Can you explain Smith & Hemenway S & H Needle Nose Cutter Inserts?

[3jakes]

Interesting to me why someone would make a pliers with removable cutter inserts.
The jaws are tapped for a screw to hold down blades that fit in channels.
The screw hole is round, so no depth adjustment is possible if you were to sharpen the cutters, making them shorter.
And the cutter inserts stick out from the body of the jaws.
Is there a reason these were made like this?
Maybe I'm missing something.

 

[Private Lugnutz]

So you don't have to throw away the whole plier when the cutters go dull, I would presume. I have several from a contemporary mfgr called Neverslip. But those are linesman type. If you search this forum on "Neverslip" you'll find the thread.

 

[3jakes]

So you don't have to throw away the whole plier when the cutters go dull, I would presume. I have several from a contemporary mfgr called Neverslip. But those are linesman type. If you search this forum on "Neverslip" you'll find the thread.

Lugz, I read your Neverslip post.
They look more "elegant" than my S & H.
Wondering how a pliers owner purchased new cutter inserts.
A pair at a time, a box of 10?
Now days with so many things the cost of repairs is equal to about 50% of a new one. May as well pony up & get the shiny.
Also reminds me a little of snap-ring pliers with interchangeable tips.
In most peoples tool box, the little suckers get lost.

 

[Private Lugnutz]

Lugz, I read your Neverslip post.
They look more "elegant" than my S & H.
Wondering how a pliers owner purchased new cutter inserts.
A pair at a time, a box of 10?

I don't know the exact quantity, but that's the idea.

Now days with so many things the cost of repairs is equal to about 50% of a new one. May as well pony up & get the shiny.

I'm not following your point here. With your vintage S&H needle-nose pliers and my vintage Neverslip linesman pliers, instead of having to buy a whole new pair of pliers, you only had to buy the replacement cutters at a small fraction of the cost. Pennies on the dollar. There's no repair necessary. You just unscrew the worn cutters and screw in the spares. That's not true of most modern cutting pliers, unfortunately.

There are high end compound nippers that still use this concept today. If there's nothing wrong with the handles or the jaws or the pivot, why throw them away? Waste of steel and money.

 

[3jakes]

I don't know the exact quantity, but that's the idea.

I'm not following your point here. With your vintage S&H needle-nose pliers and my vintage Neverslip linesman pliers, instead of having to buy a whole new pair of pliers, you only had to buy the replacement cutters at a small fraction of the cost. Pennies on the dollar. There's no repair necessary. You just unscrew the worn cutters and screw in the spares. That's not true of most modern cutting pliers, unfortunately.

There are high end compound nippers that still use this concept today. If there's nothing wrong with the handles or the jaws or the pivot, why throw them away? Waste of steel and money.

No argument.
I guess I've never run into modern quality pliers with replacable cutters.
This old concept was new to me.

 

[Private Lugnutz]

I guess I've never run into modern quality pliers with replacable cutters.

Me neither. Just nippers. When I was trying to find old ads for just the spare blades I ran into a few old trade mag notices. Apparently Utica was also making pliers with renewable blades at one point. These wer from the 1920's, same time that the Neverslip's were being made.