The best tin snips, compared.
Top pick: Milwaukee straight-cut aviation snips Best value: Amazon Basics 26 cm aviation snips – A printed 1.2 mm mild-steel limit and 4,942 reviews at about £7.38. Some edges blunt after mesh, and the stainless claim did not hold for one reviewer. Updated October 2026.
Tin snips are hand shears for thin sheet metal. On amazon.co.uk the name covers traditional straight snips and compound-action aviation snips. UK buyers use them for flashing, trunking, thin aluminium, galvanised offcuts, and wire mesh such as chicken wire or hardware cloth. For a buying decision, quality is the stated cut direction, a capacity in millimetres for a named metal, a pivot and spring that stay put, and a review sample large enough to mean something. On aviation snips the colour is the cut path: yellow straight, red left, green right. It follows the path of the cut, rather than which hand you favour. The [checks for direction, capacity, and a set versus one pair](/hub/diy-supplies/tin-snips/sub/tin-snips-buying-guide) sit beside this table. Traditional tin snips are long-handled shears, often straight-cut only. Compound aviation snips add a second pivot, a spring, and usually a latch.
Tin snips are hand shears for thin sheet metal. On amazon.co.uk the name covers traditional straight snips and compound-action aviation snips.
33 products checked · 58 hrs invested · +17,600 readers
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Personal buying guide
Question 1 of 2
What cut do you need?
The Milwaukee listing is a straight-cut aviation snip at £10.95, with a headline of 5.0 from 6 reviews and rank 2 in Snips. The bullets describe finger slots, a torsion spring, compound leverage, a flush head, a one-hand lock, and colour identification on the head and handle. The table says stainless steel blades and plastic handles, and the weight is 400 g. No gauge and no length are printed. The only written UK review says the buyer had not used them yet. A 5.0 from six ratings is not the same evidence as the Stanley or Amazon Basics samples. The part field repeats a long GTIN-style number rather than a short trade code.
Pros
Cons
Best for: You want a named Milwaukee straight-cut pattern and can wait for more UK reviews.
Less suitable: You need a printed thickness limit or a large review sample before you buy.
Specifications
Common questions
What cut direction is this Milwaukee pair?
The title says straight cut. The bullets also say the direction is marked on the head, the handle, and by handle colour.
How thick a sheet will it cut?
The listing does not state a gauge or a millimetre capacity.
Have UK reviewers used them?
The only written review says the buyer had not used them yet. The star line is 5.0 from 6 reviews.
The HAUTMEC pack is three 10 inch aviation snips for straight, left, and right cuts at £22.99. The star line is 5.0 from 6 reviews, and the rank is 11 in Snips rather than Tin Snips. Bullets claim CR-V serrated blades, a safety latch, TPR grips, and cuts up to 20-gauge cold-rolled and galvanised steel or 22-gauge stainless. That mild-steel figure is a higher gauge, so a thinner sheet, than listings that say 18 gauge. The written reviews are four short notes. One says they cut easily but struggle above 2 mm. No storage bag is listed. The listing table gives a weight of 1.23 kg and a size of 25.4 cm square.
Pros
Cons
Best for: You want a colour-coded three-piece set and can accept a very small review sample.
Less suitable: You want the thicker 18-gauge mild-steel claim or a review count you can lean on.
Specifications
Common questions
Which cuts are in the set?
The bullets say left, right, and straight cutting snips with colour-coded handles.
What thickness is claimed?
Up to 20-gauge cold-rolled steel and galvanised steel, or 22-gauge stainless steel.
How many people have reviewed them?
The listing line is 5.0 from 6 reviews. Four short UK reviews are written on the listing.
The Lilyphon listing is a compact 8 inch tin snip at £5.99, rated 4.8 from 9 reviews and rank 6 in Tin Snips. Bullets say stainless steel, polypropylene handles, a spring, a lock, and an overall length of about 21 cm. Named materials include aluminium plate, wire mesh, cardboard, and light metals. No gauge is printed. The three written reviews are short: sharp on the day, cut a venetian-blind head, and solid for the price. Nine reviews cannot show how the edge lasts. The included-components field says No, which conflicts with a product that is the snips themselves.
Pros
Cons
Best for: A light, occasional cut in thin aluminium or mesh at a low price.
Less suitable: You need a stated steel thickness or a large review sample.
Specifications
Common questions
How long are these snips?
The title says 8 inch. A bullet says the overall length is about 21 cm. The table weight is 170 g.
What can the listing cut?
Bullets name aluminium plate, wire mesh, roofing boards, cardboard, leather, fabric, and light metals. No thickness is given.
Do they lock shut?
A bullet says the blade can be locked when you are not using the snips.
The Stanley FatMax straight-cut aviation snips are the top pick in this amazon.co.uk set for a single straight compound tool. The listing price is £13.76, with 4.7 from 15,389 reviews and rank 1 in Tin Snips. The bullets name serrated edges, a double pivot, and a 250 mm length, and the table lists forged chrome molybdenum blades, plastic handles, a weight of 300 g, and a one-year manufacturer warranty. The Amazon bullets do not print a gauge, so this page does not add one. UK reviews mostly describe a clean cut on sheet and mesh. A minority report a blade that failed after a few uses, and some say a warranty return was not worth the postage.
Pros
Cons
Best for: You want one straight compound pair with a long amazon.co.uk review record.
Less suitable: You need left and right curves in the same purchase, or a printed gauge on the Amazon bullets.
Specifications
Common questions
Which way do these Stanley snips cut?
The product style is straight cut. The handedness field only says handed, so it does not confirm a left or right curve.
What is the stated cutting capacity?
The amazon.co.uk bullets do not state a gauge or a millimetre limit. That cell is blank in this table.
Is there a manufacturer warranty on the listing?
The listing says 1 year manufacturer. Reviewers who mentioned a return said the postage was not worth it for the price they paid.
The Amazon Basics 26 cm aviation snips are the best value in this set if you want a straight compound pair with a printed capacity. The listing price is £7.38, with 4.5 from 4,942 reviews and rank 2 in Tin Snips. The bullets state up to 18-gauge mild steel (1.2 mm) and up to 22-gauge stainless, serrated chrome-vanadium blades, a rubber grip, and a lock. UK reviews include clean cuts on steel mesh and fencing. Others report a pivot that loosened, an edge that went blunt after mesh, and a stainless strip that kinked. Clothes-line wire and mattress springs were outside what those reviewers could cut.
Pros
Cons
Best for: You want a straight aviation pair with a stated gauge and a low listing price.
Less suitable: You need left and right cuts, or you expect these to cut cable and springs.
Specifications
Common questions
How thick a sheet does the listing claim?
Up to 18-gauge mild steel, stated as 1.2 mm, and up to 22-gauge stainless steel.
Do they lock shut?
The bullets say a latch locks the tool shut, with a one-handed auto-release.
Will they cut wire and mattress springs?
Reviewers who tried multi-strand clothes-line wire and mattress springs said the snips struggled or did not cut them.
The Hurricane set is the three-piece option with a large review sample. You get yellow straight, red left, and green right 10 inch snips for £22.99, rated 4.5 from 2,039 reviews. The bullets state 18 gauge (1.2 mm) cold-rolled steel, the same for galvanised sheet, and 22 gauge (0.7 mm) stainless, plus a storage hang bag and a latch. Reviews praise accurate cuts on thin alloy and fine stainless mesh. Some latches do not hold the jaws closed, and one buyer found the red pair poorly suited to round pipe because it was not offset enough. The listing also says to wear gloves.
Pros
Cons
Best for: You need all three cut directions and want a review count in the thousands.
Less suitable: You only cut straight lines, or you need offset jaws for pipe.
Specifications
Common questions
What is in the Hurricane pack?
Three 10 inch aviation snips: yellow straight, red left, and green right, plus a storage hang bag.
What thickness does the listing state?
Up to 18 gauge (1.2 mm) cold-rolled steel, 18 gauge (1.2 mm) galvanised sheet, and 22 gauge (0.7 mm) stainless steel.
Does the latch always lock?
The listing includes a locking latch. Some reviewers say the latch on their set does not hold the jaws closed.
The Rolson 22157 is a traditional straight tin snip, not a compound aviation pair. The listing price is £5.70, with 4.5 from 696 reviews and rank 5 in Tin Snips. Bullets say hardened steel blades and 250 mm. They do not state a gauge. The item-type name Hand Drill with Milling Cut is a catalogue error; the title and the Tin Snips rank identify the tool. Reviews describe clean cuts on galvanised sheet and aluminium. The repeated fault is a spring that pops out when the rivets are loose. One reviewer put a personal limit near 0.8 mm mild steel. Plastic handles and rust if stored wet also come up.
Pros
Cons
Best for: Occasional straight cuts in thin galvanised sheet at a low price.
Less suitable: Curves, a printed stainless capacity, or a spring you can trust on day one.
Specifications
Common questions
Are these aviation snips?
The listing calls them straight cut tin snips, 250 mm, with hardened steel blades. It does not claim a compound aviation action.
What thickness can they cut?
The bullets do not state a gauge. One reviewer wrote a personal limit of about 0.8 mm mild steel and 0.5 mm stainless.
What goes wrong with the spring?
Reviewers say loose rivets let the spring pop out from between the handles.
The HOUSERAN listing is a single 10 inch straight aviation snip at £17.90, rated 4.5 from 46 reviews. Bullets claim a double lever, etched scale marks, a TPR handle, a safety lock, and cuts up to 18-gauge cold-rolled steel and 22-gauge stainless. The material lines disagree with each other: one says chrome vanadium and the blade line says CR-MO. The listing also says right hand, while the product line says straight cut, so the cut here follows the straight-cut line. UK reviewers report an easy cut on fine steel mesh and on trunking. One review title is Not cutting tin, and it gives no thickness. The listing size is 25 cm by 25 cm.
Pros
Cons
Best for: You want one straight 10 inch pair with a stated 18-gauge claim and can accept a small review sample.
Less suitable: You need a three-direction set or a review count in the thousands.
Specifications
Common questions
Are these left-cut or straight-cut snips?
The product line says regular straight cut. Another line says right hand, so that line is not a reliable direction label.
What capacity is printed?
Up to 18-gauge cold-rolled steel and 22-gauge stainless steel. Vinyl, plastic, rubber, and copper are also named.
Is a case included?
The included-components line says aviation sheet metal shears. No case is listed.
The Sharp-tec listing is an 8 inch offset tin snip at £12.99, rated 4.2 from 134 reviews. The bullets claim an offset jaw, SK5 steel at HRC55, TPE grips, and a safety lock, and they name sheet metal, hardware cloth, cardboard, and carpet. They do not print a gauge. Reviews that like them talk about chicken wire and thin mesh. Others say the tool is only for really thin metal, that it feels like heavy scissors rather than aviation snips, or that it damaged a metal strip. Grip comfort is mixed, and the spring is called annoying in one review. Treat the aviation title as a claim the reviews do not all accept.
Pros
Cons
Best for: Thin mesh and light sheet where you want the hand above the cut.
Less suitable: You need a stated 1.2 mm mild-steel capacity or a compound set.
Specifications
Common questions
Is the jaw offset?
The bullets say an offset jaw keeps the hand above the cutting line. The listing style is offset cut snips.
What thickness will it cut?
The Amazon bullets do not state a gauge. Reviewers who were disappointed said it suited only very thin metal.
Does it lock?
The listing says a built-in safety lock keeps the blades closed in storage.
Nine amazon.co.uk tin-snip listings are on this page. The product order follows the display scores: a long review record on a straight compound pair first, then a printed capacity at a lower price, then the rest. The weights below follow the buying order in the digest and sum to 100. Colour, any stated millimetre limit, the mechanism, the review count, and the listing price were read from those listings and from the public UK sources below. There was no laboratory cut test. A 5.0 from six reviews does not outrank a 4.7 from 15,389.
Cut and direction
30%Whether the listing is straight, left and right, or offset, and whether one pair covers the job. Yellow, red, and green are the cut path. A curve or a duct elbow needs more than one straight pair.
Stated capacity
25%A thickness for a named metal, in millimetres where the listing prints one. The same gauge is a different thickness in mild steel, stainless, and aluminium. A blank cell means the amazon.co.uk bullets used here do not state a gauge.
Mechanism
20%Compound aviation snips add a second pivot, a spring, and usually a latch. Traditional tin snips are long-handled shears and are often straight-cut only. A latch counts only when the listing names one.
Review evidence
15%Stars and the review count on the amazon.co.uk listing. A 4.7 from 15,389 reviews outweighs a 5.0 from six reviews. A written review that says the tool was not used is weak evidence.
Shelf price
10%The amazon.co.uk listing price in this set, from about £5.70 to about £22.99. A low price does not fill a missing gauge. These figures are the kept listing prices, not a promise of the cheapest price on the day you buy.
Start with the cut, then the millimetres for a named metal, then the mechanism and the review count. Yellow, red, and green are the path of the cut. Prices in this set run from about £5.70 to about £22.99 on amazon.co.uk. A 5.0 from six reviews is a thinner sample than 15,389. This page did not run a laboratory cut test.
Tin snips are hand shears for thin sheet metal. On amazon.co.uk the name covers two mechanisms. Traditional tin snips are long-handled shears, often straight-cut only. In this set that is the Rolson 22157 at about £5.70: hardened steel blades, 250 mm in the title, and no gauge printed. Compound aviation snips add a second pivot, a spring, and usually a latch. Stanley FatMax, Amazon Basics, HOUSERAN, Milwaukee, and Lilyphon are single pairs.
Yellow is a straight cut, red is a left cut, and green is a right cut. The colour is the path of the cut. It does not tell you which hand you favour. A curve or a duct elbow needs the matching pair, or a three-piece set.
The same gauge number is a different thickness in mild steel, stainless, and aluminium. A higher gauge is a thinner sheet. V&F puts 18 gauge near 1.22 mm and 22 gauge near 0.71 mm. HAUTMEC’s 20-gauge mild-steel claim is a thinner sheet than listings that say 18 gauge.
Milwaukee and HAUTMEC show 5.0 from six reviews. Stanley shows 4.7 from 15,389, and Amazon Basics shows 4.5 from 4,942. The Milwaukee written review says the buyer had not used the tool. Forcing about 2 mm steel, cable, springs, or a lock is misuse, not a fault in the snips.
Start with the job. A short straight cut in flashing, trunking, or a galvanised offcut is one straight or yellow pair. The Stanley FatMax and the Amazon Basics 26 cm pair are both straight compound tools. Stanley has the longer review record, 15,389 reviews, and no gauge on the Amazon bullets. Amazon Basics prints 1.2 mm mild steel and 22-gauge stainless, at about £7.38, from 4,942 reviews.
The number that matters is millimetres for a named metal. Eighteen gauge is not one thickness. The MLC chart and the V&F table both show the gauge changing with the metal. In this set, Amazon Basics states 1.2 mm mild steel and 22-gauge stainless. Hurricane states 1.2 mm for cold-rolled and galvanised and 0.7 mm for stainless. HOUSERAN states 18-gauge cold-rolled and 22-gauge stainless, and the alloy line disagrees with itself: chrome vanadium in one place and CR-MO in another.
Three typical situations, each with a recommendation from this comparison.
You want one straight compound pair, a stated millimetre limit, and a large review sample. The Amazon Basics 26 cm pair states up to 1.2 mm mild steel and up to 22-gauge stainless, at about £7.38, with 4.5 from 4,942 reviews. It is one straight pair.
You need a snip that reviewers used on mesh, and you still check the strand thickness. Sharp-tec’s offset jaw is the pair several buyers used on chicken wire and thin mesh, at about £12.99 from 134 reviews. Others said it suited only very thin metal. No gauge is printed.
You need red and green as well as yellow, or a three-piece set. The Hurricane pack is yellow, red, and green, with a storage bag, at about £22.99 and 4.5 from 2,039 reviews. The bullets state 1.2 mm cold-rolled and 0.7 mm stainless. Some latches do not catch.
The top pick is the Stanley FatMax straight-cut snips at about £13.76. The listing is 4.7 from 15,389 reviews, rank 1 in Tin Snips, with a named double pivot and serrated edges. The Amazon bullets do not print a gauge, and a minority of reviews report early blade damage. The best value is the Amazon Basics 26 cm pair at about £7.38, with a printed 1.2 mm mild-steel limit, a lock, and 4,942 reviews. Some edges blunt after mesh, and one reviewer could not cut a stainless strip as the listing suggested.
Amazon Basics 26 cm aviation snips
A printed 1.2 mm mild-steel limit and 4,942 reviews at about £7.38. Some edges blunt after mesh, and the stainless claim did not hold for one reviewer.
Editorial
Peter F. is the editor for DIY & tools at productscompared.co.uk. Comparisons in this category are checked against amazon.co.uk listings, review evidence and public UK sources.
Guides on what to look for, how to use a product, and common mistakes.
Public UK sources on cut direction, sheet gauge, sharp edges, gloves, and repair or replacement. Prices, stars, and review counts are the amazon.co.uk listing figures in this set. Prices move. There was no laboratory cut test.
This page contains affiliate links to amazon.co.uk. If you buy through them, we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. Scores use the amazon.co.uk listings in this set. They are not a laboratory cut test.
