Pod Straight Shears

These Pod-made straight shears are the ones we reach for when a job needs a clean, straight cut rather than a saw line, and they handle non-ferrous sheet up to 0.8mm (20 gauge) without any fuss.

They're built at jewellery scale, not hardware-store scale. A pair of tin snips off a shelf is designed for roofing and ducting, too bulky and too blunt for bench work. These metal shears are sized and sharpened for trimming sheet, cutting solder strip, and squaring off small blanks, so you're working with a tool that matches the job in front of you.

The blades are straight, so they're best suited to straight edges and gentle curves rather than tight shapes. Copper, brass, sterling silver, and aluminium all cut cleanly. For anything with a tighter curve or a more complex outline, we'd reach for a saw frame instead.

These are our own Pod-made version, and a solid, budget-friendly alternative if you don't need the extra refinement of our German-made straight metal shears.

Worth knowing:

• Blade length 38mm, overall length 178mm, small enough to keep close at the bench
• We also use these to trim away the excess base plate after soldering the bezel wire on.
• Straight metal shears like these are handy for cutting solder sheet as well as sterling silver and other non-ferrous metals