COAX Cable Cutter for Steel Center Conductor - Chrome Vanadium Steel 18 AWG (JIC-725)

Ships direct from the manufacturer. Please allow up to 10 business days, though it often ships sooner.

Most of the RG6 that goes into a house has a copper-clad steel center conductor, and most cable cutters weren't made for it: the steel core dents the edge a little with every cut until the cutter crushes instead of cuts. The Jonard Tools JIC-725 is the coax cutter built for that conductor. Its chrome vanadium steel jaws have induction-hardened cutting edges that Jonard tested through more than 25,000 cuts on CCS center conductor cable with no degradation of the edge, so the cut stays clean on the thousandth drop the way it was on the first. It takes coax up to 0.40 in in diameter with a center conductor up to 18 AWG, which covers RG59 and RG6 and their quad-shield versions. The handle is ergonomically shaped with a dipped plastic grip for comfort and torque. One limit is on the sheet in plain words: it isn't for steel or ACSR cable, where the whole cable is steel rather than a thin steel core under copper.

Features

• Made for copper-clad steel center conductors. Specifically designed for the CCS coax that standard cutters dull on.
• 25,000-cut tested. Induction-hardened cutting edges tested through over 25,000 cuts on CCSC conductor cable without degradation.
• Chrome vanadium steel. Strength and durability in the jaws and the pivot.
• Up to 0.40 in coax, 18 AWG center. Covers RG59 and RG6, including quad shield.
• Ergonomic handle, dipped plastic grip. Comfort and torque for a full day of cuts.
• Not for steel or ACSR cable. A copper-clad steel core is what it's hardened for; solid steel and aluminum-conductor steel-reinforced cable are not.

Where It Fits

It suits cable TV and satellite installers cutting CCS RG6 at every drop, where a cutter that dulls in a month is a cutter bought twelve times a year, security camera installers running RG59 and RG6 to analog and HD-over-coax cameras, MDU and headend technicians prepping hundreds of jumpers, anyone who has crushed the end of a coax with a cutter meant for copper and then fought the compression connector on, and a pouch that needs one cutter for coax and will keep the JIC-500 or a plier for the twisted pair. For stripping the coax after the cut, the TLC-028 and TLC-029 have preset cassettes for RG59, RG6, and RG11.

Good to Know

A square cut is what the compression connector needs, so set the cable in the jaws at a right angle and cut in one squeeze; a cut in two bites leaves a step, and a cut at an angle leaves a center conductor that's longer on one side than the other. The 0.40 in capacity is the cable's outside diameter and 18 AWG is the center conductor, which is RG6; RG11 has a 14 AWG center and is outside the rating even though its jacket is close to the limit, so cut it with a larger cutter. Copper-clad steel is the conductor this tool is for, and a solid copper center conductor cuts fine in it too; what it isn't for is steel cable, messenger wire, ACSR, guy strand, or screws, which will notch an edge that 25,000 cuts of CCS didn't. Keep the cut end's center conductor straight and don't let the jaws twist as they close, since a bent center conductor won't seat in an F connector. After cutting, look at the end before you strip: a clean round end with the braid flush is right, and a crushed end means the cable was outside the capacity or the cutter was closed on it twice. A wipe of oil on the pivot now and then keeps the action smooth. Check whether a drop carries power to an amplifier or a camera before you cut it, and work on dead lines.

Specifications

Documentation