after reading the Juice review I decided to compare all the scissor-multi-tools I have.
The contestants:
Victorinox Supertinker, Wenger Handyman, Leatherman Micra, Schrade Tough Chip, and the Gerber Pro-Scout.
The testing material:
tissue paper, notebook paper, wax-paper, newspaper, plastic freezer bags, aluminum foil, duct tape, Dr. Scholes Molefoam, aluminum beverage can, plastic cola bottle, radiographic film (X-rays), corregated cardboard box, human hair, house-cat claws, and wife's claws (boy was she hard to hold down!).
First of all, let me say that all of the scissors did cut the material tested--some just performed better than others.
The bite (length of material cut with one snip):
Victorinox 1"
Wenger 3/4"
Micra 1"
Schrade 1.25"
Gerber 5/8"
When cutting the tissues, various papers, plastic bags, and aluminum foil there was no real difference except concerning the Wenger. Its serrated blades made it impossible to push-cut through the material. Instead, individual snips had to be made. The serrations also left the edges ragged instead of smooth--this was especially bothersome with the fingernails, which then had to be filed smooth.
Surprisingly the Micra had a very tough time cutting the duct tape while the Schrade was the best tape cutter (probably because of its larger bite). The same results occurred with the Molefoam. The Micra performed the worse and the Schrade performed the best. The Victorinox also did very well with the Molefoam.
They all did well on the aluminum can test with no clear winner.
For the cola bottle test the Victorinox did the best with the Schrade a close runnerup. The Gerber did the worse.
The Victorinox did the best with the mustache trim with the Wenger coming in second. The Schrade and Micra are too large to do this very well. The Gerber was only "okay".
None of the scissors tested will ever replace my finger-nail clippers but they do get the job done.
The corregated cardboard was very punishing for all the scissors and I would recommend using a knife instead of any of these scissors.
Overall impressions:
Wenger: The serrations and small bite make it the overall loser. The spring mechanism is great though and Victorinox should adopt it.
Gerber Pro-Scout: The Fiskar scissors performed fairly well but the bite is just too small to compete with the others. Also, the fullsize multi-tool is more awkward to use for extended cutting.
Micra: A solid performer overall and only had real trouble with the sticky duct-tape and the Molefoam. Another possible disadvantage is its compactness--it does'nt give you much to hold onto.
Victorinox: A really great little pair of scissors and second only to the Schrade in this test. The only real shortcoming is the poor spring design. If Victorinox would use the Wenger spring design it would be very hard to beat.
Schrade: The hands-down winner! The scissors cut very well, they have a bigger bite than the others, its size gives a comfortable grip, and the spring mechanism (although alittle bulky) works like a charm.
Keep in mind that this was only a scissors test and it does not rank the multi-tools/SAKs as complete pocket-tools.
Next comparison will be wood-saws (Victorinox Camper, Wenger Handyman, Gerber Pro-Scout, and Schrade Old Timer Buzzsaw Trapper).
Good luck,
Allen.
The contestants:
Victorinox Supertinker, Wenger Handyman, Leatherman Micra, Schrade Tough Chip, and the Gerber Pro-Scout.
The testing material:
tissue paper, notebook paper, wax-paper, newspaper, plastic freezer bags, aluminum foil, duct tape, Dr. Scholes Molefoam, aluminum beverage can, plastic cola bottle, radiographic film (X-rays), corregated cardboard box, human hair, house-cat claws, and wife's claws (boy was she hard to hold down!).
First of all, let me say that all of the scissors did cut the material tested--some just performed better than others.
The bite (length of material cut with one snip):
Victorinox 1"
Wenger 3/4"
Micra 1"
Schrade 1.25"
Gerber 5/8"
When cutting the tissues, various papers, plastic bags, and aluminum foil there was no real difference except concerning the Wenger. Its serrated blades made it impossible to push-cut through the material. Instead, individual snips had to be made. The serrations also left the edges ragged instead of smooth--this was especially bothersome with the fingernails, which then had to be filed smooth.
Surprisingly the Micra had a very tough time cutting the duct tape while the Schrade was the best tape cutter (probably because of its larger bite). The same results occurred with the Molefoam. The Micra performed the worse and the Schrade performed the best. The Victorinox also did very well with the Molefoam.
They all did well on the aluminum can test with no clear winner.
For the cola bottle test the Victorinox did the best with the Schrade a close runnerup. The Gerber did the worse.
The Victorinox did the best with the mustache trim with the Wenger coming in second. The Schrade and Micra are too large to do this very well. The Gerber was only "okay".
None of the scissors tested will ever replace my finger-nail clippers but they do get the job done.
The corregated cardboard was very punishing for all the scissors and I would recommend using a knife instead of any of these scissors.
Overall impressions:
Wenger: The serrations and small bite make it the overall loser. The spring mechanism is great though and Victorinox should adopt it.
Gerber Pro-Scout: The Fiskar scissors performed fairly well but the bite is just too small to compete with the others. Also, the fullsize multi-tool is more awkward to use for extended cutting.
Micra: A solid performer overall and only had real trouble with the sticky duct-tape and the Molefoam. Another possible disadvantage is its compactness--it does'nt give you much to hold onto.
Victorinox: A really great little pair of scissors and second only to the Schrade in this test. The only real shortcoming is the poor spring design. If Victorinox would use the Wenger spring design it would be very hard to beat.
Schrade: The hands-down winner! The scissors cut very well, they have a bigger bite than the others, its size gives a comfortable grip, and the spring mechanism (although alittle bulky) works like a charm.
Keep in mind that this was only a scissors test and it does not rank the multi-tools/SAKs as complete pocket-tools.
Next comparison will be wood-saws (Victorinox Camper, Wenger Handyman, Gerber Pro-Scout, and Schrade Old Timer Buzzsaw Trapper).
Good luck,
Allen.
The scissors are the best I've seen, but I've had the spring break on me once. But guess what, it comes with life-time warranty - even here in Finland. 
The Victorinox dealer that I walked into replaced the spring immediately.