Steel cable

[Grant Lamontagne]

Steel cable is a real pain in the butt to cut.  I had to get some 1/16" cable today for a small project I was working on around the house and NONE of my multis would cut it.  None.  I was embarrassed at Home Depot when my super duper heavy duty LM Surge wouldn't cut the stuff, and I was pretty upset when I got home and found out that my other heavy duty tools (SOG PowerLock and Wenger SwissGrip) wouldn't cut the stuff either.  I didn't try my SwissTool or LM SuperTool because They weren't handy but I doubt either of them would have fared any better.

What I did find that would cut it was an old pair of wire cutters that are probably older than me and corroded to the point where you need twho hands to open them.  It was still a fight to cut the stuff, but they did the job when my high priced multis wouldn't.

We are unamused....

Def

[scholar warrior]

Wierd,

I had to cut the steel cable on a lock on my gate to my property in the country, (Forgot the Key) and my leatherman wave cut it fairly quickly. It wasn't easy but it worked....

[CacherX4]

Sounds like what you need is a LM Charge with the best aftermarket saw anyone could have on it then...

[Grant Lamontagne]

I have the saws, I am waiting for the Charge!

I have some left over- I may just have to spend some time tomorrow testing each tool to see how they work.  I may also have an old coat hanger lying around to play with as well.

Def

[CacherX4]

I am interested in your opinion of the Charge...I love it.  Smaller and lighter than most LM's I have used but just as strong.

[Grant Lamontagne]

My opinion of the Charge is that I should get one sometime!  I will definately write a review of it when it arrives but it's making a stopover in Georgia first so DavidBinGA can also write a review of it.  Dave and I have almost polar opposite views on tools so it seems like a good idea for us both to write about the same tools so readers aren't sucked into one set of ideas.

Def

[J-sews]

hacksaw 'de bob.......I like that! Sounds like the name of a professional wrestler.   

Def,
Be careful with that steel coat hanger, it will likely ruin the wire cutter section of most multis unless you only cut it in the hard wire notch section.

I've never tried it, but I'll bet the best medicine for braided steel cable would be the carbide cutters on some of the Gerber tools.

~Bob

[prime77]

I have the saws, I am waiting for the Charge!

I have some left over- I may just have to spend some time tomorrow testing each tool to see how they work.  I may also have an old coat hanger lying around to play with as well.

Def

Def I think it's time for a sequel to my favorite SOSAK article of all time, you can call it " The Great wire cutter shootout"

[parnass]

I cut steel cable and hardened steel locks using a Dremel high speed rotary tool fitted with a cutoff disk.

[Travis Autry]

I haven't tried any steel cable, but I have cut all kinds of wire with both of my SwissTools.  They each handle coat hanger wire, speaker wire and chain link fence without any problem.

Try the SwissTool and let us know how it goes.

[Grant Lamontagne]

I have the saws, I am waiting for the Charge!

I have some left over- I may just have to spend some time tomorrow testing each tool to see how they work.  I may also have an old coat hanger lying around to play with as well.

Def

Def I think it's time for a sequel to my favorite SOSAK article of all time, you can call it " The Great wire cutter shootout"

There will be a wire cutter shootout, and I have a few other shootout articles as well almost ready to go including a bottle opener shootout (for some reason I can never remember how that one ends!) and a metal saw shootout.

A Dremel tool would make more sense, but it kind of defeats the point of having a multitool handy- the right tool is always better than an all-round tool, but still, I would think that a multi should manage this stuff. 

I haven't managed to try them yet, but I will try to take a few pics and let everyone know how it worked out.

Def

[CacherX4]

... a bottle opener shootout (for some reason I can never remember how that one ends!)

 

[Tarrodemierda]

u can get really cheap thin stainless wire cutters from local welding stuff seller,they use pretty good pliers to cut mig welding wire.

[WhichDawg]

geez Tarro, I was like Def has a Charge lol

[Biru]

This brings up something I've wondered about since finding this site. Most of you seem to cut very hard/thick wire with you multitools. I've seen posts about people cutting steel fence wire, steel cable, fishhooks and similar materials.

I was under the impression, however, that most of the wire cutters on the Leatherman, Swiss, Bear and SOG tools are essentially like the standard needlenose plier cutters-i.e. mostly meant for very soft steel at best and copper mostly. I know some newer tools incorporate shear-type "hard wire" cutters. Gerber boasts their Legend's carbide cutters will make short work of steel cables and hard wire. Did you try the Gerber cutters, I wonder? If so did they perform any better. I'm currently carrying my Legend to give my Wave a break and must say the Legend and I are finding our new relationship rather rocky...

So my rather long-winded point is: When you and others tried to cut this cable and materials like it, does the cable/material cut or do the plier shears mar and tend to impede the plier opening and closing?

Just wondering, Bill.

[Rob]

We cut a lot of cable at the store to secure power tool displays.  I'm like you and prefer to rely on my MT whenever possible but for the cables we always grab a dedicated cable cutter with a rounded cutter.  It powers through even the thickest stuff.  Something like this Klein pair is what we use.

[jzmtl]

Aircraft cable is a pain to cut with bypass cutter for sure, anvil cutter works much better than bypass, so the ones on gerber should work.

[kreskin13]

I don't know much about cutting aircraft cable but here is where you can buy some.

http://www.countycomm.com/ring.htm

Remember, I shop like a woman!

Calvin

[Sea Monster]

I love to whip out a multi as much as anyone, but when it comes to wire rope, I don't believing in buggering around.

http://www.felco.com.au/en/produits/modele.asp?IdModele=88

[NeitherExtreme]

Interesting topic... Personally, I don't expect any current (or past) MT, no matter how expensive or well built, to be able to cut the same kinds of stuff a Klien (or other good manufacturer) Linesman pliers or Diaginal cutters could. Those things are just a different breed of tool, both in the steels used and design. With MT's I tend to cut the same stuff as I would with a good pair of Klien (etc.) Wirestrippers (nothing harder than copper or alluminum is what the packaging will recomend). Hardened steel or nails will bugger up a wirestrippers real fast, but that's not a fault of the strippers. That said, I've cut harder things than copper/alluminum with my LMs, but I wouldn't blame the tool if it ended up taking some damage like a Wirestrippers would.

[Sea Monster]

So my rather long-winded point is: When you and others tried to cut this cable and materials like it, does the cable/material cut or do the plier shears mar and tend to impede the plier opening and closing?

I've had to file off rounding of the cutter jaws that caused jamming of the pliers at least three times.

[gafftapegreenia]

When cutting aircraft cable, aka "steel wire rope", what  you really need are some Felco's.



http://www.felcostore.com/order1.jsp?code=F-C7

Sometimes, you just need a dedicated tool. The Klein Cable Cutters pictured will not handle aircraft cable. Klein 2000 series Linesman pliers and diagonal cutting pliers should be able to, but not in heavy use, and the cuts won't be clean.

[Leatherman123]

What about the stranded wire cutter on the SURGE/CORE!! 

[gafftapegreenia]

Well, that is a good point. What about them, I don't have one, so someone else must speak!

[Leatherman123]

I'll try and go to Home Depot or something and pick up some steel cable today.. If I do, I'll get back to you guys with the results!