General Purpose Tools

Prestige Medical Fluoride Scissor

Multi-purpose penny cutter scissors

In this video review we’re going to take a look at a nicer pair of medical shears or trauma shears or penny cutters. I got this pair for around $9 on Amazon, they’re the highest rated set on there and you can pick up these same ones using the Amazon link in the description, which helps support my videos and the Cool Tools blog.

These are standard issue EMT scissors. They’re purposefully blunt so you don’t stab people while you’re trying to help them. In the field, these are used for cutting away clothes, belts, seatbelts, bandages — anything you can think of. They’re tough and strong, and cheap enough that you don’t have to be precious with them.

These are sometimes called penny cutters, because yes — they can cut through pennies. You’ll never need to, but it’s an impressive demo.

Another feature most models share is this lip on the front. This is great for slipping into a tight spot without having to jab pointy-end first.

These particular shears stand out from the super cheap ones in two ways. First, the matte black finish on here is a non-stick fluoride coating. It helps them from getting gummed up, especially when cutting through tape.

Second, and probably most useful for makers, there’s a dull notch back here perfect for stripping wire.

Because of the non-stick coating, people will often pick these up for gardening. I’ve also seen them used as kitchen scissors. These things can be autoclaved or boiled or run through the dishwasher to kill off any bacteria — and the channels in the blades help flush out any gunk.

-- Donald Bell 02/6/18

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