Cable/Housing Cutter Suggestions

[Tim O. (Portland, OR)]

I've been using a cheapo tool to cut cables and housing forever, but it's always a clunky process that results in frayed cables and/or frustration. I hate cutting housing so much that I just left my housing way too long when I recently changed my shifters.

Just did a quick search to see what's out there and it looks like $20-40 bucks for something specific to bikes for cutting cable/housing. Does anyone have experiences they'd like to share? Do I want a bike specific cable cutter or can I get a generic hardware store version? Is it worth it to spend the extra few $$ on this tool or do they all work the same?

If Riv sold one, I'd just buy that version.

Thanks!
Tim
Portland, OR

[Steven Sweedler]

Tim I have been using Klein side cutters for years but buying a pair of Park or Felco's will be very. Satisfying

--
You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "RBW Owners Bunch" group.
To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to rbw-owners-bun...@googlegroups.com.
To post to this group, send email to rbw-owne...@googlegroups.com.
Visit this group at https://groups.google.com/group/rbw-owners-bunch.
For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout.

--

Steven Sweedler
Plymouth, New Hampshire

[Eric Norris]

I use Park’s cable cutter for cables, but I prefer using a Dremel and a small cutting wheel for the housing. The Park cutter kind of munches up the housings; a cutting wheel makes a nice, straight, flat cut.

--Eric Norris
campyo...@me.com

@CampyOnlyguy (Twitter/Instagram)

[Bill Lindsay]

Park CN-10 and Felco C-3 are classic choices, and should last any home mechanic multiple lifetimes. 

Bill Lindsay

El Cerrito, CA

[Joe Bernard]

I've had the Park for ages, and my recent Pedro's kit purchase has a cutter. Bike shops use separate tools for housing and inner wire, but I use one cutter for both. The trick when cutting housing is to put a piece of scrap wire in the end to keep the hole round and cut. Then grab a flat file to smooth it out a bit. An added benefit on the Park tool is it has a squisher for shifter/brake-wire end caps.

Spend the money, get the tool. You'll be shocked at how much of a difference it makes.

[Conway Bennett]

Get the expensive Shimano one.

[Broccoli Cog]

I just replaced a pair of Park CN-10's with a new pair. Mine had become dull from cutting a multitude of other things from cables to zipties. FWIW In order to improve longevity my LBS recommended using the CN-10 for housing only and have a quality side cutter on hand for cables. I would avoid using them, like I did, for many things.

[Belopsky]

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00125KG9C/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&psc=1

[Joe Bernard]

I've heard this phrase, "side cutter", for years. What does it look like?

[Lee Legrand]

Hi Joe,

I recommend getting separate cutters for both housing and cables. Get a rotary tool for cutting the housing and a good cable cutter for cables.  Using a typical cable cutter closes the metal casing of the housing and does not leave a square edge.  In addition, you will need a awl to reopen the housing hole to allow cables to run thru and metal file to get a square edge. Get a good quality cable cutter that last to cut the cables and you should be good.

On Tue, Aug 8, 2017 at 9:55 PM, Joe Bernard <joer...@gmail.com> wrote:

I've heard this phrase, "side cutter", for years. What does it look like?

--
You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "RBW Owners Bunch" group.

To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to rbw-owners-bunch+unsubscribe@googlegroups.com.
To post to this group, send email to rbw-owners-bunch@googlegroups.com.

[Brett Callahan]

Hi Tim,

I use two cheapo tools I bought on Amazon. I'll try to link to them below, but here's what I've learned: spend a few bucks more. Pedro's tools makes a cable cutter that's widely available for $25 or so that I'm sure is better. My cable cutter works okay, but has started dulling after one bike's worth of cable cutting. The 'wire nipper' struggles to cut the steel inner of Jagwire brake cable housing. If you want 'just good enough', you can get by with these, but I'll be upgrading in the future. 

Sunyou cable cutter

Wire Nipper 

Cheers,

Brett, also in Portland. 

On Tuesday, August 8, 2017 at 3:10:01 PM UTC-7, Tim O. (Portland, OR) wrote:

[blakcloud]

For cables I use Hozan or Park, they both work well. For housing I use a Dremel with a cut off wheel.

[Bill in Roswell GA]

FWIW, master mechanics I know use the best cutters available (Park Pro and Felco in equal numbers)  and still use a dental pick to round out the housing ends. 

I have a Dremel and love using it for many jobs. But too much time is wasted pulling it out, attaching the cutting wheel, plugging it in and then putting it all way when I can cut housing in less than 30 seconds with good Park cutters (the CN-10) and a dental pick. The CN-10 can be found for under $30 if you do a bit of search or use a coupon. You'll never regret spending the money for quality tools! 

Cheers,

Bill in Roswell, GA who owns a lot of cheap tools, but the tools I use the most are quality tools because it's not worth the repeated frustration of using cheap tools!

[Surlyprof]

I use the Park and, as Eric pointed out, it does smash the ends. Really sturdy with nice crimpers for cable ends. It helps to rotate them while cutting but I still end up reopening the ends with an awl. I'm sure an ice pick or any similar tool will do.

John

[Joe Bernard]

I'll repeat my tip 'cause I think it got missed: Cutting the housing (Park cutter) with a scrap piece of cable inside helps keep the end round. A dental pick to finish it is still a good idea.

[Orc]

On Tuesday, August 8, 2017 at 10:18:23 PM UTC-7, Joe Bernard wrote:

I'll repeat my tip 'cause I think it got missed: Cutting the housing (Park cutter) with a scrap piece of cable inside helps keep the end round. A dental pick to finish it is still a good idea.

What I've taken to doing when I cut brake housing short is to make two cuts (Park tool) -- first to cut it one loop of housing wire too long (the cut end always folds over the middle of the housing here) and then a second cut at right angles to cut that folded piece off and leave the center open for the brake cable.    When I cut shifter cable housing, I'll just cut it off to size, then use the cable shaping form in the handle to squash it back round before fitting the housing cap.

In both cases I almost never have to chase the center to provide clearance for the cable; in the cases where the cable hangs up on the end it's because it's been caught on a piece of the plastic liner and pushing the cable through clears that obstruction for good  (and I use brifters on all of my non-fixies, so I'd notice it if there was something obstructing cable movement.)

-david parsons

[Austin B]

I use a pair of Channel Lock End-Cutting pliers (bought at Home Depot) for both cables and housing (and for a bunch of other non-bike stuff like wire fence mesh, pulling nails, etc.). I reshape the hole on the cut end of the housing with a small nail until the cable slides through freely.

Not fancy, but I've built up four bikes using it.

Cheers!

Austin

[Jock Dewey]

Ditto Joe's comment about inserting some old cable scrap and then cutting housing. Push out old with the new you're inserting.

Always results in perfectly clean cut, boom!

PS: Those Shimano cutters are also really nice. Ours is way beyond old and still sharp as a tack!

BEST / Jock Dewey / Athens, GA

[islaysteve]

A Dremel tool is a good investment and I'm always glad that I finally bought one.  But I see Bill's point about the hassle of getting it out and setting it up etc.  It depends on how you are set up to do shop work.  I have a permanent shop and can leave the Dremel out and at the ready most of the time.  It does a great job cutting housings, as others have said, as well as many other jobs.  A decent Park cable cutter will complete the picture.  Cheers, Steve

[Justin, Oakland]

I've found just recently that the nicer comlressionless housing from Yokozuna and Jagwire doesn't end up with tha mangled end to the same degree that older housing did. It just takes a quick squeeze and it's back to being perfectly rounded.

-Justin

[Clayton]

I never use housing cutters to cut cables.  Housing cutters are made to cut SIS housing only.  I use a decent quality one I bought at a bike shop.  For brake housing, I use diagonal cutters (dikes, side cutter). I take the diagonal cutters and make little cuts all the way around the cable cutting the plastic covering only, but chomping hard enough that when one edge gets to the edge of in the wound housing, I can feel it.  At that point I close the cutters so it splits open the crack and cuts it. No crushing. A few swipes with a file and an 'ice pick' to open the lining hole and it's good. Sharp Dikes cut the inner cables the best. 

Clay

[Patrick Moore]

Clayton: can you recommend a pair of dikes? I've always used Park housing/cable cutters (it's a combined tool, meant to cut both) to cut standard housing, and while it does alright, I always have to finish the housing with a file or grinder. Will the dikes cut housing more cleanly?

I will have to try your progressive method of cutting, though.

I suppose I can always just use a Dremel, as someone else said he does.

Next question: what do y'all use to crimp cable ends on the ends of cables? The little notch in my (other) Park cable-only cutter squishes them too much, but I fear that needle nosed pliers won't crimp them hard enough. (BTW, I prefer using the smallest possible crimps, such as derailleur cable crimps on road brake cable -- less distortion of crimp which = ugly. I must try heat shrink tubing, as I've got a lot of linear inches of the skinny stuff, somehow, which I don't have other use for.

On Wed, Aug 9, 2017 at 8:24 AM, 'Clayton' via RBW Owners Bunch <rbw-owne...@googlegroups.com> wrote:

I never use housing cutters to cut cables.  Housing cutters are made to cut SIS housing only.  I use a decent quality one I bought at a bike shop.  For brake housing, I use diagonal cutters (dikes, side cutter). I take the diagonal cutters and make little cuts all the way around the cable cutting the plastic covering only, but chomping hard enough that when one edge gets to the edge of in the wound housing, I can feel it.  At that point I close the cutters so it splits open the crack and cuts it. No crushing. A few swipes with a file and an 'ice pick' to open the lining hole and it's good. Sharp Dikes cut the inner cables the best. 

Clay

--
You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "RBW Owners Bunch" group.

To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to rbw-owners-bunch+unsubscribe@googlegroups.com.
To post to this group, send email to rbw-owners-bunch@googlegroups.com.

Visit this group at https://groups.google.com/group/rbw-owners-bunch.
For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout.

--

Resumes, LinkedIn profiles, bios, and letters that get interviews.

By-the-hour resume and LinkedIn coaching.

Other professional writing services.

http://www.resumespecialties.com/

www.linkedin.com/in/patrickmooreresumespec/

Patrick Moore

Alburquerque, Nouvelle Mexique,  Vereinigte Staaten

****************************************************************************************

Interested in trading resume, LinkedIn, and other writing work for professional (professional) help with marketing and growing my resumes, etc. business. Respondents should have considerable experience in helping small, online businesses grow. Please contact me at patric...@resumespecialties.com. Thanks.

[Orc]

On Wednesday, August 9, 2017 at 7:59:57 AM UTC-7, Patrick Moore wrote:

Next question: what do y'all use to crimp cable ends on the ends of cables? 

Regular wire cutters do pretty well if you're careful; I have a pair of old (and somewhat dull) cutters that I use for zipties, cord, and crimping (when I can find them in my bike mess!)   They work really well if I want to do a crimp pattern instead of just mashing the cable end enough to cling to the cable. 

[Kieran J]

That's what I was going to say. The Jagwire Pro housing for both brake and shift cuts cleanly and squarely without all this side business. I use the Park tool and one cut, put on the ferrule and that's it.

KJ

[Ian A]

Patrick,

Have you considered gluing the cable end caps in place? It can work well. I just crimp, normally with really blunt wire cutters, because I haven't yet found a glue that stays fluid in the bottle when left unused. But, with the right technique, one can glue the end caps in place and be able to pull them off at a later date, the advantage being the cable is not crushed and can be rethreaded into housing.

IanA

[lconley]

I always solder the end of the cable and never use end caps. Stainless cable and galvanized cable require different fluxes and solder. I use the Park cutter on both cable and housing and grind the housing flat on the grinder (I used a file for years until I got the grinder).

Laing

[clayton bailey]

I am unfamiliar with the Jagwire pro housing cutter. It won't crush diagonal wound brake housing?  As far as cable caps, I use small diameter copper tubing that I bought at a hobby shop. (I cut a 2" length of brake and sis cable wire and took them into the store to try the fit). To me, copper looks nicer than aluminum, and it has no 'lip'. (A tiny bit of steampunk).  A very gentle crimp is needed as the copper is soft. 

I have no recommendation for diagonal cutters. I just buy whatever they have at ACE.

If I remember to, when my phone gets fixed, I will try to post a vid of my technique of cutting spiral wound brake housing.  

Clay

--
You received this message because you are subscribed to a topic in the Google Groups "RBW Owners Bunch" group.
To unsubscribe from this topic, visit https://groups.google.com/d/topic/rbw-owners-bunch/4L631KqMLG0/unsubscribe.
To unsubscribe from this group and all its topics, send an email to rbw-owners-bun...@googlegroups.com.
To post to this group, send email to rbw-owne...@googlegroups.com.

[Kieran J]

Jagwire Pro is the housing, the Park Tool CN-10 is the cutter.

After using compressionless brake housing, I will never go back to the traditional spiral stuff.

KJ

On Wednesday, August 9, 2017 at 12:30:36 PM UTC-4, Clayton wrote:

I am unfamiliar with the Jagwire pro housing cutter. It won't crush diagonal wound brake housing?  

Clay

[Garth]

I have the Shimano one for cutting and assorted files to finish the ends if required. Also an wee ol' cool tool that I think is for shoe cobblers that I use to open the cable end if it gets crimped. The wood handle is shaped like a little light bulb with a 4 inch steel pointer.

[Tim O. (Portland, OR)]

Thanks, everyone. This is just the feedback I'm looking for. Now I'm getting excited to buy some tools!

Cheers,

Tim

Portland, OR

[clayton bailey]

KJ

"What is this magical stuff, 'Jag Wire compressionless brake housing??'" OMG! 

Thanks so much KJ!  I didn't know it existed. I have wondered why no one made it, but I obviously didn't look hard enough. Now that I do, I will never go back either.  

Guess I will retire my diagonal cutters now. 

Clay

[Bill in Roswell GA]

FWIW, a good fine file can sharpen up cable cutters. Use sparingly and know what you're doing (look at some knife/axe sharpening videos). 

Cable end caps, two methods I really like: silicone adhesive (Shoe Goo being one), dip cable end into glue tube so cable has a glob of glue, slide end cap on. It will stay put and is reusable. No muss, no fuss. 

 

Yokozuna and a couple of other companies make screw on compression ends in a variety of colors. Sure, they cost what 20 cable caps cost, but they are reusable without shortening your cables. However, I have not used them but am ordering some for shift and brake cables to try out. Use diff colors for shift and brake make it easy to keep track of what is what. 

[brad m]

The Jagwire compressionless housing is extremely stiff - I don't think I'd use it for anything other than cable disc brakes, which have fallen out of favor with me anyway.

For spiral brake housing, a Dremel cut-off wheel is the final solution. I use the fiber-reinforced one in an overkill Makita rotory tool.  Regular cable cutters always mangle spiral housing, even the Felco's.  Back in my shop wrenching days, I'd use diagonal cutters and then square off the end with a file or bench grinder.  Using the cut-off tool eliminates that step.

For derailleur housing and all cables, I have a first-gen Shimano one that I love (the one with the blue and grey grips).  I'm a tool freak, so I thought I'd try the Felco's for that last nth of perfection.  They couldn't cut derailleur housing as neatly squared-off as the Shimano cutters, so I sold the Felco's.

I tried the first-gen Park cutters and they were garbage.  I imagine they've since improved, but Park stuff in general is pretty hit-or-miss in my book.

[Patrick Moore]

Good idea; I may try that; thanks -- all the more in that it will look nicer than a crushed cap. I really dislike the appearance of too-big brake cable caps squished down onto skinny derailleur cables.

--
You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "RBW Owners Bunch" group.
To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to rbw-owners-bunch+unsubscribe@googlegroups.com.
To post to this group, send email to rbw-owners-bunch@googlegroups.com.
Visit this group at https://groups.google.com/group/rbw-owners-bunch.
For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout.

[Patrick Moore]

Y'know, I do have 2-3 feet of that narrow copper tubing, bought to customize cables for my S3X hubs. Must try it as cable ends; with glue, of course.

On Wed, Aug 9, 2017 at 10:30 AM, 'clayton bailey' via RBW Owners Bunch <rbw-owne...@googlegroups.com> wrote:

I am unfamiliar with the Jagwire pro housing cutter. It won't crush diagonal wound brake housing?  As far as cable caps, I use small diameter copper tubing that I bought at a hobby shop. (I cut a 2" length of brake and sis cable wire and took them into the store to try the fit). To me, copper looks nicer than aluminum, and it has no 'lip'. (A tiny bit of steampunk).  A very gentle crimp is needed as the copper is soft. 

I have no recommendation for diagonal cutters. I just buy whatever they have at ACE.

If I remember to, when my phone gets fixed, I will try to post a vid of my technique of cutting spiral wound brake housing.  

Clay

On Wednesday, August 9, 2017 8:38 AM, Kieran J <kjo...@gmail.com> wrote:

That's what I was going to say. The Jagwire Pro housing for both brake and shift cuts cleanly and squarely without all this side business. I use the Park tool and one cut, put on the ferrule and that's it.

KJ

On Wednesday, August 9, 2017 at 10:19:29 AM UTC-4, Justin, Oakland wrote:

I've found just recently that the nicer comlressionless housing from Yokozuna and Jagwire doesn't end up with tha mangled end to the same degree that older housing did. It just takes a quick squeeze and it's back to being perfectly rounded.

-Justin

--
You received this message because you are subscribed to a topic in the Google Groups "RBW Owners Bunch" group.
To unsubscribe from this topic, visit https://groups.google.com/d/topic/rbw-owners-bunch/4L631KqMLG0/unsubscribe.

To unsubscribe from this group and all its topics, send an email to rbw-owners-bunch+unsubscribe@googlegroups.com.
To post to this group, send email to rbw-owners-bunch@googlegroups.com.

Visit this group at https://groups.google.com/group/rbw-owners-bunch.
For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout.

--

You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "RBW Owners Bunch" group.
To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to rbw-owners-bunch+unsubscribe@googlegroups.com.

To post to this group, send email to rbw-owners-bunch@googlegroups.com.

Visit this group at https://groups.google.com/group/rbw-owners-bunch.
For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout.

[Singlespeed Johnny]

i cut scores of cable and housing every day with the pedro's cutters. they stay sharp and cut well. round out the end of the housing with a pick after cutting and you're all set.
my .02