Insulated High Leverage Diagonal Cutter, 8 in, 200mm, 1,000 V

These 1000V tools from Fluke are top quality. I have purchased a few from other manufacturer’s in the past and not always liked the ergonomics and feel of them. I do appreciate the opportunity to test these from Fluke because I have found them to be great to work with.Most high voltage insulated handles have the large guards at the transition end to prevent accidental metal contact. These are better designed IMO because I don’t feel like they are constantly getting in the way. Whether I am putting the tool away into the toolbox, into a pants pocket or tool belt they don’t make me dislike them as I sometimes have with others. Likewise when taking the tool out the knuckles aren’t grabbing onto other tools and pulling them out too.The handles are made of a very nice insulator. They are grippy, secure and slightly softening. With or without gloves I find I can use them with good dexterity. If they do get soiled with oil, grease or dirt you can wipe them off with a little soapy water and they clean right up. Do make sure you keep the metal parts oiled. They will rust easily if not. They come from the factory with a good amount of hinge oil but I would coat the entire metal area with a good quality oil. There is noting worse than going to your high dollar tool box to find that a little rain from the night before has wrecked everything because the truck cover leaked.These are smooth acting. I took them and opened and closed them about 20 times while exerting sidewinders and outer forces to loosen them up. As I did so I could feel the slight catch points near full open loosening up and finally disappearing altogether. Now they are silky smooth.If there is one minor thing that I would add to these is an end of the handle identifier. As all the tools in this line have the same looking handles it can be hard to tell what is what just by looking down at the handle tips. Kind of like marking screwdriver ends, have these handles marked would be a great selling feature for Fluke. This is nothing that a Sharpie can’t take care of, but you do have to keep remarking it over time and it doesn’t look as cool as a factory molded mark could look. Other than that minor wish list item I really can’t think of anything I don’t like about them. Made in Germany. High quality. High precision. Reasonable priced. A good value. 5 stars.

I reviewed three Fluke tools in this line, longnose pliers, lineman pliers, and diagonal cutters. The tools are very similar, and these are my general thoughts on all three tools.=== The Good Stuff ===* They are German-made, and they look it. Everything lines up with no blemishes for finishing marks, all the edges are smooth, and the tools are somewhat heavier than you might expect.* The grips have a great feel to them- a very slight amount of give, but a sure feel to them and easy to grasp, even with damp hands. The orange and red grips are visible from quite a distance.* The tools are well balanced, and just feel right in your hand. I own multiple versions of each of these types of tools, and within a few weeks, all of the others had disappeared from my toolbag.=== The Not-So-Good Stuff ===* All three tools are roughly the same length, and have identical handles. While there may be some advantages to consistency, it is just about impossible to discriminate them in a tool bag. I finally ended up using colored tape on the handles to make it easier…not a great solution.* If I were more style conscious, the color/advertising/text on the handles might bother me. It doesn’t.

This review is for the Fluke Insulated Heavy Duty High Leverage Diagonal Cutter, 1000VThere is a battle for supremacy of the German made electrical pliers and screwdrivers. The players, Knipex, Wiha, Fluke.While these diagonals look similar to the Knipex pliers, they are not made by them. Like Knipex, these have writing all over them. All makers of 1000v tools have writing.The tool itself is flawless. No machine marks or blemishes. What does that tell you? Most likely the tolerances will be dead on balls accurate. They are. No gaps. Perfect alignment.They feel great in your hand. Super smooth action. Wiha is priced the same as these. Knipex is a few dollars less.That being said, I now have the rest of the Fluke set to accompany these pliers.

As soon as you pick this up you know this is a quality tool. Everything looks and is precisely made. The grips are tacky enough to get a good grip and are flared at the tool end to prevent hand slippage. The edges of the grips are rounded enough to help prevent them from getting stuck on other tools or fabric. The movement is super smooth and the work surfaces come together precisely. They work great in use. You can't go wrong with this tool it just depends on how much you want to pay. I'd say the average homeowner who is going to use the tool occasionally can look at cheaper tools. If you are a professional, loyal to the brand, or someone who wants top quality I'd highly recommend these.

This is a very high quality insulated diagonal cutter. I feel more comfortable working with a tool that won't let me down. Unlike cheap cutters, I couldn't find any fault with this tool. All parts of the cutter are well manufactured with no defects. The mouth of the cutter has no gaps. Cutting through a wire was effortless and had a clean cut. I highly recommend this Fluke cutter.