by Nicky Moxey
If you spend any time playing with wire, you’ve almost certainly got a favourite wire cutter. I had three – one of which I admit was stolen from my husband’s toolbox! Then along came the Xuron Jewellers Cutter Kit. I also acquired the Xuron Four-in-one Crimper with Chain Nose Pliers at the same time.
The kit comes in a handy fabric pouch, and consists of three cutters:
- The Xuron Micro-shear Precision Flush Cutter, which can handle up to 18 gauge wire
- The Xuron Maxi-shear Flush Cutter, up to 14 gauge
- The Xuron Hard Wire Cutter, also up to 14 gauge
Xuron Jewellers Cutter Kit (product code 997 XU01)
Each of these cutters are designed for use on non-ferrous metals only – and given that they are an American make, I wasn’t too sure whether the gauge mentioned was the US or UK standard; I have been a bit conservative when using the Micro-shear in particular, as it is indeed a precision implement. However, Xuron say that the blades on all of them will last longer than usual, because the sharp edges never meet edge-to-edge.
The handles are colour-coded, with the two flush cutters a cheerful orange colour – impossible to miss, even under a work-in-progress. You can easily tell one from the other by the size of the blades. The Maxi-shear definitely feels weightier, with much more solid blades, and the Micro-shear has long, delicate blades. The Hard Wire Cutter’s handle is blue. The handles are lovely and soft, very comfortable to hold, and they are spring-loaded, so you get very precise feedback to your hand about how hard you are gripping something.
I have been using the flush cutters for exactly the purpose they are intended – and they are SO nice to use. In fact, they are such a pleasure to work with that I even have an oversupply of jump rings – and I never thought I would say that!
But the tool that has surprised me the most is the Hard Wire cutter. I somehow got talked into making hairpieces for a friend’s wedding – an absolute rush job – and had to cut the provided hair slides down to size. I blush to admit it, but the Hard Wire cutters did the job perfectly, without flinching, and then were on hand to do all the actual wire cutting – so I am certain I didn’t damage them with the off-piste work. Those are some heavy-duty cutters! Then, of course, that’s when the Xuron Four-in-one Crimper came into its own, as I folded and wrapped all the wire and beadwork onto a zillion headpieces.
Again, the handles were a joy to use, and the Crimper tool speeded up and simplified what otherwise would have been a pain of a job. These Xuron tools have rapidly become my go-to cutters – I may even return the old favourites to the toolbox…
There are a number of different cutters and more available in the Xuron range at Cooksongold, all perfect for a variety of skill levels. Why not explore our selection today and add one of these handy tools to your bench?
Cooksongold