What is the best electrical wire cutter?

Any expert in the field of hardware will tell you that the best cable and wire cutters allow for the quick and clean severing of wires, metal, and aviation cables of varied sizes. Hardware aficionados, contractors, and engineers in the building, maritime, telecommunications, aerospace, and locomotive sectors all rely on these indispensable tools on a regular basis. Numerous options exist, each with its own set of pros and cons depending on the nature of your individual project.

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What Are the Different Types of Wire Cutters?

Channellock E337CB Diagonal Cutting Plier

The pliers made by Channellock are the most powerful on the market, and their big, cushioned handles are among the most comfortable on the market.

In our testing, the Channellock E337CB performed far better than the competition while cutting wire. Because to the cushioned, broad grips, even the most strenuous, repeated cutting was easier on the hands and wrists. It has exceptional longevity as well. The jaws were remained sharp enough to cut paper after being used to sever at least 200 different materials. Although the price tag on this set of Channellock pliers is on the pricier end of the spectrum, it’s well worth it if you need a pair of wire cutters that can withstand even the most rigors of tasks.

Irwin Vise-Grip 2078307 7-Inch Diagonal Cutting Pliers

The Irwin pliers provide an excellent compromise between cutting power, user comfort, and purchase price. They aren’t as effective as our top option, but they can compete with blades that cost twice as much.

Irwin’s Vise-Grip 2078307 7-Inch Diagonal Cutting Pliers are a good alternative to the Channellock pliers if you need a similar tool but don’t want to spend as much. In spite of being one of the cheapest types we examined, these pliers nonetheless managed to wow us by having cushioned grips and performing well in our cutting tests, with the exception of the unrivalled Channellock pliers. The pliers Irwin sells will be adequate for light-duty activities like cutting electrical wire and hardware cloth, but they won’t be up to the challenge of cutting nails. Your hands will tyre more quickly than with our top option if you use it for repeated chores like snipping fence.

Hakko Micro Wire Cutters

Hakko’s micro cutters are the best on the market because of their low cost. This three-pack costs the same as one of our other wire cutters. In light of the other options, this is a steal.

These are great since they are compact and easy to carry everywhere. These are ideal for snipping through extremely thin wires without causing any damage. Not only are they convenient to use with your palm, but the grips make them easy to hold for extended periods of time.

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That they’re so big is another negative aspect. These are made to accommodate a delicate wire. If you’re trying to cut a wire with anything too hard or too large, you’ll probably end up damaging the tool instead of the wire. You should probably get a more powerful tool if you have to cut through tough wires.

Bahco 2101G-180 Ergo Cutting Pliers

The Bahco duo possessed the strongest grips and the sharpest teeth. In a pinch, you can spring-load the handles, but they won’t cut like a set of Channellocks.

We recommend the Bahco 2101G-180 Ergo Cutting Pliers if you’ll be cutting through hardware cloth or other similar materials repeatedly and don’t mind giving up some of the brute force of a Channellock set. They include a spring-loaded handle setting that can be toggled on and off, automatically opening the handles after each cut. This makes them great for continuous cutting and for use in confined spaces. The Bahco pair has the sharpest jaws and the tiniest, most accurate cutting nose of the cutters we examined, making them an excellent option for repairing tiny pieces of jewellery or toys. However, it will have trouble cutting through wires that are thicker gauges than the Channellock pair. We found no flaws in this instrument, however we believe most customers would be happier with the Channellock pair because of its greater strength.

Stanley 6-Inch Diagonal WireCutter

The Stanley 84-105 is not an instrument we actively despise. It is a high-quality, low-cost wire cutter that can be used to cut items like guitar strings. They’re reasonably priced for a set of cutting pliers, and they’re able to handle premium materials without sacrificing quality. Just to be clear, that’s the bare bones performance at the bare bones cost.

It was discovered that they are, in fact, very specialised equipment. Due to the size and weight of the head, they are able to cut through thicker wires. They are not subtle in the least. They may be used to cut guitar strings, but they obscure your view and make precise cutting difficult. In addition, you should be ready to manually open them after each usage. There is no spring that automatically unlocks the head. Because of this, they are quite difficult to operate.

BERRYLION 8-Inch Wire Cutter

Not only are the Berrylion 8-inch Heavy Duty Wire Cutters not durable, but are also overpriced for the little cutting power they provide. We’d tell you how we actually feel about them, but we worry that whomever made them will see this review and be too depressed to go home and face their kids. It’s not something for which we’d want to bear any blame.

Let us just remark that they work well for slicing through copper wire with a single strand. They’re capable of doing so, include soft grips for leverage, and can be adjusted to a variety of angles.

In addition to being overpriced for what they provide, they are fragile and difficult to repair; moreover, cutting the braided wire might be an impossible task. For a specialised instrument like this, the fact that a sharp utility knife can work just as well is probably the worst conceivable criticism you can level at it.

Klein 11054 Wire Stripper-Cutter

This tool is ideal for AV installation due to its big jaws, spring-loaded handles, and clearly labelled wire-stripping holes.

The Klein 11054 Wire Stripper-Cutter is an excellent choice for the precise snipping, gripping, and bending of speaker wire that is required by the AV enthusiast. To be clear, we did not put this model through any kind of comparison testing.

How to Cut the Wire?

A short review of the streaming services you want to subscribe to before making the decision to go cordless is a good idea. Confirming the service’s usefulness to you would be a required step. In order to get cable TV, customers of certain companies must sign contracts lasting anywhere from one to two years. In certain cases, you may have to pay a fee if you want out of your contract early. Streaming services, on the other hand, allow users to terminate their membership at any moment without incurring any fees.

Have all of your equipment in excellent working order, including making sure everything is clean, sharp, and in good shape. A tool that has a dull blade or is covered in rust may not be able to cut the wire cleanly. In addition, before you begin working, clean your instrument with a dry towel. Slipping when cutting is a real risk if your pliers or wire cutters aren’t clean. Don’t bother dealing with tools that aren’t in good operating order. To further prolong the life of your tools, oil them once per week to three weeks. Hinge performance is improved with regular oiling.

Make sure you have a firm hold on the tool’s handles. Place your thumb on top of one end of the pliers’ handle, and your other fingers around the other end, using your dominant hand. This gives you more command over the scissors as you work. Cutting wire may be dangerous if you don’t have a firm grip on the instrument. If you slide, you might injure yourself or the wire.

The wire must be brought to the cutting tool. In order to cut wire, you must first fully extend the handle of your instrument and position the wire at the centre of the inner cutting portion of your pliers or cutters. Position the wire inside the tool so that the point at which you want to make the cut is in the centre of the wire’s length. The precise nature of the inner snipping region varies significantly across applications. Pliers designed for diagonal cuts, for instance, will include a blade with a crosshatched design.

Use a straight cut to avoid breaking the wire. Once you’ve brought your tool close to the wire, setting it at a correct angle will provide a clean, even cut. A sharp tool like pliers or a wire cutter will be able to create a clean cut in the material. The wire might be damaged beyond repair if the cut is not made at a correct angle.

A little touch on the handles is all that’s needed to cut the wire. Cutting wire requires a steady, methodical motion. Slowly bring the two halves of the handle together, taking care not to apply too much pressure. Don’t bend the wire or sway your tool side to side when you do this. The wire’s tail might go airborne if you cut it too roughly. If the wire isn’t completely severed with a single snip, you may make a second cut at a right angle by opening the tool’s handle.

What Are the Dos and Don’Ts in Using a Cutter Wire?

• There is a wide range of pliers available, each one optimised for a certain task.
• Hardened wire can only be cut using special pliers designed for the task.
• Pliers should never be used in a hot environment. Because of this, the tool’s characteristics may be altered and become unusable.
• Keep your cuts square. Do not sway from side to side or flex the wire back and forth against the blades.
• You shouldn’t try to manipulate heavy wire with delicate pliers. If you try to use long-nose pliers to bend a wire that is too thick, you may wind up damaging the tips. Choose a more robust instrument.
• Never hit the pliers’ handles with a hammer or use them as a hammer. As a result, they might shatter or have their edges nicked.
• Never make the handle longer to get more traction. Try a set of pliers that are a little bigger.
• Nuts and bolts should not be tightened with pliers. The task can be done more efficiently and with less danger to the fastener by using a wrench.
• Sometimes oil the pliers. Applying a little oil to the connection can extend the life of your tools and make them easier to use.
• When working with sharp objects like wire, it’s important to protect one’s eyes by using safety glasses or goggles.
• To avoid serious injury, you should never try to cut a live wire.
• Wearing safety glasses or goggles is recommended if cutting wire with pliers or removing a stripped screw to prevent eye injury.
• Keep take mind that conventional pliers’ comfort handles don’t protect you from electric shock unless you’re using insulated lineman pliers.
• Never, ever, ever use a pair of pliers that you aren’t absolutely sure are safe to use near a live electrical circuit.
• If your pliers are broken, fractured, sprung, or have any other damage to the cutting or gripping edges, you should get a new pair.
• To cut through polystyrene, hot wire cutters utilise low voltage electricity to heat a wire. Electric shock is avoided by operating at a low voltage.
• The wire won’t sever your fingers, but it will burn them and everything else that comes in touch with it if you let it. Toxic gases released when polystyrene foam (Styrofoam) is melted provide the greatest danger when using hot wire cutters. Below, you’ll find the most authoritative guidance we could find on the subject. With proper ventilation, the hazards seem to be acceptable for hobby usage.
• Do not use on or near live electric circuits, since comfort grips on handles are not designed to prevent electric shock.

Is It Essential to Consider the Type of Wire to Be Cut?

The kind of wire that has to be cut is the primary factor in deciding which wire cutter instrument to use. Hard wires, such as a guy wire or an aluminium conductor steel-reinforced cable (ASCR). Overhead power lines commonly employ ACSR, which is a form of high-capacity, high-strength stranded conductor.

Common wire cutters are designed to cut easily malleable metals like copper and aluminium.

Explanation of wire rope: 1×19, 7×7, and 7×19 are the most common small-diameter cables.

• When it comes to flexibility, 1×19 wire rope is not the rope for you. There were 19 separate bundles that had been tangled together.
• 7 bundles of 7 strands each gives 7×7 wire rope a modest degree of pliability.
• A 7×19 aeroplane cable, which is made up of many smaller individual cables packed together, is very adaptable. Nineteen separate wires are bundled into seven different sets.

What Does Your Wire Cutter Look Like?

Wire cutters are shaped like a pair of scissors, with two levers linked at the fulcrum. The required effort is proportional to the wire’s diameter. Wire cutters are able to concentrate more force in a small region because of the levels and the specific blades.

Beveled-edge, semi-flush, and flush wire cutters are the three most common styles. Beveled-edge wire cutters are more long-lasting and leave each cut end of the wire with a sharp point. Thin wires may be easily trimmed using semi-flush wire cutters, which leave a nearly level surface. This is better than a chisel point, but it’s fragile and shouldn’t be used on steel wire. Despite its ability to provide a sheer-faced cut, flush cutters are often rather expensive and offer a degree of accuracy that is seldom required.

To prevent injury to your palms or fingers, use wire cutters with a grip span of 2.5-3.5 inches. Keeping all fingers on the grips of the wire cutters and out of the spaces between them is essential for preventing pinching and other injuries.

You should check that the wire cutters’ cutting blades are crisp, clean, and not greasy. A greater amount of effort is required to not only cut, but also to keep the workpiece in place, if the blade is dull and unclean. Muscle exhaustion and repeated stress injuries are possible outcomes of such circumstances.

When cutting wires, it is imperative to always use safety goggles to prevent splinters and insulation fibres from entering your eyes.

How to Choose a Tool in Cutting Wire?

With the correct equipment and know-how, you can readily cut wire of any size or form. For cutting electrical wires, for instance, Lineman’s pliers are the tool of choice, while diagonal cutting pliers are a versatile option. To protect your eyes from flying wires, please use safety goggles. In order to cut a wire, you must place the wire in the correct position on the cutting portion of the instrument and then apply a little but steady pressure to the wire.

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When working with electrical cables, grab a pair of Lineman’s pliers and get to splicing or cutting. The cutting edge of a pair of lineman’s pliers is located on the side, and these pliers have several applications in the building and electrical industries. This is the most secure option for handling electrical wires of any kind, whether you need to grasp, strip, or cut them. Plier used by linemen is also known as “side cutting” pliers.

If you need to snip a thin wire, go with a pair of long-nose pliers. In either its straight or curved form, long-nose pliers are characterised by a thin, pointed end. These are often used to access hard-to-reach wiring and other areas. Cut wire from 8 to 24 gauge with ease with these. Long-nose pliers, with their slimmer nose, are also useful for joining numerous wires together and bending loops into wires. This might be a fantastic choice if you need to cut wire for a jewellery project or if you need to shorten the length of your guitar strings.

If you want a versatile tool, go for a pair of diagonal cutting pliers. This wire-cutter is ideal if you don’t have many other tools but still need to cut wires. Wire may be easily stripped and cut using the sharp, rounded point of diagonal cutting pliers. These are suitable for use with almost any kind of wire. Pin and nail extraction is another common usage for diagonal cutting pliers. As an example, this would be the best choice for severing a wire hanger.

If you need a precise cut, end-cutting pliers are the way to go. In order to cut wire without removing too much of the end, end-cutting pliers feature a blunt, short tip. These are useful when you don’t have much wire left over or when you need to splice two wires together in a tight space. Nails and rivets may also be cut using end-cutting pliers.

If you need to cut wire, use a wire cutter, not scissors. Instead of utilising scissors or a knife, a wire cutter or pliers is the instrument of choice. It’s possible that even a pair of sharp scissors wouldn’t be able to cut through the wire without scratching the metal within. Since the blade of the scissors may not have as much of a hold on the wire as pliers would, it’s possible to slide and hurt oneself while using scissors to cut wire.

How to Set Up Your Workplace?

Put on goggles to safeguard your eyes from any errant debris. As you snip and strip wire, bits of insulation and bare wire may shoot up and poke you in the eye. Always protect your eyes by using protective eyewear. To avoid pricking your fingers on the wires, you may also use protective gloves. While this isn’t essential, it might speed things up if you’re slicing through a lot of wire at once.

Make yourself at home by laying your wire out on a level surface. The item to be worked on should be set down on a flat surface. You should be able to make your cuts while standing upright, without having to stoop over. Your odds of hurting yourself will go down if you do it this way. Losing your balance when leaning forwards or backwards increases the likelihood of you injuring yourself with the instrument or striking your head.

Before cutting any cables, make sure the power is off. Be careful to turn off the power to the device before severing any electrical, audio, or computer cables. To avoid being electrocuted or damaging the wires, turn off the gadget before you begin cutting. If you need to break wiring inside your computer, for instance, be sure the machine is turned off first.

If you’re working with fresh wire, unwind it off the spool. Find the end of the wire and draw it off the spool to the necessary length whether you’re working with new jewellery wire, barbed wire, or electrical wire. In this method, you may easily cut and shape a more manageable length of wire.

Conclusion

The most effective cable and wire cutters can easily and quickly cut through virtually any type of cable or wire, including those used in aviation. The cushioned handles on the Channellock E337CB Diagonal Cutting Pliers are some of the most comfortable you’ll find on any tool. If you’re looking for a pair of pliers that can compete with blades twice the price, look no further than the Irwin Vise-Grip 2078307 7-Inch Diagonal Cutting Pliers. If you need an alternative to your regular knives, Hakko is a good choice for lighter tasks like cutting electrical wire and hardware cloth, but they won’t be up to the challenge of cutting nails. If you need a wire cutter for something like guitar strings, look no further than the Stanley 84-105.

Although it has the sharpest teeth and tightest grips, it won’t cut like a pair of Channellocks. The Bahco 2101G-180 Ergo Cutting Pliers stand out from the other cutters we tested due to their razor-sharp jaws and miniature, pinpoint cutting nose, making them a great choice for fixing delicate jewellery and toys. However, they will struggle to sever wires of a gauge greater than that of a Channellock pair. When compared to the price, the cutting power of the Berrylion 8-inch Heavy Duty Wire Cutters is weak and they break easily. The large jaws, spring-loaded handles, and clearly labelled wire-stripping holes of the Klein 11054 Wire Stripper-Cutter make it a great option for AV installation.

Before you decide to ditch the cord, take a moment to think about the streaming services you’d like to have. Make sure everything you use is in top shape by keeping it clean and sharp. Every few uses, wipe down your instrument with a dry towel and oil the moving parts. Holding the tool firmly, place the wire in the exact middle of the inner cutting portion. Make a clean cut with pliers or a wire cutter using a straight motion to prevent the wire from breaking.

The text primarily focuses on the proper and improper ways to use a cutter wire. Pliers should only be used in high temperatures, square cuts should be maintained, long-nose pliers should be used to bend thick wire, the handles should never be hit with a hammer or used as a hammer, the length of the handle should never be altered to increase grip, and nuts and bolts should never be tightened using pliers. Never use pliers that you aren’t certain are safe to use near a live electrical circuit, and always wear safety glasses or goggles when cutting wire with pliers or removing a stripped screw. Hot wire cutters are used to safely slice through polystyrene using low voltage electricity to heat a wire. The most significant risk arises from the toxic gases produced during the melting of polystyrene foam, but these appear to be manageable for hobbyists under the right conditions.

Wire cutters, such as sizes 1×19, 7×7, and 7×19, are made for slicing soft metals like copper and aluminium. Similar to a pair of scissors, their design consists of two levers connected at a fulcrum. The three most common types of wire cutters are beveled-edge, semi-flush, and flush. Safely cut wires with pliers that have a gripping span of 2.5 to 3.5 inches. Make sure the blades are sharp, clean, and lubricated.

Wire of any shape or size can be cut with the right tools and expertise. While lineman’s pliers offer the highest level of safety when working with electrical wires, diagonal cutting pliers can be useful in a pinch. Long-nose pliers are useful for snipping thin wires, and safety goggles are mandatory when working with electrical cables. Wire hangers, pins, and nails can all be removed with ease, and stripped and cut with ease, using a pair of diagonal cutting pliers. End-cutting pliers are helpful for severing wire without severing too much of the end.

They come in handy when you need to splice two wires together in a confined space or when you don’t have much spare wire. Avoid using scissors if you need to sever a wire, as the blade may not have as firm a grip on the material as the pliers would. Wear goggles and gloves for complete eye protection. Prepare yourself by laying out your wire on a flat surface and making your cuts while standing up straight. Before severing any electrical, audio, or computer cables, make sure the power is off and the device is turned off.

If you’re using new wire, unwind it from the spool and cut it to size. You can use this to shorten the wire and work with it more easily.

Content Summary

• Any expert in the field of hardware will tell you that the best cable and wire cutters allow for the quick and clean severing of wires, metal, and aviation cables of varied sizes.
• Channellock E337CB Diagonal Cutting PlierThe pliers made by Channellock are the most powerful on the market, and their big, cushioned handles are among the most comfortable on the market.
• Irwin’s Vise-Grip 2078307 7-Inch Diagonal Cutting Pliers are a good alternative to the Channellock pliers if you need a similar tool but don’t want to spend as much.
• We recommend the Bahco 2101G-180 Ergo Cutting Pliers if you’ll be cutting through hardware cloth or other similar materials repeatedly and don’t mind giving up some of the brute force of a Channellock set.
• The Stanley 84-105 is not an instrument we actively despise.
• It is a high-quality, low-cost wire cutter that can be used to cut items like guitar strings.
• They’re reasonably priced for a set of cutting pliers, and they’re able to handle premium materials without sacrificing quality.
• Due to the size and weight of the head, they are able to cut through thicker wires.
• Not only are the Berrylion 8-inch Heavy Duty Wire Cutters not durable, but are also overpriced for the little cutting power they provide.
• The Klein 11054 Wire Stripper-Cutter is an excellent choice for the precise snipping, gripping, and bending of speaker wire that is required by the AV enthusiast.
• In order to get cable TV, customers of certain companies must sign contracts lasting anywhere from one to two years.
• Have all of your equipment in excellent working order, including making sure everything is clean, sharp, and in good shape.
• The wire must be brought to the cutting tool.
• A little touch on the handles is all that’s needed to cut the wire.
• The task can be done more efficiently and with less danger to the fastener by using a wrench.
• Wearing safety glasses or goggles is recommended if cutting wire with pliers or removing a stripped screw to prevent eye injury.
• Never, ever, ever use a pair of pliers that you aren’t absolutely sure are safe to use near a live electrical circuit.
• To cut through polystyrene, hot wire cutters utilise low voltage electricity to heat a wire.
• Toxic gases released when polystyrene foam (Styrofoam) is melted provide the greatest danger when using hot wire cutters.
• The kind of wire that has to be cut is the primary factor in deciding which wire cutter instrument to use.
• When it comes to flexibility, 1×19 wire rope is not the rope for you.
• To prevent injury to your palms or fingers, use wire cutters with a grip span of 2.5-3.5 inches.
• If you need to snip a thin wire, go with a pair of long-nose pliers.
• Cut wire from 8 to 24 gauge with ease with these.
• If you want a versatile tool, go for a pair of diagonal cutting pliers.
• If you need a precise cut, end-cutting pliers are the way to go.
• Nails and rivets may also be cut using end-cutting pliers.
• If you need to cut wire, use a wire cutter, not scissors.
• Instead of utilising scissors or a knife, a wire cutter or pliers is the instrument of choice.
• Always protect your eyes by using protective eyewear.
• Make yourself at home by laying your wire out on a level surface.
• The item to be worked on should be set down on a flat surface.

FAQs About Metal

How Do You Cut Electrical Wires?

Use diagonal cutting pliers to cut any kind of wire. If you have a choice of tools, use lineman’s pliers to cut or splice electrical wire, and long-nose pliers for small-gauged wire. If you’re cutting live wire, make sure the electricity’s off so you don’t electrocute yourself.

What to Do if You Cut Through a Wire?

The cable will need to be cut. Place the cable into an approved accessible junction box. A new length of wire would be installed from the new junction box which will replace the original remaining length of wire to the destination or existing junction box.

What Happens if You Cut Wire?

The circuit breaker is likely to trip when cutting a live wire. The sudden short caused by cutting live wires can cause sparks which could cause a fire or damage other electrical components which themselves could cause fires.

Can Cut Wires Start a Fire?

Arcing can lead to a fire and occurs in electrical panels and enclosures, frayed wires and extension cords, and even in damaged phone chargers.

How do you make electrical wires safe?

Electrical tape is the simplest method of making electric wires safe. You also use tape on capped live electric wires as an extra precaution. Tapes can be used on loose live wires that do not fit the cap. You can simply use tape over the live wire to fit into the cap.