cutting pliers or shears for wire/steel line cutting

[zimm]

I'm thinking about carrying a pair of EMT shears in case I find myself snagged in some fishing net or line. What about wire or steel braided line such as a fishing leader? Will shears take care of that or should I carry a pair of side-cutter pliers (which I know will cut thick metal line). I'm worried that the pliers will rust quickly.

[pdoege]

OMS shears will go through steel leader and smaller cables. You'll need to sharpen them again afterwards :)

They are SS and I de rust them every 8 dives or so. Other than that I just spray them with silicone after I get home from a dive.

Peter

[tholt576]

zimm once bubbled...
I'm thinking about carrying a pair of EMT shears in case I find myself snagged in some fishing net or line. What about wire or steel braided line such as a fishing leader? Will shears take care of that or should I carry a pair of side-cutter pliers (which I know will cut thick metal line). I'm worried that the pliers will rust quickly.

The shears I use will cut through a penny, so I'm pretty sure they will cut through steel line. :)

[FredT]

even the best can't handle it reliably. The clearance between and deflection of the jaws during the cut can make even good shears fail when working on untensioned flexible multistrand cable.

To be sure you can cut cable use the correct tool. Scroll down to see tool C-7.

http://www.savacable.com/catalog/p16-tools.htm

FT

[KrisB]

FredT once bubbled...
To be sure you can cut cable use the correct tool. Scroll down to see tool C-7.

http://www.savacable.com/catalog/p16-tools.htm


Nuh-uh. C-10 is the way to go... then you can take 4lbs off your weight belt!

[MDiver]

I dont currently have any kind of cutting tool in my scuba attire, i was wondering what all you guys think i should use when i go to dive, Shears obviously from your conversation, but what other kind of tool should i use?

[Alfredo]

I carry a small knife on my BC. I also have EMT shears that I bought at Walmart. I keep it in one of my BC pockets.

I would rather have them in a sheath.
Anyone know know what can be used as good sheath for shears?
I really don't want to pay for an expensive one.

thanks!

[DA Aquamaster]

I recently started diving with a combination dive knife / shears sold by Parkway. It does a great job on cable and is heavier than most EMT type shears. It also has a notched area at the top of the shears that works well to hold the cable while you cut it. It can handle 1/8 inch cable with ease and I believe could cut 3/16 cable if you needed it to.

[klausbh]

Alfredo once bubbled...
I would rather have them in a sheath.
Anyone know know what can be used as good sheath for shears?
I really don't want to pay for an expensive one.

The sheath that comes with a AA maglite flashlight is perfect for standard 5" EMT shears. I had one for years and never used it for the flashlight. Now I'm happy I didn't throw it away.

-Klaus

[budgy]

A trauma shears will cut a fishing steel trace. I cut one hanging from the mouth of a conger a little while ago. You can make a nice sheath out of webbing or seat belt. :D

[SparkySFD]

Cant say enough good things about trauma shears. Im a Fireman/EMT and Ive cut all kinds of things with them.

As someone said you can cut a penny (didnt believe it so I tried it). You can cut a big thick basketball shoe off (seen it). If I had to choose between a knife or shears I would go with the shears.

If you look at George Irvine's setup he keeps his shears in his left thigh pocket, bolt snapped to a bungee loop.

[ba_hiker]

does anyone have experience with kevlar line? I have seen it on dive reels, comercial fishing boats, mountaineering and sailboat racing.

I have worked with kevlar cloth (for boatbuilding) and the yarn from the cloth. The stuff is tough it doesn't cut easily with shears. A knife works better.

[Big-n-Buoyant]

I would rather have them in a sheath.
Anyone know know what can be used as good sheath for shears?
I really don't want to pay for an expensive one.

thanks!

Attached is a picture of a simple (inexpensive) sheath solution for EMT shears. You can purchase 3/4" clear PVC tubing at many hardware stores. Most will let you purchase by the foot, but you'll only need about 5 inches or so. I punched a hole in the end and attached to a BC clip.

-Cdh

[d33ps1x]

Cant say enough good things about trauma shears. Im a Fireman/EMT and Ive cut all kinds of things with them.

As someone said you can cut a penny (didnt believe it so I tried it). You can cut a big thick basketball shoe off (seen it). If I had to choose between a knife or shears I would go with the shears.

If you look at George Irvine's setup he keeps his shears in his left thigh pocket, bolt snapped to a bungee loop.

Any dif in the dive shop trauma shears and the real deal?

[SparkySFD]

Nope. No difference at all. The ones Ive seen in dive shops are just like the ones at work.

I should add this though. Im sure eventually someone will come out with a piece of garbage thats cheaper. Cheaper to produce and may not work as well. But the ones Ive seen, you cant tell the difference between them.

[d33ps1x]

Maybe I'll grab one today then.

Gotta stop buying knives though

hehe

Two Z-knives, a oceanmaster beta, a wekona squeeze lock, a g. irvine backup, now trauma shears!

Should I carry my razor? hehe

[KrisB]

Attached is a picture of a simple (inexpensive) sheath solution for EMT shears. You can purchase 3/4" clear PVC tubing at many hardware stores. Most will let you purchase by the foot, but you'll only need about 5 inches or so. I punched a hole in the end and attached to a BC clip.

Great idea! I just did a similar thing because of your post... I did, however find that 5/8" was a better choice than 3/4".

Seeing that I own a SeaQuest ProQD+, I had two grommet holes that needed filling. Normally intended for a very specific knife, I figured, "hey! why not put a couple bolts through the PVC tubing with washers and stuff, and secure the sheath there!"

So I did, and it works great! Not to mention the fact that I still have about 2/3rds of the tubing left over if the first sheath wears out. :-)

[bnelson]

If you don't mind me asking, where do you work?

-brian



Nope. No difference at all. The ones Ive seen in dive shops are just like the ones at work.

I should add this though. Im sure eventually someone will come out with a piece of garbage thats cheaper. Cheaper to produce and may not work as well. But the ones Ive seen, you cant tell the difference between them.

[Scubaroo]

Here's a simple way to keep a pair of shears on you at all times - if you've got a bellows pocket on a wetsuit or drysuit with a bungee loop in it, simply punch a hole in the PVC, and ziptie it to the bungee. Leave the ziptie loose enough so that it can slide along the bungee. I also carry a pair of shears in a waist sheath, but should I drop them (have dropped a pair once but recovered them), you've got a backup pair on hand. I leave these permanently in my drysuit pocket, and just regrease the rust-prone pin every couple of dives.

Shears rock! And you can buy replacement ones for about $4 if you look around. Make sure they're the large ones that gloved fingers fit through, not the itty-bitty sized ones for mini first aid kits.

[Big-n-Buoyant]

Great idea! I just did a similar thing because of your post... I did, however find that 5/8" was a better choice than 3/4".



Mine may have been 5/8"... thanks for correcting, so someone doesn't go out and buy the wrong diameter.....

~BnB

[KrisB]

Mine may have been 5/8"... thanks for correcting, so someone doesn't go out and buy the wrong diameter.....


I'm not sure it was a correction -- I brought my newly-purchased shears with me and tried out both before I had a chunk cut off. They both fit, it just seemed that the 5/8" held them better, without relying on the bend that's at the pivot point.

[SparkySFD]

bnelson

I work for the Springfield, Mo Fire Department


I am keeping my Shears in a Halcyon pocket, on a double ender like
G. Irvine. As soon as I can talk my wife into letting me spend the money on a drysuit I will keep everything in thigh pockets. Way easier to get to.

[Big-n-Buoyant]

I am keeping my Shears in a Halcyon pocket, on a double ender like
G. Irvine.

"double ender" ?? :confused:

[SparkySFD]

I dont know how to post a picture so I'll show you a link to a page with pictures of Irvines gear setup.

http://wkpp.org/articles/Gear/equip_moreimages_2.htm

Scroll down till you see "Left Pocket Contents" and click on the picture. You can see a double ender its what the trauma shears are held to the pocket with.

Its a stainless steel "clasp" for lack of a better word. It unhooks on both ends, hence the name double ender. You hook one end on the handle and the other on a pocket or bc. Much more secure and robust attachment. You dont worry about losing it this way.......unless you drop it:eek:

[Big-n-Buoyant]

'double-ender!' ... makes sense. - - - And seems practical. Had not been to Irvine's web site. Obviously a famous DIR tech. Interesting configurations.

Thanks!
BnB

[SparkySFD]

Actually that was a link to the WKPP website. Its not Irvine's site. Although those pics are of his gear.

You got the famous DIR guy part right. He and Jablonski hold the world cave penetration record. Something like 4 miles at around 300 fsw. :eek:
Definitely got his s**t together.

[Big-n-Buoyant]

Only about 250' outside of my comfort zone!

-BnB

[ClassAction]

Hi,

I just bought the OMS line wire shears today. Does anyone use this with the OMS sheath? I put the shears in the sheath and there was a ton of extra space. The dive shop guy seems to think that OMS is making the sheath bigger these days. Also, the velcro seems pretty weak. Does anyone use this? Does it work well? Thanks in advance!

[Abyssdiver]

Well you can use a new type of line cutter that Abyss dive systems just started selling.. You need to contact them since its not online with a picture but its really really nice.. They also sell cutting shears as well as OMS and Dive-rite... I would use a product called Corro-stop from OMS or Trident sells a closely relative product for reducing the chance of rust on your metal parts.. The stuff works really well..

I have had to use the line cutters a few times when diving on wrecks and I would not dive without one.. Also carry shears for cutting cables and think anyone diving wrecks should carry both atleast...

Just my 2 thoughts
Randy