What is the best way to cut zip ties with a knife

I guess everyone isn't as cheap as I am. :D

I use the tip of my knife to release the ziptie latch so I can reuse them as necessary.

I have a boxful of different sizes when I need one.
 
I do it, too, when it's feasible. Often it's actually easier than cutting the darn things, to boot.
 
I'm probably the wrong guy to ask:

4873B31F-ABDA-485B-9A0F-A0CE0964EB23_zps8ozq1xfv.jpg


I swear I was being careful, but clearly I was not careful enough. Use snips. If there are none anywhere close I'll use the awl on my Pioneer. But I will *never* use a knife blade.
 
NotSoSharpBob said:
So I was posting a reply to another thread and thought about the way I cut zip ties scares me more and more as I get older. Is there a proper way to do it? Sometimes I can sandwich the zip tie between the blade and my wooden workbench. My blades are sharp so pressing down makes the cut pretty quickly. However, most times the zip tie is too tight and I can't use that method. I end up pushing the blade away from me into the air with quite a bit of force and then when the cut is made the knife jumps forward. Of course I make sure I am clear of any other humans, animals or anything else that I don't want to harm or damage but still feel a little barbaric.

Am I doing it wrong?

Thanks
Click to expand...

It is a piece of cake. Open your Leatherman and use the wire cutting section of your pliers. Fast and easy.

Frailer, that is some good stitching by the way. What kind of knife will you use to remove those stitches?
 
Last edited:
I don't know...I just cut them.
Never thought about what the "proper way" to do it was.
Somehow I always ended up doing it right though; hooray for me! :D
 
zzyzzogeton said:
I guess everyone isn't as cheap as I am. :D

I use the tip of my knife to release the ziptie latch so I can reuse them as necessary.

I have a boxful of different sizes when I need one.
Click to expand...

I do that too. my hawkbill Ladybug is just about perfect to pop the release.
 
My book keeper used to use a case cutter and slashed her wrist by accident opening the wage satchel. All I heard was a sobbing, I walked in to a wall sprayed with blood and a floor awash. I drove her to the hospital and bought her a pair of scissors.
I now use small wire cutters as I cut a lot of them.
 
Since people had good luck with the Spyderco hooked blade (I have the PE Tasman) I figured I wasn't doing it right and gave it another try. I was trying to just hook the tie with the tip and pull. This time I pushed the blade into the loop of the tie and used the long narrow taper of the blade to wedge the edge through the ties. That worked much better. Smaller ties but doable. Not my favorite but worked much better that way.
 
GatorFlash1 said:
It is a piece of cake. Open your Leatherman and use the wire cutting section of your pliers. Fast and easy.

Frailer, that is some good stitching by the way. What kind of knife will you use to remove those stitches?
Click to expand...

I used a Victorinox Compact (seriously). But I cheated and used the scissors.
 
This is one reason I like a leaf blade. It can be rocked on the spine if solidly mounted or just pushed through if not.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top