awac

I feel like the sorting hat in Harry Potter, hmm.

I want to snip stainless spokes (2.00-2.6mm, up to 3mm would be nice to have, but not essential) to size, which to choose? Felco C3 or Knipex 95-62-190?

Can not find HRC for Felco but some web sites claim (this is hard to find info on the web) 10-15% harder than C7, but cuts up to 3mm wire. C7 brochure advertises 2.5mm Piano wire.

Knipex advertise HRC 64 and up to 2.5mm Piano wire.

One dealer told me via email he thought C7 was what I required. When I asked what he based that on, considering I didn’t need the 7mm opening and was dedicating this cutter to spokes, then would not the C3 be a better choice? No answer as yet.

Felco 30% more expensive than the Knipex, should be a done deal, but is the C3 a better cutter UP TO 3mm? That is my question folks?

Bike Gremlin

Bahco 1520G are pretty good.

I've mostly used them for cutting cables, but they can handle "beefier" stuff (rated for up to 3.8 mm piano wire).

grumpus

For cutting just the occasional spoke, or multiple wheels' worth? I ask because we had a little bench shear, with an adjustable stop, that made short work of cutting dozens of spokes accurately.

Bill Kapaun

awac

Hi Relja,
Always liked Bahco stuff, they have some good stuff, (and some bad stuff, you got to be objective with it, especially wood working tools).

These will leave a chisel point, yes can run a file over the end, but was trying to find as square a cut as possible.

When ever I see your avatar or read your website I always think about a song called “The song of the gremlin”! Part 1 & Part 2

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Captai...e_Starfighters

“The concept was based on the German Air Ministry's purchase of the Lockheed F-104G Starfighter, which was eventually nicknamed Widowmaker by Luftwaffe pilots. In German service these planes had a poor safety record, with 262 out of 916 Luftwaffe Starfighters lost in accidents during the aircraft's time in service, which lasted from the early 1960s until the mid-1980s”.

awac

The odd pair so up to 72 at a time. I seem to find nos long spokes on ebay for very little money (last box of Bradkiss stainless db cost me Ł10), so have got a Hozan coming (from the US via Amazon, cheapest I could find).

I have the usual box of extra spokes, and it is annoying when I want a different length for the drive side. I build for myself, family and friends so a little time on cutting is ok.

Thought I might make a holder for the cutter to sit on a table to snip to length with a stop.

If the inheritance comes in before I retire or die the Phil Wood will be mine, oh yes! Try finding a used on in the UK, no chance, it has to be new.

awac

Lol. I have a spare room as a wheel build, I would start a fire!

TiHabanero

I use a cut off 5" cutoff wheel when cutting out spokes from a wheel. Unless you have open combustibles in the area where you are doing the cutting, it is unlikely to start a fire. Also keep in mind that this can be done outside where the mess is no big deal. Put a rubber rim strip around the rim to keep the spokes from shooting out of the spoke hole opening.
A thick cut off wheel will last significantly longer than a thin one.

Andrew R Stewart 

Having blunted a few nice wire cutters over the years I now use small bolt cutters or diagonal cutters that don't cost much. Andy

veganbikes

In the debate between Felco and Knipex, I went with Knipex but honestly either is good but in the end I probably would use neither for cutting spokes personally. However to cut a spoke it would probably be another either or situation.

Russ Roth

I bought the Hit Tools 22-WRC75, had the same material handling capacity as the Knipex at half the price and made in Japan by a reputable company. I've cut a fair number of spokes with my and it shows no sign of fading. I've done your plan before and its very long tedious work. I found its easier to find shops with cheaper priced spokes or search ebay for random boxes. I might have a drawer full of small bags and boxes each containing a dozen or less spokes but I still have my sanity.

awac

Thank you. For Cutting out, it is the tool, I want to trim the ends.I have a choice of disc cutters at work but I wanted something quiet and focused I could use in my spare room. I am not doing this commercially so a little time is ok.

awac

Looks like the Felco, doesn’t it? Must drive them mad to see so many copies! Thank you for the recommendation.

I should change my name for when the UK economy crashes (er, did I say when?), maybe “eco spoke warrior worrier?”. Lol.
I also like finding boxes of spokes, but it annoys the hell out of me not being absolutely spot on with my build, so being able to alter them is King for me. OCD, autism, call it what you like (tedious, really? Lol) but it calms me to deep dive and focus (I used to carve wood to relax, let me tell you this forum has nothing on the sharpening forums!).

You assumed I had my sanity to begin with! Always love that word assume-they say never do that because it makes an ass out of you and me, lol.

When the great day comes, ie work slavery is finished, (assuming I don’t die one day before pension received, they keep moving it!) I will then sit and build wheels and supplement the meagre UK pension for however long I have left. I will not have to go for quantity but focus on quality (said the bishop to the actress), I will die over a truing stand and will be smiling. I will have of course, the Phil Wood by then, anyone out there have a used one for sale? Sigh…..

wesmamyke

Knipex mini bolt cutter all day. will do up to 5mm stainless. Spokes, fender stays, QR skewers and pretty much whatever will fit in the jaws.

Russ Roth

I suspect it's an old design so I'm not certain who originated it. Leaving it to whoever makes the subjectively best one. Most important is the one whose handles don't touch each other which is great for pinching the palm of your hands.

As for sharpening, the sandpaper on a glass plate is best. Just need 2k,4k,6k and 8k grit wet paper and a good strop properly charged. If you can shave with your plane blade you're spot on. Unless it's a new blade, then you start at 400 grit to flatten the blade and set your angle, don't forget to surface the plane too.

awac

Ha! A man with a problem! Not alone! Sharpening gets you like that…..can’t say anything, Sorby Pro-edge and finish with a translucent Arkansas stone, or my traveling friend a Luther best maide 51and a 105 (insane little hand crank which can get up to 4000rpm with a bit of gusto!). Hollow grind or flat bezel or mix the two, so many choices…..lol.

awac

Thank you. I expect a v notch is left. Not a deal breaker, was just trying to find a clean square cut with the cable cutters, but maybe this is the way to go?

Dan Burkhart 

If you broaden your search for a spoke cutting/threading tool to include the Morizumi, you might have more luck. Used machines, both Phil Wood and Morizumi come up now and then on wheel building groups, but they do hold their value quite well so you will still pay a fair amount for a used machine.
For what it's worth, I have had my Morizumi for about 11 years, put more than 60,000 spokes through it with one change of the dies and still serving me faithfully. I could not run my shop without it.

awac

Hi Dan.They are both great machines, but neither come up for second hand sale here. I have heard great things about both.The import tax from the US puts 20% on top of the shipping, and buying second hand over such a distance carries its own risk. I have a feeling it will be a new purchase. When I do set up shop it will be a business expense.

wesmamyke

They cut spokes pretty clean, the Felco style cutters do tend to cut/break spokes a little cleaner. On fender stays the mini bolt cutter does make a mess that needs cleaning up, still pretty quick way to get it done.

awac

Well, Knipex are edging closer to the finish line, but still time for Felco to nose ahead….

I have emailed a dealer in London, Felco.com, Felcouk.com, also the importer for the Uk for an answer. The dealer recommended the C7 but has not answered when I asked what he based that on. The company has not answered my email yet, but will give them until mid next week. It gives me the jitters when trying to BUY something they do not reply, imagine trying to contact with a PROBLEM?

The answer I want is why suggest C7 not C3 when the maximum cut is 3mm and hard stainless? The jaws are supposed to be harder HRC on the C3 by 10-15%, what is that hardness? They are supposed to give better wear, why not recommend them to me? They are to be dedicated to spoke cutting only.

The only brochure I can find was on Felco Romania’s site (in English), and it gets more confusing. No where is the C3 recommended over the C7, so what is the point? Are the jaws harder or is the span of the handle the only difference, to help with repetitive tasks?

If I was to pay a premium over a cheap tool, I expect a company to know the differences between its products, and tell me why they recommend a certain model. The web site is full of warnings about sub standard fakes, a bit more technical information please!

Knipex at least publish the data you need to make that choice, that’s why they are in the lead at the moment….

mpetry912 

for cutting spokes the $20 cutter from AMZN is good enough

get compound leverage. this is not a precision operation

Amazon.com : heavy duty cutting pliers

/markp

Trakhak

Good suggestion, at a price that makes it easy to use them only for spoke cutting.

That said: am I really the only guy on Bike Forums who is happy to unscrew spoke nipples and save the spokes and nipples for future builds? Stainless spokes are among the few bike components that really are likely to last forever. (Jobst Brandt once mentioned that he had ridden some 300,000 miles on one set of stainless spokes, having replaced the rim many times and the hub a few times.)

mpetry912 

re-use spokes yes, nips no. false economy

/markp

Duragrouch

I see no pictures of the cutters in question. Hardness matters, but so does leverage ratio to reduce repetitive stress injuries; a shorter distanct from the cutting point to the handle pivots, and/or longer handles, will help. So does compound leverage, like a Vise-Grip (tm), or bolt cutters.