The Jagwire Sport Zip Tie Cutter is an excellent tool for anyone regularly working on bikes who wants a professional, safe, zip-tie-trimming finish delivered to common-sense home and workplace safety standards.
Bikes Love Zip-ties. It’s a rare bicycle indeed that doesn’t have at least one or two zip-ties on its person somewhere. And the golden rule of zip-ties is that they must be cut flush, so as not to pose a risk to anyone riding or working on the bike.
I have seen first-hand what a roughly-cut zip-tie can do, and it’s not pretty. I’m talking opening-an-artery-on-a-wrist trip-to-A&E kind of ugly. Especially on thicker zip-ties, the protruding few mm left over when a normal pair of pliers or scissors is used to trim it short can literally cut like a knife. The very short length means the sharp tip doesn’t bend over, and stays upright as your arm or possibly leg is dragged over it. Back in my distant days as an army telecommunications technician, to leave a zip-tie in that state would see you fail a module on a course or even face a charge of negligence if the workshop sergeant was out to get you. At the least you’d have to put a round on the bar that Friday, as a lesson not to imperil your fellow technicians.
So take it as read (zero correspondence will be entered into), only flush-cutting pliers are acceptable for working on bikes. If your local bike shop can’t be arsed using them, best find another local bike shop, because the rest of their work standards – the ones you can’t see – are likely worse, and therefore more dangerous.
Which brings us to the Jagwire cutters. They look just like any other decent-quality flush-cut pliers – so far, so safe – but they have a key safety feature hiding in plain sight: the offcut retainer spring.
It’s accepted best practice to always wear eye protection when working on a bike. Stuff can be flung, snap, spurt or fly about in a myriad ways; to that, add the eyesight risk of tiny offcuts of jagged plastic flying at your face if you are trimming down a zip-tie.
The speed at which a thick zip-tie offcut can depart a sidecutter is considerable – easily flying across a room to hit the opposite wall. If your retina happens to be in the way, you will not be pleased at best, and be off to an eye surgeon at worst. You only have two eyeballs, it’s simply not worth the risk. And even if you’re wearing eye protection, others around you – colleagues, family, friends – may not be. Or they may be turned side on to you and therefore exposed to an injurious trajectory. Seem like overkill? Everything’s extremely unlikely – until it happens to you/yours.
> Beginner’s guide to bike tools – get all the vital gear for basic bike maintenance
There’s not much to say about performance here – the little retainer spring fixed to float next to one blade retains the zip-tie offcut, regardless of length, and holds it until you release your grip over a bin or workbench. Does exactly what it says on the tin. The handles are nice to grasp, the acton is smooth, and the materials and finish feel premium.
The only point I can fault them on is that they don’t open quite as far as your typical bike zip-tie is wide – meaning for rather fat ties they need attacking side-on instead of front-on. This is a minor gripe and one easily worked around with a pivot of the wrist. But still, it would be good to see the next version open a bit wider.
Value & conclusion
As happens in the cycling industry, Jagwire would seem to have rebadged an existing tool from a generic manufacturer. In this case, the Taiwanese factory manufacturing for German high-end tool brand Wiha – as evidenced by this Amazon listing. It looks to be exactly the same product but applied to electronics, advertised to retain wire offcuts which can be even worse than zip-ties when airborne.
In an unusual twist that might disrupt the fabric of space-time if pondered too long, this example of possible bike-industry-rebadging appears to have erred in favour of the cyclist’s wallet. Brace yourselves, folks – the Jagwire product costs a whopping £9.20 less than the Wiha equivalent. Get IN!
Decent quality flush-cutting pliers, flush cutters – call them what you will – are usually around the £8-12 mark. I’ve used a pair of Piergiacomi PG-TRE03NB Flush Cut Side Cutters for a decade and they’re still working fine – but I do need to use two hands to make sure I catch the offcuts. So at £19.99 the Jagwire Sport Zip Tie Cutter is an expensive flush cutter, but a good value *retaining* flush cutter. If you’re happy using two hands to snip and catch offcuts, this probably isn’t a priority purchase. But if you want to be as safe, efficient and tidy as possible, it’s an excellent shout.
Verdict
An excellent buy – the safest, most controlled way to trim zip-ties, and reasonably priced too
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road.cc test report
Make and model: Jagwire Sport Zip Tie Cutter
Size tested: n/a
Tell us what the product is for and who it’s aimed at. What do the manufacturers say about it? How does that compare to your own feelings about it?
They are for people wanting to trim down zip-ties safely and effectively.
Jagwire says: “The Jagwire Sport Zip Tie Cutter cleanly cuts plastic zip-style cable ties for a professional look. The innovative holding feature allows for one-handed operation while keeping the workshop clean.”
Tell us some more about the technical aspects of the product?
From Jagwire:
Holding Feature
This innovative design secures the loose scrap of zip tie once it has been cut. This help to keep the workshop clean of debris while allowing for one-handed operation.
Sport Zip Tie Cutter
* Flush cutting blades cleanly trim plastic zip ties
* Holding feature to secure the scrap after the cut is complete
* Compact, ergonomic design
Very well assembled.
It doesn’t open quite as wide as you’d like, but otherwise can’t fault it.
Premium material and finish suggest decent longevity.
Light, if that matters.
Handle is very comfy.
It’s nearly a third off the price of the Wiha equivalent.
Tell us how the product performed overall when used for its designed purpose
Can’t fault it apart from that it doesn’t open quite as wide as you’d like.
Tell us what you particularly liked about the product
The offcut retainer – obvs.
Tell us what you particularly disliked about the product
Nothing except the opening width.
How does the price compare to that of similar products in the market, including ones recently tested on road.cc?
Much cheaper than the identical Wiha equivalent.
Did you enjoy using the product? Yes
Would you consider buying the product? Yes
Would you recommend the product to a friend? Yes
Use this box to explain your overall score
I can’t fault a thing about it except the opening width. An excellent tool at a great price.
About the tester
Age: 47
I usually ride: Sonder Camino Gravelaxe My best bike is: Nah bro that’s it
I’ve been riding for: Over 20 years I ride: A few times a week I would class myself as: Expert
I regularly do the following types of riding: cyclo cross, general fitness riding, mtb, G-R-A-V-E-L
20 thoughts on “Jagwire Sport Zip Tie Cutter”
Wow… is this satire?
Wow… is this satire?
Go to another bike shop if they don’t cut zip ties flush… always wear safety glasses when working on a bike… pff. Live a little, jeez.
Why would it be satire?
Why would it be satire?
if your LBS is so disdainful of best practice and safety as to not bother with something as easy as flush-cutting a zip tie, what else are they cutting corners on – brakes? Steerer tubes? Torque values for stem clamps? It’s a very simple and easy to spot indicator of bad / lazy practice.
I fully accept you may be OK with your bike being worked on in a half-arsed manner. It’s a free world.
As for disparaging the industry standard of wearing eye protection at work – you clearly aren’t a professional mechanic who wants to end each day with eyesight intact. Again, it’s a free world if you’re in your shed, but employers have a duty of care under law ?♂️
I’m 53 years ols, and Ive
I’m 53 years old, and Ive worked at quite a few bike shops, from big (12 mechanics) to very small. Never ever have I seen a mechanic wearing safety glasses while doing normal work on a bike. Only when working with a grinder or something like that, but never while doing the usual bike stuff.
Also, about those zip ties, I’d personally go to another LBS if they were using zip ties regularly. There’s no reason for a bike to be full of zip ties.
To attach a hydraulic brake cable to the cable stops on the down tube: fine.
To tidy up the cables in front of the handlebars: maybe.
You’d have to be an acrobat to cut yourself on those.
But otherwise, what the hell do you need zip ties for on your bike, as a permanent solution? Of all the bikes in my shed, non of them has a single zip tie on it.
It’s a non-problem.
The only time I have used zip
The only time I have used zip ties is to fix an extra light to a rack.
If you’ve never seen a
If you’ve never seen a mechanic wearing eye protection as a matter of course, you’ve been working in shops that don’t care about their staff or prosecution under H&S law. I acknowledge both exist, that doesn’t stop eye protection as standard being accepted best practice.
there are many things that can fly apart/burst/snap etc that are run of the mill repairs. Any tyre inflation, any brake work, bleeding, shocks, spinning wheels ie working on drivetrains etc. all are potential eye hazards. You don’t have to agree, but you’re flat out in the wrong.
But don’t argue the toss here, this is an internet comments page. You need to be lobbying your MP to water down H&S law, to remove the legal requirement for eye protection in workshops. Cheers.
Funny how you automatically
Funny how you automatically assume I am from the same country as you are.
I am not. We have our own laws, and safety protocols.
And luckily, those responsible use common sense and weigh the chances of something happening when they set the rules. Overal, the chances of something happening are very low when working on a bike, and for those type of tasks that involve some more risk, they count on common sense and people taking the right measures when needed.
When people prepare a meal, they sometimes cut themselves, yet chainmail gloves are not commonly used. Lot’s of people fall in the bathroom, yet no one wears a helmet there.
Life is full of potential hazards, but it is not feasible to always try to protect yourself against all of them.
And lastly, you may think it is ‘best practice’, but reality is different. Google ‘bicycle mechanic’ and go to Images. I did, and of all the pictures in the first page, one(!) of them wears safety glasses. On his forehead.
Sredlums wrote:
I don’t know which of you is correct – I must admit I’ve spent a fair amount of time around bike shops and never seen a mechanic using safety glasses – but as you’re in the Netherlands and Mike is in Scotland you would have been bound by pretty much the same EU H&S law until just a few short years ago.
Like I said, don’t argue the
If you take workplace safety cues from Google search results, that’s up to you.
What you do in your own home is entirely up to you. What you do in a workplace is dictated by workplace safety law, which I agree differs from country to country, but best practice doesn’t. If you were my employee and failed to use eye protection as instructed you’d be sacked – why should I risk losing my business? Some people are arrogantly macho about workplace H&S, and bully others into not protecting themselves. Having witnessed workplace accidents myself and seen the life-changing consequences – death, actually – I give exactly zero f*cks for that attitude.
Like I said, don’t argue the toss here, this is an internet comments page. You need to be lobbying your MP to water down H&S law, to remove the legal requirement for eye protection in workshops. Cheers.
FWIW, I’m not a bike mechanic
FWIW, I’m not a bike mechanic and don’t work in a bike shop. However I do wear a pair of Bollé Silium glasses in my home workshop as until some surgery last year, I was partially sighted in one eye and the risk of permanently or temporarily losing the other one due to a frayed cable or splash from degreaser gunk was too great in my mind.
Also (keeping it cycling), IIRC some years ago, a colleague of mine met a Bollé rep at a medical supplier type thing and was asked “what do cyclists need from glasses, we’d love to get into that”, he replied something along the lines of “keep debris out of my eyes, not get scratched and not shatter if they hit something” and was given a couple of pairs to try out. He’s still wearing them I think. Although now the cycling ones are much more than the £9 I paid for my workshop ones (of course they are).
“If you take workplace safety
“If you take workplace safety cues from Google search results”
How old are you, 12?
Pretending to be dumber then you are is never a good look. You know damn well that my point was that wearing safety glasses as a bike mechanic is not as common or obvious as you make it out to be.
On the contrary, it is highly unusual, and yes, a simple image search is indeed quite indicative of that.
Is it safer to wear safety glasses? Yes, probably.
But it’s also safer to wear safety shoes with steel toe boxes and impenetrable soles. A construction helmet. A bullet proof vest. Have a body guard stand next to it.
Do you use/wear/do all of those?
If not, why not?
Sredlums wrote:
This you?
you may think it is ‘best practice’, but reality is different. Google ‘bicycle mechanic’ and go to Images. I did, and of all the pictures in the first page, one(!) of them wears safety glasses. On his forehead.
Agreed.
*in your experience*. Which, as you state, is not based on the UK (where the vast majority of this site’s readership is from), and is not indicative of widespread best practice or government-mandated behaviour. See https://www.hse.gov.uk/ppe/using-the-right-type-of-ppe.htm – and again, scream into the H&SE void all you like, this is the legislation that will see a bikeshop owner or manager prosecuted if a member of staff is injured. I didn’t make this up, so stop coming back at me chum.
Glad you agree.
“How old are you, 12?”
The heaviest thing in a bike workshop is typically a hammer, so no, steel-capped boots aren’t needed. Nothing is falling from the sky, so no, a construction helmet isn’t needed. No-one’s shooting at anyone, so no a bullet-proof vest isn’t needed. There’s no implicit threat from attackers, so no a bodyguard isn’t needed. Your arguments are facile, and I’m not the one who makes or enforces H&S rules. We’re done.
Sredlums wrote:
There are cable ties permanently on my bike – the bolt that secured the bottom front of my rear mudguard (fender) to the frame sheared off where it had rusted through, so I’ve used cable ties to hold it all in place.
I cut them with scissors, then tidied them up with nail-clippers.
brooksby wrote:
I was trying to remember if I’d ever used a ziptie on a bike, and I once did something similar. I used the flush cut pliers that are in my electrical toolbox. Though if I got a hand in between the mudguard and the tyre, I don’t think being cut by the end of a ziptie would be my main problem. I didn’t put safety goggles over my prescription glasses.
No pictures of tools work?
No pictures of tools work?
the article wouldn’t be out of place on April 1st but I appreciate the straight face while talking about this important matter
For a bit more you can
For a bit more you can purchase a zip tie “gun” which tensions and cuts it, Personally I’ve always used a butt wire cutter 20 mm flush cut. Just as effective as removing zip ties for maintenance etc £25 for a set of 3
I’m no mechanic but: (1) does
I’m no mechanic but: (1) does nobody else just hold the free end of the cable tie when cutting (ok, maybe not always possible, and no particular issue with recommending eye protection anyway); (2) don’t understand why you would want to attack a cable tie from the front rather than side if you’re trying to achieve a flush cut?
Good grief, what’s the world
Good grief, what’s the world coming to when we have a zip tie cutter for bikes! Shouldnt be on a bike in the first place.
Wow…20 quid! I bought
Wow…20 quid! I bought something with exactly the same blade design a couple years ago for about 10 euros in an ordinary hardware store. Can’t remember what I initially bought it for (something DIY-ist, possibly wire cutting when I was fitting a new thermostat). Turned out to be crap at that, but excellent for trimming cable ties. Who knew??!!
Edit: I just realised why mine was cheaper…I got the regular model, not the “sport” edition
KDee wrote:
I’m holding out for the gravel version
As this one is yellow and
As this one is yellow and black, I guess it’s actually a leak of the TdF limited special edition
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