Suboptimal. Bought on a recommendation I saw here. Is the Knipex Bowden the cable/housing cutter of choice?
by canuevendoublehaul
Suboptimal. Bought on a recommendation I saw here. Is the Knipex Bowden the cable/housing cutter of choice?
by canuevendoublehaul
10 Comments
Nope, Park Tool CN-10 is what your LBS will have in the back and will likely recommend. You’ll continue to have bad luck without the proper cutters. There are other alternatives but this is considered the best.
The “not for steel or acsr” is a hint… but if someone recommend them, then I don’t blame you for taking them at their word.
I use Tsunoda WC-150 for light duty, KNIPEX 95 61 190 for heavy duty, and for things like brake housing I’ll usually use a dremel with a heavy duty cutoff wheel to make nice clean cuts (and also make lots of sparks). When I’m in a rush or just making rough cuts, I’ll usually grab my Knipex but the Tsunoda are really good for the price.
Tsunoda Cutting Capacity : Iron wire rope φ0.16-inch (4mm) / Stainless wire rope φ0.12-inch (3mm)
Knipex Cutting Capacity: For cutting wire rope up to 13/64″ (5.158mm).
I think the Knipex Bowden (95 61 150) is probably on par with the Tsunoda as far as capacity.
For classic spiral wound brake housing use diagonal/side cutters. For linear (shift or compressionless) use cable cutters.
yeah that cutter is way too large, in general. that becomes very problematic when dealing with stranded cables or squishy housing
I agree with poster above, Parktool CN-10s are made for this, and good at it, no reason to deviate. For the cleanest cuts a Dremel with a cutting disc is cleaner than any hand cutting tool and doesn’t cause any compression of housing.
Knipex cobolts (mini bolt croppers) are hands down the best cable cutters for outer, especially brake.
It doesn’t make sense, it shouldn’t work, but they do, and they’re better than all the proper wire rope cutters.
[These Jagwire cutters](https://www.jensonusa.com/jagwire-incisor-cable-and-housing-cutter) have been my go-to for shop use. No problems, still cuts cleanly after years of using them. My favorite part is a little awl imbedded in the bottom of the handle so you can open the housing liner back open after cutting. Use a file, Dremel, or bench grinder afterwards to make the end flush.
Those literally say “Not for steel” on them. Whoever recommended them didn’t know what they were talking about. Klein is a big tool company in the electrical space so most of their tools are geared towards electricians. These are for copper or aluminum wire. The steel cable is too hard. Diagonal side cutters and some strength and patience, or a pair of steel cable cutters. There are some cheap ones on Amazon that work really well, or the tried and true ParkTool ones are great too.
Felco C7 or Knipex 95 61 190 wire rope cutters are both top notch. I’m currently using the Knipex but may be going back to the Felcos as the ergonomics are a little better in my opinion.
i just use dykes or tinsnips. no need for a special tool.