Salt water wire cutters

[electrix]

That fish hook story in the book gave me chills too.

 

[Lead_carrier]

Get a pair of inexpensive steel ones from your local discount store for about $3.00. Cover them with silicone, especially the joints and cutting edge, and at the end of the dive season send them to your local metal recycle center. They aren't made to last very long outside of the ocean so don't expect a long life out of them.

 

[idive2]

The real answer is Beryllium-copper tools from NGK metals. These can be found in the USA also. I've had sets for years, no rust, won't collect dust. See here: NGK Berylco | BERYLCO® Safety Tools

The straight diagnol side cutter looks great but pretty pricey. I guess with the needle nose or box end snips you would be
getting an extra function from the tool. Hard to beat diagnols though for snipping purposes.

 

[rhwestfall]

and you should probably carry two of everything because you should always have a backup......

 

[g1138]

While no first hand experience, I wasn't sure they would handle a heavy wire leader.

But they can cut pennies!

Be sure to spend a little bit of money on your shears if you want them to last and be reliable. Usually the autoclavable ones that cost between $5-10 will last you a while if you rinse, towel, then air dry. The cheap ones are truly disposable (ie. one time use; dulls/falls apart easily), even in a hospital setting. Just read the reviews if you buy online.
I'm currently using a pair from ADC, kept them wet and unrinsed on a liveaboard for 2 days and they only showed a spec of brown rust on the pivot.
Bit of WD-40 wiped it off.
Amazon.com: ADC MEDICUT 7 1/4" Trauma Shears , Dark Green: Health & Personal Care

 

[pickens_46929]

Can't beat $4.50 including free shipping with Amazon Prime!

 

[idive2]

Yeah, those shears are inexpensive enough, they just need pretty constant rinsing, drying, and lubing
if they are going to last any amount of time at all. Leaving them in a bc pocket a few times without a rinse
will pretty much leave a new pair looking pretty rusty. They do work well though. If I had to carry just one
cutting tool it might be shears but a leg knife and some nice snips in the bc pocket has the bases pretty well
covered.

 

[danpass]

I took an older pair of wire cutters down the first time this past saturday.

It probably rusted during the dive. I took it out of the pouch and dipped it in naval jelly and let it sit for 30min or so.

I recommend letting it sit overnight lol.

 

[AlexRD]

Why are pliers with cutting sides not used over shears? I feel like shears could be a pain to get on your fingers if stuck while pliers can easily be used with one hand

 

[fjpatrum]

Why are pliers with cutting sides not used over shears? I feel like shears could be a pain to get on your fingers if stuck while pliers can easily be used with one hand

My guess is more leverage and larger cutting surface. If you have a large piece of monofilament or a ball of it, it would take forever to cut with wire cutters, but with sheers, it's pretty quick work (comparatively).