Single Blade Nipper DSPIAE ST-A 3.0

[colin m]

Gentlemen, my credit card is wonderfully clear at the moment, so, I might take this opportunity to upgrade my cutters.
But, are these cutters really worth the price ?
What is the advantage of these over average cutters ?
Do you use them, or maybe other 'better than average' cutters ?

Gentlemen, help me spend some money. I'm ok for wine and beer.

[davecov]

For the removal of parts from runners or cutting thin polystyrene rod they are brilliant. With normal cutters, they leave a triangular cut each side, not with the DSPIAE cutters which only have a blade on one edge, with the other being blunt. I also find that the cutters are easier on the hand, unlike normal cutters which jar the hand.

I have had a few pairs over the years which, due to my stupidity or forgetfulness, I have broken. It is easy to forget you have them in your hand when cutting something too thick and the blunted side breaks. Sometimes it bends and I use a small hammer to gently get it back into shape. Trying to bend it back into shape with pliers can break the tip. Ask me how I know.

Despite this, I recommend them wholeheartedly. I have Xenon sprue cutters as well but I rarely use them now.

Dave

[John]

We sell loads of them, I have a customer retuning some, he said the jaws are out of line, I’ve told him they are adjustable but despite that he still said they are not right, I’m pretty sure there isn’t anything wrong with them, once I have them back I will check and test them, if they are ok you can have them at a discounted price with them being a return.

[Jack L]

I used to use bog standard £5 nippers and never thought there was an issue with them. For whatever reason I bought a set of Dspiae ones and all I can say is WOW. Unbelievably sharp, ridiculously smooth 'snip', and you no longer have to worry about parts pinging across the room. Along with my H&S airbrush, probably the best money I have spent on a modelling tool.

[BarryW]

I use them and love them, yes they are worth every penny.

My advice is to use them for trimming nibs off parts flush to the part which reduces the need for sanding. I always remove parts from the sprue with a normal pair of ‘nippers’ cutting well away from the parts and do this for control. There are exceptions to this where I use the DSPAE ones on fragile parts because having a thin sharp blade it applies less stress to the part. For the most fragile though a razor saw is still the best.

[Tim Marlow]

Agree with the guys. Fantastic tools. I have several other pairs of sprue cutters, Zuron, Sandvik, Citadel, etc, but these are far and away the best. I think they save at least two hours of clean up on every kit I build. They are markedly different from other cutters in that they slice the sprue gate off rather than squeezing through it. The finish is therefore far superior, like cutting the parts off with a scalpel. Take note of Davecovs comments though. They are NOT for heavy work.

[LeytonO]

I have been using cutters called Stedi MS-109, got them for about 25 quid from Amazon after seeing some recommendations.
Can't compare them to the DSPIAE versions, but they are a huge improvement on my old Army Painter nippers.

[Tim Marlow]

Top of the tree is supposedly Godhand SPN-120. Now I’ve never seen or handled them, but they are described as being like finest quality samurai swords. They are supposed to cut absolutely cleanly, but are also known to be very fragile if mishandled because of the hardness, hence sharpness, of the blades. Personally I think DSPIAE cutters are good enough for me, but if I had the money I might try some Godhands…..

[colin m]

Despite this, I recommend them wholeheartedly

I bought a set of Dspiae ones and all I can say is WOW

I use them and love them, yes they are worth every penny.

Fantastic tools

I have been using cutters called Stedi MS-109

Thank you all for your replies. It looks like I'll be treating myself.