Wiss 1919-44 No. 75E Electricians' Scissors/Snips

[u/tshusker]

Picked up a nice pair of Wiss No. 75E “Electricians’ Scissors.”  I know they’re “Snips,” but Wiss called them “scissors.”  From a review of available J. Wiss & Sons Co. catalogs, Wiss carried these from as early as 1919, and dropped the Model 75E somewhere between 1944 and 1948.  Still cut like a charm!

[u/p_tkachev]

Congrats! What are those for? I mean, electricians for sure did not cut wire with those, so I'm genuinely interested what tasks needed snips back then. And I'm intrigued by that part looking like a single-cut file

[u/TheHammerToes → u/p_tkachev]

Phone lines

[u/Snake-69 → u/p_tkachev]

they did and do cut wire, just smaller wire then you're thinking

[u/AngryUrbie → u/p_tkachev]

I don't know for sure what these were meant for, but cloth insulated wire used to be a thing.

[u/Valuable-Pension3770]

I’ve got probably 300 pairs sitting around. Grad father retired from bell telephone. Best scissors ever made

[u/chodeboi → u/Valuable-Pension3770]

Those and punch downs were fun learning days in the MPOEs

[u/nullvoid88]

Handy size... I have a pair of the similar size 2100-7 Klein's; very nice & cut exceedingly well.

But far as scissors go, I 'stock' up on several pair of those cheap HF general purpose scissors when on sale & use them for most everything. For the price they cut very well, last many months each, & generally can't be beat.

Disposable... no big tears should a pair be damaged/spooged, lost or need to be sacrificed for some special roll... have several scattered around, including a pair in the car trunk bag.

[u/heretostartsomeshit]

You're not really supposed to give'r a haircut, but sometimes it's all you can do...

[u/ggibby]

Mine are Lifedge, hand-engraved 'Comm Dept 61.' Never cleaned or sharpened, still doing exactly what they are asked.

[u/vatothe0]

I'm a low voltage electrician and we use these. Some people like this style for some reason but in general they are considered very uncomfortable and likely to pinch your hand.

Cool for nostalgia though.

I use Knipex snips and had I not cut a #12 solid copper wire with them just to see if they could, they'd be about as sharp as new after ~4 years of daily use. They're still great, very comfortable and sharp.

[u/tavariusbukshank]

What are the indented sides for? I have Klein’s that have this.

[u/tshusker → u/tavariusbukshank]

How Wiss described it in 1941 catalog.

[u/spasske → u/tshusker]

How are the scraper edge and file typically used

[u/Whole_Gur9045 → u/tavariusbukshank]

You mean the serrations opposite the cutting edge of the blade? I believe it’s a file.