My old shears are vintage Milwaukee aviation shears. I only have the left one so I figured I'd take the straight one and the right one. I think I've been spoiled. I tested all three. They are *very* stiff and require a lot of hand strength to use. I can slice with the Milwaukees for 20-30 minutes before my arms get tired enough to stop. But my arm, wrist and elbow burned with just a few quick pulls with these scissors. I have very small hands and wrists which may have something to do with it. Also, it's difficult to cut straight with this set and both sides of the steel are heavily curved. I like that the cut itself is smoother than the Milwaukee cuts, which have rough edges due to the "spikes" on their blades. Maybe it's the usual standard and Milwaukee is just better? But I can't use these. They return.