Knipex CoBolt and other mini bolt cutters

[Pinne]

I've got a pair of the 160mm Knipex CoBolt S (71 01 160) cutters that I really like, they're much more useful than I'd ever expect a cutter this small to be. I've always just had diagonal cutters and similar but these get a lot of use. I'd like to get a bigger pair to go along with and have seen good things about the NWS cutters as well, but never tried them.

I've heard good things about THESE NWS but not sure how comparable they'd be to something like the 8" CoBolt or 10" CoBolt XL.

Any others I should consider for this sort of cutter?

 

[neophyte]

The Knipex Cobolt are the version most other manufacturers chose to copy after the patent expired.
The NWS might be better as far as cutting access.

I presume you might have seen this video.

Depending on use, it might be a toss up which are better.

 

[Nobody-named-Olli]

Maybe this helps.

8” CoBolt (71 32 200) vs. the 8” NWS





The head of the NWS is quite a bit slimmer and quite a bit farther reaching, the CoBolt has more of a “bull nose”.

Cutting wise, I‘ve used the NWS to cut fairly thick non ferrous metals without issues or breaking the pivot. The CoBolt I use almost exclusively on bolts, nails, chain links, (…) thats what it excels at, especially given the recess in the back portion of the jaws.

Kind regards,
Olli

 

[Steve_P]

^good pics.

I have both, like Olli. The NWS came out first, and then of course I had to buy the Cobalt; or three of them. I've cut many nails with the Fantastico, cuts surprisingly easy, no issues with any unexpected wear. Mine are chrome plated, so they've lost a bit of the plating at the cutting edge, as expected, but otherwise no issues and no visible wear to the cutters. My NWS have a lot more use on them than the Cobolts since I've had them much longer.

The NWS is obviously more of a hybrid plier, while the Cobolt is more of a tiny bolt cutter. If I had to pick one of the two, hmm... that's tough.

 

[Pinne]

Thanks all - very helpful to see them side-by-side, Olli.

And I hadn't seen the video, so thank you for linking it. The Capri is impressive, but I think the Knipex being a bit more durable is ultimately what I'd prefer. The NWS seems like a pretty nice option too, perhaps down the line if I find that the CoBolts aren't maneuverable enough.

 

[Beerhippie]

^good pics.

I have both, like Olli. The NWS came out first, and then of course I had to buy the Cobalt; or three of them. I've cut many nails with the Fantastico, cuts surprisingly easy, no issues with any unexpected wear. Mine are chrome plated, so they've lost a bit of the plating at the cutting edge, as expected, but otherwise no issues and no visible wear to the cutters. My NWS have a lot more use on them than the Cobolts since I've had them much longer.

The NWS is obviously more of a hybrid plier, while the Cobolt is more of a tiny bolt cutter. If I had to pick one of the two, hmm... that's tough.

Checks out--I'm on GJ!

"Which is better?"

"Buy 'em both."

 

[terrific]

A Japanese company named 3.Peaks sells a version they call "Green Nippers"

I do kind of wonder how practical these cutters are, though. Looking at the measured forces in the video, cutting a deck screw is doable, but you're going to get a sore hand pretty quickly.

 

[lotus_esprit]

I had a pair of Snap On mini bolt cutters, can’t remember the model off hand, possible HW9P or something like that; one of the pivot bolts broke and Snap On replaced them with a pair of those Knipex Cobolt cutters. I use them exclusively to shorten stainless split pins, something that they excel at.

 

[neophyte]

A Japanese company named 3.Peaks sells a version they call "Green Nippers"

I do kind of wonder how practical these cutters are, though. Looking at the measured forces in the video, cutting a deck screw is doable, but you're going to get a sore hand pretty quickly.

I once had to break down a mattress to go in the trash, since I couldn’t get the mattress to the the sanitation drop off locations miles away.
Large items, and mattresses weren’t supposed to be just placed out for trash, so the mattress had to be broken down to fit in regular garbage bags of a certain maximum weight.
This required cutting down the outer mattress upholstery, and then disassemble a **** load of spring wired together.
I probably made a couple hundred cuts or more.
Yes, my hand was sore afterward, but I wasn’t doing that type of cutting everyday.
(I didn’t use an angle grinder due to fear of sparks and fire).
Basically, if you need to do lots of cuts each day, you might get used to cutting with this type of cutters.
Otherwise, you might use these mini bolt cutters if a cutting task comes ip unexpectedly, or for safety reasons, you can’t use a grinder, or you are away from power.
High leverage cutters are routinely used for running fences on farms and ranches.
Cutters like this are also routinely used for cutting the connecting casting sprues, although in many cases these are softer metal.

 

[Pinne]

A Japanese company named 3.Peaks sells a version they call "Green Nippers"

I do kind of wonder how practical these cutters are, though. Looking at the measured forces in the video, cutting a deck screw is doable, but you're going to get a sore hand pretty quickly.

The design of the jaw / knives on the 3.Peaks looks like it might be a little more difficult to use than the Knipex - the Knipex I don't need to worry about anything sliding out the backside of the jaws.

I like these cutters because they're less effort on a lot of things than diagonal cutters. And often I don't have a space constraint or don't need a flush cut. So the mini bolt cutters make quick and easy work of pretty burly wire. It's definitely not a necessity but I've picked up the 160mm and the 200mm version now for about $30/ea and that's well worth it I think.