New nippers

[LeytonO]

The anvil type of sprue cutters have a far finer blade edge than those on a pair of anvil secateurs. Anvil secateurs are designed for heavy duty cutting, so have a relatively wide cutting angle to the blade to prevent damage during use. It’s like comparing a good wood chisel, which shaves off material, with a lump hammer driven cold chisel, which smashes its way through. Think scalpel and that’s the sort of sharpness the sprue cutters have. In addition, the material you are cutting is also different. Plastic will distort away from the blades, being squeezed off by bypass cutters, whereas plant material is more rigid so gets cut through. Ive used both, and I can assure you that the wire cutter type nippers (even my Lindstroms) are not in the same league. Lindstrom box jointed smooth jawed pliers are the bees knees though…..mine are over thirty years old and are still as good as the day I bought them.

These are my Lindstrom cutters I got on starting in 1975 as an apprentice with the then Post Office Telecommunications.
Still using them although not for sprue cutting or telephone cable, retired after nearly 40 years from doing the latter.
I still have a pair of their flat end long nose pliers somewhere, many years since I tweaked a relay.