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Left or right tin snips

Updated: October 2026

Red, yellow, and green handles are in the results, and it is not obvious which way the waste will curl. Left or right tin snips is a question about the cut, not about the hand you write with. On aviation snips, yellow is straight, red sends the waste left, and green sends it right. You can be right-handed and still need the red pair when the curve turns left. The buying order is the [tin snips buying guide](/hub/diy-supplies/tin-snips/sub/tin-snips-buying-guide). Prices stay on the [tin snips comparison](/hub/diy-supplies/tin-snips). Peter F. followed UK tool guides and these listings on 16 October 2026. A qualifying purchase can earn a commission at no extra cost to you.

Red, yellow, and green handles are in the results, and it is not obvious which way the waste will curl. Left or right tin snips is a question about the cut, not about the hand you write with.

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.The colour is the cut, not your hand
  2. 2.What one straight pair can do
  3. 3.The sets in this comparison
  4. 4.Offset is a different choice

The colour is the cut, not your hand

Wonkee Donkee Tools and BuildWiz describe the aviation code the same way. Yellow is a straight cut. Red is a left cut: the offcut curls to the left, so you can follow a left-hand curve while the piece you keep stays flatter. Green curls the waste the other way. RS Components uses that red, yellow, and green code for aviation snips, and notes that traditional tin snips are not always painted to match. The code is not your writing hand. A Wonkee Donkee page on universal tin snips ties cranked handles to left-handed and right-handed users. That is a different tool. If you hold a red pair in your right hand, you have bought the pair that peels waste left. Hold a scrap and watch the curl before you commit to a finished edge.

What one straight pair can do

A yellow or otherwise straight pair follows a marked straight line, and it will often manage a gentle arc if you take short bites and do not twist. Flashing, a straight mesh edge, and trunking stay inside that limit. Singles that are straight here are Stanley FatMax, Amazon Basics, HOUSERAN, Milwaukee, Lilyphon, and the traditional Rolson. A second straight pair in another brand does not add a curve direction. You need red for a left-turning curve even if you are right-handed, and green for a right-turning curve even if you are left-handed. One of those pairs can nibble a straight line, but the jaw wants to curl waste sideways, so a long straight run is clumsier than with yellow. You do need all three when the same duct turns left and then right.
STANLEY Stanley FatMax straight-cut snips

Testsieger

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

The sets in this comparison

Hurricane is the three-piece pack with the large sample. The bullets name yellow for straight, red for left, and green for right, at £22.99, rated 4.5 from 2,039 reviews. They state 18-gauge (1.2 mm) cold-rolled and galvanised sheet, plus 22-gauge (0.7 mm) stainless, and they include a hang bag. Some latches do not hold the jaws closed. One buyer found the red pair poorly suited to round pipe because it was not offset enough. Colour does not add offset. HAUTMEC also lists left, right, and straight, at the same £22.99, with 5.0 from six reviews and a 20-gauge mild-steel claim, which is thinner than 18 gauge. The straight singles remain the right buy when the job does not turn. Stanley at £13.76 has the largest review count. Amazon Basics at £7.38 is the straight pair with a printed gauge.

Offset is a different choice

Offset means the jaws are cranked so your hand sits above the sheet. You can cut further without dragging your knuckles. It does not mean left, and it does not mean right. An offset straight snip is still a straight cut. This set does not give a settled example of offset combined with a left or right jaw. Sharp-tec is the offset listing: 8 inch, £12.99, 4.2 from 134 reviews, with no gauge printed. Reviewers who like it talk about chicken wire and thin mesh. Others say it feels like heavy scissors. Do not file it under red or green because the handle looks distinctive. HOUSERAN's highlight says straight, while a handedness field says "Right Hand". That phrase often means the grip, not a green right-cut jaw. If you need green, buy a listing that says right cut or green, such as Hurricane's green pair.

Common questions

What do red, yellow, and green mean?
On aviation snips, yellow is straight, red curls the waste to the left, and green curls it to the right. Wonkee Donkee Tools, BuildWiz, and the RS aviation range describe that code. Traditional tin snips are not always coloured the same way, so a red handle on an old straight pattern is not automatically a left-cut jaw. Watch the offcut on a scrap if the listing is vague.
Are red snips for left-handed users?
No. Red means the cut and the waste go left. A right-handed person uses red for a curve that turns left, and a left-handed person uses green for a curve that turns right. A Wonkee page on universal snips does talk about handedness and cranked handles. That is a different pattern. Do not apply it to these three colours.
Can yellow snips cut a gentle curve?
Often, if the radius is mild and you take short bites without twisting. A straight flashing trim or a slight arc along mesh is the sort of cut yellow is bought for. A tight elbow that has to stay flat on the kept piece is where yellow buckles the sheet. Then you want red or green, not more pressure on the straight jaws.
Can red or green cut a straight line?
They can nibble one, because the blades still meet. The jaw wants to curl waste to one side, so a long straight run is clumsier than with yellow and the kept edge can wander. Use red or green for the curve they are shaped for. If most of your work is straight, a yellow single is the calmer tool until a job actually turns both ways.
When do you need all three?
When the same piece has a straight run and curves in both directions, such as a duct that turns left and then right. Hurricane names yellow, red, and green in the bullets, at £22.99 with 2,039 reviews. HAUTMEC also lists the three directions, with six reviews and a 20-gauge mild-steel claim. One straight pair is enough when you have looked at the job and it does not turn.

Related pages

Best tin snips

How to use tin snips

Tin snips

Aviation snips vs tin snips: compound or traditional

Tin snips buying guide: cut, gauge, one pair or three

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)