Secret Santa 2021

They look like electrician's scissors. I think that the serrated edge on the outside is meant to be a scraper/file for the quick cleaning up of wire ends with the two larger notches being wire strippers.

Thanks for the tip. So that prompted me to research these tools. It turns out they are much more than just scissors, people in the trade generally call them snips. They are great for cutting wire or wire-ties or fiberglass or cardboard - a lot of stuff that scissors can't handle well. They can also strip wire and you are correct there is a trick to using the outside edge for removing oxide from bare wire. That will come in handy - my previous method required much more careful scraping.

In general, I tend to find the handles are a bit too small and too thin on that style of scissor for prolonged use, so not sure what it would be like all day long trimming electrical wire. However, I suspect a lot will depend on the profile of the blade and how heavily it is sprung.  

Have you found a good way of safely opening clam-shell / blister packs - the ones that are hot-sealed around the entire outside edge ? I have found that off-set handle wallpaper / dress-making scissors help keep you clear of the sharp plastic edges and are typically long enough for most jobs but they aren't that well-suited to cutting plastic. Apparently you are supposed to be able to use a tin opener, but I've never got that method to work.

Those blister packs are just plain nasty to open. I use either a set of sheet metal shears (tin-snips) or a utility knife/scalpel to cut out a panel while avoiding the edges. It is not a bad idea to wear gloves - I always have mechanic's gloves handy at all my workstations. I bet there are many solutions others have devised since it is a problem for everyone.

Thick gloves and sheet metal shears yup
I tend to just use big scissors carefully, or with a utility knife sometimes I can slice around the item itself.

You could buy a purpose built packaging opener, but... it's in a package you can't open without it

Thick gloves and sheet metal shears yup
I tend to just use big scissors carefully, or with a utility knife sometimes I can slice around the item itself.

You could buy a purpose built packaging opener, but... it's in a package you can't open without it

I have purchased specialized cutters for this purpose a couple of times. They sort of work, but not significantly better that it is worth trying to find where I stashed them.