An electrical contractor would regularly use tools such as diagonal cutters or cable shears to cut wires and cables, but they may also use bolt cutters as a more general-purpose tool. Bolt cutters are a versatile tool used by many different professions, and rather than being used for cutting wires and cables are used for much tougher materials, such as hardened steel, padlocks and chains.
The main advantage of the bolt cutter is that the user is able to create a larger amount of torque through the longer handles, and with sharpened jaws this means a bolt cutter can easily cut through tougher metal. This means that the strength and durability of the bolt cutter results in it being a very popular tool throughout the construction industry, but also with electrical contractors who may need a more robust tool for certain applications.
The features of a bolt cutter
Bolt cutters are most commonly used for stripping bolts off other materials and cutting through thick materials such as chains and padlocks. Sometimes an electrical contractor may be faced with situations where they need to prepare or access an area to carry out their work, and it requires tools other than the specialist electrical testing tools in their toolbox, and the bolt cutter is a good example of this.
So the bolt cutter achieves a high cutting performance because it has precision cutting edges made from hardened steel. In the case of a good quality pair of bolt cutters, such as the KN 71 32 200 SB manufactured by Knipex and supplied by Test Instrument Solutions, this material is also induction hardened to provide a higher level of cutting edge hardness. The lever handles of the bolt cutter are also designed to provide a greater lever ratio and low friction, meaning the cutting action is effective and easy to achieve, and is also comfortable. This tool enables you to rest and secure the workpiece in the jaws of the bolt cutter, before immediately cutting it with high precision.
Some models of bolt cutter, including the KN 71 32 200 SB, also have a general-purpose gripping surface, which is located between the two lever handles but further down the tool from the jaws. Again, this is a useful feature for any trade, and particularly in electrical testing. This feature enables the user to grip a wire or cable between the two flattened surfaces, for example, and use the bolt cutters to pull it. The gripping surface provides sufficient friction for force to be used to pull thick wire or cable through. This feature can also be used to remove nails from a surface.
Highly effective bolt cutters from Test Instrument Solutions
An electrician can use bolt cutters to cut much thicker wires and cables with precision, but bolt cutters can also be used for cutting thicker materials such as bolts, nails and rivets, hardened steel and items such as padlocks and chains. The strong and durable jaws of the bolt cutter make it a very robust tool from which you will get great consistency and value for money. So check out the Knipex bolt cutters supplied by Test Instrument Solutions.