op - sorry, I should have posted a photo. The cable was fine until I cut the end off to leave about 25-30mm past the anchor bolt. I squeezed hard on the diagonals, heard a "sproing" sound, and voila: a nice 45 degree spray of fully frayed cable to just about the anchor bolt. I know it won't affect function, but it just bugged me. This was also my first use of a new pair of diagonals, and it turns out they are slightly defective, in that only about half the jaw length actually has both cutting surfaces meet, even under substantial hand pressure. Back to Sears for warranty replacement!