Diagonal pliers (also known as wire cutters, diagonal cutting pliers, diagonal cutters, side cutters, dikes or Nippy cutters) are pliers intended for the cutting of wire (they are generally not used to grab or turn anything). The plane defined by the cutting edges of the jaws intersects the joint rivet at an angle or "on a diagonal", hence the name.

Action

Instead of using a shearing action as with

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, diagonal pliers cut by indenting and wedging the wire apart. The jaw edges are ground to a symmetrical " V" shape, thus the two jaws can be visualized to form the letter " X", as seen end-on when fully occluded. The pliers are made of

tempered steel Tempering is a process of heat treating, which is used to increase the toughness of iron-based alloys. Tempering is usually performed after hardening, to reduce some of the excess hardness, and is done by heating the metal to some temperature be ...

, and inductive heating and quenching are often used to selectively harden the jaws.

Jargon

Diags or dikes is jargon used especially in the US electrical industry, to describe diagonal pliers. "Dike" can also be used as a verb, such as in the idiom "when in doubt, dike it out". In the United Kingdom and Ireland, diagonal pliers are commonly referred to as snips or nippers, and in Canada,

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...

and New Zealand they are often referred to as side cutters.

Insulation

The handles of diagonal cutting pliers are commonly insulated with a dip-type or

shrink fit Shrink may refer to: Common meanings * Miniaturization *Shrink, a slang term for: ** a psychiatrist ** a psychoanalyst ** a psychologist Arts, entertainment, and media * ''Shrink'' (album), album by German indie rock/electronica group The Notw ...

electrically insulating material for comfort and some protection against electric shock.

Uses

Diagonal pliers are useful for cutting copper, brass, iron, aluminium and

steel Steel is an alloy made up of iron with added carbon to improve its strength and fracture resistance compared to other forms of iron. Many other elements may be present or added. Stainless steels that are corrosion- and oxidation-resistant ty ...

wire. Lower quality versions are generally not suitable for cutting tempered steel, such as piano wire, as the jaws are not hard enough. Attempting to cut such material will usually cause indentations to be made in the jaws, or a piece to break out of one or both jaws, thus ruining the tool. However higher quality side cutters can cut hardened steel, such as 2 mm piano wire.

Variations

For electronics work, special diagonal cutters that are ground flush to the apex of the cutting edge on one side of the jaws are often used. These flush-cutting pliers allow wires to be trimmed flush or nearly flush to a solder joint, avoiding the sharp tip left by symmetrical diagonal cutters. It is common for this type of diagonal cutter to be referred to by another name, such as "flush cutter" to distinguish it from symmetrical cutters. For easier cutting of larger gauge wire, a compound-action can be employed to increase the mechanical advantage. Some pliers for electrical work are fitted with wire-cutter blades either built into the jaws or on the handles just below the pivot. Other variations are made to create high leverage specifically to cut through hard wire, such as electrical fence wire, dental wire, and piano wire.

Gallery

File:Diagonal pliers 2017 - A1.jpg File:Diagonal pliers 2017 - A2.jpg File:Knipex Kraft-Seitenschneider-7743.jpg File:Nipper for Electronic Wire (Old).png, Wire cutting with a shearing action File:Nipper for Electronic Wire (New).png

References

External links

Judging the quality of diagonal cutters
{{Cutting and abrasive tools Pliers Cutting tools