Okay so tightening the pivot screw and cutting cables with cable in the housing. good tips.

My cutters are still cutting cables and housings pretty much problem free, aside from the lining squishing. when they stop cutting cable cleanly I'll spring for some good ones. I generally do maybe one cable job a month, but I did like 3 full cable replacements In december. I would have thought even a "cheap" 25 dollar cable cutter would be able to handle that much use before starting to noticeably Dull. Its not like I place anywhere near the demands on it that a shop tool would recieve.