what brand of cutters do you like for electronics

[ciccio]

I use Piergiacomi tools (http://www.piergiacomi.com).
They are made here in Italy (I've seen the factory),  maybe they are not so good or so durable as those pricey Swiss forged tools, but they work.
In our small production environment we buy about one new cutter each year, and the "mean life" of a Piergiacomi cutter is about 5 years (and maybe in 5 years it has  cut 100.000 leads).

One interesting thing: I was looking on the Net for the prices of the other brand's , and I discovered that all the brands  are  cheaper in the US  than in Italy.
This is not a new discovery: every tool is cheaper in the US, but here they cost from 2 times up.
Some German manufacturer is selling directly form the website: I will buy some, to see if they are better than the ones I use

Regarding VIHA,  I've never touched they side cutters, (on the web-photos they are similar to the  Piergiacomi's)  but I own two Phillips screwdrivers from them, and the are really the best screwdriver I ever had.
The are in their 25th year in the lab, and the only problem with them is that some times they are found in the pockets of some visitor..

[scrat]

I use Piergiacomi tools (http://www.piergiacomi.com).
They are made here in Italy (I've seen the factory),  maybe they are not so good or so durable as those pricey Swiss forged tools, but they work.
In our small production environment we buy about one new cutter each year, and the "mean life" of a Piergiacomi cutter is about 5 years (and maybe in 5 years it has  cut 100.000 leads).

One interesting thing: I was looking on the Net for the prices of the other brand's , and I discovered that all the brands  are  cheaper in the US  than in Italy.
This is not a new discovery: every tool is cheaper in the US, but here they cost from 2 times up.
Some German manufacturer is selling directly form the website: I will buy some, to see if they are better than the ones I use

People, please buy Italian stuff! A little help... Considering our tax burden, selling just 320 billion of these cutters will completely delete our public debt!

BTW, welcome, Ciccio!

[Kiriakos-GR]

People, please buy Italian stuff! A little help... Considering our tax burden, selling just 320 billion of these cutters will completely delete our public debt!

BTW, welcome, Ciccio!

I will get a Piergiacomi only if you start buying Greek FETA , this is called as balance  LOL

[scrat]

People, please buy Italian stuff! A little help... Considering our tax burden, selling just 320 billion of these cutters will completely delete our public debt!

BTW, welcome, Ciccio!

I will get a Piergiacomi only if you start buying Greek FETA , this is called as balance  LOL

  Unfortunately, I don't like cheese very much... Is there any other product you can advice? Once I heard about Ouzo... Is it worth?
However, many Italians are moving to Greece for vacation this summer, due to the low prices...

[Precisiontools]

Got a set of Schmitz in to have a look at...very nice. Schmitz are the manufacturer of CK which I have had for over twenty years so they last very well.

[Kiriakos-GR]

However, many Italians are moving to Greece for vacation this summer, due to the low prices...

I thought that they was coming just of having a beer with their Greek friends !! 

Once I had helped one Italian motorcyclist he was having electrical problems.
Another one time I had help another Italian to fill with air one rubber boat.
The last time I helped one mechanic engineer , he was working for the Italian brand "carbonini" plasma cutters and such,
he came in my town to set up a plasma cutter, I was there to do the electrical connection, we become friends, and he had an digital camera like my, and I helped him by cleaning the CCD from hot pixels.

Io parla poko Italiano .. 
 

[ciccio]

Hello Kiriakos-GR

I buy FETA for making salads,  and it's good..
When I was at the university (many many years ago...) we had many  students from Greece (if I remember well, it was because admission to the Greek universities was close-number, and the priority was for the sons of the military). 
Got some friends, but time is gone, and I don't have news about them.

In any case, keep helping tourists from Italy: they surely have troubles reading road signs.

[Fraser]

I recently took delivery of 2 pairs of Italian PIERGIACOMI TRE-03-NB flush side cutters via ebay. The price ?....GBP6.99 each inc delivery.

For the hobby/semi-pro market they look fine for PCB assembly etc. The build quality is good, if not in the same class as the very expensive brands, and they are comfortable to hold. Max cut rating is 1.3mm copper wire.

[img]

Got a set of Schmitz in to have a look at...very nice. Schmitz are the manufacturer of CK which I have had for over twenty years so they last very well.

Oooh, these are HOT! I want to buy them too - where did you get them from?

[img]

Maybe my european neighbors heard of a german company called Wiha?

I use that one presented in the link here.
Nice one, cuts just fine even larger wires up to 1mm, but the downside is the cost.

Well neighbor I think that I will still prefer the American Xuron 9200, over the Knipex 78 61 125 ESD,
because my Knipex it got an tiny damage on the blade because I tried to strip a copper tiny cable with it.

About Wiha .... I would love to get their free sample, if they do not afraid some real competition.   

Kiriakos, I am shopping for side cutters, and from your previous posts on the subject I see what your pragmatic approach is similar to mine.

What's your final advice:
Xuron 9200
Knipex 78 61 125 (ESD or not)
Lindstrom
Other?

Thanks.

[Precisiontools]

Oooh, these are HOT! I want to buy them too - where did you get them from?

Where you at img? And what's your budget?

[img]

Oooh, these are HOT! I want to buy them too - where did you get them from?

Where you at img? And what's your budget?

In the UK. Budget? Well, I already have Lindstrom, but want a less pricey above average quality item.
Are these German items really expensive?

[Richard W.]

The Schmitz-cutters are cheaper than a equivalent Knipex. They are about 20€ + VAT

Recently i sold all my pliers ect. to replace them with pliers with dissipative handles (ESD):

79 42 125 ESD; 77 02 115 ESD; 34 22 130 ESD; 34 12 130 ESD (please don't look at the scary price tag. 4 pliers = 1/3 Rigol-Scope)

But they are really worth their money and should last many years.

[img]

Ok, 20€ + VAT is fair.
But where can I get them from in the UK?

Recently i sold all my pliers ect. to replace them with pliers with dissipative handles (ESD):

79 42 125 ESD; 77 02 115 ESD; 34 22 130 ESD; 34 12 130 ESD (please don't look at the scary price tag. 4 pliers = 1/3 Rigol-Scope)

But they are really worth their money and should last many years.

The price tag doesn't scare me, this is how much I paid for my Lindstroms. What prompted your decision to invest in ESD?

[Richard W.]

The price tag doesn't scare me, this is how much I paid for my Lindstroms. What prompted your decision to invest in ESD?

Do you know the feeling when you just WANT new tools  ?

The price difference between ESD and NON-ESD isn't that much. It avoids (maybe not existing) problems.
Electrostatic discharges mostly don't kill components, but degrades them. These failures are hard to find.

But where can I get them from in the UK?

Sorry, i don't know. http://www.schmitz-zangen.de/impressum.html
A demand by email will probably be the easiest way.

[comox]

I user Erem http://www.cooperhandtools.com/brands/erem/index.cfm

[Precisiontools]

I have them & can get them but it just seems a bit of a waste for them to send them to me in Australia and then I ship them to you in the UK. You have the website, contact them and see if they have a distributor in the UK. Remember, they make CK too and I know there is a guy on eBay UK who sells CK...but they are usually dearer than Schmitz.

I usually buy the ESD pliers off most manufacturers not because of the ESD "advantages" but because 9 times out of 10 they are nicer handles to use.

You want to know how long a good set of box jointed pliers last? I have had a set of CKs for over 20 years in my job and apart from loss and theft, they are still going strong.

For 20 to 30€ I think they are great value.

[img]

Do you know the feeling when you just WANT new tools  ?

Say no more... 

I user Erem http://www.cooperhandtools.com/brands/erem/index.cfm

How's the quality?
How long have you had them?
Do you mainly work on PCBs? (I do, just trying to compare requirements)
Are they very expensive?
Please describe your Erem experience.

I usually buy the ESD pliers off most manufacturers not because of the ESD "advantages" but because 9 times out of 10 they are nicer handles to use.

Ah, FINALLY a tangible reason to use ESD stuff!
I'll try to write to Schmitz and see how far I get. I fear shipping charges from Germany; getting a cow shipped from there is great value, but not small items.

[comox]

I find Erem to be of an extremely high quality.  They are Swiss made, and the steel is very hard.  I have both cutters which I do use on PCBs (clipping leads after soldering), and I also have a pair of needle nose pliers.    Both tools have a hidden spring which keeps them open, and both are ESD safe.   The cutters were purchased to replace a rubbish pair I picked up from a high-street electronics shop.  The cutters have been used regularly and the blades show no sign of wear.  I would highly recommend Erem and personally consider them precision tools.   (Pic uploaded.)

[img]

I looked up the prices for Erem, and they're priced like Lindstrom, more or less.
When £50 cutters turn out to be very good, this doesn't surprise me at all - of course they have to be good, they are extremely expensive.
When £25-30 cutters are very good, I consider this an optimal investment.

[Mechatrommer]

I find Erem to be of an extremely high quality.

those big bulging screw can get in the way i think, while try cutting component leads flat.

[img]

those big bulging screw can get in the way i think, while try cutting component leads flat.

Valid point, actually. Which cutters do you use?

[Mechatrommer]

those big bulging screw can get in the way i think, while try cutting component leads flat.

Valid point, actually. Which cutters do you use?

none. just in lurking stage. but i have experience working with things, but not up to the quality shown here. i used no brand or for rough job only to be precise.

[img]

those big bulging screw can get in the way i think, while try cutting component leads flat.

Valid point, actually. Which cutters do you use?

none. just in lurking stage. but i have experience working with things, but not up to the quality shown here. i used no brand or for rough job only to be precise.

Makes sense. At the end of the day, it's what we make with the tools, not how wonderful these tools are that matters. I thought about it and decided not to go beyond £25-30 for cutters. The really cheap ones are genuinely no good, they don't cut well, make my hand hurt and die quickly. The really expensive ones - well, they might be good, but I don't see what £50 cutters have that £30 cutters don't.

[Mechatrommer]

i always think high quality high priced tool means durability. you can even cut diamond! but just cutting leads and wire? i can agree with you.