Trauma Shears

[Guest paramedico987]

My kingdom for good trauma shears! [and a working microwave linked repeater/voter system mounted on top of Trump's NR building... but that's another topic for another time]

I'd always thought that trauma shears were trauma shears, until one day I worked with a seasoned veteran one day in Mt. Vernon. We did a little pedestrian struck call and both of us simultaneously started cutting, each on his own side. Let's just say that I was impressed... I thought to myself that perhaps I had defective shears, so I bought a new pair manufactured by ADC from a reputable EMS products retailer. I got white one's, cuz I'd never seen them before and figured that nobody would be able to steal them without having to constantly hide them. ANYWAY... These new one's suck even harder than the no-name yellow ones I'd been using before [which incidentally were good enough to take a small chunk out of my hand].

So, who's got the skinny? What are the best trauma shears on the market in your oppinion? Are there any secrets you've picked up along the way on modifying your shears for better cutting qualities?

I can just see it now at the EMS games, just like the lumberjack contests... a race to disrobe a dummy!

[50-65 205]

I think I only ever bought 2 pair. I still have the first ones only because they were really to small ( I got a pair of the "kid size" ones). They fit good in my personal bag which seldom sees use.

The other pair I got were fullsize ones which seldom got use until I went to work at St Francis. Then I wore them out in less than a month. From then on, I "acquired" them from the hospital or drug reps.

I don't do EMS anymore but I still accumulate them mostly from my nephew's wife who works at a hospital and is forever getting me stuff from the drug rep's. I must have about a dozen pair by now.

I did find however that the ones made in the USA generally were sharper and lasted longer than the foreign made ones.

[EMS Solutions 0]

Some of teh best shears are "Big Shears" at bigshears.com - they are a little pricey and you do have the worry about losing them or forgetting them on a call. Another option is using a tool like the Resque Hook from Benchmade. This is a good lightweight tool and can be utilized in most situations. Very fast to strip a patient.

[firemoose827 324]

I can just see it now at the EMS games, just like the lumberjack contests... a race to disrobe a dummy!

Funny you should mention that! Heres a link to a good video!

Paramedic Vs EMT

I have always just used whatever shears were on hand, they have always worked for me. Usually in order to cut fast you need to "slide" the shears through the material, using the crotch of the scissors to do the work, but each has their own technique. Maybe you should use a serrated one hand opening knife with safety tip, they work well to remove clothing as well. Good luck on your search and enjoy the video.

[ny10570 745]

A medic friend in Manhattan went with the big sheers. They do work great, but they are friggin huge. For the number of times I have wished I had them its not worth the $100 or sheer size. The Rescue Hooks are great. The opening is a little small so you can't bunch up material and you have to maintain tension on the fabric while cutting. I would happily pay $15 - 20 for sheers that would last. If you're going with regular sheers, American made tend to be a bit better.

[Guest]

Wow, I use my shears to cut pennies to determine which ones are all copper, never thought about using them for clothes :-) A real senior guy in the FDNY told all of us as probies to carry a pair of shears on the outsides of our coat, cause like I said, they will cut through a penny!

[Goose 188]

People swear by the "Big Sheers" like NY10570 said, but they are way too big for me. Never had an issue with the generic ones.

[MGMedic 0]

www.bigshears.com money well spent