Precision Compact Side Cutters, Professional Grade, ESD Safe with Hardened Carbon Steel Jaws (PCB Side Snips). Made in Japan. ENGINEER ns-04

After many years, my faithful Lindstom side cutters broke – OK, I abused them so it was my fault. But the replacement price was horrendous – about £60. So I decided to try these Engineer side-cutters at a fraction of the price. And I am extremely pleased with my choice. They are high quality, with sharp and precise alignment, excelling in so many areas. I highly recommend these Engineer side-cutters – well made, excellent value and top quality. My first test was to see how close the cutting edges were aligned by shining a light through the blades whilst closed – and they were 100% perfect along the full length of the cutting edges. Then I tried cutting a single sheet of normal 80gr photocopier paper – and they did, to my amazement! Even my Lindstrom side cutters wouldn’t do that. And they feel so much better than my Lindstrom side-cutters – the spring mechanism is positive and the plastic handles are very comfortable. Plus – they are ESD safe – meaning they are safe from electrostatic discharge, so I can repair my processor board in my B&O amplifier without risk of destroying the ESD-sensitive chip. And finally, the all important stamp on the steel – “Made in Japan”. That means pro quality. See how Nikon’s reputation was damaged when they built a factory in China? Thankfully they closed the factory because of quality problems and returned the production to Japan.

If you're looking for a precision-made tool that will last, perhaps trying to avoid paying 'big name' prices, then these Engineer branded cutters are what you're looking for. There is a plethora of cheap tools on the market and whilst some are easy to discount by the discerning buyer simply because they're offered at ridiculously low prices you should also beware that a high asking price is not always a sure guide to inherant quality. More than a few originally cheap ones are being passed off as 'Pro' tools, and some by big name companies. Based on my own examination these Engineer NS-04 cutters stand out for several reasons: They possess finely finished, accurately-ground jaws with a nice symmetrical profile and close tolerance joint mechanics. They utilise a coil spring to aid jaw opening instead of leaf springs which can soon slip out of position, and a cool little device to limit jaw opening when working on tight PCBs with little space between components. The jaws are correctly hardened before final finish grinding (they pass the 'Paperclip' test with flying colours - i.e., cut a steel paperclip and look closely for any deformation of the cutting edges). Further, the cutting edges are precisely aligned - no gaps evident for the whole cutting length when closed so these will cut well right at the very tips. The jaw design is flush-cutting (no bevel on the plain cutting side). In fact, all the essential features a pro user needs with the added benefit of avoiding paying stupid prices for a premium brand name - and that's the Big Win with these because they're priced somewhere between 1/2 and 1/3 the price of similar premium branded tooling. I would put these up against the very best and the only downside is the very limited range of designs offered under the Engineer brand name. Companies like CK and Knippex offer many more models to choose from which suit more specialised requirements so you can't kit out your full toolset with this brand. Pity. I have added a few photos of my own to the original advert. Needless to say - highly recommended :)

Nice pair of cutters. I use them mostly for flush cutting cable ties at work and they cut flush and leave a nice smooth edge. Main issue I would say is with the adjustable opening feature I don't think it works very well and especially not to keep them close when stored in the tool bag. Wouldn't be an issue apart from them being sprung so that means they're usually always open so have to be careful when storing so there's no risk of cutting or jabbing your hand when rummaging in your bag

Had these a while now , so can comment with the assurance these are very good quality , I mainly use these for cutting fine wire and cable ties ( tie wraps) these are perfect for the cable ties where you can cut as close as necessary to prevent that poor cut and sharp edges that catch people out in a poorly cut tie wrap , after the cut you can rub it and it is smooth no sharp bits , excellent for my line of work , recommend these cutters a lot

I've been using cheap, throwaway snips for ages and decided to treat myself to some nice ones - the difference is colossal... Buy them!

Superbly engineered from very high quality steel. Expensive but worth the money. I use these very often and they are just as sharp as the day I got them. A pleasure to use.

I wish it weren't such a rarity, but these snips are the only "flush-cut" snips I've ever found whose jaws genuinely meet perfectly and cut truly flush. I've bought professional tools from every respected brand and none of them come close. They're not made for heavy-gauge work or anything, but for tidying up fine electronic or electrical work (or trimming cable-ties perfectly flush) they're the only snips I trust.

These form part of my toolkit for work, they are used numerous times every day. They are very high pression, the blades meet perfectly, there is no side to side slop. They are a professional tool, had them now for 5 months, still like new. They are so sharp that I regularly lacerated my hand when delving into my pockets. 🤣

Utensile di ottima fattura, resistente ed efficace

Petite pince coupante de très grande qualité. Usinage super précis: pas de filet de lumière qd vous refermez la pince sans appuyer. Le point principal intéressant par rapport à d'autres marques de qualité c'est que la coupe est vraiment à ras. Il n'y a pas de petit chanfrein côté extérieur. Un autre point que je trouve agréable ce sont les branches assez minces avec leur revêtement. Je recommande !

Super petite pince coupante, très solide, coupe très fine et précise. Envoi rapide. Merci.

Not much to say - an excellent tool, sharp and precise. Pricy, but goods things never come cheap.

Unos alicates realmente muy pequeños, con las hojas de menos de dos centímetros, muy manejables y con un mango muy resistente. Para lo que los quiero que es trabajar con pequeños cables y bridas me gustan más así de pequeños, aunque no me lo esperaba así. Muy recomendable si no se va a estar trabajando con nada grande e interesa la precisión.