Use and Abuse of Wirecutters

[max6166]

I was wondering what reasonable expectations are for using wirecutters on a multitool without damaging them.

In other words, what materials would you expect to be safe to cut, and which ones unsafe? How long should they last? Is snipping 500 coat hangers excessive? 10,000? etc...

The reason I ask is that think that the wirecutters are the implement on any multi that I am most likely to destroy. There was a recent thread with a Swisstool wirecutting demo, which made me realize I have no idea which things are reasonable and which would be considered abuse.

Are there any guidelines that would help prevent one from damaging their wirecutters?

[Anthony]

If I'm trying to cut something with them and I'm really straining to get it to snip...I usually stop and look for a heavier pair of cutters, or use my metal file/bend whatever I needed cut.

[Grant Lamontagne]

The simple answer is that the cutters are steel, so anything softer than steel should be ok, while stuff equal to or harder than steel might not be a great idea.  Of course, steel hardness depends on type of steel, heat treat, methods of manufacturing etc, so this can't be taken as a hard and fast rule.

Def

[scrappy]

I beat it and if it takes damage I look for a tool that doesn't. the shrade slip joint plier has an interesting wire cutter. it has no angle (for this reason it stinks at cutting thin stuff, it folds it)and is much stronger then competitiors imo.

[J-sews]

Wire cutters last a lot longer if they are used correctly. One good rule is to never cut steel wire unless you are using a hard wire notch. The "sharp" portion of a wire cutter is for nothing harder than copper or aluminum. A hard wire notch "breaks" steel wire moreso than it cuts.


In my experience, the toughest wire to cut is fine steel braided cable. (Also called wire rope) Hard wire cutters won't break it, and many wire cutters simply fold over the fine strands. 

[Leatherman123]

What about the stranded wire cutter on the current heavy duty Leatherman tools! ( Core, SURGE)

[max6166]

I don't have a lot of practical experience with this stuff, so please excuse me if I ask some boneheaded questions... 

In various demos, I have seen people using their multitools to cut everything from barbed wire to coat hangers to stranded cable to wire fences. In that Swisstool wirecutting video that was recently posted, the guy was hacking away at all kinds of hard wire like it was strands of wet spaghetti.

The sense I was getting from some of the posts was that people expected to be able to cut these materials with their wirecutters, and that the tool was at fault if it was damaged.

But even if those examples are extreme, I have some #18 galvanized steel wire which I would have assumed was safe to cut with the regular sharp portion of most multis? Or does it have to do with the different types of steel (of which I know nothing)?

If I stick to copper and aluminum, should the wirecutter basically never be actually damaged regardless of the quantity of use?

[J-sews]

.....I have some #18 galvanized steel wire which I would have assumed was safe to cut with the regular sharp portion of most multis? Or does it have to do with the different types of steel (of which I know nothing)?

No such thing as a boneheaded question around here Max

I would try cutting the steel wire with the hard-wire notch. If the wire "snaps" apart, then it is a harder grade of steel. Stick with the hard wire section.

If it kinda slices and the ends of the cut looks deformed, or it doesn't cut cleanly with the hard wire section, then the wire is likely to be a softer grade steel. Okay to use the sharp portion.


 

If I stick to copper and aluminum, should the wirecutter basically never be actually damaged regardless of the quantity of use?

If you stick with copper and aluminum, the sharp portion of your wire cutters should last the entire life of the tool.

[Medic82]

But how about the MT from SOG like the Powerlock? They have the compound leverage on them, so, since you have the power of God when using the pliers you should be able too cut almost anything without damaging the cutter. I can almost figure the answer is no because the compound leverage is meant too be used for nuts and bolts. But am I wrong too assume that you can cut anything? Lets say my mother byes a Powerlock because of the compound leverage for the purpose of cutting some really hard stuff. Now, my mother is not a person that surf the web for researching a tool or anything else, so she starts too use the Powerlock and the cuter on it breaks. She will contact SOG and wants it to get it replaced under warranty. Will SOG say no because she should have known from the start that she can’t use it too cut the things she wanted. Well, if that’s the case, then SOG should inform the consumers of what they can cut and not.

[max6166]

Sounds like your mother and I have a lot in common...

That's basically why I started this thread. I have no idea what is safe to cut and what isn't, and I don't want to destroy a bunch of tools to find out.

I think I have some idea now thanks to some of the responses, but it is still a fairly fuzzy area for me.

Paying close attention to the amount of effort required was probably the simplest guideline. If you have to squeeze really hard, the material is probably too hard for your multitool and will damage it.

scrappy mentioned something about "beating" it and seeing if the tool is damaged. I am not sure what he meant, but it sounds like it could be a way to test the material before trying to cut it, which would be ideal.

I don't know whether an of this applies as neatly to a PowerLock though, since it requires much less effort to generate a lot of power.

[Benner]

I have just looked up what the Swisstool and the Spirit are rated to cut, and they recommend not exceeding cutting wires rated more than 40 HRc.  It's just a shame that I don't know how hard 40HRc is. 

[Mike, Lord of the Spammers!]

I have just looked up what the Swisstool and the Spirit are rated to cut, and they recommend not exceeding cutting wires rated more than 40 HRc.  It's just a shame that I don't know how hard 40HRc is. 

Pretty soft, when you consider a Sak blade is 55-56 HRc

[FredKJ]

I just want you to know I was aquitted of all charges in family court for wire cutter abuse.  Yes they are steel but steels have different hardness.  As I recall there is a multitool model with replacable wire cutter blades.  I forget which one but I'm sure one of you knows.  Coathangers seem to be on the edge of limit.  I can cut them but have nicked the blades doing it.

[scrappy]

the gerber, it damages very easy but it can be replaced.

[max6166]

I have been reading up on all kinds of fancy dedicated wirecutters and things. It got me wondering why no one uses those fancy ceramics and alloys for their plier heads, or even just for the blades. Instead they use the titanium for the handle inserts...

An interesting side note: I stumbled across an article in Popular Science which cited Master Lock as saying that they use steel for their locks because steel is harder to cut than titanium.

[J-sews]

A way to roughly judge the hardness of steel wire is to try bending it:

Does it simply snap in two, like a sewing needle would? It's about 55-60 HRc. Don't try cutting it.

Is it hard to bend, and does it break when you bend it back straight? Figure about 50 HRc. Best avoid cutting that too.

Is it somewhat hard to bend, but it doesn't break when you bend it back straight? A fish hook would be a good example. It's probably about 35 - 45 HRc. You can cut it, but only use the hard wire notch. 

Coathanger-like bending properties? (barb wire fence for instance) Around 30 HRc. Stick with the hard wire notch.

Bends easily even though it is steel wire. Bailing wire or those rolls of wire they sell at the hardware store for suspended ceilings are good examples. Ordinary paperclips too. They could be anywhere from 10 to 25 HRc. You should still try the hard wire notch first just to be safe. If it mushes the wire instead of cutting it, then try switching to the regular (sharp) wire cutter area.

 

[Poncho65]

I really never thought about what to cut and what not to cut I usually just try it and if it doesn't cut it without to much force I just stop.  But it is really good info for what to cut and what not to, I guess it will at least save me some time Good post 

[max6166]

Yes, thank you very much J-sews. That was about as perfect an explanation as I could imagine. 

[J-sews]

'Snot a problem gents, I'm just the messenger. That was how some old fellow at the machine shop explained it to me years ago.

[NeitherExtreme]

I just ran into some pics from quite a while ago on my camera which related to this thread... I said above that I don't expect my MT's to cut more than copper or aluminum, which would be about the same expectations I have for standard wirecutters. That said, I've cut harder stuff than that with my LMs. Here's a pic of some random stuff I cut with my Kick, with no damage whatsoever to the cutters...

[NeitherExtreme]

I attempted to cut this galvanized screw, but gave up... bypass cutters just aren't the thing for such jobs, nor would I expect stainless steel to be harder than a galvanized screww in the first place... As you can see though, the screw got the worst of it... No damage to the cutters.

[jzmtl]

A way to roughly judge the hardness of steel wire is to try bending it:

Does it simply snap in two, like a sewing needle would? It's about 55-60 HRc. Don't try cutting it.

Is it hard to bend, and does it break when you bend it back straight? Figure about 50 HRc. Best avoid cutting that too.

Is it somewhat hard to bend, but it doesn't break when you bend it back straight? A fish hook would be a good example. It's probably about 35 - 45 HRc. You can cut it, but only use the hard wire notch. 

Coathanger-like bending properties? (barb wire fence for instance) Around 30 HRc. Stick with the hard wire notch.

Bends easily even though it is steel wire. Bailing wire or those rolls of wire they sell at the hardware store for suspended ceilings are good examples. Ordinary paperclips too. They could be anywhere from 10 to 25 HRc. You should still try the hard wire notch first just to be safe. If it mushes the wire instead of cutting it, then try switching to the regular (sharp) wire cutter area.

 

Don't know how I missed this post, saving it for future reference.

Sidenote, anyone know what's the hardness of leatherman plier head? I seem to remember bob have a tester at work. *hint hint*

[Poncho65]

A way to roughly judge the hardness of steel wire is to try bending it:

Does it simply snap in two, like a sewing needle would? It's about 55-60 HRc. Don't try cutting it.

Is it hard to bend, and does it break when you bend it back straight? Figure about 50 HRc. Best avoid cutting that too.

Is it somewhat hard to bend, but it doesn't break when you bend it back straight? A fish hook would be a good example. It's probably about 35 - 45 HRc. You can cut it, but only use the hard wire notch. 

Coathanger-like bending properties? (barb wire fence for instance) Around 30 HRc. Stick with the hard wire notch.

Bends easily even though it is steel wire. Bailing wire or those rolls of wire they sell at the hardware store for suspended ceilings are good examples. Ordinary paperclips too. They could be anywhere from 10 to 25 HRc. You should still try the hard wire notch first just to be safe. If it mushes the wire instead of cutting it, then try switching to the regular (sharp) wire cutter area.

 

Don't know how I missed this post, saving it for future reference.

Sidenote, anyone know what's the hardness of leatherman plier head? I seem to remember bob have a tester at work. *hint hint*

  

[J-sews]

A way to roughly judge the hardness of steel wire is to try bending it:

Does it simply snap in two, like a sewing needle would? It's about 55-60 HRc. Don't try cutting it.

Is it hard to bend, and does it break when you bend it back straight? Figure about 50 HRc. Best avoid cutting that too.

Is it somewhat hard to bend, but it doesn't break when you bend it back straight? A fish hook would be a good example. It's probably about 35 - 45 HRc. You can cut it, but only use the hard wire notch. 

Coathanger-like bending properties? (barb wire fence for instance) Around 30 HRc. Stick with the hard wire notch.

Bends easily even though it is steel wire. Bailing wire or those rolls of wire they sell at the hardware store for suspended ceilings are good examples. Ordinary paperclips too. They could be anywhere from 10 to 25 HRc. You should still try the hard wire notch first just to be safe. If it mushes the wire instead of cutting it, then try switching to the regular (sharp) wire cutter area.

 

Don't know how I missed this post, saving it for future reference.

Sidenote, anyone know what's the hardness of leatherman plier head? I seem to remember bob have a tester at work. *hint hint*

  

I'll get right on it. Did you have a particular model in mind, or will any Leatherman do?

[jzmtl]

They should be more or less the same, right? I'm thinking full size like wave/charge would be the best since that's what people (ab)use the most.

Oh while you are at it, could you test a name brand pliers/wire cutter? Would be interesting to see the difference between stainless and tool steel.