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Tin snips buying guide

Updated: October 2026

You have flashing, mesh, or a duct that turns a corner, and the results show yellow, red, and green handles plus a gauge number you have not converted. A tin snips buying guide puts that in order: the cut you will make, the thickness of that metal, then the review sample behind the stars. Prices sit on the [tin snips comparison](/hub/diy-supplies/tin-snips). This page does not name a top pick, teach the stroke, or compare compound and traditional mechanisms in full. Peter F. read the amazon.co.uk rows on 16 October 2026 and did not run a workshop test. A qualifying purchase can earn a commission at no extra cost to you.

You have flashing, mesh, or a duct that turns a corner, and the results show yellow, red, and green handles plus a gauge number you have not converted.

Our top picks

STANLEY Stanley FatMax straight-cut snips

Best overall

STANLEY Stanley FatMax straight-cut snips
9.1/10about £13.76
View offer
Amazon Basics Amazon Basics 26 cm aviation snips

Preis-Tipp

Amazon Basics Amazon Basics 26 cm aviation snips
8.4/10about £7.38
View offer
HURRICANE Hurricane 3-piece aviation snips

Alternative

HURRICANE Hurricane 3-piece aviation snips
7.8/10about £22.99
View offer
On this page
  1. 1.Start with the cut, not the star rating
  2. 2.Read the gauge for the metal in your hand
  3. 3.One pair or three
  4. 4.What this guide will not decide

Start with the cut, not the star rating

The first fork is the path of the blade. A straight cut follows a marked line and leaves the waste curling off it. A curve needs the jaw that steers the offcut to one side so the sheet you keep stays flat. UK guides such as BuildWiz and Wonkee Donkee Tools treat yellow as straight, red as a left-turning cut, and green as a right-turning cut. The colour is the direction of the waste, not the hand you write with. One yellow pair is enough for a flashing lap or for mesh along a fence. It is not enough when the same afternoon includes a duct elbow that turns both ways. Then you want a set, or you accept a second trip. The colour code is set out on left or right tin snips. Offset lifts your knuckles off the sheet and does not replace a left or right pair.

Read the gauge for the metal in your hand

Gauge is a label, not one millimetre figure. The MLC sheet-metal chart makes the point: the same gauge number is a different thickness in mild steel, galvanised sheet, and stainless. Listings that print a capacity often say up to 18-gauge mild steel, stated as 1.2 mm, and a thinner stainless limit, often 22 gauge. Hurricane's bullets put 22-gauge stainless at 0.7 mm. A higher gauge number is a thinner sheet. HAUTMEC states 20-gauge cold-rolled and galvanised steel, a thinner claim than the 18-gauge lines on Amazon Basics and Hurricane. Stanley FatMax, Rolson 22157, Sharp-tec, Milwaukee, and Lilyphon print no gauge in the amazon.co.uk bullets. Do not invent a number. Stanley's manufacturer page states 1.2 mm for the 2-14-563, but that sentence is not on the Amazon bullets, so the table leaves capacity empty.
STANLEY Stanley FatMax straight-cut snips

Testsieger

STANLEY Stanley FatMax straight-cut snips
9.1/10about £13.76
View offer

One pair or three

A single straight pair suits a job that does not turn. Flashing, trunking, and a straight mesh cut are the usual cases. Straight singles here include Stanley, Amazon Basics, HOUSERAN, Milwaukee, Lilyphon, and the traditional Rolson. Listing prices run from £5.70 for the Rolson to £17.90 for the HOUSERAN, with Stanley at £13.76 and Amazon Basics at £7.38. Hurricane is the three-piece pack when the work turns both ways: yellow, red, and green, £22.99, 4.5 from 2,039 reviews, and an 18-gauge (1.2 mm) cold-rolled and galvanised limit plus 22-gauge stainless. HAUTMEC is the other three-direction pack at the same £22.99, with 5.0 from only six reviews and a 20-gauge mild-steel claim. Six perfect ratings are thinner evidence than 4.7 from 15,389. Cushion grips are not electrical insulation.

What this guide will not decide

This page stops at the order of the decision. It does not crown a top pick or a best value. Those sentences, including who should skip a six-review 5.0, are on best tin snips. It does not teach the stroke, and it does not argue compound leverage against a traditional straight snip. Name the cut, read the gauge against the metal in your hand, and treat a blank capacity cell as unknown. Then choose one pair or three, and only then read stars beside the review count. A larger sample is the stronger public record. It is still not a laboratory rank.

Common questions

Do I buy one pair or a set of three?
Buy one straight pair when the cut does not turn, such as flashing, trunking, or a straight mesh edge. Buy three when the same job needs a left curve and a right curve, because a yellow pair will not steer the waste both ways. Hurricane is the three-piece set with 2,039 reviews. HAUTMEC is the other set, with six reviews and a thinner 20-gauge mild-steel claim. Both listings we used were £22.99.
What does 18 gauge mean in millimetres?
Where the listings print it, 18-gauge mild steel is stated as 1.2 mm. The same gauge number is not that thickness in every metal. Hurricane's bullets put 22-gauge stainless at 0.7 mm, which is the thinner limit. A higher gauge number means a thinner sheet, so 20 gauge is less capacity than 18 gauge. If the bullets omit a gauge, do not fill one in from another website.
Is red for left-handed people?
No. On aviation snips, red marks a left cut: the waste curls to the left of the line. Green marks a right cut, and yellow marks a straight cut. You can be right-handed and still need the red pair for a curve that turns left. A separate Wonkee Donkee page on universal snips talks about cranked handles and the user's hand. That is a different pattern. Do not copy it onto these colours.
When is an offset jaw worth it?
An offset jaw lifts your hand off the sheet, which helps on a long cut where knuckles would drag. It does not choose left or right, and it does not replace a stated gauge. Sharp-tec is the offset pair in this set, at £12.99, with no gauge in the bullets. Reviewers who liked it mention chicken wire and thin mesh. Others say it behaves like heavy scissors and only suits really thin metal.
Why is a 5.0 from six reviews weaker than 4.7 from 15,389?
Six ratings can all be five stars and still say almost nothing about edge life or thick sheet. The Stanley straight pair sits at 4.7 from 15,389 reviews and rank 1 in Tin Snips. Milwaukee and HAUTMEC are both 5.0 from six. Milwaukee's only written review says the buyer had not used the snips yet. Read the count beside the stars, then check whether a gauge is printed.

Related pages

Aviation snips or straight tin snips

Tin snips

Best tin snips: top pick and best value, with who to skip

How to use tin snips: short bites, then when to stop

Left or right tin snips: yellow, red, and green cuts

Sources

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.

  1. RS tin snips category (retrieved 17 October 2026)
  2. Stanley UK, FatMax 2-14-563 (retrieved 17 October 2026)
  3. MLC sheet metal gauge chart (retrieved 17 October 2026)
  4. V&F sheet metal gauge table (retrieved 17 October 2026)
  5. HSE EIS16, sharp edges (retrieved 17 October 2026)
  6. HSE glove selection (retrieved 17 October 2026)
  7. BuildWiz, tin snips (retrieved 17 October 2026)
  8. Consumer Rights Act 2015, section 23 (retrieved 17 October 2026)