Line cutters are one of the most fundamental tools that must always make a part of your tackle box. Fishing without carrying line cutters wouldn’t make much sense, which is why it is important to choose line cutters of the best quality to make your fishing experience a magical one.
As the name itself implies, braided line cutters can detach fishing lines from either the fish or from other materials that it gets attached to. This can be a laborious task at times, considering how a braided fishing line can prove to be quite difficult to cut without fraying its ends. Frayed ends can ruin the quality of your fishing line, which is why only an effective pair of braided line cutters should form a part of your fishing inventory.
But what are braided fishing lines? As the name itself implies, these fishing lines are produced by weaving fiber materials into fine strands of thin lines. This exhausting procedure ultimately produces a sturdy fishing line that can resist abrasion and is generally very durable. This also means that it requires the correct tool to break it.
We will discuss a few of the best braided line cutters available on the market to make your experience worthwhile, but we need to know how to choose a fishing line cutter before we do that.
Boomerang Tool Company Original Snip Grey (Our Top Pick)
One of our favorite tools for cutting braided fishing lines is the Boomerang Snip by the Boomerang Tool Company. This item is designed primarily to cut through braided lines without leaving behind any frayed ends.
An important thing to note here is that the manufacturer specifically recommended this cutter for saltwater.
This snip is incredibly compact, consists of an array of quality features, is built to last, and is the perfect solution for cutting through braided lines. One of its most indispensable features, however, is its size.
Size
The dimensions of this item are 3.5 x 2 x 1.5 inches; this makes it a very compact device that won’t cause unnecessary burden in your tackle box. Moreover, this snip comes along with a retractable lanyard attached to a clip. This will allow you to hook this line cutter to your belt’s loop. You can also clip the cord on any other part of your clothes.
The length of the retractable lanyard that comes along with this snip is 36 inches, which is long enough to facilitate the user over long distances to cut the fishing lines.
Some fishermen even prefer to have a snip looped around their neck through the use of a lanyard. This feature makes the mobility of the user a lot simpler and allows the user to access it instantly. This is only possible because the snip is incredibly lightweight at only 1.6 ounces.
Blades Material
The blades of this tool are remarkably sharp and long-lasting. The stainless blades on this tool also give it an incredibly professional look. A great thing about such a powerful tool is that it does not require line tension. This indicates a very sturdy line cutter, as you can cut through braided fishing lines without applying any sort of tension on the wire.
This allows you to retain your physical strength when cutting the lines, as this does not require too much physical exertion.
You can cut cleanly and precisely through nearly 50 pounds of different fishing lines such as flour, mono, and braided fishing lines.
Furthermore, this package is incredibly safe to use as well. There is a small slide on either side of the device that will lock/unlock the blades. You can lock the blades with ease when the snip is not in use to prevent injuries.
Corrosion-Resistant
Another great feature of this tool is that its blades are corrosion-resistant. The serrated cutters will resist corrosion when you expose them to wet overhead conditions. This makes it last for a long time. However, you will have to rinse your snip with freshwater after using it. You also need to use an anti-rust spray to prevent spots from forming on the screws or the blades of the snip. Wipe the snip with a cloth and air dry it.
Moreover, this cutting tool is not resistant to saltwater, so despite being long-lasting, you will still have to occasionally replace them if you go saltwater fishing regularly. However, as mentioned earlier, this snip is only recommended to use for freshwater fishing.
Reviews
Customers are generally very satisfied with this cutting tool. They laud its ease of access and the precision through which it cuts through braided lines.
However, one element that customers complain about is that the retracting line is somewhat faulty at times. It can sometimes stop functioning, which causes a lot of inconvenience to customers. Moreover, the build quality of the snip is something the customers are not satisfied with.
FAQs
Does this item come with a warranty?
It has a 1-year warranty.
Can we use this item on saltwater?
You can but bear in mind that using it on saltwater will cause it to rust quickly.
Good Alternatives
Cuba Titanium Bonded Braid Shear
The next item on our list is a pair of fishing scissors to cut braided fishing lines. This tool is excellent when it comes to durability and precision cutting. This product is professionally made to cut through different types of fishing lines which makes it a versatile tool.
Size
This tool weighs only 2.5 ounces, which means it’s quite easy to carry around in your pocket or your tackle box. The size of the scissors’ blade is only 3 inches, which is specifically designed to cut through braided lines.
Unlike most scissors, this product has oversized bows that feature a comfortable pattern, allowing the user to grip this tool with ease. The pattern’s design ensures that the user of this tool does not accidentally let the scissors slip from their hand.
Blades Material
This tool features extremely strong and versatile blades. The blades themselves are bonded with titanium, which means that they can cut through various braided lines (such as fluorocarbon, mono, and braid) through relative ease and comfort.
Corrosion-Resistant
Another great feature of this tool is that it is one of the most durable products available on the market for cutting through fishing lines. As already mentioned, the blades of this tool are bonded with titanium which slows down its rusting process.
Moreover, the blades consist of stainless steel, which gives it a professional look and allows you to use it for a long time.
Reviews
This product has excellent reviews from customers who laud it for its reliability and strength when it comes to cutting through strong fishing lines. Customers are quite satisfied with this tool’s ability to cut through braided lines smoothly and cleanly.
Customers find it easy to use due to its shape as well.
A common complaint among some customers is that the handle of this tool tends to melt very quickly in reaction to the other equipment in the toolbox.
KastKing Fishing Line Scissors
The KastKing scissors is a Japanese-produced scissors that comprises serrated blades to make cutting through braided lines easier. One of this product’s most appreciable features is that you can use it in fresh and saltwater. You can also use it around the user’s neck with the help of a lanyard, allowing quick access.
Size
This scissors is only 1.6 ounces, meaning it’s not burdensome to carry it around in your pocket or your tackle box. The size of the scissors’ blade is only 3 inches, which has a specific design to cut through braided lines.
The handle of this tool is extremely lightweight and allows you to handle the tool comfortably. It also offers a strong grip to the user to increase precision while cutting.
Blades Material
The blades of this tool are serrated to cut through fishing lines efficiently. This product can easily cut through different materials such as fluorocarbon, mono, 60 lb. braid, or plastic bags. The blades of this item consist of tungsten carbide cutters.
Corrosion-Resistant
This product comes along with a protective sheath that prevents it from rusting quickly. The blades of this tool are made in such a way that prevents it from rusting in saltwater. However, they are not entirely durable, much like the previous item that we reviewed.
Reviews
This product has decent ratings. However, many customers are undecided in their reactions after using this product. This product poses no problems for some, while others find it somewhat more difficult to cut through braided lines. Moreover, many people started to notice rust spots forming on the blades after using it a couple of times.
The customers appreciate the lanyard that comes with this product, which provides incredibly easy access to this tool.
Line Cutterz
The last item on our list is the Line Cutterz snip. This is one of the most common snips used by fishermen to cut through braided lines. It comes along with patented cutting technology and is easily mountable on rod handles. These features make this product incredibly versatile and easy to use.
Size
An interesting feature of this snip is that because of its unique design, you can wear it on your finger. Moreover, you can also attach it to fishing rods and boat rails or any other place where you find it easy to cut through braided lines.
Blades Material
This tool’s steel blades have a coating of titanium. They are strong enough to cut through monofilaments and fluorocarbon elements without any hassle. Another interesting feature of this tool is that it has blades with dual-sided openings that allow you a very quick response time.
To use this tool, all you have to do is bring the braided fishing line to either side of this line cutter, and the blade that resides in the cutting slot will slice the line in half. You can even do this on a 100 lbs. braided line.
Corrosion-Resistant
The plastic rings won’t catch any rust, so they fulfill the criteria. Moreover, the blades have a titanium coating that makes them resistant to wear and tear, ensuring that corrosion isn’t a major factor with this product.
Reviews
This product has mixed reviews. Customers generally tend to find it a lot better than common utensils such as scissors when cutting braided lines. Most customers find it easy to cut through fishing lines due to the quality of the blades.
Unfortunately, a recurrent complaint among the customers is that the quality of this material is not good enough. The product itself consists of flimsy materials that cause it to break upon frequent usage.
Another complaint that users have is that this device is uncomfortable to wear on the finger, and they end up attaching it to something else.
How to Choose a Braided Fishing Line Cutter
Having to cut a heavy braided line cleanly can sometimes even get the better of experts. For beginners, it is an even more strenuous task. Many amateurs make the mistake of using a poor-quality blade. This inevitably results in torn ends that are almost impossible to thread through at times. Moreover, tying the line becomes harder with frayed ends.
A heavy-duty fishing line cutter with an uncompromising quality will allow you to cut the braid within seconds, and that too with precision.
There are numerous implements of line cutters available readily on the market, but the right one for you can depend on multiple factors. Some of the variants for line cutting include snips, micro-scissors, and shears.
Line Cutters
Line cutters are one of the most obvious selections when it comes to cutting braided lines. They are incredibly effective and safe to operate. Line cutters result in clean cuts without fraying the ends of your line.
One of its many indispensable features is that you do not need to constantly sharpen them, unlike scissors and knives. This reduces the amount of physical strength that you have to employ to use this tool. Following are few examples of line cutters.
Snips
One of the most common tools used for cutting lines is snips. The greatest asset of this tool is that it is incredibly lightweight and convenient to carry around. Snips do not tend to take too much of your inventory space either, making them one of the most useful cutting tools available on the market. You can attach snips to your vest through a lanyard, which will provide easy access to you.
Another remarkable feature about snips is that it makes line cutting an incredibly simple task. All you have to do is gently squeeze the cutter on either side, and the braid will split apart without any kind of hassle.
The blades that come along with snips are extremely strong and sharp, which results in the cleanliest of cuts. This also prevents your line from fraying at the edges or the ends.
The cutting surfaces of snips are relatively smaller than other products such as shears, making them very useful when cutting across braided lines. However, this also means that their functionality is limited when it comes to heavy-duty tasks, such as chopping bait or cutting through a heavier rope.
Scissors
No one needs an introduction to this item. We’re all very well versed in the uses of scissors and their employment in everyday tasks. A great thing about scissors is their versatility, as you can use them for heavy-duty tasks as well as the less demanding ones.
Fishing scissors most commonly feature micro-serrations, which allow you to grip your fishing line while you’re cutting through it. This allows you to leave behind an incredibly smooth and clean cut on your wire.
However, scissors are not exactly durable and can prove to be ineffective after continuous usage. Moreover, the risk of inaccuracy runs rampant when using scissors to cut braided lines. They’re also not too easy to use as they can prove to be either too small or too large for your hands. This increases the risk involved for the person using it, which is why it’s not the greatest option when it comes to cutting braided lines.
Shears
When it comes to some of the most heavy-duty fishing items, shears are a cut above the rest. Their efficiency attracts many fishermen, as they can cut through the sturdiest of ropes with relative ease and simplicity. Moreover, shears are even more versatile than scissors, as they can cut through other items such as baits, nettings, and even fish fins.
A powerful item such as shear has an obvious downside. It will take up huge inventory space and will prove to be quite difficult to carry around. This is why many customers tend to go with the less versatile but more convenient options since fishing requires traveling and waiting.
Nail Clippers
Nail clippers are one of the cheaper options available on the market. They can do an effective job on fishing lines. However, most braided fishing lines would require the clipper to be stronger than average. Cutting the line depends heavily on the durability of the cutter. Much like scissors, nail trimmers do not last that long, and you often have to replace them after a while.
On the other hand, toenail clippers tend to last longer than nail clippers on average. A problem that arises is that most of these clippers would start to rest when exposed to damp conditions. This will eventually render them ineffective. For these reasons, it is not particularly advisable to carry nail clippers alongside you while fishing.
Knives
Knives are another common utensil that you can employ in such situations where you have to cut a braided line. However, using a knife requires physical stability, which is lacking when you’re trolling for fish. It is only advisable to use knives while you’re on the shore to reduce its danger.
Make sure that the knife you use is sharp enough for precision cutting. Using a blunt knife will often fray the ends of your fishing line and prevent you from cutting the line cleanly. However, the sharper the knife, the more careful you should be in your approach.
Pliers
There are very few fishermen who don’t carry a plier in their tackle box while fishing. While most commonly use it to remove the hooks attached to the fish, pliers can prove to be quite handy when it comes to cutting braided lines.
Fishing pliers are readily available on the market and will allow you to cut even the toughest lines. The jaws of the pliers must be strong enough to secure a tight hold over the line and provide a clean cut. Fishing pliers are not too large, which allows you to carry them in your pockets as well.
Moreover, pliers are generally quite easy to use. This is because the handle of the plier allows you to maintain a strong grip over it, making the entire process of cutting braided lines a lot easier. If your hands are strong enough, you can operate pliers through the use of one hand alone as well.
Result
All these products allow you the possibility of cutting through a braided fishing line. However, choosing a particular tool depends entirely on you. If you want to go with efficient results, snips and shears might be the best available option for you. On the other hand, if you want to reduce the size of your inventory, you might want to choose a knife or a pair of scissors.
Conclusion
We have comprehensively introduced you to the world of braided line cutters. You must choose only that line cutter that you think suits your objective the best. Otherwise, you may run into a lot of problems.
There are various kinds of line cutters you can choose from. However, make sure that you go along with the more dependable tool, which would be well suited for the long run. We have reviewed some of the most common line cutters available on the market, which we are positive will help you clear your mind about your objective.