Terminology for metal shears

[Stephen Tashiro]

When it comes to hand tools for metalworking, there are "bulldog shears", "left shears", "right shears" and shears for cutting notches. But what is the terminology for the hand shear that cuts out a ribbon of metal? ( a ribbon like electric powered shears cut out).

[Tom M King]

Hand nibbler:

https://www.amazon.com/Sealey-AK327-Hand-Nibbler-Shears/dp/B000RA15CK/ref=pb_allspark_dp_session_sims_pao_desktop_3/139-0964723-9980041?pd_rd_w=dN6rv&pf_rd_p=3ac2ce50-9d75-4bd3-868d-72b252a0623c&pf_rd_r=THY63JRQAKESZJ0Z9RT2&pd_rd_r=7b512548-a62e-4707-a7bd-da5e03517510&pd_rd_wg=vNVYe&pd_rd_i=B000RA15CK&psc=1

[Stephen Tashiro]

Hand nibbler:

https://www.amazon.com/Sealey-AK327-Hand-Nibbler-Shears/dp/B000RA15CK/ref=pb_allspark_dp_session_sims_pao_desktop_3/139-0964723-9980041?pd_rd_w=dN6rv&pf_rd_p=3ac2ce50-9d75-4bd3-868d-72b252a0623c&pf_rd_r=THY63JRQAKESZJ0Z9RT2&pd_rd_r=7b512548-a62e-4707-a7bd-da5e03517510&pd_rd_wg=vNVYe&pd_rd_i=B000RA15CK&psc=1

Thank you. Taking that hint, I find that there are two different types of metal cutting tools called "nibblers". One type of nibbler cuts away the metal in small chips. Tools like the one you linked cut out a ribbon of metal. Apparently tools that cut a ribbon of metal are called "nibbler shears".

[Stan Coryell]

We call them "double cuts"

[Stephen Tashiro]

We call them "double cuts"

That terminology leads me to this: https://www.amazon.com/Malco-M2004-Double-Made-Aviation/dp/B006ZOMTYU/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=double+cut+snips&qid=1624550389&sr=8-1 , which is the type of metal shear I was thinking about.

[Stan Coryell]

The only good snips left are Midwest. The rest are garbage. I've never had double cut hand snips. I've only ever used powered. My favorites are Midwest offsets, hardened. We call them exotic metal snips. They use to have blue handles, which really confused the apprentices. "Hand me my lefts". Left handed snips have green handles and cut right.... Mine are both blue.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00OJ0KJBC/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_glt_fabc_XCQ4D426QJQ83CRMWHAF

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07RC7ZBK9/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_glt_fabc_YD3X9TMQXY75F4KGYZMP

[Alex Zeller]

I've never used the hand operated ones but I have used electric ones made by Kett. I don't know if the company is the same as it once was but I can tell you that the ones I used were beaten up pretty bad from decades of use and never skipped a beat. The only one I saw broken was from an idiot who tried to cut 1/8" thick steel and broke the part that does the cutting. But it was easy to fix. If you are going to cut lots of metal I would step up to electric or cordless.

[Jerome Stanek]

I have both hand Wiss center cut and a Milwaukee unishear both work well for what I used them for. I needed the hand unit when there was no power in the house we were working in