I’d say that there’s a place for Xuron tools in every kit.
Shown above are my Xuron Micro-Shear mini cutters, with a simple design that works quite well.
The brand’s mini pliers, shears, scissors, and specialty tools are a bit basic in design, and their specialty seems to be mini flush-cutting pliers.
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They’re basic, but well-made. To my knowledge, Xuron pliers, cutters, and similar tools are still made in the USA, and I confirmed this by checking their website.
Xuron tools are manufactured in Saco, Maine U.S.A., where quality, outstanding work ethic and flawless craftsmanship are a long-time tradition.
I own a couple of Xuron tools – mini cutters, tweezer-nose pliers, precision scissors, and split ring pliers.
From what I’ve seen in the past, Xuron focuses on jewelery-making industries, beading enthusiasts, and certain industrial sectors.
I have upgraded to more premium brands and designs for certain tasks, but still have 7 Xuron tools that continue to earn their place in my tool kit.
I talk about the brand on occasion, but perhaps not often enough. I last reviewed the brand’s products 10 years ago, here – Xuron Micro-Shear Flush Cutter Review.
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I also featured Xuron split ring pliers in a post 15 years ago – How to Use Split Ring Pliers.
It doesn’t look like their designs or build quality has changed over the years, although their prices have increased a little. Even so, most of their pliers and cutters are still priced at under $20 each.
Xuron tools aren’t fancy, but they just work, which is really how tools should be. All of my Xuron tools have been consistent and reliable over the years – I’d buy them all again in a heartbeat.
Many of their tools are somewhat specialized, and so I avoid abusing them, but thus far I have never had a bad experience with Xuron.
Xuron also makes (or at least made) some other tools beyond pliers. A while back they sent me their desoldering braid dispenser, and those are very good too. I have treated it as a last-resort tool, as replacement braid cassettes were somewhat difficult to find. It looks like that product line has changed hands and is now available via EasyBraid.
IronWood
I have several sets of xuron cutters that I use for zip ties. They’re great and I’d replace them with the same in a heartbeat.
MM
In my opinion Xuron pliers are a mixed bag. They do have a variety of pros: they’re made in the USA. Quality is good, They’re lightweight and have nice ergonomics. Price is reasonable too. I used their micro-shear cutters for years for those reasons. Alas, they do have one very big (IMHO) con: they feel flimsy in the hand. Now I don’t mean to say they’re poorly made, loose, or that they don’t perform well–they are none of those things–but they don’t feel solid the way forged pliers do. If you close the pliers and then continue to squeeze them, even just a little, you will feel them flex, something that is true for all other brands with this kind of stamped-from-sheet construction. Forged pliers have some spring in them too but they feel much much stiffer, and I prefer that. I only have one pair of Xurons (a super fine needle nose) on my bench these days as I long since upgraded everything else to Lindstrom and Erem.
In my opinion Xuron pliers are great for beginners getting into electronics. They’re not too expensive, they work well and they aren’t tiring or uncomfortable, though I think if you use them a lot you’ll probably find yourself wanting something nicer.
Stuart
I think it’s fair to say that Xuron is a quality tool for exploring one’s precision tool needs. The tools are fine for casual use, and for heavier use, they’ll help you hone in on exactly what you need or want to upgrade to at 3X to 6X the price.
Mopar
I have a pair of Xuron 2175 maxi-shear flush cutters that I bought around 1978-80. They are stamped “made in Danbury, CT”. According to the company history, they were being made in an old barn there before the company grew and moved to Saco, ME in 1986. I bought another pair a few years ago. The difference in quality is noticeable.
Mark
In this product category, I’m fond of Erem (Swiss made). They make really nice tools.
Stuart
I was really hoping to get more than just the 1 Erem tool I bought at a liquidator at a huge discount, but the price is just too high for me. Erem is owned by Crescent’s parent company; after all of their brand consolidations and eliminations, I’m glad it’s at least still an option
Tronex has been my favorite ever since I tested them out. https://14cyiuhvcgv.com/tronex-precision-pliers-review/%3C/a%3E But again, these are “you’d better need the precision or be making money with your work” kind of tools.
I get more use out of my NWS pliers (~$24 each), and some of my Xurons, and save the better tools for when I feel I need them.
fred
I think about some of the crimpers that we had in our fabrication tool room. Used for MilSpec and other demanding client assemblies they were probably worth their seemingly exorbitant (a DMC master kit might cost in excess of $4000) cost to buy new. But for crimping a few wire connectors (especially low voltage) around the house something from Knipex, Greenlee, Ideal or Klein at a fraction of the cost will get the job done. It usually comes down to “horses for courses” sorts of calculations.
TonyT
For hobby or personal use, I’d get a decent quality made in China crimper. I have three iWiss crimpers that I use for ferrules, DSub connectors, Molex connectors, and such, and they work fine. They were under $25 each, but are much nicer than my HF crimper.
For production work, yes, get the dedicated crimpers from the manufacturer. Molex’s are even reasonable for what you pay: around $300-$400 for a made in Sweden crimper designed exactly for that product line. JST’s are $1000, and we didn’t use a lot of JST connectors, so we just made do with what we had, and expected to waste a few pins and sockets.
Although I like Knipex overall, I don’t think their diagonal cutters are worth it; we had them at my last place, and they broke as often as Xuron or Hakko.
Fowler
My go-to recommendation for low cost precision hand tools are Eclipse/Pro’s Kit and Excelta. They offer a lot of the patterns and features of electronics tool brands, but cost a little less so they’re good if you don’t really know what you need yet.
ITCD
I’ve got a couple things from them and have considered more. My experience is also positive, they’re simple and just work. The feel of the spring is different and honestly I kinda dig it. I do believe just up the way from them is where Garland MFG is, who makes mallets.
fred
We had dozens of Garland rawhide mallets in Scout Camp – for Leatherworking MB. I forgot that they were still in existence – seems like a good company to support with our purchasing dollars. They’re available on Amazon too.
ITCD
Yep they’re still doing those and they have UHMW mallets as well. Since we’re on the subject of mallets that fly well under the radar, Lixie Hammer is still around as well! I find their 10.5 pound dead blow with short handle to be an unusual combination but hey, it exists if someone needs it (and wants to pony up plenty of cash).
TonyT
For most wire cutters, including the micro shears, you need to follow the instructions and only cut soft electrical wire with them. A co-worker accidentally damaged a pair of Micro-Shears by cutting 3D printer filament.
So, yes, I do like Xuron; for most of my work, the Micro-Shear size is much better than big cutters, but I love having some cutters with carbide inserts that can cut a wide variety of materials without worry. I also have a pair of Lindstroms, but I really baby those.
Stuart
Yes! Most wire cutters are for soft copper wire only, and similar, unless specifically advertised otherwise.
Some plastics are harder than you’d realize. In the hobby space, there’s a particular brand and model of sprue cutter that can only be used to separate parts and not to cut the sprue. With that other brand, they don’t just dull, the tips break off.
Lindstrom are also great, but they’re also in the “very premium” pricing category.
Jared
Have you tried Proto’s precision pliers? Proto is usually pretty consistent, but I don’t know if precision-pliers are part of their regular catalogue. I considered buying the 6-piece set (J2806SMP), but I couldn’t see them in-person first.
Stuart
Yes. They’re good, and I would buy them again, but they wouldn’t be my first choice only because the selection is limited and difficult to sort through.
I can’t even find Proto mini pliers on their website aside from a nondescript 4pc set.
Jared
Good to hear, thanks Stuart. I wonder if they might be discontinued. I’ve seen that set for what looks like a pretty reasonable price to me (~$200 Canadian – or $33/plier), which seems downright reasonable for Proto. Made me curious if they were any good.
Bonnie
It sounds like you’re talking about Godhand nippers.
ColeTrain
Wish these were around when I was overhauling aviation electronics. Lindstrom and Erem are incredibly nice tools but spending an entire paycheck on a set I’m sorry to say isn’t necessary. I found the higher end Excelta pliers and cutters were just as good for what I was doing. Eventually I found Swanstrom cutters for the best high end US made precision cutters for the price, not sure if that’s still true but they were great. As for tweezers, that’s a different story. Nothing comes close to a Swiss made tweezer. Same goes for needle files, I still think it’s crazy I spent $1,500 on Swiss tweezers and needle files.
MM
You are not wrong about the needle files, or files in general. The Swiss ones are very expensive but the difference between them and the cheapo imports or domestic brands is massive.
I’m actually in the middle of upgrading my selection of files, I just ordered two sets of Swiss escapement files and the total was just over $500 for just those. I’m working on a list of larger files I’m looking to replace as well, and those are looking like they will be another few hundred bucks, though I’m holding off on that purchase until a little later in the year.
On a similar note there is absolutely no comparison between quality hand-stitched rasps and the cheap ones. It blew my mind the first time I tried one. I’ve placed multiple orders with Liogier over the years, and I have another outstanding right now. I have been waiting a long time to add some nice rifflers to my workshop, and I also filled in a couple other holes in my selection of rasps. As with good metalworking files these are expensive so I’ve been building my selection slowly, bit by bit.
ITCD
We use Swanstrom plastic nippers. Phenomenal stuff and if people would stop using them as “everything except as a plastic nipper” they’d last a long time too. I do wish they would change their stopper, sometimes the little grub screw likes to walk in or out over time so you end up unable to snip or the blades running into each other.
They’re one of those brands that seems kinda “if you know you know” but definitely are under the radar, and that’s a shame.
eddiesky
I tried to cut short the end of a dull pushpin. Boy did I ruin a set of flushcut micro cutters! They now are used to strip 22 gauge! DO NOT DO THIS!
I find them irreplaceable when flush cutting the Cat5/6e leads on a punched terminal that doesn’t fully cut the ends off.
Jimmie
I hadn’t even considered cutting 3D filament could damage my shears. Do you have any recommendations for affordable flush cut shears that can be used with harder materials? I have a pair of Knipex wire cable cutters but while they’re small, they can’t get particularly close.
Fowler
I have some IGAN P6 flush cutters that would work well for that, NWS also has a lot of good options. Look for something forged and around the 6″ size range
TonyT
Cutters rated for hard wire will do fine. If it’s rated for soft wire only, you’re very likely to damage it.
I’ve had some success abusing Hakko CHP-170s (affordable diag cutters made in Italy) for cutting filament and plastic, but I’ve also damaged a pair or two. So for the long term it’s best to get a small set that’s rated for hard material. (In my case, I snagged some carbide insert small diags from Aven on close out, but last time I checked they didn’t have any).
fred
I have a pair of Model Railroad spike pliers (#82839 and #82840) sold by MicroMark. Mine, bought over 20 years ago were made by Xuron for MicroMark and work as intended.
I also have a pair of their FF-1 (Xuron Sports Tools brand) pliers for cutting fly leaders and pinching barbs (for catch and release) on fly hooks. I’ve had this tool for nearly 30 years and never found it terribly effective.
I have 8 other Xuron tools scattered about my domiciles. I consider them decent tools especially for the prices I paid. The most expensive one was a #2193F”Music Wire Shears that I tried using on SS fishing leader material. It was not well suited – but I had hopes that it might be OK on the boat instead of my very costly Starrett carbide jaw nippers.
My favorite from Xuron is their 9180ET small scissors bought in 2013 under $20:
https://www.amazon.com/Cutters-Xuron-Professional-Scissor-9180ET/dp/B00NIF9SX4?th=1
Jared
I’ve seen Xuron pliers for sale, but I wasn’t familiar with the brand. I appreciate the context.
I’ve had pretty good luck with Tsunoda’s precision pliers. That might be worth looking into for someone who doesn’t want stamped pliers but also doesn’t want to spend big bucks.
Ryan
I use the 170-II for zipties and thin plastic. These are also the oem of the blue handled snap-on flush cuts. Snap-on leaves the blue handle unbranded but the steel is still stamped with the 170-II. It is worth spending a few extra dollars from snap-on if you have a regular truck since they will warranty them.
They will break fairly easy if you try cut something thick or drop them wrong. They must fatigue after a while since they will sometimes just break on a normal zitpie.
Jared
Sounds like the cutting edge must have very high hardness based on what you’re describing. Could also be overly-hard for the type of steel, or a poor heat treatment. I take it you’re not complaining about the quality though – just noting their mode of failure is by shattering, not bending.
CMF
I have not bought any in recent years. A good 10-15 years ago, I was looking at the Xuron and there was a German brand that was also very good.
But then I stumbled on some Hacko’s (I think I spelled it wrong) for $5! They were made in Italy, bought a snipper and plier, liked them very much so I bought a couple more snippers, pliers and also wire strippers. Very happy.
I am not sure where and when I got them but I also have a couple of pairs of Crescent snippers; they say on the handle made in the USA. Pretty sure Crescent today are all made somewhere in Asia
TonyT
I’m sure you’re thinking about the Hakko CHP-170. I used to buy them from Fry’s Electronics, and have also bought a few from Amazon. HD is also price competitive. They’re definitely a great deal:
https://hakkousa.com/chp-170-micro-cutter.html
CMF
Yes, that is the brand. I am very satisfied with them.
S
Lol, “high quality!”
Posts a closeup picture of the cutting edge to show mis-aligned cutting surfaces.
You’d think a “quality USA product” could at least get the cutting edges to a better fit/finish than a $1.99 harbor freight special.
Stuart
I’m sorry, I sometimes forget that not all readers have the same experience level.
The “misaligned” cutting edges are an intentional feature. It’s explained in my review – https://14cyiuhvcgv.com/xuron-micro-shear-flush-cutter-review/%3C/a%3E .
What you don’t want is precision cutting blades slamming into each other with every cut. The bypass effect helps promote square cuts – these are flush cutters after all – and helps to prevent wear and dulling.
Here’s a little more on Xuron’s bypass blade design:
Rx9
I have some Xuron stuff. It’s great quality for the price and good to use in that niche between tweezers and standard mini pliers.
Knoxcajun
I am not exaggerating at all when I state that I’ve scrolled through hundreds of flush cutters/nippers in search of something specific, and it looks like a quality tool.
From KC Tool to Amazon, Amazon Japan, Amazon Germany, Daitool, TEMU, AliExpress, Haus of Tools, Chad’s Toolbox, and the list goes on.
I was actually searching a bit today, and came across this post randomly from another post on here.
I only wanna use ’em to snip off zip-ties. I just want a quality pair of nippers, but they NEED to have any sort of locking mechanism so they fit nicely in my tool bag.
Stuart
Larger cutters typically don’t have spring action handles, and fit nicely into pockets. I looked for locking mini flush cutters but aren’t finding any. You might be able to improvise with an o-ring or cap of some kind. For daily use, I’d look more towards NWS or Knipex, especially if you’re working with thicker zip ties.
Knoxcajun
I almost bought these Fujiya’s (https://amzn.com/dp/B08L4LY4ZY) yesterday, before deciding it’d probably make more sense to find a nice pair of side-angled nail clippers. I had a Veto TP4 sitting in my garage for 2 years before deciding to make some use out of it, and those Fujiya’s would take up more space than I’m willing to give it, tho I do suppose I could move a thing or two out depending on the job. I give this stuff too much thought lol.