I’m fighting demons every time I’m scrolling on TikTok. The demons in question? TikTok Shop ads.
I push down the urge to buy the latest random kitchen gadget or off the shoulder sweater. They’re all suspiciously cheap and seem too good to be true. But one product was so inventive that I let the demons win.
I encountered a TikTok from @kitchenpirate.store that has racked up over 45 million views. The video features the prototype of a chef’s knife haphazardly secured to a wooden cutting board with packing tape before revealing the final product: a pair of kitchen shears with a built-in cutting board.
Users flooded the comments to share their thoughts, which ranged from suspicion to astonishment.
“Bro solved a problem that doesn't exist,” one user wrote. Another countered, “everyone saying this is stupid but i lowkey want one.”
Even though I write about food and make recipes for a living, I can see the appeal. Sometimes breaking out a full sized cutting board is too much work—especially if you’re just chopping an ingredient or two.
So I bought the product on Amazon instead of TikTok Shop. I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but the inspiring origin story with the prototype? It’s most likely just a made-up tale to promote a drop-shipped product. You can find the same exact shears from virtually anywhere.
When the scissors arrived, they looked exactly as I expected. But how well did they work? I tested them out with two vegetables with different textures: celery and carrots.
And I can confidently say that, straight out of the box, this blade can cut like butter. I had no issue getting through each vegetable, and was even able to achieve thin slices like what I’d get from a mandoline.
That being said, I’m still a bit of a skeptic. The first is that these scissors work well for small items, like individual stalks of celery or a clove of garlic, but good luck using them with anything bigger.
I’m also on the fence about this product because of its long-term maintenance. Blades get dull and sharpening a standard knife is tedious enough as it is. Maneuvering around the built-in cutting board seems like a nightmare.
And lastly, I might be outing myself as a weakling, but the muscle fatigue from using these scissors is real. I didn’t even make it through the whole carrot before my hands started to hurt. I’m sure with consistent use and a hand calisthenics routine it would become easier. Just be aware before you buy!
So what are my overall thoughts about these scissors? I think they’re cool, but they’re by no means an essential kitchen tool. A regular cutting board and knife gives you a lot more flexibility. But if you’re short on counter space and only need to do minimal chopping, I could see this being useful for you. For me? Not so much.
