End Cutting Pliers Question.

[dink]

Those of you who have had yours over a period of time have you left the cutting end alone or have you filed the ends down to make them a little sharper?

 

[jeremy v]

I have dressed the cutting edges with a Dremel to properly align blades that did not close flush (tightened the gap so light can no longer pass between cutting edges), removed dings in the cutting edges, and I have ground away the body of the end cutters to bring the cutting edge closer to the end of the pliers in order to be able to cut more flush to a surface, but I don't change the angle of the cutting edges.

If you make a sharper angle it will cut faster and easier, but the cutting edges will wear faster and/or ding more easily. I think it would be fine to do it for end cutters that will only be cutting copper or aluminum wire, but I would not do it for anything that is used to cut harder metals or thicker materials.

 

[wise]

Grinding them down flush makes them wear really fast, but is AWESOME to cut zip-tie tails nice and flush so they don't grab on someones clothes or skin. If just used for that purpose they last quite a while. I have a cheaper set of Nippers and Side-cutters that I did just that to, and they do get used quite a bit whenever I do wiring. I'd never do that to snap-on or even Channellocks because you're intentionally making them light duty anyways.