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The Keiba PU-266 Power-Up Cutting Nipper that I am reviewing today is a diagonal cutter - or side cutter - that's made in Japan by the company Maruto Hasegawa Kosakujo Inc. That company has been making tools since 1924, so they probably know their stuff! Let's take a look at these pliers - this is the red variant, they also come in black:
These are available on eBay US, eBay AU, Amazon. The front advertises the cutting limits - 1.8mm of hard wire and 2.3mm of soft wire.
You can also see the length of the pliers - 165mm - and the fact that these are not flush cutters. They're electronically induction hardened:
They're not insulated:
...and the country of origin noted at the bottom of the packaging:
The back shows that they won a Good Design award and that they're made from Marutoloy:
Marutoloy is one of the top grade steels from Kobe Steel Ltd., and Maruto's Keiba line is largely made up of one of two types - Marutoloy I which is CR-V70C Chrome-Vanadium Steel and Marutoloy II, which is SK7MF2 High Carbon Tool Steel. Maruto states that the Marutoloy is hardened through a 14-hour process, resulting in a long-lasting and hard working surface. Some online literature suggests that the PU-266 nippers are made from Marutoloy I, but I can't find anything from Maruto that states whether that's the case.
The cutting limits are printed on the handle:
Keiba's horse logo in the center:
Not sure what the MH 19M is:
The hinge is covered by red plastic:
Side profile:
The cutting edge - these photos have been taken after a little use, which explains the bronze coloured marks:
They're quite compact in the hand:
In use they're comfortable, and compared to standard pliers of the same length they really do require substantially less force to cut the same thing!
Using some 1.6mm TIG filler rod as the test piece, it's surprising how much of a difference there is. I have arthritis in my hands and the extra force is most welcomed - cutting 1M long TIG rods in half just got easier!
Maruto seem to market this at women and the elderly - and while I am neither of those things I have certainly found them to be useful. Pick some up yourself from eBay US, eBay AU, or Amazon.
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