To avoid these ads, REGISTER NOW!

Who makes good flush cutters?

To avoid these ads, REGISTER NOW!

redwrench60

Well-known member
Joined
Sep 10, 2011
Messages
6,075
Location
East Tennessee
Overall I think Knipex makes the best flush cutting pliers. They have cutting area from the tip, all the way back to the pivot, they have nice pointed tips to sneak in and nip a zip tie out of a bundle of wires without cutting or knicknig a conductor and the spring can be pulled if you don’t want spring loaded handles. They are incredibly durable and well made. IMG_3886.jpeg
 

neophyte

Well-known member
Joined
Apr 23, 2012
Messages
9,772
Location
Pennsylvannia
I have a pair of nice sewing scissors and I beg my wife not to use them for plastic but she doesn't listen. She also uses my expensive cooking scissors for cutting plastic. Kills me everytime

Maybe I'm a tool Nazi. Tools last longer if they aren't abused.
Gave you tried buying her a pair or two of the Midwest snips made for general shop use?
 

Attachments

  • IMG_1711.png
    IMG_1711.png
    1.4 MB · Views: 3
  • IMG_1710.png
    IMG_1710.png
    1.4 MB · Views: 2
  • IMG_1708.png
    IMG_1708.png
    826.9 KB · Views: 2
  • IMG_1707.png
    IMG_1707.png
    925.9 KB · Views: 2

CGarage

Well-known member
Joined
Nov 23, 2018
Messages
3,042
Location
United States/Switzerland
Facom ~ 30-40 years ago made a whole range of cutters with different blade / jaw material depending on what you were cutting.

I felt that was a very professional approach, with metallurgy and jaw design being application specific.
 

L.Cheapo

Well-known member
Joined
Oct 23, 2014
Messages
5,997
I have the Knipex and the Snap On. I prefer the Snap on. I like the handles better and the little plastic clip that came with it to protect the blades and keep it closed when not in use.
 
To avoid these ads, REGISTER NOW!

AJHD

Well-known member
Joined
Jan 4, 2020
Messages
3,042
Location
AZ
My vote is Snap On or Icon, depending on your budget.

I've had a pair of SO for many years now. I bought the Icon when they came out. I recommend both.

Not sure what it would take to wear them out. I used the Snap On pair 5-6 days per week for nearly a year, maybe longer. They still work fine.
 

mike93lx

ALLIANCE MEMBER
Joined
Dec 9, 2013
Messages
37,858
Location
Richmond, VA
Yes, that became apparent to me :D

Regardless, saying that your product can cut “screws” without specifying softer machine screws is a bit deceptive. In my mind, anyways
We're you cutting screws just for the sake of it?

The only screw I've ever had a need to cut were machine screws, but maybe I'm missing out
 

Hakeem

Well-known member
Joined
Jan 22, 2024
Messages
1,278
Location
Chicago
We're you cutting screws just for the sake of it?

The only screw I've ever had a need to cut were machine screws, but maybe I'm missing out

When you take a bunch of drywall down, the remaining screws can usually be removed with a driver or broken clean off with a hammer. Sometimes, they bend or break off proud of the stud, and have to be cut flush for the new drywall. Angle grinder is the best tool for the job but a hand tool that could trim the screws down would have been great.

I use the dedicated machine screw cutters on strippers for cutting machine screws to size
 

neophyte

Well-known member
Joined
Apr 23, 2012
Messages
9,772
Location
Pennsylvannia
We're you cutting screws just for the sake of it?

The only screw I've ever had a need to cut were machine screws, but maybe I'm missing out
Machine screws usually require a special cutter that doesn’t deform the diameter and the threads, unless the person cutting the machine screws feels like filing or grinding the end of the machine screw after cutting it.

There are plenty of other screw types, from wood screws, to deck screws, to drywall screws that might need to be cut down.
Cutting down screws because the only screws you have on hand are too long is not uncommon, and the same applies to nails,
Cutting down screws after installation, because you didn’t realize the screw/s were too long is also common.
Someone on the Philly Reddit section was complaining that their neighbor has a fence with numerous screws sticking out the back, probably because the fence was assembled by someone who bought or only had screws that where too long.
This is the type of thing where someone would need to either disassemble the fence, or go thru and cut every screw down screw down, and then hopefully go thru with sander or grinder to flatten the ends of the screws.
It would not surprise me if drywall screws were used, since drywall screws seem to be the quick go to general purpose screw nowadays, mainly due to the **** silly putty soft wood screws that tend to be readily available.
 

four.cycle

Well-known member
Joined
Oct 19, 2015
Messages
29,177
Location
Tacoma, Washington
When you take a bunch of drywall down, the remaining screws can usually be removed with a driver or broken clean off with a hammer. Sometimes, they bend or break off proud of the stud, and have to be cut flush for the new drywall. Angle grinder is the best tool for the job but a hand tool that could trim the screws down would have been great.
^ We used an oscillating "mult-tool" with a metal blade for that task. Went through three or four packages of blades on that job.
 

AEAdam

Well-known member
Joined
May 27, 2023
Messages
2,788
Location
SE PA
We're you cutting screws just for the sake of it?

The only screw I've ever had a need to cut were machine screws, but maybe I'm missing out
Only times I EVER cut screws is when I’m installing toilets. Those brass base bolts often need cutting off so the cap fits. Household electrical plate covers is the other time.

In both instances, I run at least 2 good nuts on, torque them against each other so I have something to hold, then either put them in a vise and use a hack saw, or in the case of electrical I use bolt cutters. I have cut the toilet bolts insitu, but do the same thing with extra nuts.

Then obviously you can file the ends or not then unthread the nuts to straighten out the cut threads. Easy peasy.

Otherwise, honestly for absolutely everything else, I buy the right bolt or machine it properly on the miller.
 
OP
S

Sparky Six Axis

Active member
Joined
Jan 13, 2026
Messages
39
Only times I EVER cut screws is when I’m installing toilets. Those brass base bolts often need cutting off so the cap fits. Household electrical plate covers is the other time.

In both instances, I run at least 2 good nuts on, torque them against each other so I have something to hold, then either put them in a vise and use a hack saw, or in the case of electrical I use bolt cutters.

Buy a pair of Klein strippers. They have built in machine screw cutters that don't damage the thread. You can cut 6-32 and 8-32.
 
To avoid these ads, REGISTER NOW!
Top Bottom