Action and Features
– Diagonal pliers cut by indenting and wedging the wire apart.
– The jaw edges are ground to a symmetrical V shape.
– The blades are made of tempered steel.
– Inductive heating and quenching are often used to harden the jaws.
– The two jaws can be visualized to form the letter X when closed.
Jargon and Terminology
– Diags, dykes, or dikes is jargon used in the US electrical industry.
– Dike can also be used as a verb.
– In the UK and Ireland, diagonal pliers are commonly referred to as snips, nippers, or side cutters.
– In Canada, Australia, and New Zealand, they are often referred to as side cutters.
– The term ‘snips’ commonly refers to larger items, not those used for cutting electrical wiring.
Insulation
– The handles of diagonal cutting pliers are commonly insulated.
– Insulation is made of a dip-type or shrink-fit electrically insulating material.
– Insulation provides comfort and some protection against electric shock.
Uses
– Diagonal pliers are useful for cutting copper, brass, iron, aluminum, and steel wire.
– Lower quality versions are generally not suitable for cutting tempered steel.
– Attempting to cut tempered steel may damage the tool.
– Higher quality side cutters can cut hardened steel, such as 2mm piano wire.
– They are commonly used in various industries, including electrical work.
Variations
– Light-duty flush cutting wire cutters with offcut retaining finger.
– Compound-action wire cutters for easier cutting of larger gauge wire.
– Special diagonal cutters for electronics work, ground flush to the apex of the cutting edge on one side of the jaws.
– Some pliers for electrical work have wire-cutter blades built into the jaws or on the handles.
– Other variations are made to create high leverage specifically for cutting through hard wire. Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diagonal_pliers
This article needs additional citations for verification. (January 2022) |
Diagonal pliers (also known as wire cutters or diagonal cutting pliers, or under many regional names) 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.
