How to Use Electrician Scissors | Grip, Cut, and Strip Safely

Using electrician scissors well comes down to three things: holding them the right way, cutting in the right spot, and using the stripping notch only for the wire sizes it was made for. The tools are built for telecom and electrical work — Klein Tools calls theirs “electricians’ scissors” with applications in telecom, electrical, and heavy-duty cutting. Get the grip right and the blades do the work; get it wrong and you’ll fight the tool on every cut.

How Do You Hold Electrician Scissors Correctly?

Klein’s guidance is specific: keep your fingers behind the curved guard and place your thumb on the multi-grooved thumb-rest indentation — not in front of it. That grip keeps your hand out of the blade path and gives you the leverage to cut through cable insulation without excessive force.

The curved guard isn’t just a comfort feature. It’s a safety barrier that stops your fingers from sliding forward toward the cutting edge during a hard cut. The thumb rest gives you a stable, repeatable grip so the blades stay aligned as you close them on the material.

• Fingers behind the curved guard, never in front of it.
• Thumb on the multi-grooved indentation, not over the top.
• Material positioned in the cutting area near the pivot, not at the blade tips.

Position the wire or cable in the cutting zone, then close the blades with controlled hand pressure. Let the blade edge do the work — forcing the tool beyond its intended use as a pry bar or twist tool is a common mistake that damages both the tool and the material.

What Jobs Are Electrician Scissors Built For?

Electrician scissors handle wire cutting, cable stripping, and light cordage work. Many models add features that make them more useful on the job: serrated blades prevent slipping on slick insulation, and some models include a scraper or file on the blade edge for prepping connections.

Klein’s all-purpose electrician scissors, for example, add a scraper and file to the blade edge, making them useful for cleaning up contact surfaces.

These are cutting and stripping tools — not general-purpose pry bars, twist tools, or scrapers beyond the built-in edge features. Match the tool to the job and it will last.

If you’re choosing between models, our tested roundup of the best electrician scissors breaks down the top options by blade type, stripping range, and intended use.

How Do You Strip Wire With the Notch?

The stripping notch works only when you match the wire gauge to the correct hole. Klein specifies stripping notches for 19- and 23-gauge wire on its models, and using the notch on an unsupported size — or on a live conductor — is a common mistake that damages the wire or the tool.

To strip properly: open the blades, slide the wire into the notch that matches its gauge, close the blades gently to score the insulation, then pull the wire through to remove the jacket. The notch should cut the insulation without nicking the copper underneath.

If the wire doesn’t fit the notch snugly, don’t force it. The notch is sized for specific AWG ranges, and forcing an unsupported size is the fastest way to nick a conductor or bend the tool’s blade.

Are Electrician Scissors Safe Around Electricity?

Some models have insulated handles tested to 1,000 volts to meet IEC 60900 and ASTM F1505 standards, but that rating is not a license to work live. Klein’s own instruction is explicit: never use the scissors on or near live electrical circuits, and always wear approved eye protection.

Several Klein models are also explicitly non-insulated. If you’re working near any potential source of power, treat the tool as uninsulated unless the packaging clearly states otherwise and you’ve verified the rating.

The insulation rating is a secondary defense, not a primary strategy. De-energize the circuit, lock it out, and verify it’s dead before you cut anything — the scissors are for cutting wire that’s already safe to handle.