We tested Short and Long Thread Snips around three different buttons.
We used the same two LeGrand Thread Snips models throughout: both are 4 inches overall, with a 1.46-inch blade on the Short and a 1.9-inch blade on the Long.
Short was easier for us to position in the first test. Then we tried a larger button and expected the Short Thread Snips to become harder to use.
They didn’t.
Short was easier again.
Only with the large 1.57-inch (40 mm) coat button did the result change: the Long Thread Snips were easier for us to position.
What made the three tests useful was not simply which tool worked better each time. It was seeing how the practical effect of blade length changed from one button condition to another.
THREE BUTTON TESTS AT A GLANCE
0.39-INCH (10 MM) SHIRT BUTTON
Clearance: Limited
Easier to Position: Short Thread Snips
What Stood Out: The Long Thread Snips' tips caught the surrounding shirt fabric when guided deeper beneath the button.
0.79-INCH (20 MM) JACKET BUTTON
Clearance: Not recorded
Easier to Position: Short Thread Snips
What Stood Out: The Long Thread Snips required more careful attention to blade position to avoid catching the surrounding jacket fabric.
1.57-INCH (40 MM) COAT BUTTON
Clearance: Not recorded
Easier to Position: Long Thread Snips
What Stood Out: More of the Long blade remained visible outside the button, and the longer tips did not catch the surrounding coat fabric.
THE FIRST TWO TESTS FAVORED SHORT
Short was easier for us to position in both the 0.39-inch (10 mm) and 0.79-inch (20 mm) button tests.
0.39-INCH (10 MM) SHIRT BUTTON
The 0.39-inch (10 mm) shirt button was tightly sewn, with limited clearance beneath it.
The Short Thread Snips went underneath easily and were easier for us to get into place.
The Long Thread Snips reached farther.
Long Thread Snips extending beneath the tightly sewn 0.39-inch (10 mm) shirt button.
But when we guided the longer blades deeper beneath the button, their tips caught the surrounding shirt fabric.
Read the full shirt-button test:
Short vs. Long Thread Snips for Removing a Shirt Button: Which Is Easier to Use?
0.79-INCH (20 MM) JACKET BUTTON
Before testing the 0.79-inch (20 mm) jacket button, we expected the Short Thread Snips to be harder to position beneath the larger button.
They weren’t.
Both Short and Long fit beneath it, and Short was still easier for us to position.
Long Thread Snips positioned beneath the 0.79-inch (20 mm) jacket button.
With Long, we had to pay attention to blade position to keep the longer tips from catching the jacket fabric.
Read the full jacket-button test:
Short vs. Long Thread Snips for Removing a Jacket Button: Which Is Easier to Use?
In the 0.39-inch (10 mm) shirt-button and 0.79-inch (20 mm) jacket-button tests, the Long Thread Snips' extra reach did not make them easier for us to position.
WHEN MORE OF THE BLADE STAYED IN VIEW
With the 1.57-inch (40 mm) coat button, the result changed.
Both Short and Long Thread Snips could be positioned beneath the button. The Short Thread Snips did not fail to reach.
But most of the Short blade was hidden beneath the button.
Low-angle view of the Short Thread Snips beneath the 1.57-inch (40 mm) coat button, with most of the blade hidden beneath the button.
With the Long Thread Snips, more of the blade remained visible outside the button.
Low-angle view of the Long Thread Snips beneath the same 1.57-inch (40 mm) coat button, with more of the blade remaining visible.
This time, Long was easier for us to position. The longer tips also did not catch the surrounding coat fabric.
In this 1.57-inch (40 mm) coat-button test, being able to see more of the Long blade helped us keep track of where it was.
The photographs show how much of each blade remained visible. Our hands-on observation was that the Long Thread Snips were easier to position in this test.
Read the full coat-button test:
Short vs. Long Thread Snips for a Large Coat Button: Which Is Easier to Use?
WHY BLADE VISIBILITY IS WORTH NOTICING
Research on visually guided hand movements suggests that visual feedback can influence how movements are planned and carried out.
In a 1999 study, Connolly and Goodale examined how visual information about hand position affects reaching and grasping movements. Their findings provide a useful perspective on the role of visual feedback during precise hand movements.
In our 1.57-inch (40 mm) coat-button test, more of the Long Thread Snips’ blade remained visible outside the button. Being able to see more of the blade helped us keep track of its position while working.
The study did not examine scissors or button work, so it does not establish why Long was easier to position in our test. It does, however, offer useful context for considering blade visibility alongside reach and surrounding fabric.
Research References
Connolly, J. D., & Goodale, M. A. (1999).
The role of visual feedback of hand position in the control of manual prehension.
Experimental Brain Research, 125(3), 281–286.
DOI: 10.1007/s002210050684
SO, SHORT OR LONG THREAD SNIPS FOR BUTTON WORK?
In our tests, Short was easier at the 0.39-inch (10 mm) and 0.79-inch (20 mm) buttons, where the Long tips needed watching around the fabric.
Long was easier at the 1.57-inch (40 mm) button, where most of the Short blade was hidden.
SHORT THREAD SNIPS
Short was easier for us to position in the 0.39-inch (10 mm) shirt-button and 0.79-inch (20 mm) jacket-button tests.
In our shirt-button test, Short was easier to position where clearance beneath the button was limited.
LONG THREAD SNIPS
Long provides additional reach.
In the 1.57-inch (40 mm) coat-button test, more of the Long blade remained visible outside the button. Being able to see more of the blade helped us keep track of where it was, and Long was easier for us to position.
IS THIS A BUTTON-SIZE PATTERN?
The results line up with size: Short was easier at 0.39 inches (10 mm) and 0.79 inches (20 mm), while Long was easier at 1.57 inches (40 mm).
That is worth noticing.
But the tests used different garments and different button conditions, so we cannot say size is the reason.
They also do not establish a button-size threshold for choosing Short or Long Thread Snips.
Across the three tests, the same difference in blade length did not produce the same positioning experience.
WHAT TO LOOK AT AROUND A BUTTON
When positioning Thread Snips around a button, it is useful to look beyond blade length alone.
Where will the blade tips travel?
How close is the surrounding fabric to the tips?
Is additional reach actually useful?
How much of the blade remains visible once it is beneath the button?
Can you keep track of where the blade is while you work?
Those were the details that stood out across our three tests.
