Xuron has released another pair of high-quality clippers from their line of consumer products used by modelers. The extra-long, ultra-sharp tips cut through PE like butter without bending or twisting it. The ergonomically shaped handles offer superb control and stability, as well as comfort. A return spring brings the tool back to the open position after each cut.

First and foremost, these are scissors, not clippers. The shearing point comes mid-way between the two blades, just like a pair of scissors. What this means is that they are excellent at cutting PE parts off the sprues, but they do not cut them flush against one edge, as Xuron’s excellent sprue cutters do with plastic. I was hoping that the company had come up with a way for me to snip off PE parts without having to sand the edges where the tiny metal nubs might remain, but that's just personal preference on my part.

Alas – while that need still goes unfulfilled, I did find two OTHER uses for the shears that made me very pleased. First – they cut through sheet PE like it was made of paper. This helps when you want to make your own PE parts out of scrap that you have lying around. Second – they cut cleanly through the twisted wire that armor kit manufacturers such as Dragon and Tamiya include in their kits to represent tow cables. Normally, the wire tends to fray and separate when cut with a conventional pair of wire cutters, but not with Xuron’s Photo Etch Scissors. The cut end is clean, tight, and ready to insert into a tow cable end. The manufacturer warns that the scissors are only to be used on PE, but I cut through the twisted wire many times and still found that I could slice through sheet PE as well as cut off PE parts without any problem.

I recommend the Pro Photo-Etch Scissors for every workbench. You may not use them for cutting normal PE that much, but when you need them for cutting sheet PE or snipping twisted wire, nothing else I’ve found will do the job as well.

I would like to thank the Xuron Corporation for providing the scissors for review, and IPMS USA for giving me the opportunity to try them.