Best pocket scissors?

September 23, 2009 11:47 AM

Pocket scissors: which are the best?

I find that 9 times out of 10 I prefer scissors to knives. Having scissors is like having two knives and three arms. And yet the world of pocket knives is huge and varied compared to the realm of "pocket scissors". And the knife plays a much more central role in the multitool world than the scissors. I'm particularly annoyed that I cannot find a full-size multitool with scissors in the place of the traditional pliers. (I am aware of the leatherman micra which has this configuration in a small form factor. I had one that made it through many years on my key chain before it was donated to the TSA.) I find the scissors on most multitools or Swiss army knives to be disappointing.

My question is: what are the best pocket/portable scissors and/or multitools with the best scissors?

I'm not too interesting in toiletry-related folding scissors that aren't good for much more than the occasional toenail or nose hair.

posted by Wood to Shopping (15 answers total)

I have this and I use it (mostly the scissors) all the time. They're much easier to use than the scissors on a traditional Swiss Army multitool. You can buy just the scissors, but you might stab yourself if you keep them loose in your pocket.
posted by i_am_a_fiesta at 11:54 AM on September 23, 2009

I'm with you. Further, I've been on a ten year quest to find pocket folding scissors that are ceramic or teflon or anything else they won't seize at the airport.

The best pair I have right now look like these, but they're "Singer" brand. But they're still stainless steel, which means sooner or later I'll forget to move them to my checked luggage and they'll be lost.
posted by rokusan at 11:58 AM on September 23, 2009

Nearly everyone I know who enjoys sewing or quilting or other fiber/textile-arts stuff has a pair a lot like the ones rokusan links to (more here, here).

I'm kind of a multitool fan, and I don't think very highly of Gerber ones. That said, the Shortcut offers scissors in the usual pliers position.
posted by box at 12:20 PM on September 23, 2009

I love my Gerber Total Eclipse.

It has a handy spring action that makes for very nice cutting. It also has a screwdriver perfect for tightening glasses.
posted by advicepig at 12:46 PM on September 23, 2009

I love the scissors on my leatherman charge.
posted by gregr at 12:53 PM on September 23, 2009

I prefer my Leatherman Squirt S4 to the leatherman micra.
posted by jefftang at 1:38 PM on September 23, 2009

I'll second the Leatherman Squirt S4. Scissors instead of pliers, but bigger than the Micra, and better than the scissors that fold out of a knife handle.

I like them so much that I actually carry two Leathermans in my purse -- the Squirt (for the scissors and tweezers) and the Juice CS4 (for everything else).
posted by natabat at 3:11 PM on September 23, 2009

Found these. Five inches overall, might be too big for pocket.
posted by Araucaria at 4:49 PM on September 23, 2009

The scissors on the Leatherman Charge Ti are, in fact, quite awesome... but they're not in place of the pliers, and it is one mighty large multitool, which might not be what you're looking for.
posted by fairytale of los angeles at 5:11 PM on September 23, 2009

Good - better
posted by hortense at 5:13 PM on September 23, 2009

Best.
posted by hortense at 7:18 PM on September 23, 2009 [1 favorite]

The ones in the 'better' and 'best' links are really some beautiful tools, hortense.
(Now I'm daydreaming about a set of French folding scissors to go with my Japanese cooking knives and American, uh, power saws.)
posted by box at 7:42 PM on September 23, 2009

I actually got lost awhile, at silent stitches they just go on and on.
posted by hortense at 8:41 PM on September 23, 2009

If your disdain for scissors that "aren't good for much more than the occasional toenail or nose hair" comes from a desire to cut things that really resist cutting, then EMT shears are the way to go.

By the way, I have heard that the Army-issue ones wear out within four or five cuts, but I've also seen an EMT cut a handful of pennies just to show off. Maybe different suppliers?
posted by d. z. wang at 12:16 AM on September 24, 2009

I personally own the leatherman micra, and find myself using the scissors every day. I have the tool for over a year now, and it needs some oiling, but besides that it still works like a champ.
posted by monkey_toes at 10:34 AM on September 24, 2009