Wire Cutter Woes

Bill S said:
Take any engineering courses lately? I am thinking no, your logic on this is off.
Impact doesn't involve the material being cut in this case, it's the blade to blade impact, bad stuff. Yes it happens.
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Not lately, have you? :rolleyes:

I maintain that there is no impact given how the design for these tools are. On poorly made ones, there could be high be pressure/stress...two DIFFERENT things.

When and how did it happen?
 
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Poink88 said:
Not lately, have you? :rolleyes:

I maintain that there is no impact given how the design for these tools are. On poorly made ones, there could be high be pressure/stress...two DIFFERENT things.

When and how did it happen?
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I have some trees with 5 year old no. 6 and no. 8 copper on them and sometimes I can barely get the cutters to cut it. When it does cut it rings loud with a snap.

I would be interested to know with an average man pressing together the two handles of a 10 inch pair of wire cutters with that short of a fulcrum as hard as he can, just how much force is being applied.

Any engineers out there want to work that out?

FWIW, mine are 30 year old Kiku.
 
I think I should have started a new thread instead of reopening this can of worms.
 
Why is a bonsai wire cutter better then an average or quality 'normal' wire cutter? I don't get it please explain?

I see that they could remove wire (not cut) better then regular cutters but you can use needle nose or snub nose pliers for that task? I like tools, I have other bonsai tools, and Im not particularly frugal, just have never understood the bonsai wire cutters. Is it just to have a traditional tool? I'm not knocking buying them, if I was sold on why they are better I'd order a pair tonight.
My disclaimer, I've never used a bonsai wire cutter, just held them in my hand and thought I don't get it and didn't buy them as I didn't see the value or reason and I don't wire a ton of trees.
 
Two reasons

one. the fulcrum (pivot point) of bonsai wire cutters is very close to the working end of the tool. Only about 3/8 inch. On say some regular electrician wire cutters, the wire cutter head is much longer and pointier, they each have their purpose.

The fucrum being short with the long handles requires much less force to cut the wire after A. it stays on there a long time and gets hard as well as B. work hardens when it is bent.

2. the working end of the bonsai tool is short and blunt. It can be pushed rather hard into the tree to grasp the wire, but there is little danger of actually cutting wood. Do not push as hard with an electricians tool or you will cut a big chunk into the tree.
 
Smoke said:
Two reasons

one. the fulcrum (pivot point) of bonsai wire cutters is very close to the working end of the tool. Only about 3/8 inch. On say some regular electrician wire cutters, the wire cutter head is much longer and pointier, they each have their purpose.

The fucrum being short with the long handles requires much less force to cut the wire after A. it stays on there a long time and gets hard as well as B. work hardens when it is bent.

2. the working end of the bonsai tool is short and blunt. It can be pushed rather hard into the tree to grasp the wire, but there is little danger of actually cutting wood. Do not push as hard with an electricians tool or you will cut a big chunk into the tree.
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Add that the blades hardly touch if they ever (due to a built in stop), thus the remote chances of "impact" and "shattering" even cutting a hard wire.
 
Smoke said:
I have some trees with 5 year old no. 6 and no. 8 copper on them and sometimes I can barely get the cutters to cut it. When it does cut it rings loud with a snap.

I would be interested to know with an average man pressing together the two handles of a 10 inch pair of wire cutters with that short of a fulcrum as hard as he can, just how much force is being applied.

Any engineers out there want to work that out?
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Too many variables to calculate (and no I won't or cannot). How hard is the wire, tool sharpness, cutting edge profile, etc.
 
I have abused a pair of Masakuni wire cutters for over 40 years. Yes, I let them get a little rusty. (I kept them in the horse barn, and used them to cut hay strings for 6 years.)

Still going strong. I've never had to sharpen them.

I've dropped them. I've used them to cut copper wire they weren't designed to cut.

No problems.

Your experience may vary.
 
I've got two Masakuni wire cutters, one regular and one offset stainless. Thirty years plus and they still work great. I too have let them get rusty at times and used them to cut baling wire. In my opinion they are amazing tools. ( I use an eight inch bolt cutter to cut old 4 and 6 Ga. wire though).
 
Smoke said:
I have some trees with 5 year old no. 6 and no. 8 copper on them and sometimes I can barely get the cutters to cut it. When it does cut it rings loud with a snap.

I would be interested to know with an average man pressing together the two handles of a 10 inch pair of wire cutters with that short of a fulcrum as hard as he can, just how much force is being applied.

Any engineers out there want to work that out?

FWIW, mine are 30 year old Kiku.
Click to expand...

When the Physical Therapists were checking my progress months after a Hernia operation they had a hand held grip meter that put me at 185 lbs on each hand. They thought it was odd that both were the same but retested with different meters at another visit and the results were the same only 189 lbs. I mention it because there are meters is all.
 
Bought this Knipex angled head diagonal cutter and very pleased. Tried it with various nails and it did it w/ gusto. ;)

http://www.amazon.com/74-21-250-Lev...K8/ref=sr_1_44?ie=UTF8&qid=1384280565&sr=8-44

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hKa5Ia-0-Yw

It is a bit on the bulky side but if I need the power to cut heavy gauge wires, I am assuming there are clear space for it to go in. The angled head should help tremendously also. Just another option if you are still having cutter woes.
 
Brian Van Fleet said:
I'm still using the only pair I ever bought, 20 years ago. Black steel Kiku.

I love Masakuni tools, and own a few, but I wouldn't buy Masakuni wire cutters. Their tools are known to shatter easily, so I stay with their pliers and bypass-type tools, avoiding tools with any potentially high-impact stress.
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Masakuni will replace the cutter if it breaks or shatters
 
I probably have 10 pair of wire cutters and I would imagine they're all in pretty good shape. My problem is I don't know where to find them!! I guess I'll start hiding Easter eggs from myself next.
 
nathanbs said:
Masakuni will replace the cutter if it breaks or shatters
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Are you sure? This is a quote from Masakuni when asked to replace a broken tool. ".No refund, because Americans don't know how to use our tools."
 
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