I'm looking for a good quality pair to keep in my fire gear in case God forbid I get entangled in wires inside a burning building. I'm looking for something that could cut through most standard commercial wiring (Romex, data, phone, and armored if possible)

Also if it exists, something that is less likely to rust.

Thanks in advance!

I am not an electrician, but have these for projects around the house. No problem going through residential wires.


https://www.amazon.com/Journey...s=klein+cable+shears

https://www.amazon.com/Leverag...iCdZEt3CL&ref=plSrch

Those aren’t designed to cut MC cable repeatedly, but they’ll cut through it no problem. Especially in emergency situations to save your life.

8" diagonal cutters. Like Klein D2000-48 or Knipex in similar size. Cuts any building wire. Also can cut nails or pry them out.

Edit: Those Kleins are good to go on steel wire. Standard maintenance will inhibit rust.

Anything by Klein should work well for you.

quote:

Originally posted by sandman76:
8" diagonal cutters. Like Klein D2000-48 or Knipex in similar size. Cuts any building wire. Also can cut nails or pry them out.

Edit: Those Kleins are good to go on steel wire. Standard maintenance will inhibit rust.

I like the Journeyman Series pretty much the same as you listed, but more comfortable grips and slightly angled for pulling nails and staples.

They will rust if not kept dry/oiled.

The Klein J63050 is a good choice. It will easily cut what you need.

quote:

Originally posted by striker1:
The Klein J63050 is a good choice. It will easily cut what you need.

Better option than anything suggested yet, but it will dull quicker than the dykes listed for cutting armored cable and nails. Since it's going to be used in a emergency I am sure it doesn't matter if they dull after a limited number of uses.

The dykes I and sandman listed will not cut anything easily over #10-3 Romex/MC and may take two or three cuts for larger cables. I cut up to 6-3 Romex with them, just not a single cut.

For heavy duty wire snips, I use Klein 63060 cutters. Cuts through most wires and light conduit or flexible conduit with ease. They take a few seconds longer than most, (bad news if there is a fire) but they also can go through mains and distribution cables for search & rescue endeavors.
They would work in tandem with the 63050 just fine.

quote:

Originally posted by .38supersig:
For heavy duty wire snips, I use Klein 63060 cutters. Cuts through most wires and light conduit or flexible conduit with ease. They take a few seconds longer than most, (bad news if there is a fire) but they also can go through mains and distribution cables for search & rescue endeavors.
They would work in tandem with the 63050 just fine.

Ratcheting cutters will require two hands for most operations.

I would not call heavy duty dykes "snips", but I am not an electrician.

Why not just get a good set of lineman's pliers and call it a day?

quote:

Originally posted by Skins2881:

quote:

Originally posted by striker1:
The Klein J63050 is a good choice. It will easily cut what you need.

Better option than anything suggested yet, but it will dull quicker than the dykes listed for cutting armored cable and nails. Since it's going to be used in a emergency I am sure it doesn't matter if they dull after a limited number of uses.

The dyke I and sandman listed will not cut anything easily over #10-3 Romex/MC and may take two or three cuts for larger cables. I cut up to 6-3 Romex with them, just not a single cut.

The D248 (I prefer without the J grip) is one of my favorite Klein tools. I have two pair, one from the 80s, a newer from 2000-something.

 
Fence pliers will cut darn near any type of wire.

I carry a set of Milwaukee lineman’s pliers in my right leg packet in my gear. My district is primarily residential so what I have works for me.
I also have a “modified” set of channel locks with one side of the handle bent 90deg about 2” from the bottom and sharpened into a screwdriver and the other handle sharpened into a point. Useful as hell at car wrecks and popping residential windows.
All my small tools are held in a piece of old 3” hose that I stitched the bottom of. Again your district may require more heavy duty tools but my setup works for me

quote:

Originally posted by PowerSurge:
https://www.amazon.com/Leverag...iCdZEt3CL&ref=plSrch

Those aren’t designed to cut MC cable repeatedly, but they’ll cut through it no problem. Especially in emergency situations to save your life.

These. Back when I was an industrial electrician and robot tech, I used the holy hell out of these. I cut 4/0 cable, wires, cables, etc. They work well

quote:

Originally posted by Gustofer:
Why not just get a good set of lineman's pliers and call it a day?

Because lineman's pliers aren't always as user friendly with thicker wire in my experience, and given that these would most likely need to be used while 100% blind and in distress the easier the better.

I carry these in my gear. https://www.channellock.com/product/87/
to be fair I have used them many times on romex in actual incidents but I really haven't tried them on serious cable like feeder cable like #2 or #4 as frankly I don't see how I'm going to need that. When we have had to cut that I've used an axe and I don't see myself entangled in it.

Yeah, for the record the highest risk of entanglement is anything that would be suspended in a drop ceiling. Which is why I included armored as a precaution. But anything seriously thick like feeder cable likely wouldn't be a risk.

quote:

Originally posted by ryan81986:
Yeah, for the record the highest risk of entanglement is anything that would be suspended in a drop ceiling. Which is why I included armored as a precaution. But anything seriously thick like feeder cable likely wouldn't be a risk.

I like the thing hrcjon posted, looks like something made especially for you guys.

As for the risk of entanglement in suspended ceilings, if it's done correctly it's pretty minimal. We are required to support all wires independent of the ceiling and all light fixtures are to be screwed to the grid as well as have independent grid hanger wire attached to ceiling joists. Not to say that I haven't seen cables ran directly on the grid a bunch of times, but that all should be properly supported so that it doesn't fall from the weight of soaking wet tiles.

The combined weight of wet tiles and poorly supported grids, fixtures, and wiring would be what scared me the most. Do you know how often the supports completely fail and it all comes raining down?