Tool Review: Duralast 7″ Utility Shears
An inexpensive tool that makes life easier in the home or the garage.
Every now and again, I find a tool that I love so much that I become downright evangelical about it. I recommend it to friends and family, even if they aren’t mechanics. It shows up in Father’s Day gift bags and inside Christmas stockings because I believe in it so much. Such tools blend quality, utility, and affordability in a way that makes them impossible to ignore.
One of these tools, for me, is the Duralast 7″ Utility Shears from, of all places, AutoZone. Every parts store sells their own line of mechanic’s tools that are cheap and likely to get you through an emergency, but not much else. I’ve noticed lately that many Duralast-branded tools seem to be of reasonably high quality and deserving of a more permanent spot in my toolbox.
These utility shears are my favorite tool from the Duralast lineup, and are my favorite cutting tool, period. I keep a pair at work, a pair in the garage, and a pair in the house. For $16.49, you can probably afford to do the same. The lifetime warranty is a bonus for sure, but I haven’t had to use it yet. They cut well, the handles feel great, and even the return spring offers the ideal amount of resistance. The release switch is easy to activate with my thumb, and has a nice ridged pattern. The grips have comfortable finger recesses and a nice texture, but keep an eye out for sharp edges from molding flash.
These are an ideal solution for cutting jobs that require something with more cutting power than scissors, but less than aviation snips or power tools. That sounds like a narrow use case, but I assure you that these situations pop up more often than you’d think – mostly with regard to packaging for car parts, household items, or, sometimes, other tools. They’re great for cutting or trimming just about anything non-metallic. They make quick work of heat-sealed packaging, heavy cardboard, zip ties, and most anything else short of copper wire and sheetmetal.
These utility shears may not be as exciting as a high-end ratchet or a trick ratcheting screwdriver set, but I’m sure that you will find yourself using these almost every day. They’ve become my go-to cutting tool, and while I don’t say this often, it’s hard to imagine life without them. In fact, some days, they rarely leave my back pocket until I’m ready to venture inside for the night.
Price: ★★★★★
Quality: ★★★
Features: ★★★
Function: ★★★★★
Overall: ★★★★
Photo: Cam VanDerHorst