Precision Compact Side Cutters, Professional Grade, ESD Safe with Hardened Carbon Steel Jaws (PCB Side Snips). Made in Japan. ENGINEER ns-04

After many years, my faithful Lindstom side cutters broke – OK, I abused them so it was my fault. But the replacement price was horrendous – about £60. So I decided to try these Engineer side-cutters at a fraction of the price. And I am extremely pleased with my choice. They are high quality, with sharp and precise alignment, excelling in so many areas. I highly recommend these Engineer side-cutters – well made, excellent value and top quality. My first test was to see how close the cutting edges were aligned by shining a light through the blades whilst closed – and they were 100% perfect along the full length of the cutting edges. Then I tried cutting a single sheet of normal 80gr photocopier paper – and they did, to my amazement! Even my Lindstrom side cutters wouldn’t do that. And they feel so much better than my Lindstrom side-cutters – the spring mechanism is positive and the plastic handles are very comfortable. Plus – they are ESD safe – meaning they are safe from electrostatic discharge, so I can repair my processor board in my B&O amplifier without risk of destroying the ESD-sensitive chip. And finally, the all important stamp on the steel – “Made in Japan”. That means pro quality. See how Nikon’s reputation was damaged when they built a factory in China? Thankfully they closed the factory because of quality problems and returned the production to Japan.

I've been using cheap, throwaway snips for ages and decided to treat myself to some nice ones - the difference is colossal... Buy them!

...but will cut MDPC-X Sleeving and other PET sleeving extremely well with a precise, neat cut. Although the Knipex equivalent side cutters are about 20% more expensive they will do the same precise, neat cut on both paracord and MDPC-X Sleeving so in the long run are better value for that kind of use. Looking at the blades which seem well ground and angled I can't see why they don't cut paracord neatly so am a bit puzzled (I have set the opening adjuster to its widest). I have a set of cheap side cutters for wire so haven't tested them but see no reason why they wouldn't work perfectly on copper wire.

If you're looking for a precision-made tool that will last, perhaps trying to avoid paying 'big name' prices, then these Engineer branded cutters are what you're looking for. There is a plethora of cheap tools on the market and whilst some are easy to discount by the discerning buyer simply because they're offered at ridiculously low prices you should also beware that a high asking price is not always a sure guide to inherant quality. More than a few originally cheap ones are being passed off as 'Pro' tools, and some by big name companies. Based on my own examination these Engineer NS-04 cutters stand out for several reasons: They possess finely finished, accurately-ground jaws with a nice symmetrical profile and close tolerance joint mechanics. They utilise a coil spring to aid jaw opening instead of leaf springs which can soon slip out of position, and a cool little device to limit jaw opening when working on tight PCBs with little space between components. The jaws are correctly hardened before final finish grinding (they pass the 'Paperclip' test with flying colours - i.e., cut a steel paperclip and look closely for any deformation of the cutting edges). Further, the cutting edges are precisely aligned - no gaps evident for the whole cutting length when closed so these will cut well right at the very tips. The jaw design is flush-cutting (no bevel on the plain cutting side). In fact, all the essential features a pro user needs with the added benefit of avoiding paying stupid prices for a premium brand name - and that's the Big Win with these because they're priced somewhere between 1/2 and 1/3 the price of similar premium branded tooling. I would put these up against the very best and the only downside is the very limited range of designs offered under the Engineer brand name. Companies like CK and Knippex offer many more models to choose from which suit more specialised requirements so you can't kit out your full toolset with this brand. Pity. I have added a few photos of my own to the original advert. Needless to say - highly recommended :)

Had these a while now , so can comment with the assurance these are very good quality , I mainly use these for cutting fine wire and cable ties ( tie wraps) these are perfect for the cable ties where you can cut as close as necessary to prevent that poor cut and sharp edges that catch people out in a poorly cut tie wrap , after the cut you can rub it and it is smooth no sharp bits , excellent for my line of work , recommend these cutters a lot

Superbly engineered from very high quality steel. Expensive but worth the money. I use these very often and they are just as sharp as the day I got them. A pleasure to use.

These are very very good. Built to last, and well priced.

I wish it weren't such a rarity, but these snips are the only "flush-cut" snips I've ever found whose jaws genuinely meet perfectly and cut truly flush. I've bought professional tools from every respected brand and none of them come close. They're not made for heavy-gauge work or anything, but for tidying up fine electronic or electrical work (or trimming cable-ties perfectly flush) they're the only snips I trust.

Utensile di ottima fattura, resistente ed efficace

Pince utilisée pour dégrapper des pièces de maquette en plastique. Suffisamment fine et tranchante pour ne pas avoir à retoucher les pièces après la coupe. Jusqu'ici, fiabilité parfaite, ne s'émousse pas, pas de problème de solidité même pour la partie la plus fine. La tenue en main est confortable.

握り易い設計で持ち手のゴムグリップの硬さも丁度いい。合わせのズレは市販品と比較しても少なく高精度。力をかけず精密に切れます。磨いた感じ炭素鋼のキメも細かく錆が出にくい。刃先を慣らして大事に使おうと思います。

Super petite pince coupante, très solide, coupe très fine et précise. Envoi rapide. Merci.

Not much to say - an excellent tool, sharp and precise. Pricy, but goods things never come cheap.