Originally Posted by
Amesja
Pet peeve # 364: Abusing a cutting tool to cut the wrong things with them.
Originally Posted by
Amesja
A good pair of high-end tin snips will cut the cable no problem without fraying or damaging it, it will also cut the housing too but that is harder since a tin snips does not have the parrot-beak contour of two U-shaped blades ....
Best to use the right tool though.
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Am I the only one finding unintended irony here?
Quality tools are made of materials with edges shaped for specific jobs. Tin snips are for cutting sheet metal, wire cutters for cutting solid wire, and cable (or wire rope) cutters for cutting multi-strand wire, or wire rope.
When you cut wire with a pair of snips, you risk nicking the edge which isn't made for the kind of concentrated stress that round wire causes. Even among simple cutters like diagonal cutters, the jaws are ground differently for cutting copper wire, mild steel wire and piano wire, which is the hardest grade.
If you want to cut cables, buy a dedicated V-jaw cable cutter and use it only for that kind of multi strand wire. (index housing is OK)