The two biggest things that i have used these shears to remove was a full chest rigid plastic chest protector from an 11 y/o that was in respiratory arrest on a motocross track after the locking mechanisms failed and cutting was the only option. I also used them on another motorcycle rider to remove his leather riding boots( i didn't want to cut this guys $600 boots but the flight nurse wanted it off so that is what she got) . Also , aside from the size of them, they work very well for cutting bandage material. With the non-serrated cutting surfaces they DON'T tear through bandaging material. I have also found that with the longer blade length makes cutting cardboard splinting material much nicer. Keeping all this in mind the I have fairly large hands, and a very strong grip strength so for me a larger pair of shears is much more comfortable to work with than the smaller $3.50 ones. I wear them as part of my uniform, and put them in my turnout pants when I get dispatched to traffic collisions and such. They have given me many good years of service and I look forward to using them for many more. I guess what this all boils down to is personal preference for what you think helps you do your job better, as opposed to people bickering back and forth about "buy these because the are big and shiny" or "don't buy them because the others only cost $3.50". As for me, I don't mind packing around the little bit of extra weight, they are what I like, they are what I will continue to carry and that is that. ( for those of you wondering I do use the other "$3.50" shears too, they are on every piece of apparatus, ambulance and medical bag that I work with both the fire department and ambulance service that I work for.
Happy hauling and safe shifts to all ............................ -J-
