Leatherman Cable Cutter

[Mr Pig]

I made an interesting discovery the other day. The cutter in the jaws of the pliers on a Leatherman Wave multi-tool cut brake/gear cables perfectly! I mean perfectly, I doubt a dedicated cable cutter could improve on it.

Just a handy thing to know :0)

 

[longers]

The cables or the outers?

It's cutting the outers that I've found a cable cutter is best at but I'm learning "slowly" that it's best to fold in the reaming tool on the bottom of the handle before making the next cut. Ouch.

 

[Mr Pig]

I was talking about the cable.

I've only cut one outer with it so I couldn't say for sure about that. It made a good job of cutting the outer but I'll be cutting a few more today so I'll let you know. In fact I'll do more cuts on leftovers to be sure.

 

[Steve Austin]

We are going to disagree on this Mr Pig. Pliers crush and then cut, cable cutters just cut.

My leatherman mangles anything i've ever cut with it.
My park Cable cutter works.

I can take pictures to prove this

 

[Jaded]

My Leatherman Ti boogars up cables nicely. You don't need pictures!!!

 

[Mr Pig]

We are going to disagree on this Mr Pig. Pliers crush and then cut, cable cutters just cut.

The Pliers on the Wave have a little round notch at the base which fits around the cable perfectly. It gives a perfect cut with no fraying at all.

I've just checked my son's Leatherman Wave, which is the current model. Mine is the previous one without the interchangeable screwdriver bits. The plier blades are different! The cable cutting part of his is not round, it's elongated :0( That's two models of the same tool so I guess other Leatherman tools will probably be different again.

Oh well. Not much use after all, unless you have an older Wave I guess.

 

[goo_mason]

That's a shame. I was wondering about carrying a spare cable or two in my saddlebag after my recent gear-cable snap, but I was wondering what would cut like cable cutters without actually having to carry mine with me !!

Is there such a thing as 'mini' or 'travel' cable cutters ?

 

[4F]

That's a shame. I was wondering about carrying a spare cable or two in my saddlebag after my recent gear-cable snap, but I was wondering what would cut like cable cutters without actually having to carry mine with me !!

Is there such a thing as 'mini' or 'travel' cable cutters ?

If you were unlucky enough for this to happen whilst out I would have thought that just looping the extra cable would be enough to get you home rather than faffing trying to cut it on the roadside.

 

[goo_mason]

If you were unlucky enough for this to happen whilst out I would have thought that just looping the extra cable would be enough to get you home rather than faffing trying to cut it on the roadside.

Yeah, that's quite likely what I'd do - but having read this post I got curious. As you know, having another tool or gadget is always far more attractive than being sensible !

 

[4F]

Yeah, that's quite likely what I'd do - but having read this post I got curious. As you know, having another tool or gadget is always far more attractive than being sensible !

Depends on how much you want / need to carry on the bike though "just in case"

 

[Night Train]

Wouldn't you then fall foul of the law, carrying it around, as the Wave has a locking blade?

I have one but I keep it in a tool case now

 

[Mr Pig]

That's a shame. I was wondering about carrying a spare cable or two in my saddlebag

I've carried a spare cable for years now, doesn't weigh much, but I only carry the Leatherman on longer trips a good distance away from home. I'd just assumed that I'd get the cable cut but it was only the other day that I actually tried cutting cable with the Wave.

I'm happy about it as the multi-tool is going with me anyway and I now know it'll cut cable and I don't need to carry a separate tool for that.

It should be very easy to pick up an old Wave, there are always loads on eBay. This is the model you want:
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/leatherman-wa...hash=item150274551409&_trksid=p3286.m14.l1318

The newer one has removable screwdriver bits, different locking mechanisms etc, like this:

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/LEATHERMAN-WA...hash=item170019168143&_trksid=p3286.m14.l1318

Note the black screwdriver bits. They're tough as anything so provided it's not been abused a used one should be ok. Other Leatherman tools may have the round notch but I don't know, worth keeping your eyes open though.

Incidentally, if you're going to buy a new one it's a lot cheaper getting it from The States. The one we bought my son cost about £55 shipped from the USA as opposed to nearly £90 in the shops here.