As advertised, they cut through 18 gauge hardware cloth very easily. i am right handed I've found that if I hold the right side of the fabric with the hardware down and the wrong side (the side of the cut) is pulled up and flipped over as I cut, I can cut continuously (like cutting paper). This allows you to cut further without affecting the metal mesh. Otherwise, if the left and right sides of the hardware fabric stay flat, you can only make one or two cuts at a time. Just my two cents in case it helps anyone else. The only reason I didn't give it 5 stars is because they weren't that well lubricated and didn't open freely after about an 8ft cut. Otherwise they were great.