were they sold as kitchen shears?
Those are fiber optic shears.
The original pair was bought at a kitchen supply store in the LA basin between 1992 & '97. The replacement pair was at a different store at the SF Bay area after 2000.

Can't remember either store at this point.

Maybe they were originally sold for fiber work, and others realized how great they were. Don't think either pair was over $15.
 

4xdog

Well-known member
Joined
Aug 18, 2012
Messages
5,587
Location
Santa Fe, NM
…The handle ergonomics **** on these.

Thanks. Being large-handed, I've had my concerns about those little holes.

I have a pair of the Knipex electrician’s shears and I can’t stand ‘em. They need to find a new home.

My hands are good sized, but not giant by any means. It’s super inconvenient to use these shears because the finger holes are so small. My thumb barely fits — I can use only part of my thumb’s first joint.

Definitely a tool for small-medium hands.
 

Squankum

Well-known member
Joined
Mar 28, 2011
Messages
7,557
Location
Southeast

rlitman

Well-known member
Joined
Oct 18, 2010
Messages
24,553
Location
Long Island
You are dead on…. I have no idea what I was thinking when I typed that except that I wasn’t paying attention to what I was typing.
LOL. It's one of those things the comes so intuitively by feel that you don't really think about them when you pick them up. The eyes and brain say "thumb ring", when the hand says "shut up and let me do my job".

For those not so familiar with them, the longer handle with the tail is meant to go into your palm (thumb side). These composite handles (Knipex, Doyle, et al) have a widened two finger hole on the opposite handle to reinforce that.
 
To avoid these ads, REGISTER NOW!

bb_max

Well-known member
Joined
Apr 16, 2015
Messages
83
Location
central IA
I've used these for several years on various projects up to 1ga welding wire. I'd pick these anyday over the 2ft long cable cutters.
FWIW, the Menards $2 blue pair are not comparable at all. The Performance Tool(?) $6 pair from the farm store seems to be closer, but havent used them a lot.
 

Thisistimm

Well-known member
Joined
Jun 3, 2021
Messages
59
Yeah I didn’t find them on the website either, they have such an insane inventory I thought maybe some would be lurking offline but I don’t recall their user name here on the journal to tag them.
 

Squankum

Well-known member
Joined
Mar 28, 2011
Messages
7,557
Location
Southeast
"Them things all come off the same assembly line in China, I tells ya."

I've always been very cautious about jumping to that conclusion. And it's not the case here. They all come off the same assembly line in Taiwan! I got my new Knipex snips today.

IMG_7903.jpeg

(Oh, and another pair of Cobras. I'm koo koo for Cobras.)


You can wear it on your belt at a jaunty angle! (I have no idea how the belt clip on the sheath compares between the Doyle and the Knipex as I hurled the clip from the Doyle immediately after I got it.)
IMG_7904.jpeg

Made in Taiwan. Not news.

IMG_7905.jpeg


I traced the Doyle's blade.

IMG_7906.jpeg

Lining up the Knipex:

IMG_7907.jpeg


Handles. No difference in non-slip, not softer, just different colors.
IMG_7908.jpeg

About the only difference I can spot is that the" INOX HRC 56" marking looks deeper on the Knipex, like the laser took another pass.

IMG_7909.jpeg

Sheaths look different. Again, sorry I can't compare the clips.
IMG_7910.jpeg

I'm not seeing any difference. I declare the Doyle to be a heckuva deal.
 
Last edited:

four.cycle

Well-known member
Joined
Oct 19, 2015
Messages
28,348
Location
Tacoma, Washington
Interesting thread.
"Them things all come off the same assembly line in China, I tells ya."
I'm disinclined to believe they're all coming off the same line, although many of them do look remarkably similar.
I picked up mine at a shop called "Market Place" in Aberdeen - they're a "natural food/health food" kind of place, and these were displayed on the aisle with other kitchen utensils. I have them in the kitchen. Never occurred to me to try them on wire.
They are quite sharp. I think I paid about $7 or $8 bucks a pair for these. They were branded "NorPro". Made in China (PRC).
Norpro scissors.jpg
 

Tchicken

Well-known member
Joined
Jul 16, 2024
Messages
279
Location
THE Motor City
Interesting thread.

I'm disinclined to believe they're all coming off the same line, although many of them do look remarkably similar.
I picked up mine at a shop called "Market Place" in Aberdeen - they're a "natural food/health food" kind of place, and these were displayed on the aisle with other kitchen utensils. I have them in the kitchen. Never occurred to me to try them on wire.
They are quite sharp. I think I paid about $7 or $8 bucks a pair for these. They were branded "NorPro". Made in China (PRC).
Norpro scissors.jpg

The finger holes & bone cutting notch are different from the Doyle/Knipex, but they do look otherwise identical. You can fish those NorPro's out of the Big River https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000MMRNL0?tag=atomicindus08-20 ..
 

four.cycle

Well-known member
Joined
Oct 19, 2015
Messages
28,348
Location
Tacoma, Washington
^ yeah. super cheap, which is why I grabbed two pairs when I saw them at that store. I use them for kitchen shears. They go through chicken breast bone like butter.
Never used them on anything heavier than some thin leather I used on an art project. I suppose they might cut wire, but I have dozens of pairs of wire cutters.
 

RobinMayaHawke

New member
Joined
Jul 21, 2019
Messages
3
Location
saturn
Those purpose-made shears look great for cutting wires. Unaware of their experience, and only ever needing to cut smaller-gauge wires/wire assemblies, I have been very satisfied with the life hack I discovered a decade ago, which is that sturdy kitchen shears are terrific, and if you're not cutting cloth, can/should replace all of the other normal-sized scissors all over the house. I have since bought at least 10 pair and put them EVERYWHERE -- one in car glove box, one in toolbox at the data center, two or three in the workshop, two in kitchen, two by desk (one in drawer, one vertical in the can of pencils/pens/nail file/small pen light kept desk side), one each in the girls bedrooms, one given to ex and another to daughter who now lives with the ex. Why so many? Because I have ADHD, have a very cluttered home, and become extremely frustrated very quickly when I JUST NEED A PAIR OF SCISSORS, WHERE ARE THEY?

PS: these "kitchen shears" should be called "shears" because they are not short-bladed and meant for cutting bone. Also, part of the buying spree, at the beginning, was discovering how just very effective they were at dealing with products in clamshell _tough_ plastic wrapping (shakes fist).
 

YesIHaveAHammer

Well-known member
Joined
Jun 1, 2025
Messages
749
They're somewhat wee things.
25mm (1") blade excluding the notched section?

I believe the Facom are about the same, but the shape makes them look stubbier.

I'm disinclined to believe they're all coming off the same line, although many of them do look remarkably similar.
I have these CK 492001, the blade is 35mm excluding the notch. Makes them more versatile I find.
 

willf650

Well-known member
Joined
Mar 10, 2010
Messages
764
"Them things all come off the same assembly line in China, I tells ya."

I've always been very cautious about jumping to that conclusion. And it's not the case here. They all come off the same assembly line in Taiwan! I got my new Knipex snips today.

IMG_7903.jpeg

(Oh, and another pair of Cobras. I'm koo koo for Cobras.)


You can wear it on your belt at a jaunty angle! (I have no idea how the belt clip on the sheath compares between the Doyle and the Knipex as I hurled the clip from the Doyle immediately after I got it.)
IMG_7904.jpeg

Made in Taiwan. Not news.

IMG_7905.jpeg


I traced the Doyle's blade.

IMG_7906.jpeg

Lining up the Knipex:

IMG_7907.jpeg


Handles. No difference in non-slip, not softer, just different colors.
IMG_7908.jpeg

About the only difference I can spot is that the" INOX HRC 56" marking looks deeper on the Knipex, like the laser took another pass.

IMG_7909.jpeg

Sheaths look different. Again, sorry I can't compare the clips.
IMG_7910.jpeg

I'm not seeing any difference. I declare the Doyle to be a heckuva deal.
I have been buying the DOYLES on sale for about $10 each time. Either via a % off coupon or last time they were discounted in themselves.

I gave them to all my coworkers and they are always on my belt when I’m terminating a control panel. These and the Icon flush cutters are awesome.
 

ipgenie

Well-known member
Joined
Jan 29, 2020
Messages
558
Location
Idaho
I've had a set for a few years, I love them. I see they now make an angled handle version, I'm going get a pair as they seem to offer better ergonomics. Set up an Amazon link for these @Ryan and I'll buy them thru that ;)

719OIGdubuL._AC_SL1500_.jpg



I used my new pair of these yesterday to build some 6awg cables and they sliced through the cables like a hot knife through butter.

I've got several wire cutters that I use for different tasks but these just moved up high on my favorite list.
 
To avoid these ads, REGISTER NOW!
Top Bottom