Trauma Shears

[TeeDee]

With reference to Trauma Shears ( I'm just on a FAK kick at the moment ) what is a good indicator that they are a suitable unit?

They seem to vary looking online from the very very cheap ( " looks like a Trauma shear " ) to the very very high end folding Leatherman Raptor type ones.

So literally from a few quid to One hundred.

Any known suitable ones in the mid tier pricing band? or named makes

 

[Silverclaws2]

What can you afford and not mind losing as every pair I had had have had to replaced through somehow going walkies.

 

[MrEd]

I have long since favoured American diagnostics corporation tough cuts professionally, I have a pair I have owned since circa 2003 when I did my ambulance training. Still in use today.

Tbh for a first aider, any pair will do, a cheap pair is fine, few and far between you will use them, and when you do I think it’s u likely you will be cutting stuff that needs high tech fancy leather man BS.
I have never not been able to cut someone’s clothes off them with either my ADCs or any generic cheap pair work provide me. Save you money for something else, a really nice pair will go wallows the second you lay them down at a scene.

Also pro tip. Get a short off cut of elephant tube if you are near the hospital, it makes a perfect sheath and you can keep them in your shirt pocket or trouser pocket without poking yourself.

None of my cohort carried stuff on a belt tbh. My carry was tuff cuts in a pocket, pen torch (aaa maglite) for pupil response in shirt pocket with my safety glasses (smith and wessons ballistics), steth in back pocket or coat pocket and my jrcalc protocol book in the other, and several pairs of gloves in my pockets to.

Everything else went in my bag

 

[MrEd]

What can you afford and not mind losing as every pair I had had have had to replaced through somehow going walkies.

Absolutely I have lost a good number over the years, i never spent more tbh an about a fiver for a pair, and those felt fairly Gucci tbh

 

[Wildgoose]

Raptors and X shear are nice but pricey.

For true trauma usage go for standard £5 ones, multiple of.

Think about a situation when you need to get down to skin quickly, you are going to cut the clothes, drop the shears and start fixing people.
You may even be working with others in a “quick cut his shirt off whilst I grab a TQ” so you don’t want anything complex.

Once used for their true purpose you’d need to clean and autoclave them, £5 ones get disposed of.

 

[MrEd]

I have never sent tuff cuts for autoclaving in my life. Cleaned them, deep cleaned them, yes, thrown them away, yes. Autoclave no. They are autoclave if marked as such though.
Good point though, complex folding ones that are expensive will have lots of nooks and crannies that will be really hard to clean.