Xuron - LX Micro-Shear® Flush Cutter - LX*

Xuron makes great tools. Not for wire under 20 Guage even though I've gotten them thrive 16. They are still going strong. Will buy again when I need.

I picked up some of these flush cutters as I do a lot of work with smaller diameter wiring, and I find that using this type of cutter works very well, especially when you need to get into tight areas or need to snip something flush against another object, like against a board, cutting plastic pieces away from a mold or for what they've REALLY helped me with and thats cutting away outer jacketing on 22/2 and 18/2 AWG wiring. The precise point makes it really easy to stick in there, nick the end and start splitting the jacket.At first I was a little concerned with purchasing these cutters because I saw some people apparently had bad experiences with their cutters. But I decided to go ahead and give them a shot because I know the Xuron brand is quality and I'm not going to use the cutters for anything other than what they are actually intended, which is cutting small diameter, soft material. Not for trying to cut solid 16 AWG copper wire like I've seen some do then act surprised when their cutters get dull..Upon receiving the cutters I have to say I am VERY pleased with the product. Quality is absolutely TOP notch. Both in build quality and the quality of materials used. One thing that I found after opening them up that pleased me quite a lot is that it turns out that the too finish is actually polished, rather than the regular ole' black finish that you find on a lot of cutters similar to this. I really didn't expect it, but I actually like the idea of the polished finish a lot more as I believe it will hold up to abuse, wear and the elements better than a regular black tool finish might. It will be interesting to see how the finish holds up in comparison to other similar tools.The cutters cut EXTREMELY well and are very precise and sharp. As you can see the cutting edges meet together nearly perfectly and the fit and finish of the cutter is absolutely wonderful. One thing I definitely want to address is that some people are saying that their cutters are alligned properly. Meaning that the cutting edges don't meet up 100% perfectly flush or head-on with each other. Well all I have to say is that my cutters are very close and aren't obviously misaligned. Secondly, if the person who is complaining about that particular "issue" actually took the quickest glance at the product packaging, they would see that the product is DESIGNED THAT WAY in order to give the cut material a cleaner cut and to keep the cutting edges sharper. The cutter is designed so that the cutting edges don't smack each other perfectly aligned without any give. When the cutters are closed lightly, you'll see that they do indeed meet up flush and are aligned well, but when you add any more force to the point where you're actively mashing the two blades into each other, a shearing action occurs where one of the cutting edges slips under the other cutting edge preventing the tool from becoming dull prematurely. It's how they are designed, hence the term "Micro-Shear"..Anyways, if you're looking for a great quality flush cutter, you need not look any further than these. I am very pleased with them. And be sure to check out the photos I uploaded with the review as well.

I mainly used the cutter for 22 gauge breadboard cable, for which it worked flawlessly. Then one day, I had to cut off a piece of the center conductor of a coax cable. The center conductor on RG-6 cable is usually 18 AWG. This cutter is rated up to 16 AWG, so I figured I should have no problem cutting the thinner 18 AWG copper conductor. So the theory went and in this case the theory and the specs of this cutter were very wrong.First of all, it was very difficult to perform the cut (and yes I was cutting near the back/bottom of the blades and not near the tip for better leverage). Second of all, both of the sharp blades of the cutter got nicked from the cut. The blade offset towards me when looking from the front suffered significantly more damage than the rear one.I could not believe my eyes. Here is a highly regarded cutter and it just got nicked cutting (soft) 18 AWG copper wire. How is this possible? I immediately went and measured the gauge of the center conductor in my coax cable. Sure enough, it was the common 18 AWG configuration. Then I thought maybe I would use a portion of the blades that is not as far back. I decided to perform another cut using the part of the blades that is about 3/4 of the way from the tip. Perhaps this cutter was not designed to perform cuts using the portion of the blades so close to the rear. The way the tool is designed, it is clear that the gap between the blades increases as you move from the back of the blades towards the front, so I figured about 3/4 of the way from the tips will allow me to have enough leverage to make the cut while avoiding the part of the cutter I already nicked.I made a another cut and once again the cutter blades got nicked at the point of the cut, with the front blade suffering more damage than the rear. Now my cutter has two sets of nicks on its blades. They are not very large and the cutter is still functional, but they are certainly visible, slightly warping the edges of the blades and it is clear that this cutter will not survive many more such cuts.In utter disbelief, I took a cheap  IRWIN 4-1/2-Inch Flush Diagonal w/Spring 2078925  that I bought for around ten dollars here on Amazon and performed another cut. It was difficult and I had to apply more force to complete the cut (compared with the Xuron LX cutter), but there was absolutely no damage to the blades of this cheap ten dollar cutter whatsoever. It is interesting to note that the Irwin is a flush cutter and that its blades are not offset, which are two criteria that should have worked against it for a difficult cut. Nevertheless, it performed the cut flawlessly and without taking damage to its blades even if more strength was required on my part to complete the cut.Oh well, I guess I am going to relegate this LX cutter to very fine wire that is 20 gauge or smaller. I don't know if others are having better luck with this cutter, but I am holding the cable being cut perfectly perpendicular to the blades in two out of the three dimensions, so this is not an error in technique.

So far I love them, and would buy again. Seems well made, sturdy.

I think these are great little cutters. I wasn't expecting much given the low price but they have performed admirably so far. I haven't tried to cut huge cables like 8 gauge or anything with them but if you're cutting the things these are intended for (especially component leads when populating PCBs) these should do the trick. If you do break them (which I haven't) they won't cost much to replace.EDIT: I have now used these to cut 8, 4 and even 1/0 gauge copper and CCA wire. I had to nip at all of those wires... maybe 2 nips for 8 gauge, 4 or so for 4 gauge, and maybe 6-7 nips for 1/0 gauge. Not too bad. I didn't feel like I was 'stressing' these cutters at all while doing so. I would not buy them for this purpose as there are larger cutters that can do larger wire easier, but these were what I had close by and performed fine.I also appreciate that they're made in the USA. I have nothing against other countries but as an American I like to support the jobs of other Americans.

I like these, but now that I've compared Xuron's cutters, the 410 is the one to get if you don't need the stainless steel these are made from. The 410 makes smoother, easier cuts and is considered Xuron's premium cutter. However, these do last a long time and eschew rust, so there is a place for these.

Been using these years, mainly for cat cable termination and snipping zip ties. They are precise and do a really good job. They stay sharp too. My go to.

The Xuron tools are the ones I recommend in my YouTube tutorials on my Heather Boyd Wire channel. Excellent quality, lightweight and comfortable.

You get what you pay for!!! Great flush cutters and great quality

I'm a big fan of Xuron tools and have liked every one of my purchases, but this is the only exception. I bought it for intricate jewelry making, where I have a make cuts in very tight spaces. The problem with these is that the tip is not very pointy so it isn't able to get into tight spaces, resulting in a poor grip and the tip just ends up marring the wire/chain. I actually find that my macro cutters that have sharp tips work much better.

Cut really nicely. A good product and very pleased with these.

Simple, but well built tool. It's well worth spending the extra few bucks to get this one over the lighter duty flush cutters out there. Great, service on the delivery as well.