I've been messing with cheap EMT/bandage scissors for a while and found that most of the cheap ones are remarkably strong and durable. The key to gaining confidence is to buy a pair and go out cutting stuff. I once took a pair I got at a local drugstore for about $4 out to a abandoned car, punched the pointier blade through the door panel and proceeded to cut a piece out of the steel a foot wide. Yes, they showed some wear, the pivot was a touch looser and the blades were a bit duller but it still worked.

I peened the rivet a bit to tighten them back up and took a file to the edges and they cut like new. I stuffed them into a emergency kit I pensioned off.

The way I check them is to look closely at the pivot to see that it is sturdy. The only pair that failed, and that after a lot of abuse, was one with a sloppy and undersized rivet. I like the ones with a sturdy screw but rivets work also. And rivets don't vibrate out and get lost.

Then I break out my Leatherman and use the knife blade and file to see if I can scratch the stainless near the cutting edges. The knife should leave little or no mark. The file, only a small mark. This tells you the steel is hard and likely to resist dulling. I also give the plastic over-mouldings on the handles a good twist and pull to make sure they won't quickly break or pull off.

It isn't a scientific study but of the EMT shears I've tried, all under $10, only the cheapest one failed, and that after some serious pounding. Just cutting bandages all of them would, IMHO, last indefinitely.