there seem to be a few that look very similar – any point in paying the extra?

Eg. Pedros at £25+ http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/Models.aspx?ModelID=13796

and cheap Ebay jobs at £10ish – see http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Gear-Brake-cable-cutters-RRP-17-99-/110547842009

I got some cheap, but branded, generic cable cutters from ebay and they’ve been great.

I have the £10 ebay jobbies in my portable tool box for the last 4 years. I also have a pair of almost identical Record wire cutters that are over 20 years old and stay in the workshop that cost me £32 then. The records cut a little better but so much as you’d notice. save yer money.

Ha! I was just about to say they look identical to my £8 or so B&Q ones!!!

To answer the question – No. £25 for cable cutters is insane.

Being a mechanic and using them day in day out I would go for the Pedros ones. Park are ok but don’t stay sharp for long in my opinion. Have not tried any others though.

Mine are almost identical to the Pedros ones……..

[url=http://www.flickr.com/photos/peter_atkin/5054963138/]iphone_pic[/url] by PeterPoddy, on Flickr

In fact, they’re the same ones, aren’t they?

Those Pedros ones are a stoooopid price

Ive some perfectly suitable ones from Screwfix. I think they were only about £6.

Dremel works well and has a tonne of other uses

Park ones are really disappointing, they start out average but at least don’t seem to get any worse, from day one they feel like the blades aren’t quite tight.

PeterPoddy – Member

In fact, they’re the same ones, aren’t they?

Those Pedros ones are a stoooopid price

Yes. Also, I bought this for a fiver

which I spotted after nearly buying this one for £12:

If i was mr Pedro’s I’d be well pee’d off with these rascally tool manufacturers who pinched my design and sold it for less than half the price. 😕

I’ve got these:

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ROLSON-190mm-WIRE-ROPE-STEEL-CABLE-CUTTER-SNIPS-SHEARS-/130439634244?pt=UK_Hand_Tools_Equipment&hash=item1e5ecedd44#ht_1577wt_913

and they’ve been superb for the last few years.

Here you go, cheap and very sharp!
http://www.screwfix.com/prods/47997/Hand-Tools/Pliers-Cutters/Cable-Wire-Cutters/Cable-Cutters-240mm

Most cutters work fine if you heat the cable with a lighter first. Good tip for clean cuts

If i was mr Pedro’s I’d be well pee’d off with these rascally tool manufacturers who pinched my design and sold it for less than half the price.

To be fair, I’d say it’s far more likely that it’s the other way round…..

Top tip, heat the bit of the cable with a fag lighter for 20 secs and then cut it. Like a knife through butter.

Oh and i’ve got a pair of shimano cable cutters that i’ve had for about 14 years, really good (for they should be at £30 at the time).

To be fair, I’d say it’s far more likely that it’s the other way round…..

i am far too polite to insinuate such a thing. 🙂

PeterPoddy – Member

If i was mr Pedro’s I’d be well pee’d off with these rascally tool manufacturers who pinched my design and sold it for less than half the price.

To be fair, I’d say it’s far more likely that it’s the other way round…..

Knowing hand tool manufacture/distribution i’d say they’re propably from the same far eastern factory.

Most hand tool companies are just distributing not manufacturing

I’d like to know what the fellow LBS guys are using these days, my old Shimano ones are finally giving up the ghost after 6 solid years of daily use. Tried some of the new style Shimano ones (with the black handles) and they are fraying cables after 6 months.

Find Park to bulky for my small girl like hands.

What was wrong with the old design? Why did you change it Shimano?

Got some Fat Spanner ones that work OK. To be honest though they just look like all the other ones up there, but with black handles.

As most others have said, the cheapy ones are fine for most people

If you really must have top quality ones, buy Felco

Those Felco ones are IDENTICAL to mine, right down to the knurled button on the locking clip!

🙂

Knowing hand tool manufacture/distribution i’d say they’re propably from the same far eastern factory.

Most hand tool companies are just distributing not manufacturing

Yes, that’s what I was getting at, but you phrased it far bettr than I could manage, thanks. 🙂

but if Felco make their own… why do they look identical to all the others?

Those Felco ones are IDENTICAL to mine, right down to the knurled button on the locking clip!

I have a couple of the cheapy ones at home & we use Felco ones at work – believe me, they aint the same

here’s some more, for your delectation…

CyclePro £12 posted http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/CYCLEPRO-PROFESSIONAL-CYCLE-CABLE-CUTTERS-CPT513-/380207333584

Fat Spanner £19.99 posted http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Cable-Cutters-Bicycle-Fat-Spanner-Heavy-Duty-/140461727812

X-Tools £17.95 posted http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/X-Tools-Cable-Cutters-Pro-/330478219140

I think I’m erring towards the mid blue handles myself…..

I bought some Elite cable cutters nearly 20 years ago and they are still going strong, even after using them to cut mudguard stays. Faultless.

Buy the Icetoolz ones.

Either the regular one (which the guys in my LBS use)

Or the “pro” one

I’ve got the pro ones and a Park Tools set in my workshop and I always preferred using the IceToolz version – partly coz they have a little bit for opening up the ends of housing you’ve just cut.

Then the Park Tools ones stopped cutting properly and started mashing the cables instead and though I constantly re-adjust them they simply don’t work as well as the IceToolz version at half the price.

I’ve got the Park ones and to be quite honest, they are not very good. Feels like the cutting surfaces are a tiny bit apart so they tend to fray the cables, I was a little disapointed given how much i’d paid for them.

i bought a set of Shimano 15 years ago still work ok.

I have a couple of the cheapy ones at home & we use Felco ones at work – believe me, they aint the same

The design is identical. One is a copy of another, and it’s impossible to say which, becasue it’s a classic design, simple and effective. Mine snip inner/outer cables and spokes cleanly and with ease, what more do you need? :). I’ve had them several years now, and whilst they’re not in daily use there’s absolutely no point whatsoever spending any more for home use 🙂

It’s the same with most standard tools (Spanners, Allen keys etc) The ‘bike tool makers’ charge a fortune for something that’s no better than good quality stuff you can get from anywhere. Bodus allen keys are a good example. They’re superb quality, at least as good as anything with Park or Pedros stamped on it but 1/2 of the price, yet people seem to think a ‘bike name’ makes them somehow better! 😕

Don’t get me wrong, I like good quality tools (And there’s some stuff you can’t avoid buying) but there’s a big saving to be had if you know where to look. Which isn’t hard… 🙂

the LBS I worked at used “Knipex” IIRC – in the pedros style, £10 odd and worked/lasted great (we did repairs rather than sold bikes so they cut a lot of cables).

IME the Park ones are not great and very overpriced (like amny of their tools) and Shimano are overprced too. I have 20 year old suntour ones at home which work well but haven’t seen that much use.

The design is identical. One is a copy of another, and it’s impossible to say which, becasue it’s a classic design, simple and effective. Mine snip inner/outer cables and spokes cleanly and with ease, what more do you need? :). I’ve had them several years now, and whilst they’re not in daily use there’s absolutely no point whatsoever spending any more for home use

The key word you use is design, what grade of steel, of plastic, what is the warranty like, the QC at point of manufacture, etc, these are things that effect the longevity and effectiveness of the item.

Look at what you want and pay your money

Shimano for me. Over 10yrs old, lots of cables the odd mudguard stay, still the mustard. As they should be for the £40 they cost me at the time.