Gerber MP800 requires significant force to cut thick copper wire

[parnass]

My new Gerber MP800 Legend cuts small gauge wire (e.g., 20 or 22) easily.  In contrast, cutting 10 gauge solid copper wire with the MP800 requires squeezing the handles very hard.

Today, I compared the MP800 effort to cutting the same wire using these other large multitools:

  Victorinox Swisstool
  Leatherman Supertool 300
  SOG Powerlock
  Super Bear Jaws

The MP800 is equipped with the carbide cutting blades and requires considerably more pressure than the other 4 multitools.  Perhaps that is due to the relatively flat angle of the carbide cutting blades.

The Supertool 300 has 154CM blades.  Though it cut the 10 gauge wire more easily than the MP800, the Supertool 300 required more force than the Swisstool, Super Bear Jaws, and (of course) the SOG Powerlock.  The latter three tools have sharper, non replaceable cutting blades.

Anyone else observe the same phenomenon?

[AimlessWanderer]

Yeah, the grade of steel won't affect how well it cuts, just how long it lasts and how little wear/damage occurs. Ease of cutting is all in the edge geometry 

[zoidberg]

Yeah, the grade of steel won't affect how well it cuts, just how long it lasts and how little wear/damage occurs. Ease of cutting is all in the edge geometry 

You could change your name to zoidberg, it would save me some posts.

[lowtech]

Another point is the leverage (length of handle, distance of cutter from plier head axis) and the geometry of the plier handles.
On some it´s harder to get a good grip because they are far apart (MP 800) or oddly shaped or do hurt (think PST).

[Cupboard]

yes, I've found that cutting thick stuff with the Gerber replaceable cutters is really difficult.
Cutting thick stuff with the Rebar/ST300 cutters is a lot harder than it is with the Wave ones too, for exactly the same reason.

Unless you're cutting lots of really hard things, the older-style cutters are better.

[lowtech]

yes, I've found that cutting thick stuff with the Gerber replaceable cutters is really difficult.
Cutting thick stuff with the Rebar/ST300 cutters is a lot harder than it is with the Wave ones too, for exactly the same reason.

Unless you're cutting lots of really hard things, the older-style cutters are better.

I retrofitted an old style Bluntnose head to my EDC MP 600 after trying out the replaceable cutters. I don´t come across really hard wire too often and, at least with the 2 heads I could compare, the standard one cut copper wire, fencing wire and coat hangers better.
That is about all I do cut regularly at work. I think I might add a Needlenose Plier head with replaceable cutters to my bike Tool kit for the rare occasions I might need one.

[parnass]

... Unless you're cutting lots of really hard things, the older-style cutters are better.

To add to this, I tried stripping the insulation from 22 gauge stranded copper wire with a few different multitools.  I was able to strip it using the conventional cutters found in the Gerber M400 and SOG/Paladin PT-510.

I could cut, but not strip the same wire using the Gerber MP600's replaceable carbide cutters.