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Aquascaping Scissors Head to Head Review

PaulLB

PaulLB

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Does anybody known of an objective head to head comparison of aquascaping scissors?

I’ve had a look on this forum and google and there’s surprisingly little beyond personal recommendation and nothing very recent I can find. If you’re looking for a comparison of TVs or smart phones there’s a million reviews, but I can’t find anything comprehensive and up to date for aquascaping scissors - anybody out there know of anything?

I’m sure most of the cheap stuff on eBay is less than wonderful and ADA at the other end of the scale superlative, but there seems to be quite a few suppliers out there such as the following (I’ve rounded costs and looked for “wave” shaped scissors in this example):

Tropica £19
JBL £44
Oase £23 *
Fluval £15
Seachem Aquavitro £16
Superfish £13
Ista £14
Any others ?

* Oase didn’t appear to have any wave shaped scissors so I quoted price on curved model.

With the exception of ADA, from above list I figure it’s probably about £150 quid to buy one of each and do a review.

If I organised this would anybody be interested in the results and possibly in taking part in testing them? Perhaps we could mail the set of scissors between a bunch of us over two or three weeks and get a consensus amongst the group each person having tried each brand ?

Even better if anybody is in the market for any of these scissors that would be interested in taking them off my hands after the test even better - as I’m pretty sure I won’t need 7 pairs of scissors!

Let me know if you’re up for this or if I’m just wasting my time …..and money :)
 
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PaulLB said:
and money :)
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Sorry, but I would think so….
I use kitchen scissors and my nails and it works just fine. If you really want high quality scissors, look for surgical/medical scissors on eBay, very cheap and you can get them in curved varieties, with springs, and stainless as well. Just make sure to dry after each use. I think these will be of far better quality compared to any “aqua scraping” scissors, but at the end of the day, how much benefit is there really.
 
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Your nails…..sadly I don’t have the dexterity or sharpness of nail for this.

Anybody out there dunking their head in and using their teeth?

Do I have an advance on nails……? :)

Andy Taylor said:
I bought a cheap set off Ebay. I don't see the point in buying an expensive set that's used once a week.
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Really interesting replies so far, nobody seems to see any value in the aquascaping scissors out there.

Hi assume somebody must be buying them otherwise why are so many different brands on sale?

Is it just the cognoscenti here has the experience to know better ?
 
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Mine are all JBL, bought as gifts from other people, they are of good quality with no signs of rusting or loosening.
Are they better than others? I don't know, but I like these ones so would probably stick with the brand.
20221225_092858.jpg
 
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Myrtle said:
I've recently been considering buying some, mainly for moss trimming.
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My advice is don’t! I used to trim moss with scissors and it not only looked unnatural but it took an age scooping up all the little bits of moss.
I now tear small pieces at a time off until I get the look I want.
I use S shape scissors for all the other plants though.
 
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Don't have anything particularly unique to add to the discussion. But regardless of price and brand, they need to feel comfortable in your hand, in particular the finger rings need to be rounded otherwise they will begin to chafe after a short while.

The blades need to be sharp and be of a material that does not blunt easily. It may sound obvious but they need to cut stems and not crush them. The tip needs to be well defined and pointy to make it easier to get between stems and in to tight spots, and of course the blades need to line up properly so there is no over or under cut at the tip.

Also if you turn the blades sideways they should fit snugly together along the entire length of the blade and ride line. The cutting action should feel smooth as well.

And if you only buy one pair of scissors buy wave or "S" shaped scissors, they will pretty much do it all. Personally, I've found JBL Pro tools to be a good compromise between quality and price.
 
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Aqua sobriquet said:
My advice is don’t! I used to trim moss with scissors and it not only looked unnatural but it took an age scooping up all the little bits of moss.
I now tear small pieces at a time off until I get the look I want.
I use S shape scissors for all the other plants though.
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Cheers, I'm a bit concerned that I'll pull the whole lot off though!
 
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I think the gains are in better quality pincettes. I've Amazon cheapos for agricultural stuff and then nicer, fine-pointed ones, which are significantly less fatiguing to use
 
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MichaelJ said:
I got this (or very similar) set a couple of years ago. I seriously doubt I will ever need anything better or have to replace it.

Cheers,
Michael
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Yes that’s what I bought initially - off EBay in my case, but pretty much the same price.

They’re just not great quality as they are going a bit rusty and the action and sharpness of the scissors has never been great. But for 10 quid for an entire set of tools, what did I expect right?

So now I’d like to upgrade starting with a decent pair of trimming scissors.

I’m inclined to go with the JBL from all the good feedback here, but while money is not really an issue in this price range I can’t help but think how much better can they be than the Tropica ones at half the price?

I’ve been very happy with Tropica plants and soil products so wouldn’t their tools be good too? Anybody know?
 
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Take a look here...
www.ukaps.org

Tropica Scaping Tools - Opinions?

Anyone road tested Tropica's aquascaping tools yet? I'm in the market to replace my Chinese bay knock-offs and these look decent... ...and bonus...I won't have to re-mortgage to afford them... Opinions welcome...
www.ukaps.org
 
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Tim Harrison said:
Take a look here...
www.ukaps.org

Tropica Scaping Tools - Opinions?

Anyone road tested Tropica's aquascaping tools yet? I'm in the market to replace my Chinese bay knock-offs and these look decent... ...and bonus...I won't have to re-mortgage to afford them... Opinions welcome...
www.ukaps.org
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Thanks, but that thread doesn’t seem to lead anywhere conclusive re Tropica tools.

Nobody had tried the Tropica tools in that thread and ended up as usual with recommendations on other brands.

From this thread seems you decided to go with JBL, what swung you away from Tropica?
 
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PaulLB said:
Thanks, but that thread doesn’t seem to lead anywhere conclusive re Tropica tools.
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There was a fairly good endorsement from Iain Sutherland, which has to be worth something.

PaulLB said:
rom this thread seems you decided to go with JBL, what swung you away from Tropica?
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But I never really got to try Tropica's tools either. I've seen them in stores, and they seem well made and good value. But JBL ProScape tools appeared to be slightly better quality, and JBL offer a larger range, which can be added to as when required.
 
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I’m leaning in the direction of the JBL so far, firstly because of the many positive comments about them and secondly because at 20cm length rather than 25cm (as most of others) they may be more “manoeuvrable” in my 45l nano.

I’ll see what others say….I’m still curious to do a head to head tho……..
 
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I found sprung scissors invaluable for small and confined spaces, especially for trimming carpets. Had mine for 5 years or so and still as good as new.

Amazon product ASIN B00LC633QO
However, all that said there is nothing wrong with using kitchen scissors etc. Check out Tom Barr trimming his plants at around 12:45.

 
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