difference between left-handed compound tin snips and straight ones?

[micky]

What is the difference between left-handed compound tin snips and straight ones? Is it just that they are bent so one's hand goes over the sheet metal? And you can see the cut line from one side and not so easily from the other?

Or do left-handed ones tend to make curved cuts?

I haven't used the one-sided ones enough to rememeber, and I lent out my straight, yellow-handle Wise compound tin snips, and my red ones. I can't get them back immediately, so I need to buy another one tomorrow. I'd rather buy what I don't own, green ones, unless it will be harder to cut a straight line with them.

[micky]

If you look at the first video on this page. it's great.

It shows in some detail how they make these things. It's not something you can do at home, and it's impressive how many they make at once.

Though they don't say a word about being made in the USA, they do say they're made in S. Carolina, and you can see how much robotics and mass production goes into it. I don't know how such tools used to be made and I didn't plan to get into politics, but I think you can see why there are fewer people used in manufacturing, at least if this is typical. And interestingly, every employee they show whose sex is clear** is a woman! A black woman for that matter. Southern states tend to be weaker on unions but I don't know about this place.

**Two of them are wearing high-temp suits from head to toe.

[gfretwell]

One cuts curves to the left, one cuts curves to the right and one cuts straight. If you are seriously into metal fabrication you should own all three.

[rbowman]

Micky only needs the left hand ones.

[micky]

Then I'll get straight ones and let him keep the ones I lent him.

This is just an occasional thing.