To avoid these ads, REGISTER NOW!

Knipex high-leverage cutters

98TJ

Well-known member
Joined
May 31, 2011
Messages
1,034
Location
Honolulu, HI
He says, "Russia is wonderful country and other stuff".

Actually, I think the correct translation is "In Soviet Russia pliers squeeze you." :lol_hitti

I'm hooked in Knipex pliers, but I also have nice pliers from other brands.
 
To avoid these ads, REGISTER NOW!

VinDSL

Well-known member
Joined
Jan 5, 2012
Messages
117
Location
Arizona Uplands
*among the finest pliers*
Those things are the cutest pliers on the planet... I'll give that to them.

Wouldn't hold up in our workplace. We use our side cutters for hammers too. LoL!

I'll tell you what, though...

Knipex DOES make the finest circlip/retainer ring pliers on the planet! Absolutely! Positively!
 

Davo3

Well-known member
Joined
Jul 11, 2011
Messages
217
Location
Fig, NC
I know many of you guys don't seem to like the newer Crescent stuff, but I use their compound (leverage) diagonal cutters daily, and they work great.
 

imagine44

Well-known member
Joined
Aug 12, 2011
Messages
98
Pretty simple how these work. They've taken out the center pin and replaced it with two channels. Those two channels are situated in an arc rotating around a point. That point is an axis of rotation very close to the cutter head.
 
OP
S

Stuey

Well-known member
Joined
Jan 8, 2008
Messages
11,034
Location
28m above sea level
Pretty simple how these work. They've taken out the center pin and replaced it with two channels. Those two channels are situated in an arc rotating around a point. That point is an axis of rotation very close to the cutter head.
Spot-on.

There are a couple of side-effects, though. Most notably, cutting thicker or harder wires requires more than one cutting motion.

In future iterations or variations, I anticipate that there might be a rounded notch to help grab wires.
 
OP
S

Stuey

Well-known member
Joined
Jan 8, 2008
Messages
11,034
Location
28m above sea level
So in your opinion Stuey, would you prefer Fantasticos or these guys?
It's really hard to say, actually. Going back and forth between cutters, I think that the Knipex require slightly less force to operate. On the downside, cutting hard wire with them might require two or more squeezes. The Fantasticos open wider, but the handles also spread wider and can be a minor nuissance to bring together if one hand is occupied.

If it comes down to price, I would probably favor the NWS. But the Knipex TwinForce also has its smaller size and weight going for it.
 
To avoid these ads, REGISTER NOW!

imagine44

Well-known member
Joined
Aug 12, 2011
Messages
98
Spot-on.

There are a couple of side-effects, though. Most notably, cutting thicker or harder wires requires more than one cutting motion.

In future iterations or variations, I anticipate that there might be a rounded notch to help grab wires.

Rounded notch would work, although there would still need to be two cuts due to the dead spot. The thing with side cutters, is that the best geometry but the worst leverage for the cut gets better the farther you get from the pivot point. The best geometry along the entire cutting edge is when the cutter is closed. It's why the hard wire slips the closer it is to the pivot, and why you get the most leverage and feel strongest when pressure is applied at right angles to the handles with your hand.

For hard wire, these are much better.

http://www.knipex.com/index.php?id=1216&L=1&page=group_detail&parentID=1367&groupID=1465

Both cutting edges stay parallel, and at the same distance from the pivot so the wire doesn't slip. I use these in combination with a regular side cutter, and most of the bases are covered
 
OP
S

Stuey

Well-known member
Joined
Jan 8, 2008
Messages
11,034
Location
28m above sea level
New video added to the first post.

I'm still getting a feel for these pliers since you can't exactly pick them up and use them perfectly right away.
 

Monte

Well-known member
Joined
Dec 23, 2008
Messages
12,663
Location
Germany
thx for the video !
i hope you didn´t cut all your coat-hangers for the video :)
 
OP
S

Stuey

Well-known member
Joined
Jan 8, 2008
Messages
11,034
Location
28m above sea level
thx for the video !
i hope you didn´t cut all your coat-hangers for the video :)
Glad you liked it! My wife has plenty more hangers in case one disappears. She won't miss that one, though, as it came from the dry cleaner.

I do have piano wire for heavier testing, I just need to find it.
 

Monte

Well-known member
Joined
Dec 23, 2008
Messages
12,663
Location
Germany
:thumbup:

So if you had to choose one of the cutting pliers you showed in the video - which one you would choose ?
 
OP
S

Stuey

Well-known member
Joined
Jan 8, 2008
Messages
11,034
Location
28m above sea level
:thumbup:

So if you had to choose one of the cutting pliers you showed in the video - which one you would choose ?
That's a hard question since I don't use the cutters in a daily basis or to earn a living.

Channellocks are strong and inexpensive, NWS are heavy-duty but the handles do swing open a bit wide, and the Knipex are smaller, lighter, and non-fatiguing, but they're also pricey.

If I had zero pliers, I would probably go for the Channellocks first and then upgrade if/when necessary. The Fantasticos and TwinForce provide the most advantage when cutting harder wires.
 
To avoid these ads, REGISTER NOW!
Top Bottom