Snips are a type of hand shear which are designed for cutting thin sheet metal and other durable materials. Typically they resemble a pair of scissors but are made of stronger metal, so are able to cut through sturdy materials. Snips come in many forms, shapes and sizes dependent on the application they are needed for depends on the size etc. required.

What are the main type of snips and what are they used for?

The most common types of snips used are, straight, left or right hand snips. Straight snips are designed to make straight cuts or slightly to the left or right. Right hand snips are suitable for cutting straight lines and cutting in an anti-clockwise direction.  Left hand snips are suitable for cutting straight lines and cutting in a clockwise direction.

There are also offset snips - these keep the material away from your hands whilst cutting, allowing straight circle cuts to be made effortlessly. Colour coded handles for easy blade identification, red snips circle left and green snips circle right.