Crescent (Wiss) metal aviation snips are on sale for Black Friday again, for $12.97 each.
There are 3 styles available – straight-cutting (yellow handle), right-cutting (green handle), and left-cutting (red handle).
If doing a lot of sheet metal work, you’ll probably want all 3. But if you’re new to this type of tool, or wondering what you might need them for, go for the straight-cutting version.
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While these tools are designed for cutting sheet metal, I’ve found that they work well on other materials, such as plastic clamshell packaging.
The jaws have serrations. Crescent says that this “spreads the cutting force, saving time and energy,” but they also help to prevent slippage in slicker materials – such as plastic clamshell packaging.
They also have compound-action designs, providing higher leverage.
Price: $12.97 (each)
At this time, it looks like Amazon is matching Home Depot’s sale pricing.
Straight Cutters – via Amazon, via Home Depot
Right Cutters – via Amazon, via Home Depot
Left Cutters – via Amazon, via Home Depot
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Lastly, these are still marked as being MADE in USA.
Ken
That’s a great price. The “Amazon Basics” version is $11.19. Note that the Wiss are MIUSA “with global components”. I own Midwest snips and they have performed great for my DIY use. Midwest are 100% MIUSA (no global components), but they are currently almost double the price of the Wiss on sale.
Stuart
I really like Midwest snips too. I bought the offset snips a while back (similar to https://www.amazon.com/MIDWEST-Aviation-Snip-Set-KUSHN-POWER/dp/B00OCGQG3S/?tag=toolguyd-20 ) and they’ve held up well, although I don’t use them heavily. I’ve mainly used the straight shear as general purpose high-leverage snips.
notinuse
If you have a Menards near by, the Midwest aviation snips cost about $15. The offset snips cost $20. Not too bad
CA
Thank you. I’m gonna pick up a set of Midwest before they head Malco’s way.
Brandon
The Midwest yellow handle snips are $11.99 right now at Menards. I’ve been using them for years and prefer them over the WISS plus they’re made less than an hour from my house.
notinuse
Save Big Money!
Scott
Crescent did change their packaging to say made in USA with global components for a while, but all the ones I have seen in my local tractor supply and ace hardware stores recently have just said Made in USA
JR Ramos
“Spreads the cutting force, saving time and energy.”
Har har har. I want the person that created that marketing bullet point to actually spend about four hours’ worth of using this tool cutting metal.
Good that they’re made in the US…hope the quality has improved because over the last few years they have not been the same as they used to be, whereas Midwest has kept it up.
It’d be nice if they’d put bulldogs on promo once in awhile instead of always just the usual three.
NoahG
I’m done with CrescentWiss, Midwest all the way!
Plus they’re made in Pure Michigan.
blocky
Mine are generally good for the intended use case until someone inevitably tries them as bolt cutters. Anecdotally, they seem to hold up 50x longer than the HDX brand.
Ben
Been using the yellow-handle set in a commercial / light industrial setting nearly daily for about 5 years and they’re going strong. Bought a pair for myself at home too.
AllenN
Anyone know the difference between the M2P and M2R model? Realized I have a right cutting model so bought the straight and left but my right model has black and green handles and is the M2P sku.
JR Ramos
At this point in Crescent’s evolution and diluting the quality of old brands (Wiss, here) I don’t know what to think, but the P models were brought out as professional quality snips, closer to what they always were under the Wiss label before they started cheapening a lot of their tools. Same design all around but better steel than their current import models that will handle stainless much better and last longer on the usual mild steel, ducts, etc. The black finish is not real well done, though, so keep those oiled or else it’ll spot rust without much trouble. Midwest has similar models that are superior to these (special cut or special hardness or something like that). Midwest is a full line manufacturer and has both a forge and a machining/tool & die operation so they are capable of doing it right and doing it right here at home…good company to support.
I don’t know how much Malco still makes here but they are still top notch quality with all of their snips and pretty much everything they make themselves or for themselves (they have a lot of private-label products as well that are just common products for retailers’ convenience). Hopefully that stays the same as they have just been bought out by an investment company. I like the Malco aviation snips the best of all but really they all get the job done.
JoshtheFurnaceGuy
If someone is looking to get into a sheet metal project, I’d recommend getting offset snips instead of these reds and greens.
For serious metal work, I’d go with Midwest, but at the price difference I think the Crescent cutters do well enough for most household projects.
On a side note, I got ahold of a pair of Channellock snips a couple years ago, and they seemed to be an exact reproduction of Midwest snips from five years earlier. (Midwest had changed handles in the meantime.)